The best 4K projector 2024: top home theater beamers

The best 4K projectors are still the ultimate way for you to get an immersive theater experience at home. All of the projectors in this guide are capable of beaming a larger image than any regular TVs, with 100 inches being a standard image size when a 4K projector is paired with a projection screen.

Over the years, we’ve reviewed many of the best 4K projectors, from some of the highest-specified models on the market through to the more affordable and high-value ones. Not every viewer has the same needs when buying a 4K projector, so we’ve made our recommendations here based on a range of requirements, from no-compromise home cinema to sports viewing and portable use – and in all cases, tested by us.

An advantage to the best 4K projectors we’ve selected below is that, unlike one of the best 85-inch TVs, they don’t take up much room. If you’re set on a portable option or a projector you’ll only use now and again, also take a look at our best outdoor projectors guide . And if you’re specifically interested in ultra short throw projectors, a category that provides more convenience when it comes to positioning, plus the benefit of built-in speakers and streaming capability, also check out our guide to the best ultra short throw projectors.

The Quick List

Want to cut to the chase and find out which 4K projectors are the best? Below, you’ll find a roundup of our choices. You can also jump to a more detailed review of every pick and our price comparison tool to help you find the best deals.

The best 4K projectors in 2024

Below you’ll find full write-ups for each of the best 4K projectors in our list. We’ve tested each one extensively, so you can be sure that our recommendations can be trusted.

The best 4K projector overall

If you want one of the best long-throw 4K projectors and don’t want to spend the high sums required for one of the top models from Sony and JVC, the Epson Pro Cinema LS12000 comes highly recommended. With a laser light engine and 2,700 lumens brightness, it’s capable of putting out a bright HDR (both HDR10 and HDR10+ formats are supported) picture that will impress in a dim home cinema setting.

The LS12000 has serious build quality and can project pictures up to 130 inches. It features vertical and horizontal lens shift for easy, accurate setup with a projection screen and has a pair of HDMI 2.1 ports that support 4K 120Hz input.

Although the LS12000 thrives in a dark room, in our review we found its picture too be “still stunningly acceptable even without ideal conditions.” It’s not exactly a cheap option, but Epson also has a cheaper but nearly identical model, the Epson S11000, which has a lower contrast ratio and less well-defined blacks.

Read the full Epson Pro Cinema LS12000 review

The best affordable and portable 4K projector

LG’s CineBeam Q is an ultra-compact 4K projector that emphasizes style. With an all-metal case and a carrying handle that rotates 360 degrees, the CineBeam Q is as much an art object as a projector, and you’ll likely want to keep it out and visible even when it’s not being used.

Despite its glamorous exterior, the LG CineBeam Q is serious about picture quality, with a Filmmaker Mode preset that delivers a highly accurate image out of the box. Its combination of an RGB laser DLP light engine, 4K resolution, and HDR10 high dynamic range support makes LG’s projector a great option for movies, though the limited 500 ANSI lumens brightness means you’ll need to watch in a darkened room for best visual impact.

An auto screen adjustment feature with autofocus allows for easy setup when moving the projector from place to place, and there are plenty of manual setup and adjustment options for tweaking pictures. Streaming is handled by LG’s webOS platform – the same as found on the company’s TVs – which provides popular apps including Netflix, Disney Plus, Apple TV Plus, YouTube, and more.

Although portable, the LG CineBeam Q lacks a built-in rechargeable battery, and there’s no external battery accessory – a design choice that makes the CineBeam Q of limited use for outdoor viewing. Audio is also an afterthought, with the LG’s built-in speaker providing weak, tinny sound. Fortunately, the CineBeam’s Bluetooth pairing with Dual Audio Output feature lets you connect up to two Bluetooth devices like a speaker, headphones, or soundbar simultaneously, which is the recommended audio option here.

Read the full LG CineBeam Q projector review

The best premium 4K projector

JVC’s DLA-NZ8 long reigned as the best premium model in this guide, but the company’s new DLA-NZ800 takes everything great about the NZ8 and kicks it up a notch.

