BenQ X500i

Name: BenQ X500i
Brand: BenQ
Price: 1999 USD
Availability: InStock

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. Same 4.2 ms 1080p/240 gaming path as the X3100i in a chassis half the weight, with Google TV rather than Android TV.

Approx. price

~$1,999

snapshot, not a live price

Brightness

2,200

ANSI

Screen at 10 ft

166–200 in

16:9 diagonal, estimated from the throw ratio

Input lag

8 ms

fastest published mode

Light source

LED

20,000 h rated

Best for: A small room where the projector has to sit close to the screen

Specifications

Type: Gaming
Imaging tech: DLP
Native resolution: 4K pixel-shift
Max signal: 1080p240
Max refresh: 240 Hz
Light source: LED
Light source life: 20,000 hours
Throw ratio: 0.69–0.83:1
Zoom: 1.2x
Dynamic contrast: 600,000:1
Input lag (4K/60): 17 ms
Input lag (1080p/120): 8 ms
HDR formats: HDR10, HLG
3D: Full HD 3D
Built-in streaming: Google TV
Speakers: 10 W total
HDMI: 2 × HDMI 2.0
Weight: 7.9 lb
Released: 2023

Features

0.69-0.83 short throw
4.2 ms at 1080p/240
Google TV dongle included
1.2x zoom
2x5 W speakers
Full HD 3D

What it does well

A 0.69 throw ratio fills a 100-inch screen from roughly six feet, which no standard-throw projector here can do
The same 4.2 ms at 1080p/240 and 8.3 ms at 1080p/120 as BenQ's larger gaming model
7.9 lb — light enough to move between rooms or take to a friend's house
Google TV is licensed and Netflix works without a separate stick

What it gives up

2,200 ANSI lumens is the dimmest of BenQ's 4K models and needs the lights down
No lens shift at all, so the projector has to be placed precisely
HDMI 2.0 only — no 4K/120
BenQ does not publish a fan-noise figure for this model
The lowest input-lag figures require no digital correction in the signal path, so the projector has to be physically square to the screen

The two lists above are read off manufacturer specifications and published measurements, not from owner reports. Where owner discussion has been collected it appears separately below, so the two are never mistaken for each other.

What owners say

This projector exists for one situation and owners describe it precisely: a room where the projector cannot get far enough back. A 120-inch image from about six feet is the number that comes up repeatedly, and owners with a soffit, a ceiling fan or a shallow room treat that as the whole reason to buy it.

The comparison owners make most often is against an ultra-short-throw laser TV, and they come down on the side of this projector on cost: a UST plus the matched ambient-light-rejecting screen it needs runs to roughly double for a similar picture. The compromise they accept is precision. There is no lens shift, only about an inch of fixed vertical offset, and owners warn plainly that you cannot move the image at all once the projector is up.

The second precision point is about lag. Owners report that the lowest input-lag figures require no digital correction in the signal path, which means squaring the projector to the screen physically rather than keystoning it into position. Owners planning a permanent install are told to run conduit and decide the mounting point before the drywall goes up.

What owners like

Owners with shallow rooms name it as the practical answer: it puts a 120-inch image up from about six feet, which standard-throw projectors cannot do
Owners recommend it over a laser TV plus a matched screen for the same job, pointing out the ultra-short-throw route runs roughly double the total cost for comparable quality
The LED source draws the usual praise — no lamp, no brightness decay, quieter and lower power than the lamp projectors owners are replacing
Owners report it works well mounted in front of a soffit or a ceiling fan, where a longer-throw projector would have nowhere to go

Common complaints

No lens shift at all, and owners are blunt about the consequence: the image cannot be adjusted vertically or horizontally, so the mount has to be positioned exactly
Owners report that keeping input lag at its lowest means avoiding digital correction entirely, so the projector has to be square to the screen rather than corrected into place
Short-throw lenses draw a general caution from experienced owners, who note they tend not to be as good as the lenses on standard-throw models
Owners point out it is the dimmest of BenQ's 4K models and needs the lights down

Questions owners ask about the BenQ X500i

How close can it sit to the screen?

About six feet for a 120-inch image. Owners use that figure as the reason to choose it over a standard-throw projector, which would need roughly twice the distance for the same picture.

Can I adjust the image after mounting it?

Not optically. There is no lens shift and a fixed vertical offset of about an inch, so owners advise mounting it so the lens sits just above the top of the screen and choosing a mount with height adjustment. Digital keystone can move the image, but owners warn it costs resolution and can add input lag.

Is it cheaper than going ultra-short-throw?

Owners say considerably. A UST plus the matched ambient-light-rejecting screen it needs comes out around double the cost for a 120-inch picture of comparable quality, mainly because the screen is not optional for a UST.

How bright is it?

2,200 ANSI lumens, the dimmest of BenQ's 4K models, and owners recommend the lights down. Note that throw distance does not affect brightness — the same lumens spread over the same screen area whether the projector is six feet away or fifteen.

Is the short-throw lens a compromise?

Experienced owners caution that short-throw lenses are generally not as good as standard-throw ones, because the optics are harder to make well. In practice most owners report being satisfied; the trade is worth naming before you commit to a short-throw model for a room that could take a longer throw.

Throw calculator

Worked from this projector’s published throw ratio of 0.69–0.83:1. Estimates: a real install loses a little to lens offset, and zoom ranges are quoted at the extremes of the lens.

Lens to screen

feet

16:9 diagonal

166–200 in