These are the best home cinema projectors to buy in 2024
Bright, powerful and highly entertaining, the latest mains-powered home cinema projectors can create enormous wall-filling screens in pixel-perfect resolution and let you to indulge in blockbusters like Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny or Top Gun: Maverick – or endless House of Games reruns – in true style.
Whether you’re looking to build a dedicated home cinema room, want a TV replacement, or are looking for a projector that’s a little more portable for use around the house, we’ve found the best options available. We also have a separate roundup of the best portable projectors with battery power.
We’ve focussed on finding the most user-friendly choices whatever your budget. All our best home cinema projector picks make it quick and easy to enjoy your content on the big screen thanks to a mixture of wireless connectivity using wifi, as well as wired ports enabling you to connect your home hi-fi and surround sound systems, not to mention Blu-ray players and games consoles. Most designs here also have powerful built-in computer brains so you can access services such as Netflix, Disney Plus, Amazon Prime Video and YouTube in a matter of minutes.
How the GH Tech Team tests home cinema projectors
Three kilograms of popcorn (salted) and several buckets of pick ‘n’ mix were consumed in the hunt for the best home cinema projectors for 2024. We’re only half joking here because our reviewer transformed his spare room into a mini IMAX theatre experience and diligently watched his favourite movies for days on end.
However, with hundreds of designs available, from under £500 up to over £50,000, there’s more to reviewing projectors than watching films. Before we popped a single kernel, we carefully dissected the market, whittling it down to a long list of options, based on usability, value and screen quality.
After that, we tested each model carefully, going through the set-up process, working out how easy they are to position, and how well they work in daylight, as well as assessing the image and sound quality, and general ease of use.
XGIMI Horizon Ultra
When switched off, you’d mistake the Horizon Ultra for a boxy Bluetooth speaker, but power it up and the motorised cloth-covered cover slides effortlessly away. It’s a good-looking unit that’s small enough to disappear on a sideboard until needed. But crucially, it’s big enough to deserve the Oscar for best compact home projector.
This 4K design boasts a searingly bright 2,300 ISO lumen (equivalent to 2,875 ANSI lumens) output and we’ve yet to find a projector at this price point with such depth of colour and vibrancy.
It’s good with a bit of ambient light too, but shines when you close all the curtains and just concentrate on the content. If you’re replacing a TV, the 80-inch screen is beautiful even with the lights on, but for super-sized 200-inch displays, a dark room is best. It’s also one of the easiest Android projectors to set up, taking no more than 15 minutes. This is thanks in part to the automatic keystone correction and focus adjustments. It can even detect wall colours and adjust the image to compensate if you’re not projecting onto a screen, and tweak brightness levels if it detects ambient light.
Dolby Vision is also included, which, alongside great connections, and the Harman Kardon stereo speakers, ensures the sound keeps pace with the screen. It’s a little annoying that Netflix isn’t included as standard, but you can download it, although not the 4K version. If this is essential, we recommend adding a streaming device to the setup.
And finally, XGIMI has used a combination of laser and LED for the lens here, which will last up to 25,000 hours compared to 5,000 for a regular lamp. It’s a great value, long-lasting one-box home cinema.
BenQ W2710i
While it might be a little bit too “projector” for fans of interior design, if you love blockbuster movies in the finest Ultra High Definition 4K resolution, few models at this price can compete with the BenQ 2710i.
The 2,200 ANSI lumens offer a wonderfully bright screen to start, but it’s the 50,000:1 contrast ratio, indulgently cinematic colours and its ability to play movies at 24fps (frames per second) that had us coming back for more. Connectivity is great too, with three HDMI ports in addition to USB and optical options. These are essential, as this projector is at its best when playing the highest resolution content. That said, it’s also adept at “upscaling” to improve HD quality with a nice 4K polish.
Wifi and app streaming comes via a smart dongle you need to plug into a slot in the base. This isn’t as seamless as having Android TV built in, but Disney+, Netflix, ITVX, Amazon Prime TV, Now and Apple TV+ (plus others) are ready to go. There’s no BBC iPlayer, however.
The setup process is relatively simple and there are auto-adjustments available for those who don’t like to tinker. It does need a dark room for the best results, and at least 2.5 metres of distance to create a 100-inch image. But in truth, it’s the breadth of manual controls and settings that, while intimidating to the inexperienced, offer a wealth of options for home cinema buffs.