Like its predecessor, the NZ800 is a native 4K projector that uses a three-chip D-ILA imaging device and a BLU-Escent laser light source. But the new model features a re-designed D-ILA chipset that delivers even deeper blacks, brighter highlights and improved picture uniformity.

The NZ800’s 8K/e-shiftX upscaling boost 4K pictures to 8K resolution, and it can accept native 8K signals. But what’s most impressive about this projector is its handling of high dynamic range formats (HDR10+, HDR10, and HLG supported). In our review, we called the JVC NZ800 “streets ahead of the competition” when it comes to HDR handling, which is carried out using powerful Auto Tone Mapping along with a Frame Adapt HDR feature that works dynamically in real-time. A 65mm all-glass lens ensures that images have flawless focus and geometry, and it even supports 3D (optional shutter glasses required).

Gaming is another standout use for the NZ800, which supports up to 120p frame rates via its HDMI 2.1 inputs and has a 36ms input lag – a low amount for a projector not specifically designed for gaming.

The DLA-NZ800 is doubtless a pricey, premium option and you can find other projectors that will satisfactorily light up the big screen for considerably less. But we can’t think of a better choice than the NZ800 for home theater perfection, and with its 8K support and laser light source, it’s a future-proof projector that will be in it for the long haul.

Read our full JVC DLA-NZ800 review

The best ultra short throw 4K projector

The Hisense PX3-Pro follows up on the company’s PX2-Pro by boosting the brightness level and adding features such as 4K 120Hz and 1080p 240Hz support for gaming. It also has a sleeker, retro-futuristic design and features the Google TV smart TV platform for streaming.

Picture quality is excellent on the PX3-Pro. With 3,000 lumens on tap, there’s enough brightness for viewing in well-lit rooms and when watching in the dark, you may need to lower the laser brightness level of the projector’s three-laser DLP light engine. ‘The PX3-Pro has comprehensive HDR support, with the Dolby Vision, HDR10+, and HLG formats covered, and it also has a built-in 50W Harman Kardon-designed speaker system that we said “can get loud enough to match the size of the pictures” in our review.

While the PX3-Pro is priced higher than its predecessor, which is still available, the design, features, and performance upgrades make it worth the extra expense. Whether you’re watching movies, gaming, or sports, the PX3-Pro will provide a great big-screen experience.

Read our full Hisense PX3-Pro review

The best budget ultra short throw 4K projector

Ultra short throw projectors can be expensive – other models in this guide such as the Hisense PX3-Pro and Samsung The Premiere 9 are proof of that – but budget options also exist if you’re looking for a 4K UST projector. One of the best is the Formovie Cinema Edge, a 4K UST that sells for $1,799.

When we tested the Cinema Edge, we appreciated its compact size and ability to beam a crisp-looking 120-inch image when positioned only 33cm from a wall, making it one of the more unobtrusive projection setups we’ve seen. Its strong contrast made dark movies like Alien “a joy to watch,” and its picture brightness was sufficient to make TV shows easy to watch even in a well-lit room. It does take some work to get pictures to look their best, but the Cinema Edge’s ample picture settings give you all the tools you’ll need.

In our review, we found that the Cinema Edge’s built-in speakers “deliver a half-decent volume level for a small living room,” though you’ll want to look into external audio options for a more dynamic sound experience, something its HDMI eARC, optical digital, and 3.5mm analog audio outputs easily allow for.

Not all is perfect with the Cinema Edge – we found its color and HDR handling to be lacking compared to more expensive models, and navigating its Google TV smart interface was sluggish. Those are just two of the areas where the Cinema Edge’s budget status stands out, but if you’re looking for a 4K ultra short projector that doesn’t cost too much and doesn’t take up much space, this is about as good as they get.

Read our full Formovie Cinema Edge review

The best 4K projector for sound

Samsung’s first The Premiere earlier held the slot as the best 4K projector for sound in this guide, but its new, next-gen The Premiere 9 bumped it by delivering better brightness, a more polished design, and, yes, better sound with the addition of Samsung’s Object Tracking Sound (OTS) AI-enhanced audio processing.

