Club Benefits
Getting a massive TV for your favorite TV and movies might sound like a great idea, until it takes up a wall and costs you many, many thousands of dollars — and doesn’t really get all that big. If you’re looking for something that makes a screen larger than 100 inches and doesn’t cost approximately the same as a brand-new super yacht, then one of the best projectors might be just what the doctor ordered.
We’ve tested models from just about every major manufacturer, like Optoma, JVC and more, and even those from upstarts like XGimi and Dangbei. Our current pick of the crop is the Hisense C2 Ultra. It might be expensive (but still less than a massive TV), but it offers epic brightness, super colors, and a clear screen size up to a monstrous 300 inches. There’s even an HDMI 2.1 port that supports lag-free display for gamers.
Best Projector overall
It took hours of deliberation and discussion, but the Hisense C2 Ultra has taken the crown as the best projector that you can buy right now. It not only supports a wide range of different HDR formats, but it can also display a massive screen. 300 inches, to be exact. Not that you’ll ever really need anything that large. Add in the HDMI 2.1 for gamers, and you’ve a wonderful projector for just about everyone.
Everyone who can afford the $2,500 asking price, of course. That’s not the most expensive projector around, but it’s still a tall ask. Still, if you do stump up the cash, our reviewer was incredibly impressed with the performance of the C2 Ultra.
In a typically darkened room, we found that the projector created a bright, clear and smooth image. We did have to turn off the “unsightly” motion smoothing to get everything looking perfect, but then we were off to the races. Dune was a particular highlight in our testing; the sands of Arrakis were subtle and crisp. We checked the lag-free gaming mode too, and found very good response times for gamers.
Our technical testing showed 3,231 lumens, brighter than the official numbers from Hisense. That means it can handle even a brighter room. Black levels were very strong too, and 100% coverage of the sRGB and Adobe colorspaces shows how accurate the picture can be.
Considering the projector's size, the audio quality is good as well. We found that it filled a 150-square-foot room at 20% volume — very impressive indeed. Of course, if you want the best movie sound possible, you’ll want some separate sound gear, but it’s great in a pinch.
While restrictive, the OS on board is very quick and responsive, making it easy to use. Overall, the Hisense C2 Ultra aced all our tests to become the very best projector that you can buy right now.
- Read the full Hisense C2 Ultra review
Also Consider
Why you can trust Tom's Guide Our writers and editors spend hours analyzing and reviewing products, services, and apps to help find what's best for you. Find out more about how we test, analyze, and rate.
Best portable projector
There are a couple of caveats we need to mention when it comes to 1. cheap projectors and 2. Portable projectors. To be cheap, corners are cut. To be portable, compromises have to be made. So to cut so few corners and make so few compromises for a device that is both cheap and portable is something of an aluminum-clad miracle — and that miracle is called the Aurzen ZIP Tri-Fold.
This little projector packs a punch for the size and the price. It folds in a Z-shape and looks like a strange, flat snake rising for a strike when you get it folded correctly. The folding mechanism is smooth and sturdy, so you’ve got no worries about it loosening over time. It saw a fair amount of punishment during our testing, that’s for certain, and it's not come out any worse for wear.
In our dark testing environment, the picture was surprisingly bright, although nothing compared to the incredible brightness of the more expensive options on the list. Still, with the curtains closed and the lights off, you’ll find a lovely image to enjoy, with solid color representation.
There are some compromises to remember, of course. It’s only 720p, so it’s not the highest definition of devices. There’s only a USB-C port on it, so you’ll need to buy the wireless connection dongle to connect to devices like PlayStations and XBoxes. The built-in battery also only lasts for 90 minutes, but it also has to power a bit ol’ light. So you can’t expect much.
Still, despite the obvious weakness, the Aurzen ZIP Tri-Fold is a great way to get a 50-60-inch display that fits in your pocket. Now everyone can watch your TikTok videos with you. Or the latest episode of TV. Whatever floats your boat.
- Read the full Aurzen ZIP Tri-Fold review
Also consider
Most flexible projector
The handle on the top of the Nebula X1 might make you think that it's a mobile projector — but while it can technically be lifted, it’s a big, heavy beast that you’ll want to find a home for and leave it there. What you get inside your beastly package has to be marvelled at, though, especially when you compare it to the rest of the competition; a claimed 3500 Lumens, 4K resolution, and a very fancy gimbal system that means you never have to touch a keystone control ever again.
The lens module on the front of the projector moves around as you tilt the whole unit, using a digital keystone adjuster to make sure it's all straight and proper, no matter where you place it. It’s very, very cool, and works pretty well — with a couple of caveats.
Our tester found that the digital keystone adjuster was sometimes a little unreliable, and the gimbal won’t face downwards. For most ordinary applications, however, like propping it up on a living room table with an uneven surface, it makes projector ownership a little easier.
Its specs are some of the best around, and our in-depth testing showed a projector that, in some ways, beats our best pick. We found that 3,491 lumens of the claimed 3,500 were pumped out by the RGB LED, and fairly accurate colors. Not quite as accurate as our top pick, but very impressive nonetheless.
Google TV is a very well-featured OS, but it lags behind the competition when it comes to responsiveness. Gaming is also not up to scratch with the C2 at the top of the list, and the audio quality isn’t perfect. Still, this is a very flexible device that can be put almost anywhere — and that’s why it lands a place on our list.