Nebula Cosmos 4K SE
We love the latest addition to Nebula’s lineup and think it’s a great pick for those after 4K quality in their home cinema. On test for our Nebula Cosmos 4K SE review, we found it strikes a good balance between performance, features, portability, and value. It will set you back £1,299 at full price, but it’s such a compelling choice because it packs in extras that you’d usually have to pay hundreds more to get.
Essentially, anyone looking to create a genuine cinema experience at home without overcomplicating things, will appreciate this. Its standout features include built-in streaming via Google TV, automatic picture adjustments, and Dolby Vision support.
Compared to the Cosmos Laser 4K, the SE makes clear improvements. The built-in Google TV eliminates the need for a dongle, simplifying setup and delivering compatibility with Netflix and other popular apps. Dolby Vision enhances the viewing experience with richer details and better contrast, while smart upgrades like automatic keystone correction, autofocus, and “Wall Colour Adaptation” make it super easy to get a great picture, no matter your room setup. It’s not only more versatile but more future-proof too.
Yes, brightness has been slightly reduced to 1,800 lumens, but unless you plan to watch in a very bright, sunlit room, you’ll never notice. Sound quality is solid too, with room-filling audio from the built-in speakers.
All in all, the Cosmos 4K SE is an ideal choice for movie nights, streaming, and even gaming. While the Laser 4K remains available, the SE now feels like the better buy, offering more features and convenience at a lower price.
Nebula Cosmos Laser 4K
As we discovered while testing battery-powered projectors, Nebula has nailed the brief when it comes to simple, intuitive and hugely entertaining portable projectors. The Cosmos Laser 4K is the brand’s largest and most powerful design, and while it lacks a battery, it does have 2,200 lumens of brightness, 4K resolution and brilliant automatic setup.
To get started, you need to plug in the separate streaming stick in a hidden HDMI slot in the back, but once you’ve done this, and downloaded the Nebula Connect app, the projector does most of the work for you. The app makes inputting passwords for wifi and streaming platforms easy. Services such as Disney+ and Netflix are downloaded to the projector automatically.
The image quality is gorgeous, and while it’s most impressive in a dark room, with 2,200 lumens of brightness, we were able to enjoy it with the curtains open too. This also makes it a good option for garden movie nights, although you will need to run a mains cable from the house. Watching the all-action movie John Wick 4 we did notice it struggling to keep up smoothly with some of the fast movement, but this shouldn’t be a deal breaker and won’t be a problem when watching most shows and films.
The big-screen enjoyment is well supported by four great speakers that manage to make the most of the deep rumble of action sequences and whispered voices with ease. Sometimes we forgot that the sound was coming out of a single box!
Dangbei Atom
Measuring no bigger than a generous box of chocolates, the Atom is an unfathomably small, yet impressively powerful laser projector, and remarkably, if you live in a mansion, you’ll be able to indulge in a huge 4-metre screen. Maximum resolution is 1080p Full HD, but given it’s almost half the price of many 4K equivalents, we don’t think many casual users will mind.
Sadly, we don’t live in a house with a spare 4-metre wall, but we can confirm that our 100-inch (2.5-metre) display popped with vibrant colours. We were surprised by how good the display looked, and in the dark, it actually gave our 4K TV a run for its money.
Being such a small box, the sound quality is not as good as on, say, the Nebula Cosmos 4K, but it’s not terrible either, with enough presence for a medium-sized living room.
Setting everything up was also relatively painless – although be warned, the batteries for the remote aren’t included, and there are no buttons on the projector, so don’t lose it! The home screen is instantly familiar to Google users, and it has easy access to most streaming services including YouTube, Netflix, Apple TV+ and Prime Video.
Epson EH-LS650B 4K PRO UHD
Ultra-short throw projectors like this excellent Epson model can create an over 100-inch image when placed just centimetres from the wall. With superb brightness and 4K resolution, they offer a genuine alternative to a big-screen TV, especially if you don’t actually want a telly always on display in your home.
We positioned this attractive, cloth-fronted design on a sideboard and were able to project a 100-inch screen when just 58cm away from the wall, and an 80-inch picture from just 45cm, which is still huge compared to most TVs.