Like the earlier model, The Premiere 9 is a 4K ultra short throw projector that uses a triple-laser light engine, this one specced for an impressive 3,450 ISO lumens light output. Our testing found the Premiere 9 to have bright, punchy pictures with excellent out-of-box accuracy. Sound quality was equally good, with our review citing an “immersive soundstage, with clear dialogue, width at the front, some bass presence, and effectively rendered overhead sound.”

Along with its great picture and sound quality, Samsung’s The Premiere 9 uses the company’s Tizen Smart TV system for streaming and supports both Amazon Alexa and Samsung’s Bixby voice commands. And while it’s not the greatest option for gaming with a 60Hz refresh rate and just-average (for a projector) 53ms input lag, we still enjoyed gaming with it and also appreciated Samsung’s built-in Gaming Hub with cloud-based gaming apps from Xbox, Nvidia, GeForce Now, Amazon Luna, and others.

Read our full Samsung The Premiere 9 review

The best 4K projector for sports

Not all projectors work equally well for daytime viewing as they do in a dark room, but the Epson EpiQVision Ultra LS800 is an exception. This ultra short throw model’s bright, 4,000 lumen image retains its punch even with overhead lights on, making it an excellent choice for viewing sports or for daytime gaming sessions.

The Epson LS800 uses 3LCD technology and a laser light engine. Streaming is made possible via the Android TV platform, which, as is usually the case with Android TV, omits the Netflix app. Another omission is Wi-Fi 6 – the LS800 instead uses the dated Wi-Fi 5 standard for streaming, and there’s no Ethernet port for a wired connection. Epson’s emphasis on brightness in the LS800 also means that colors aren’t as robust as what you’ll see on some other projectors, though picture quality overall is very good. Adding to the LS800’s appeal is a built-in Yamaha speaker system with a virtual surround mode that offers a strong semblance of surround while maintaining dialogue clarity.

If you want a projector that can work equally well for daytime and nighttime viewing, and also deliver powerful enough sound to fill a small room, the Epson EpiQVision Ultra LS800 will be the perfect option.

Read our full Epson EpiQVision Ultra LS800 review

The best 4K projector for gaming

The BenQ X300G is mainly a gaming projector, but it’s also great for movies. And at $1,799 (around £1,400 / AU$2,720), it’s also affordable for a 4K projector. While not technically a portable model, the X300G’s small-ish form factor – it takes up less than a cubic foot of space – makes it easy to move from room to room.

This DLP projector’s LED light engine is rated for 2,000 lumens brightness. It features the Android TV system for streaming from apps (via an included dongle) and has an HDMI 2.0 port with eARC, and a USB-C port with DisplayPort support – a somewhat rare feature for a projector. A built-in 2.1-channel speaker system delivers reasonably potent sound, and there are manual adjustments for focus, zoom, and keystone.

The main reason why we selected the BenQ X300G as our best 4K projector for gaming is its ability to display 1080p images at a 240Hz refresh rate. In our review of the projector, we cited its “stunning pixel response time that’s virtually free of ghosting” when gaming. The ability to switch between 4K for movies and 1080p / 240Hz for gaming is a powerful feature, and it makes the X300G a highly flexible projector option.

Read the full BenQ X300G projector review

How to choose the best 4K projector for you

What to look for in a projector

You’ve made up your mind: a projector is the perfect AV solution for you. So how do you choose one?

If you’re going down the home cinema route, you’re generally looking at more premium projectors with 4K resolution, HDR support, high contrast and high light output from a laser-based light engine. More portable devices tend to cut a few corners in favor of portability and practicality.

The first thing to consider is how far away the projector is going to be from the screen. For smaller spaces, and particularly for gaming, short throw projectors are great since you can place them fairly close to a screen or a wall and get good results. They’re not ideal for home theater setups, however. For that, you’ll want a long-throw projector. These are typically installed on a ceiling and sit much further back in the room, and they can project a much bigger image.

The next feature is light output, and how that light is created. Brightness is typically measured in lumens, and the bigger the number the brighter the output. Under 3,000 is fine for darker rooms or night viewing but for a brighter environment, you’ll want higher light output.

There are three kinds of light sources. Bulbs, LEDs and lasers. Bulbs are the oldest and cheapest technology, but they can generate a lot of heat and bulbs will need to be replaced fairly often.

