Brightness Per Dollar
This is the bluntest possible ranking and it is here as a sanity check, not a recommendation: it ignores color accuracy, contrast, lamp replacement cost and whether the projector is any good. It is calculated only across projectors whose brightness is measured to a nine-point screen standard, because dividing an unverifiable number by a price produces an unverifiable ratio.
How this list is ordered: Published lumens divided by price, restricted to ISO 21118 and ANSI figures. 63 of the catalog’s projectors qualify. 1 of them is under a manufacturer safety recall — BenQ GV31 — and is marked in the list rather than removed from it, because the specification that put it here is still true. 13 of them are no longer sold by their makers — XGIMI Horizon S Max, Optoma UHZ66, XGIMI Horizon S Pro, BenQ HT2060, XGIMI MoGo 3 Pro, Epson EpiqVision Ultra LS800, BenQ HT4550i, Epson EpiqVision Mini EF22, Optoma ML1080, Anker Nebula Capsule Air, AWOL Vision LTV-3500 Pro, BenQ GV31, Samsung The Freestyle 2nd Gen — and are listed after the models still on sale, kept for comparison.
1Optoma
~$999Optoma UHD35x
The cheapest way to get 4.2 ms of input lag and 3,600 ANSI lumens into a room.
- Brightness
- 3,600lumensANSI
- Screen at 10 ft
- 83–92 in
- Input lag
- 8 ms
- Light source
- Lamp
2Optoma
~$1,199Optoma UHD38x
The UHD35x with the brightness turned up: 4,000 ANSI lumens from the same chassis, lamp and gaming path.
- Brightness
- 4,000lumensANSI
- Screen at 10 ft
- 83–92 in
- Input lag
- 8 ms
- Light source
- Lamp
3ViewSonic
~$1,300ViewSonic LX700-4K
3,500 ANSI lumens from a 20,000-hour laser in a 7.3 lb body, with a 1.36x zoom and a short 1.06 minimum throw.
- Brightness
- 3,500lumensANSI
- Screen at 10 ft
- 95–130 in
- Input lag
- 17 ms
- Light source
- Laser-phosphor
4Yaber
~$400Yaber K3
A budget LCD projector with 30 W of JBL-tuned audio and a Google TV dongle, and the clearest example in this catalog of why the brightness standard on the box matters.
- Brightness
- 990lumensISO 21118
- Screen at 10 ft
- 115 in
- Light source
- LED
5BenQ
~$1,199BenQ GP520
A 4K Google TV lifestyle projector with 2x12 W of audio, auto keystone and auto focus, designed to be carried to a wall and switched on.
- Brightness
- 2,600lumensANSI
- Screen at 10 ft
- 115 in
- Input lag
- 18 ms
- Light source
- LED
6Epson
~$1,399Epson Home Cinema 3800
The long-running 4K PRO-UHD lamp Epson, still on Epson's US price list seven years after launch.
- Brightness
- 3,000lumensISO 21118
- Screen at 10 ft
- 64–104 in
- Input lag
- 21 ms
- Light source
- Lamp
7Dangbei
~$1,199Dangbei DBOX02
Sold as the Mars Pro 2 in most markets: a 4K ALPD laser projector with licensed Google TV, 24 W of audio and a 30,000-hour light source.
- Brightness
- 2,450lumensISO 21118
- Screen at 10 ft
- 108 in
- Light source
- Laser-phosphor
8Epson
~$1,799Epson EpiqVision Ultra LS650
The cheap way into a laser TV, and the one that behaves most like furniture: 16 lb, a console-style cabinet, Yamaha 2.1 audio with a subwoofer, and Android TV.
- Brightness
- 3,600lumensISO 21118
- 100-inch screen at
- 24 in
- Light source
- Laser-phosphor
9Anker Nebula
~$950Anker Nebula Cosmos 4K SE
The cheapest 4K Dolby Vision projector with licensed Google TV in this catalog.
- Brightness
- 1,800lumensANSI
- Screen at 10 ft
- 115 in
- Light source
- Hybrid
10Optoma
~$1,599Optoma UHZ55
Optoma's mainstream laser home-theater projector: 3,000 ANSI lumens, a 30,000-hour laser, a 1.3x zoom with a little vertical shift, and 20 W of built-in audio.
- Brightness
- 3,000lumensANSI
- Screen at 10 ft
- 87–114 in
- Input lag
- 17 ms
- Light source
- Laser-phosphor
11Epson
~$1,499Epson Home Cinema 2350
A three-chip 3LCD lamp projector with Epson's 4K PRO-UHD pixel shifting and Android TV baked in, aimed at a bright family room rather than a blacked-out theater.
