The Quietest Projectors

Every maker publishes two noise figures, and the quiet one is the eco mode that costs you a third of the brightness. This list uses the normal-mode figure. It matters most in a small room or a bedroom, where the projector may be closer to your head than the speakers are.

How this list is ordered: Ranked on published fan noise in normal operating mode, not eco mode. 29 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. 6 of them are no longer sold by their makers — Epson EpiqVision Mini EF22, BenQ GV31, XGIMI Horizon S Max, XGIMI Horizon S Pro, Optoma UHZ66, Samsung The Freestyle 2nd Gen — and are listed after the models still on sale, kept for comparison.

1Sony
~$9,999
Sony 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
Check price on Amazon
2Dangbei
~$1,199
Dangbei 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
Check price on Amazon
3Dangbei
~$899
Dangbei 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
Check price on Amazon
4Dangbei
~$439
Dangbei 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
Check price on Amazon
5BenQ
~$1,199
BenQ 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
Check price on Amazon
6Anker Nebula
~$2,199
Anker 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
Check price on Amazon
7AWOL Vision
~$2,499
AWOL 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
Check price on Amazon
8BenQ
~$799
BenQ 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
Check price on Amazon
9Optoma
~$999
Optoma 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
10Optoma
~$1,199
Optoma 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
Check price on Amazon
11Formovie
~$2,399
Formovie 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
Check price on Amazon
12XGIMI
~$1,699
XGIMI 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
Check price on Amazon
13Valerion
~$2,999
Valerion 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
Check price on Amazon
14Valerion
~$3,399
Valerion 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
Check price on Amazon
15XGIMI
~$399
XGIMI 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
16Anker Nebula
~$570
Anker 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
Check price on Amazon
17Anker Nebula
~$420
Anker 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
Check price on Amazon
18Optoma
~$1,599
Optoma 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
Check price on Amazon
19LG
~$1,299
LG 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
Check price on Amazon
20Epson
~$5,999
Epson 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
21Optoma
~$2,199
Optoma 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
Check price on Amazon
22LG
~$2,999
LG 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
Check price on Amazon
23Anker Nebula
~$1,564
Anker 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
Check price on Amazon
24Epson
~$999
Epson 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
25BenQ
~$599
BenQ 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
26XGIMI
~$1,429
XGIMI 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
27XGIMI
~$949
XGIMI 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
28Optoma
~$1,895
Optoma 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
29Samsung
~$498
Samsung 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