LEDs tend to be a little brighter and a lot more accurate, and they don’t generate the same amount of heat so they last much longer – typically 20,000 hours of viewing. LED projectors can be made much smaller than lamp-powered ones.

Lasers are better still, with a similar lifespan to LED but much better brightness. However, they generally cost more.

Finally, there’s the consideration of whether or not to use a dedicated projection screen. A screen is crucial for getting optimal performance from your projector, whether it’s a regular or portable model. When shopping for a screen, however, you’ll discover there’s an almost bewildering array of options, so check out our five things to consider when shopping for a projector screen guide to learn more about screen types and how to select the perfect one for your setup.

Do I need a 4K projector?

If you’re not convinced by any of the 4K projectors in this list, it may be worth weighing up the pros and cons of competing technologies.

One of the best TVs is generally a simpler affair: you put it in your home, on a wall or stand, and it stays there. It’s a set screen size, and will offer the likes of 4K resolution or HDR at a cheaper price point than a projector.

Projectors tend to be pricier for comparative resolutions or HDR support, especially dynamic HDR – with Samsung The Premiere 9 and the JVC DLA-NZ800 being two examples of beamers with HDR10+.

However, the compact form and flexibility that a projector affords does make it a better choice in many cases, and the ultra-large, cinematic image they can provide makes them well worth the investment for die-hard movie fans.

How important is ultra short throw?

Many new 4K projectors these days come with ultra short throw technology, which vastly reduces the distance needed between the projector and the wall or screen surface it’s projecting onto.

The laser light module used for this creates crisp images, though it does ramp up the price from a non-laser long-throw model, or even regular ‘short throw’ which sits somewhere between the two.

Ultra short throw (or ‘UST’) is certainly a great space-saving measure, keeping your projector in the same position as you might put a TV, and meaning you don’t need to install a projector into your ceiling. With UST, people moving around a room are less likely to block images too. These models also pack better built-in audio than other projector types, along with built-in streaming capability for popular apps.

How big should my 4K projector picture be?

An age-old question. It really comes down to how big a picture you can fit in your home. A standard projection screen size is 100 inches, though larger – in some cases, much larger – and also smaller screens are also available. It’s well worth measuring the wall you have at home, and checking whether the projector you plan to buy can beam an image at the size you have in mind from the distance where you plan to install it.

Are 4K projectors as good as 4K TVs?

Yes, with some important caveats. The biggest one is that projectors are not usually as bright as TVs, and as a result most really struggle in brightly lit rooms: the more light there is, the less vivid your projected images will be. Projectors are best suited to home theater setups rather than sun-drenched living rooms, though some ultra short throw projectors like the Epson EpiQVision Ultra LS800 included in our list provides an exception to that rule.

The second consideration is cost. 4K projectors aren’t coming down in price as quickly as TV panels are, and that means you’ll usually pay more for a good quality 4K projector than for a good quality 4K TV.

That said, if you’re looking for a big picture then the price differences start to disappear. 4K TVs become very expensive at their largest sizes, and projectors effortlessly deliver bigger images than even the biggest mainstream TVs.

Another thing to consider is refresh rate, and again that’s something TVs tend to be better at – so if you’re buying for gaming, you’ll get a smoother performance from one of the best 120Hz TVs with a fast response time than you’ll get from a similarly priced projector. And you’re more likely to find HDMI 2.1 ports with gaming-friendly features in a TV than in a projector.

Will a projector play Netflix, Disney Plus and the rest?

The short answer is yes, but the specifics vary from device to device.

Higher-end long throw projectors are generally “dumb” displays, with no built-in smart TV interface or ability to stream video directly. That’s because they’re usually the main video component in an AV system that uses a receiver and separate speakers for audio, with the receiver sending video directly to the projector, and audio to the speakers.

But some of today’s projectors, particularly UST models, are as capable and connected as any smart TV, with many models running Anroid TV or another TV OS and offering streaming apps from big-name services such as Prime Video or Disney+ pre-installed. All you need to do is log in with your account details and you can use the app just as you would on a TV.