- Brightness
- 2,800lumensISO 21118
- Screen at 10 ft
- 63–103 in
- Input lag
- 18 ms
- Light source
- Lamp
12Optoma
~$2,199Optoma UHZ35ST
A 0.50 throw ratio puts a 100-inch picture on the wall from about three and a half feet, which is closer than anything here except the true ultra-short-throws.
- Brightness
- 3,500lumensANSI
- Screen at 10 ft
- 275 in
- Input lag
- 8 ms
- Light source
- Laser-phosphor
13Anker Nebula
~$2,199Anker Nebula X1
Anker's attempt at a flagship: 3,500 ANSI lumens of RGB tri-laser, a 1.67x optical zoom and a motorized gimbal that aims and aligns itself, with wireless satellite speakers sold as an add-on bundle.
- Brightness
- 3,500lumensANSI
- Screen at 10 ft
- 92–153 in
- Light source
- Tri-laser
14Hisense
~$1,898Hisense C2 Ultra
A tri-laser lifestyle projector with a real 1.67x optical zoom, which fewer than half the lifestyle projectors here have.
- Brightness
- 3,000lumensANSI
- Screen at 10 ft
- 92–153 in
- Light source
- Tri-laser
15BenQ
~$2,199BenQ TK710STi
The laser answer to the X500i: the same 0.69 short throw and the same 4.2 ms gaming path, but with a 20,000-hour laser-phosphor engine pushing 3,200 ANSI lumens instead of 2,200.
- Brightness
- 3,200lumensANSI
- Screen at 10 ft
- 166–200 in
- Input lag
- 8 ms
- Light source
- Laser-phosphor
16XGIMI
~$1,699XGIMI Aura 2
XGIMI's laser TV built around its Dual Light 2.0 engine, which mixes a laser and an LED source to widen the gamut without full tri-laser speckle.
- Brightness
- 2,300lumensISO 21118
- 100-inch screen at
- 16 in
- Light source
- Hybrid
17XGIMI
~$1,699XGIMI Horizon Ultra
The first consumer projector to combine a laser and an LED source in one engine, and still one of the few lifestyle boxes with a powered optical zoom.
- Brightness
- 2,300lumensISO 21118
- Screen at 10 ft
- 92–115 in
- Input lag
- 18 ms
- Light source
- Hybrid
18ViewSonic
~$1,599ViewSonic X2-4K
A short-throw 4K LED gaming projector that accepts 1440p at 120 Hz — a signal mode most projectors ignore and most PCs and current consoles can output.
- Brightness
- 2,150lumensANSI
- Screen at 10 ft
- 168–200 in
- Input lag
- 5 ms
- Light source
- LED
19Dangbei
~$899Dangbei Atom
A 2.8 lb slab barely thicker than a paperback, with a laser engine putting out 1,200 ISO lumens — nearly three times what the LED portables of the same weight manage.
- Brightness
- 1,200lumensISO 21118
- Screen at 10 ft
- 115 in
- Light source
- Laser-phosphor
20Hisense
~$2,499Hisense PX3-Pro
The tri-laser ultra-short-throw that most people end up comparing everything else to: 3,000 ANSI lumens, 110% of BT.2020, Dolby Vision, Google TV and a 50 W Harman Kardon system with Dolby Atmos.
- Brightness
- 3,000lumensANSI
- 100-inch screen at
- 19 in
- Input lag
- 30 ms
- Light source
- Tri-laser
21BenQ
~$2,799BenQ X3100i
The gaming version of BenQ's 4LED platform: 4.2 ms at 1080p/240, 8.3 ms at 1080p/120, and three game modes tuned per genre.
- Brightness
- 3,300lumensANSI
- Screen at 10 ft
- 92–120 in
- Input lag
- 8 ms
- Light source
- LED
22Anker Nebula
~$1,564Anker Nebula Cosmos Laser 4K
Anker's original 4K laser box, built on an ALPD 3.0 phosphor engine with a 25,000-hour rating and a carry handle.
- Brightness
- 1,840lumensANSI
- Screen at 10 ft
- 108 in
- Light source
- Laser-phosphor
23Epson
~$2,299Epson Home Cinema 5050UB
The UB stands for Ultra Black: a dynamic iris and Epson's best 3LCD panels aimed squarely at a dark room.
