I thought projectors were overhyped. Like genuinely thought they were one of those things people buy, use twice, then shove in a closet next to their bread maker and that ab roller from 2019.
Then my buddy brought his to a backyard movie night last summer and I was like… oh. Oh okay. This is actually cool.
So I went down the rabbit hole. Watched probably 40 YouTube reviews over two weeks. And here’s what We noticed โ every single reviewer tests these things in a pitch-black room with a $300 screen and perfectly controlled conditions. That’s great and all but I live in a normal house with windows and a beige wall and a lamp my wife refuses to turn off because “it sets the mood.” So We bought three of the most recommended budget projectors to test in my actual living room, like a normal person would use them.
Why Most Projector Reviews Are Kinda Useless
This isn’t a knock on RTINGS or Projector Central โ those guys are thorough and I respect the work. But their testing methodology measures things like ANSI lumens in laboratory conditions and color gamut coverage with a spectrophotometer. Cool data. Completely irrelevant to whether the picture looks good on my wall at 8pm with the kitchen light bleeding in.
CNET’s review of the Epson 880 actually nailed this problem โ they measured the worst contrast ratio they’d ever seen, but then admitted the brightness was insane. Numbers don’t tell the whole story.
Here’s what I actually cared about:
- Does it look decent with some ambient light?
- How annoying is the fan noise?
- Can I set it up in under 5 minutes?
- Will it work with my Roku and PS5 without drama?
The Three I Tested
XGIMI Halo+ โ The One I Kept
$449 | 700 ISO Lumens | 1080p | Harman Kardon speakers | Android TV built in | Battery powered
I’ll be honest, I almost didn’t buy this one because the name sounds like a vape pen. But r/budgetprojectors wouldn’t shut up about it so I caved.
First impressions: it’s way smaller than I expected. Like the size of a large water bottle. I pulled it out of the box, set it on my coffee table, pointed it at the wall, and it auto-focused and keystoned itself in maybe 8 seconds. No fiddling with manual dials. No reading a 40-page manual. It just… worked.
The auto keystone correction is genuinely impressive. I had it sitting at like a 30-degree angle to the wall and it corrected perfectly. The obstacle avoidance thing even detected my thermostat sticking out from the wall and adjusted the image around it. That’s wild.
The good stuff: Built-in Android TV means I didn’t need my Roku at all. Netflix, Hulu, Disney+, YouTube โ all native. The Harman Kardon speakers are actually decent? Like I wasn’t expecting much but for casual viewing they’re totally fine. You don’t need a soundbar.
The not-so-good: 700 lumens is… look, it’s fine in a dim room. Great in a dark room. But if you’re trying to watch something at 3pm on a Sunday with the blinds open? Nah. It gets washed out pretty fast. This is a “lights off” projector.
Also the battery lasts about 2 hours which means it dies right at the climax of most movies. I just keep it plugged in now.
Epson Home Cinema 880 โ The Brightness King
~$550 | 3,300 lumens | 1080p | 3LCD | Lamp-based
This thing is bright. Like, aggressively bright. We tested it at 2pm with my living room curtains open and you could still see the image clearly on my wall. No other projector in this price range comes close.
But here’s the trade-off nobody on YouTube mentions enough โ the contrast ratio is terrible. CNET measured it at 463:1 which is apparently the worst they’ve ever tested. What does that mean in practice? Dark scenes look gray instead of black. Watching anything with a lot of dark footage โ horror movies, space stuff, prestige TV with moody lighting โ it looks flat and washed out even in a dark room.
For sports though? Incredible. The brightness makes it feel like you’re at a sports bar. My neighbor came over for a football game and literally asked how much the TV cost. When I said it was a projector he didn’t belive me.
The annoying part: No smart features. No apps. No WiFi. You need to plug in a streaming stick or game console. And the fan is noticable โ not unbearable, but you hear it during quiet dialogue scenes. Also it’s a lamp projector so eventually you’ll spend $80-100 replacing the bulb.
BenQ TH685i โ The Gamer’s Pick
~$699 | 3,500 lumens | 1080p | 8.3ms input lag | 120Hz | Android TV
This is the most expensive of the three and honestly, if you’re not gaming on it, probably not worth the premium over the Epson. But if you ARE gaming on it? Different story entirely.
8.3ms input lag at 1080p/120Hz. For context, most budget projectors have 30-60ms input lag which feels noticeably sluggish in fast-paced games. The BenQ feels responsive. I played through about 10 hours of a shooter on my PS5 connected to this thing and it felt close to my regular TV. Not identical โ I could still tell the slight differnce โ but close enough that it didn’t bother me.
It also has Android TV built in which is nice, and 3,500 lumens means it handles ambient light almost as well as the Epson.
The downside: At $700 you’re getting into TV territory. A 55" 4K TV is like $350 now. You’re paying a premium for the “100-inch screen” experience.
FAQ: The Stuff People Actually Ask Me
“Can I just project onto a white wall?”
Yeah that’s literally what I do. A proper screen with ALR (ambient light rejecting) coating will look better, obviously. But a flat white or light gray wall works fine. We tried it on my eggshell-colored wall and it looks great in the evening. Don’t waste $200 on a screen until you’ve tried the wall first.
“What about those $100 projectors on Amazon?”
Garbage. We bought a Vankyo (or whatever they’re called now) a couple years ago and returned it in 3 days. The advertised “9000 lumens” was a complete lie โ they use some made-up measurement that has nothing to do with actual brightness. Real projectors use ANSI or ISO lumens. If the listing doesn’t specify ANSI or ISO, run.
“Do We need a 4K projector?”
At this budget? No. True 4K projectors start around $1,500. The “4K supported” label on the BenQ means it can accept a 4K signal and downscale it โ it’s still displaying at 1080p. For screen sizes under 120 inches you honestly can’t tell the difference from normal viewing distance.
“Is the fan noise really that bad?”
Depends on the projector. The XGIMI was the quietest of the three โ I barely noticed it. The Epson was the loudest. It’s not like a hair dryer or anything but in a quiet room during a quiet scene, you hear it. Most people get used to it in a week.
“What about laser projectors? Are they worth it?”
Not at this price point. Budget laser projectors are like $800+ and the picture quality isn’t meaningfully better than a good DLP or LCD projector. The main advantage is no bulb replacement โ the laser should last 20,000+ hours. But a $100 replacement bulb every 3-4 years isn’t exactly breaking the bank.
My Verdict After 4 Months
I kept the XGIMI Halo+. Returned the other two.
Here’s why: convenience matters more than specs. The XGIMI turns on, auto focuses, connects to my WiFi, and I’m watching something in under 30 seconds. No streaming stick to plug in, no fiddling with alignment, no external speaker needed. It just works.
Is it the brightest? No. Is it the best for gaming? No. Does it have the best picture quality on paper? Also no.
But it’s the one I actually use every night. And that counts for more than any spec sheet.
If brightness is your priority โ like you want to watch stuff during the day or in a room you can’t fully darken โ get the Epson 880. It’s unbeatable for that.
If gaming is your thing and you want the big-screen experience without lag, the BenQ TH685i is the move. Just know you’re paying a premium for that low input lag.
For everyone else? The XGIMI Halo+. It’s the one We recommend to friends and the one that’s still sitting on my coffee table four months later.