For projectors where that isn’t the case you usually have three options: you can connect a device such as a laptop or Apple TV via the HDMI connector, run the streaming app on that and send its video to the projector; you can put a streaming stick such as an Amazon Fire TV Stick into the HDMI port and use that as your video source; or you can stream wirelessly from a device such as a laptop, Chromebook, phone or tablet. The two main standards for easy streaming are Google’s Chromecast, which is in Android devices and the Chrome browser, and Apple’s AirPlay 2, which is in iPhones, iPads and Macs.

When you stream, you’re usually streaming video and audio simultaneously – which is fine if your projector has speakers that you want to use. If not, your projector or your streaming device may enable you to send audio to wireless Bluetooth speakers or a soundbar at the same time as you watch the video.

Other 4K projectors to consider

TechRadar has several new projector reviews in the pipeline that are likely to soon expand our best 4K projectors guide. These premium models from leading projector brands were announced at the recent CEDIA Expo 2024 and are just now being made available.

The JVC DLA-NZ700 ($8,999) is a native 4K D-ILA laser projector that sits in the middle of the company’s home theater lineup just beneath our current ‘Best premium’ choice, the JVC DLA-NZ800. Brightness for this projector is specified at 2,300 lumens and contrast at 80,000:1 (native). The DLA-NZ700 features the same Frame Adapt HDR feature as the NZ800, but lacks that model’s 8K/e-shiftX feature and 4K 120Hz support for gaming.

Epson’s new QB1000 ($7,999) is a 3LCD 4K laser model offering higher brightness and more comprehensive HDR support than our current ‘Best overall’ pick, the Epson LS12000, which will continue in the company’s lineup. The QB1000 has a specified 3,300 lumens brightness and a new 32-bit “QZX” processor to enhance picture quality.

The Sony Bravia Projector 8 ($15,999) is a new mid-range native 4K SXRD home theater option from the company. This laser-based model has a specified 2,700 lumens brightness and features the same XR Dynamic Tone Mapping and XR Deep Black processing used in Sony’s TVs to enhance picture contrast with high dynamic range sources.

How we tested the best 4K projectors

We test the best 4K projectors in real-world conditions, viewing with both room lighting on and lights off to get a sense of how well the projector performs under a range of conditions. All of our viewing is done using a projection screen, either a matt white material or an ambient light-rejecting screen in the case of ultra short throw projectors.

Sources used for our testing include 4K Blu-ray and streaming services, and Xbox One X and PlayStation 5 gaming consoles. We also use test patterns from the Spears & Munsil Ultra HD Benchmark disc and standalone pattern generators to measure performance factors such as peak brightness.

The latest updates to this guide to the best 4K projectors

4 December 2024
Added Formovie Cinema Edge as ‘best budget ultra short throw’ option.

5 November 2024
Updated Other 4K projectors to consider section with key forthcoming TechRadar projector reviews.

10 October 2024
Replaced Hisense L9G with Hisense PX3-Pro as ‘best ultra short throw’ option.

12 September 2024
Replaced Samsung The Premiere with new The Premiere 9 UST model as ‘best for sound’ option due to its improved brightness and enhanced sound features.

15 August 2024
Added more buying advice, detailing pros and cons for each projector in the list.

19 June 2024
Replaced JVC DLA-NZ8 with newer model JVC DLA-NZ800 as “Best premium” 4K projector.

21 June 2024
Added image galleries for each projector model.

23 May 2024
Added BenQ X300G as “Best gaming” 4K projector.

29 April 2024
Added LG CineBeam Q as “Affordable and Portable” option; changed Ben Q TK700STi to “Best Gaming” option.

25 March 2024
Added “Also consider” section with descriptions of other recently reviewed 4K projector options.

27 February 2024
Replaced Samsung The Freestyle (2022) with updated model, The Freestyle 2nd Gen.

4 January 2024
Added link to TechRadar CES hub in introduction.

4 December 2023
Checked to confirm the availability of all models in guide.

26 October 2023
Restructured this guide to make it easier to navigate, and to give more specific recommendations to different models. We also added this new ‘Latest updates’ section to help readers know how we’ve changed the guide recently.