- Brightness
- 2,600lumensISO 21118
- Screen at 10 ft
- 48–102 in
- Input lag
- 23 ms
- Light source
- Lamp
24Hisense
~$4,499Hisense L9Q
The brightest projector in this catalog by a wide margin: 5,000 ANSI lumens from an RGB tri-laser at a 0.18 throw ratio, with a 116 W 6.2.2 Dolby Atmos system built into the cabinet.
- Brightness
- 5,000lumensANSI
- 100-inch screen at
- 16 in
- Light source
- Tri-laser
25BenQ
~$1,999BenQ X500i
A short-throw gaming projector that puts a 100-inch image up from about six feet, which is what makes it work in an apartment.
- Brightness
- 2,200lumensANSI
- Screen at 10 ft
- 166–200 in
- Input lag
- 8 ms
- Light source
- LED
26Hisense
~$2,499Hisense PL2
The single-laser step below the PX3-Pro: same 0.22 throw ratio and chassis size, 2,700 ANSI lumens, and Dolby Vision retained.
- Brightness
- 2,700lumensANSI
- 100-inch screen at
- 19 in
- Light source
- Laser-phosphor
27Formovie
~$1,799Formovie Cinema Edge
The cheapest tri-laser ultra-short-throw in this catalog, and at 15.4 lb the lightest.
- Brightness
- 1,900lumensISO 21118
- 100-inch screen at
- 20 in
- Light source
- Tri-laser
28Valerion
~$3,399Valerion VisionMaster Max
The brightest ISO-rated lifestyle projector in this catalog at 3,500 ISO lumens, with ±55% motorized vertical lens shift, a 1.67x zoom and a published 5,000:1 native contrast figure..
- Brightness
- 3,500lumensISO 21118
- Screen at 10 ft
- 92–153 in
- Input lag
- 8 ms
- Light source
- Tri-laser
29Dangbei
~$439Dangbei Freedo
Dangbei's first battery projector with licensed Google TV: 3.1 lb, two hours of runtime, a rotating handle stand, and 24 dB operation that makes it the quietest battery projector in this catalog..
- Brightness
- 450lumensISO 21118
- Screen at 10 ft
- 115 in
- Light source
- LED
30Yaber
~$349Yaber T2 Plus
A budget LCD projector with a carry handle, JBL-tuned speakers, a 2.5-hour battery and Wi-Fi 6, sold largely on its automatic setup features.
- Brightness
- 350lumensISO 21118
- Screen at 10 ft
- 110 in
- Light source
- LED
31XGIMI
~$399XGIMI Elfin Flip
A flat slab with a hinged lens housing that flips up to aim at a wall or a ceiling, then folds shut to travel.
- Brightness
- 400lumensISO 21118
- Screen at 10 ft
- 115 in
- Light source
- LED
32Hisense
~$1,297Hisense M2 Pro
A compact tri-laser box with a 1.3x optical zoom, aimed at people who want real 4K color in something they can carry between rooms.
- Brightness
- 1,300lumensANSI
- Screen at 10 ft
- 106–138 in
- Light source
- Tri-laser
33Valerion
~$2,999Valerion VisionMaster Pro 2
An RGB tri-laser projector that behaves like a home-theater model: a 1.67x optical zoom, Dolby Vision, and 15 ms input lag at 4K/60.
- Brightness
- 3,000lumensISO 21118
- Screen at 10 ft
- 92–153 in
- Input lag
- 8 ms
- Light source
- Tri-laser
34Anker Nebula
~$420Anker Nebula Mars 3 Air
A battery projector with a proper carry handle and 16 W of stereo audio, aimed squarely at back yards and camping.
- Brightness
- 400lumensANSI
- Screen at 10 ft
- 115 in
- Light source
- LED
35Formovie
~$2,399Formovie Theater Premium
A tri-laser UST tuned for a dark room rather than a bright one: 2,200 ISO lumens, Dolby Vision, and a Bowers & Wilkins audio system.
- Brightness
- 2,200lumensISO 21118
- 100-inch screen at
- 18 in
- Light source
- Tri-laser
36Samsung
~$2,999Samsung The Premiere 7
The single-laser Premiere: half the price of the 9, 2,500 ISO lumens, the same Tizen platform and a 60 W 2.2-channel Atmos system.
- Brightness
- 2,500lumensISO 21118
- 100-inch screen at
- 22 in
- Light source
- Laser-phosphor
37LG
~$2,999LG CineBeam HU715QW
LG's mainstream laser TV, running the same webOS as its televisions with all the streaming apps built in.