With the equivalent of 4,500 ANSI lumens, this laser design is also extremely bright, and combined with a contrast ratio of 2,500,000:1, it produces extremely lifelike images even with some ambient light leakage. As with all projectors, dark rooms look best, but we enjoyed using it for regular TV viewing with the main lights on.
It is expensive compared to even the biggest new OLED TV, but we enjoyed testing it, both as a TV and with the Xbox for gaming and Blu-ray viewing. That’s all thanks to the simple setup, familiar Android TV interface and excellent Yamaha speakers. Because they’re positioned in front of where you sit, dialogue is good and convincing, while the subwoofer helps bring action sequences to life.
Hisense C1
With a mix of aluminium and teal-coloured plastic, there’s something retro about the C1’s cubic design. We like it but appreciate it may be a bit industrial for some design tastes. It’s quite similar in size, shape and features to the XGIMI Horizon Ultra, although the latter just pips it for image quality.
What’s undeniable, however, is just how simple the C1 is to set up. Turn it on and the projector lens will automatically adjust the picture to the surface it's being projected onto, ensuring it's straight and focused. There’s also obstacle avoidance – the projector will tweak the screen size to avoid your plants and pictures.
Hisense has its own user interface, VIDAA, which is fairly intuitive, although we prefer Android TV. Impressively, both the Netflix and BBC iPlayer apps are included, as well as Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ and Apple TV+, so all your streaming needs should sorted.
As for enjoying all this content, the image got to 100 inches in our dark test room and was super sharp and bursting with vibrant colours. At times, it felt almost a little bit too bold, but there are manual controls if you want to tweak them. And finally, the JBL speakers are a treat. We felt immersed in the content thanks to the quiet fan noise, which is rarely the case with compact projector designs.
Formovie Xming Page One
Billed as the world's first Google TV LCD projector with certified Netflix, the curvaceous Xming Page One from Chinese newcomer Formovie has plenty to offer without blowing the budget. If you’re looking for an occasional projector that takes up very little space but has enough power to produce a detailed image, it could be your ideal choice.
With 500 lumens it has good brightness, especially in a dark room, and while a contrast ratio of 2000:1 isn’t high, we enjoyed the 1080p Full HD image quality on offer. Compared to the much bigger and costlier options here, the maximum screen size of 120 inches feels meagre, but as we mentioned, think of this as a fun alternative to TV viewing, and you won’t be disappointed.
As we’ve come to expect from this style of compact projector, there’s autofocus and keystone correction when you switch it on, and the decision to use Google TV is a smart one as it is supremely easy to set up and start watching in just a few minutes.
XGIMI MoGo 2 Pro
This tiny mains-powered 1080p Full HD projector is an absolute bargain. It looks more like a Bluetooth speaker than a short throw projector capable of beaming a 100-inch screen from just 2.6 metres away, but with two 8W speakers, the sound is bold, so it can be both a music and movie speaker with ease.
Its 400 ISO lumens isn’t especially bright, and the image looks significantly better in a dark room, but it was nevertheless a pleasure to watch, especially considering it measures just 16cm tall. It’s no surprise the blacks aren’t deep and inky, and the motion in fast scenes can be a bit juddery, but the colours are rich, smooth and better than you might expect.
Android TV is built in (you’ll need to download Netflix), which means setup is quick, while a host of viewing modes including support for 3D movies (you’ll need glasses), plus automatic adjustments make it a super portable and easy-to-position choice that’s great fun in use.
Are 4K projectors worth it?
Sadly, as with so many things in life, if you can afford it, spending extra gets you better, and most 4K projectors have better image quality than the rest. Compared to 1080p Full HD resolution, which can be excellent, 4K offers four times the detail. The boost in picture quality is instantly noticeable if you’re playing Ultra High Definition (UHD) content.
But, the resolution is not the only consideration here, as a basic 4K projector will perform worse than a high-quality 1080p design, especially if contrast ratios and brightness are better (more on those below).
The other thing to think about is if you actually watch 4K content. Netflix, Amazon Prime and YouTube all offer 4K content, but nowhere near as much as standard definition. 4K Blu-ray discs are superb, but again, you’ll need a dedicated player or compatible games console.