- Read the full Anker Nebula X1 review
Also consider
Other projectors tested
Projector benchmarks compared
We put all of the projectors we review through their paces in a series of performance tests. Below you'll find a full breakdown of our findings so that you may compare and contrast various models. You can read more about how we test projectors further down the page.
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | Hisense C2 Ultra | Aurzen ZIP Tri-Fold | Anker Nebula X1 |
Brightness (ANSI lumens): | 3,231 | 100 | 3,491 |
Contrast: | 1330:1 | N/A | 1311:1 |
sRGB coverage: | 100% | N/A | N/A |
DCI-P3 coverage: | 96% | N/A | 88% |
Input lag (default): | 51ms | N/A | 150ms |
Input lag (gaming mode): | 51ms | N/A | 50ms |
Lifespan: | 25,000 hours | 20,000 hours | 25,000 hours |
MSRP: | $2,299 | $399 | $1,699 |
For most people, the most important specifications to consider (other than price) are brightness, lifespan, and if you're a gamer, input lag. A projector's brightness determines how well it will hold up when viewed during the day or in a room that isn't completely dark. Its lifespan is an estimation of how long you'll be able to use it before performance decline, and its input lag describes the delay between an input and an on-screen action.
What to look for when buying a projector
Brightness: One of the key factors in determining whether you’re going to be able to enjoy your projector is brightness, generally measured in lumens (though there are a few different ways companies measure lumens, and the advertised brightness is not easy to trust). In a very dark room, you can get away with a projector that only offers a few hundred lumens of brightness, but if you want to do some daytime viewing or don’t want to turn all the lights out, you’ll pretty much want to ignore anything that’s not breaking 1,000 lumens. As long as you have decent blinds and can dim the lights, you’ll probably find 1,000-2,000 lumens is enough for home viewing.
Color gamut: This is essentially how rich the colors will appear from the projector. It won’t matter how bright your projector is if all of the colors look faded as a result. For the home theater, you should expect good colors, which ideally means at least 90% coverage of the sRGB color space and all the better if you’re getting over 90% of the DCI-P3 color space.
Contrast: Contrast goes hand in hand with brightness. If you have a high brightness but low contrast, dark colors and shadow details are going to be washed out, ultimately marring the cinematic image you’re looking for.
Resolution (Native): As projectors offer a big image, the resolution can be a big factor. You’re stretching a lot of information out across your screen, so if there’s too little detail, it’s going to be that much more noticeable. In action, it can be a little harder to see the difference between 1080p and 4K, but if you’re looking at a lot of static content, the advantages of 4K will be more apparent. For a decent home theater, aim for 720p at a minimum and ideally 4K. There are plenty of 4K options out there, though 1080p or WUXGA are decent enough if you sit far back. It’s also important to look for “native” resolution on projectors, as many will prominently advertise a “supported” resolution. Long story short, “supported resolution” is just the signal the projector is capable of receiving, and “native resolution” is what it’s capable of displaying (e.g., a projector could receive a 4K signal but turn that into a 720p image if it has a native 720p resolution.
Light source: Not all light sources are created. Lamps are cheap and bright, but they’re hot, take some time to warm up and cool down, and they don’t offer as much longevity as others. LEDs can get fairly bright and provide good color while offering a long lifespan. Lasers have the brightness advantage and can outperform LEDs in color if they combine multiple lasers of different colors, but they’re more expensive.
Ports: How you’re able to use your projector is majorly impacted by its ports. If it doesn’t have some quality audio outputs, like eARC, you may have a hard time connecting it to a good sound system without also buying an AV receiver. Too few HDMI ports or lower bandwidth ports can also impact your ability to use the projector conveniently.
Speakers: Many projectors include their own built-in speakers, but not all do. And many that have speakers don’t offer ones that can compare to the image they provide. It’s worth taking a note of how well the speakers performed and what wattage they offer to get a sense of whether you’ll need to factor the price of a separate sound system into your purchase.
How we test projectors
We test projectors in the real-world conditions a buyer would use a projector in. That said, we do have a degree of control, with heavy, light-blocking drapes and an ambient-light rejecting projector screen to test on. But since not everyone will use such a screen, we also view the projection against a bare wall.
While some of our testing is subjective, observing the projectors’ capabilities as we watch movies and play games, we also take measurements that allow for comparison between projectors. Projector brightness is measured using each projector's brightest mode (and occasionally other modes if the brightest mode results in a worse overall image), using a light meter to measure the luminance of an all-white image at 9 points evenly spaced across the image and multiplying those by the projected area to derive an ANSI lumen measurement. Contrast is roughly estimated by comparing the average lux measurement of an all white image against a lux measurement of an all black image.
Color coverage is measured using a SpyderX Elite colorimeter and DataColor’s calibration software. The colorimeter sits a foot away from a 1.1-gain projection screen, angled to avoid seeing its own shadow, and then measures the color gamut of the projectors light reflected off the screen.
To measure input latency, we run a timecode displayed on a laptop and mirror the display to the projector over HDMI. We then take a high shutter-speed (over 1/1000th of a second) photo of the timecode on both the laptop display and projector to see how many milliseconds the projector is behind the laptop display.