- Brightness
- 2,500lumensANSI
- 100-inch screen at
- 19 in
- Input lag
- 54 ms
- Light source
- Laser-phosphor
38AWOL Vision
~$2,499AWOL Vision LTV-3000 Pro
The gaming ultra-short-throw: 15 ms at 4K/60 and 8 ms at 1080p/120, which is unheard of in a category where 30 to 50 ms is normal.
- Brightness
- 2,000lumensISO 21118
- 100-inch screen at
- 22 in
- Input lag
- 8 ms
- Light source
- Tri-laser
39NexiGo
~$2,999NexiGo Aurora Pro
A tri-laser UST with an unusually serious audio system — two 15 W woofers and two 15 W tweeters — and Dolby Vision.
- Brightness
- 2,400lumensANSI
- 100-inch screen at
- 20 in
- Light source
- Tri-laser
40BenQ
~$799BenQ GV50
A 4.6 lb laser portable on a tilting cradle that swings through 135 degrees, with Google TV and a 2.1 speaker system with its own bass driver.
- Brightness
- 500lumensANSI
- Screen at 10 ft
- 115 in
- Light source
- Laser-phosphor
41Samsung
~$5,932Samsung The Premiere 9
Samsung's tri-laser flagship UST, and at 3,450 ISO lumens the brightest ISO-rated tri-laser ultra-short-throw in this catalog.
- Brightness
- 3,450lumensISO 21118
- 100-inch screen at
- 17 in
- Light source
- Tri-laser
42Anker Nebula
~$570Anker Nebula Capsule 3 Laser
The laser version of Anker's can-shaped projector: 1080p, 300 ANSI lumens, two hours of battery and licensed Google TV.
- Brightness
- 300lumensANSI
- Screen at 10 ft
- 115 in
- Light source
- Laser-phosphor
43Epson
~$5,999Epson Pro Cinema LS12000
The projector that made 4K/120 gaming normal in a home theater.
- Brightness
- 2,700lumensISO 21118
- Screen at 10 ft
- 48–102 in
- Input lag
- 20 ms
- Light source
- Laser-phosphor
44Epson
~$8,499Epson Home Cinema QB1000
Epson's Q series replaced the LS12000 at the top of the 3LCD line with a multi-array laser, the QZX processor and a new UltraBlack treatment.
- Brightness
- 3,300lumensISO 21118
- Screen at 10 ft
- 48–102 in
- Input lag
- 20 ms
- Light source
- Laser-phosphor
45LG
~$1,299LG CineBeam Q
A 4K RGB tri-laser projector in a 3.3 lb aluminium cube with a swivel handle that doubles as a stand.
- Brightness
- 500lumensANSI
- Screen at 10 ft
- 115 in
- Light source
- Tri-laser
46Sony
~$5,999Sony VPL-XW5000ES
Three native 4K SXRD panels driven by the X1 Ultimate processor from Sony's televisions, in the smallest and lightest chassis Sony has ever used for a native 4K projector.
- Brightness
- 2,000lumensISO 21118
- Screen at 10 ft
- 62–100 in
- Input lag
- 21 ms
- Light source
- Laser-phosphor
47JVC
~$6,999JVC DLA-NZ500
JVC's least expensive native 4K projector.
- Brightness
- 2,000lumensANSI
- Screen at 10 ft
- 68–109 in
- Light source
- Laser-phosphor
48JVC
~$9,999JVC DLA-NZ700
The NZ500 with double the native contrast.
- Brightness
- 2,300lumensANSI
- Screen at 10 ft
- 68–109 in
- Light source
- Laser-phosphor
49Sony
~$9,999Sony BRAVIA Projector 7
Sony's renamed successor to the XW5000ES, and the fix for its two biggest limitations: 4K/120 now works, and input lag drops to 12 ms.
- Brightness
- 2,200lumensANSI
- Screen at 10 ft
- 62–100 in
- Input lag
- 21 ms
- Light source
- Laser-phosphor
50JVC
~$18,999JVC DLA-NZ800
Third-generation native 4K D-ILA with 8K e-shiftX on top: the panels are 4096x2160 and the shift takes the addressed resolution beyond that.
- Brightness
- 2,700lumensANSI
- Screen at 10 ft
- 50–101 in
- Light source
- Laser-phosphor
51XGIMI
~$1,429XGIMI Horizon S MaxNo longer sold by XGIMI
XGIMI's brightest standard-throw lifestyle projector, on an integrated stand that tilts through a wide arc so it can throw from a coffee table to a high wall.