The most important takeaway? Don’t buy projectors with a resolution that’s less than 1080p or 4K. Everything else (including 480p or 720p) will be disappointing in comparison.
What is the best distance for a projector?
All the projectors recommended here can create a screen of at least 100 inches while some can manage a whopping 300-inch picture. But to enjoy a vast cinema-sized display at home depends on the size and shape of the room and the specification of the individual projector. If you look at the ‘throw ratio’ of each projector you’ll see that some can be positioned quite close to the wall (known as Short Throw or Ultra Short Throw) and still project a big screen, while others need to be positioned quite a distance away.
For example, the Dangbei Atom Smart Projector needs to be 2.1m from the wall to project a 100-inch screen, while the Epson EpiqVision Ultra EH-LS650 only needs to be 58cm to create the same size. Remember though, unless you’re sitting in a dark room watching a very expensive projector, huge screens will look washed out compared to a smaller 80 to 100-inch option.
How to choose the best projector
Before you pick a projector, you need to decide what you want to do with it, and how much budget you have to spend. If you just want a fun projector for impromptu movie or gaming nights you don’t need to spend over £500, but if you’re serious about cinema and want the best in big screen viewing – and in a dedicated room – investing in a 4K design with high levels of brightness will cost at least £1,000.
But whichever camp you’re in, there are certain features you have to consider:
Brightness
Essentially, the brighter the projector bulb, the better chance the projector will have of creating a good image. A weak bulb (less than 200-300 lumens) will look washed out and soft, even in a dark room. Check the ANSI lumens rating for each model, and go for the biggest number you can. A compact design will have 400-500 ANSI lumens, but look for models offering over 1,000 ANSI lumens if you want a serious home cinema.
While lumens are a scientific measurement for light, ANSI lumens is the typical way to measure projector brightness. Determined by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), this lumen count ensures the brightness of a projector based on a specific test pattern. You’ll see projectors listing ISO, LED and ANSI lumens, but the ANSI measure is what we find best for comparative purposes and we’ve included this with all the projectors in our roundup.
Resolution
It’s the same story as it is with brightness. The higher the resolution, the better the possible quality of the projected image. As mentioned above, you may not need a 4K high-resolution model, but we strongly recommend you don’t choose a design with less than Full HD 1080p. You can find cheap models with lower resolutions, but these are only worth it if you’re projecting a small screen size in an unfussy kid’s room.
Automatic adjustments
The best projectors have clever sensors that auto-focus the picture onto the wall in seconds. They also have something called keystone correction, which readjusts the angle of the screen if you’re not projecting straight onto the wall. All projectors can be manually focused, but our picks do it for you. Some can also sense if there’s something in the way of the screen, which is a nice safety feature and prevents possible eye damage from looking into the lens.
Connectivity
Make sure the projector has enough ports and connection options for your needs. These can include HDMI for Blu-ray players and games consoles, USB for connecting from a computer, powering a TV streaming stick or accessing files on external storage, while optical ports give you the chance to connect to a home cinema system or soundbar.
All our choices also have wifi and Bluetooth. Wifi is essential for streaming from services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime and Disney+ using services such as Android TV and Chromecast. Bluetooth is also handy as you can use the projector as a standalone speaker.
Audio
All the projectors on test have built-in speakers. The higher the power (in watts) the louder it will be, but that isn’t necessarily as important as the number of speakers and the direction they project the sound.
Despite being small, they can sound good, although nowhere near as impressive as a standalone soundbar or home cinema sound system. You may even get a better sound that faces you from a portable Bluetooth speaker, if you prefer. The good news is, that you can plug projectors in if you’re building a serious home theatre.
Portability
Portability is vital not just in terms of moving or travelling with your projector but in simplifying the installation and setup. It also makes it easier to try out different screen sizes, distances, and rooms to see which arrangement works best. If you’re after battery-powered options, we have a separate roundup of the best portable projectors with built-in batteries too.
Do I need a projector screen?
It's technically possible to use any flat surface to project your image – we’ve watched a film projected onto the side of a cool box in the middle of a field – but if you want the best “home cinema” rather than a casual viewing experience, we recommend a dedicated screen. The flawless coating and reflectivity of the screen will enhance the picture considerably, especially if you’re projecting in 4K.
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