- Brightness
- 3,100lumensISO 21118
- Screen at 10 ft
- 115 in
- Light source
- Hybrid
52Optoma
~$1,895Optoma UHZ66No longer sold by Optoma
4,000 ANSI lumens from a 30,000-hour laser with a 1.6x zoom.
- Brightness
- 4,000lumensANSI
- Screen at 10 ft
- 61–98 in
- Input lag
- 9 ms
- Light source
- Laser-phosphor
53XGIMI
~$949XGIMI Horizon S ProNo longer sold by XGIMI
The Horizon S Max with the light engine turned down and the price cut by a third.
- Brightness
- 1,800lumensISO 21118
- Screen at 10 ft
- 115 in
- Light source
- Hybrid
54BenQ
~$1,249BenQ HT2060No longer sold by BenQ
A 1080p LED projector built around color accuracy rather than pixel count: 98% Rec.709 out of the box, a 20,000-hour LED that never needs a lamp, and just enough vertical lens shift to clear a coffee table.
- Brightness
- 2,300lumensANSI
- Screen at 10 ft
- 92–120 in
- Input lag
- 33 ms
- Light source
- LED
55XGIMI
~$319XGIMI MoGo 3 ProNo longer sold by XGIMI
A 2.4 lb cylinder with an integrated tilting stand, Google TV and Harman Kardon speakers, at a price where most rivals ship an unlicensed launcher.
- Brightness
- 450lumensISO 21118
- Screen at 10 ft
- 115 in
- Light source
- LED
56Epson
~$3,499Epson EpiqVision Ultra LS800No longer sold by Epson
The brightest three-chip ultra-short-throw in the catalog, and the one with the shortest throw of any of them: a 0.16 throw ratio puts a 100-inch image on the wall with the cabinet almost touching it.
- Brightness
- 4,000lumensISO 21118
- 100-inch screen at
- 14 in–15 in
- Input lag
- 17 ms
- Light source
- Laser-phosphor
57BenQ
~$2,999BenQ HT4550iNo longer sold by BenQ
BenQ's 4LED flagship: 3,200 ANSI lumens, 100% DCI-P3 coverage, and — unusually for DLP at this price — real horizontal and vertical lens shift.
- Brightness
- 3,200lumensANSI
- Screen at 10 ft
- 92–120 in
- Input lag
- 18 ms
- Light source
- LED
58Epson
~$999Epson EpiqVision Mini EF22No longer sold by Epson
A 1080p laser 3LCD cube on a rotating stand that swivels 150 degrees, so it can throw at a wall or straight up at the ceiling.
- Brightness
- 1,000lumensISO 21118
- Screen at 10 ft
- 134 in
- Light source
- Laser-phosphor
59Optoma
~$899Optoma ML1080No longer sold by Optoma
A 2.2 lb RGB tri-laser projector the size of a hardback book, covering 100% of the DCI-P3 gamut — colour coverage normally found in projectors ten times the size.
- Brightness
- 550lumensANSI
- Screen at 10 ft
- 115 in
- Light source
- Tri-laser
60Anker Nebula
~$250Anker Nebula Capsule AirNo longer sold by Anker Nebula
A soda-can projector that runs two hours off its own battery and weighs 1.4 lb.
- Brightness
- 150lumensANSI
- Screen at 10 ft
- 115 in
- Light source
- LED
61AWOL Vision
~$5,499AWOL Vision LTV-3500 ProNo longer sold by AWOL Vision
AWOL's brightest laser TV: 3,000 ISO lumens of tri-laser output with Dolby Vision and 3D, aimed at screens up to 150 inches.
- Brightness
- 3,000lumensISO 21118
- 100-inch screen at
- 22 in
- Input lag
- 15 ms
- Light source
- Tri-laser
62BenQ
~$599BenQ GV31Safety recallNo longer sold by BenQ
A battery projector built around its speaker: a 2.1 system with an 8 W woofer in a 3.7 lb cylinder that runs three hours off the internal cell.
- Brightness
- 300lumensANSI
- Screen at 10 ft
- 115 in
- Light source
- LED
63Samsung
~$498Samsung The Freestyle 2nd GenNo longer sold by Samsung
A 1.8 lb cylinder on a cradle that rotates through 180 degrees, running the same Tizen platform as Samsung's televisions including the Gaming Hub.
- Brightness
- 230lumensANSI
- Screen at 10 ft
- 115 in
- Light source
- LED