The best home projector for your room

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A tiny box promises a huge picture, while the next one advertises 4K and thousands of lumens. Most models leading UK best-projector lists cost more than the budget I'm considering here, leaving you to work out which of the smaller, more affordable boxes will suit your room.

A home projector throws its picture onto a wall or screen. The distance and lens determine the picture size, as Epson's buying guide explains, so a small box can fill a large stretch of wall. The catch is getting enough light onto that surface.

I'd start with where it goes, how dark you can make the room, and what you'll watch through it. That leads to two quite different purchases: a small smart projector for films in darkness, or a brighter living-room machine with space opposite a proper screen.

Which room, and how dark?

For a £150 to £1,000 budget, I'd settle the lighting question before the resolution question. Epson suggests 1,500 to 2,500 lumens for dedicated dark rooms and 2,500 to 3,500 for living rooms with some ambient light. BenQ suggests 1,500 to 2,000 for dark-room pictures of 100 to 120 inches, rising to 3,000 or more with ambient light. A larger picture spreads the available light further, which is why screen size matters too.

The trouble starts when the boxes use different units. ANSI lumens use an average across nine points; ISO 21118 uses a related standardised method. Makers' own LED lumens use different methods, which BenQ says lack international certification. I'd compare figures using the same named standard. XGIMI's case shows why it matters: after a settlement with Epson, it reduced its Horizon claims from 2,200 ANSI to 1,500 ISO lumens, according to ProjectorCentral.

Daylight remains the awkward part. Which? says ambient light affects the picture unless curtains are closed. BenQ's older GV30 example shrinks from 80 to 100 inches in darkness to 40 to 50 inches in a bright room without daylight. Even a little window light can wash that portable's image out.

Your intended room is the useful starting point for this poll.

The comparison below separates portable models from living-room choices. I've kept each maker's brightness units so you can see which figures share a standard.

Anker advertises a 1080p picture, while Trusted Reviews reports that the Capsule builds it from a lower-resolution chip using XPR. Anker's Capsule and Mars pages also mix Google TV copy with Android TV specification tables, so I'd confirm the Google TV edition before ordering.

Small portable projectors for the dark

For carrying between rooms, I'd start with the Capsule 3. It's the small model that appears most often in the UK lists, and Trusted Reviews names the Capsule 3 (New) its best handheld pick. Its 2024 review praises the tiny size, Google TV and Netflix support, but finds it dim. That makes it a choice for films with the curtains closed.

The Freestyle 2nd Gen earns its place through convenience: Expert Reviews praised its setup, apps and sound in 2023. It's now the older generation. TechRadar's 2024 review praised Tizen but found limited brightness at 230 ANSI lumens. Its battery base is separate.

The newer Freestyle+ is the model in our shops. Samsung claims nearly twice the brightness of the 2nd Gen, based on internal tests. RTINGS still found it dim, even in dark rooms, with poor contrast, so I'd rule it out as a bright-room TV replacement. The panel below shows its live offers.

Prices at UK shops / 1 product

Samsung The Freestyle+ (3rd Gen)

Samsung · 2 shopsSamsung The Freestyle+ (3rd Gen) SP-LFF3H LED DLP 1080p Full HD Smart Portable Short Throw Projector

From £849 at Electricshop, with delivery

1. ElectricshopIn stock · Lowest price here£849 with deliveryShop at Electricshop
2. Sonic DirectStock at the shop£849 with deliveryShop at Sonic Direct

Compare all 2 prices

Prices, stock and delivery as each shop listed them, checked 2 hours ago. Some shops pay us when you buy through these links; that never changes the order. How that works.

Techi Geek's video below compares the Freestyle+'s extra brightness and smarter automatic image correction with the 2nd Gen.

The MoGo 4 is another easy model to move between rooms: What Hi-Fi?'s 2025 review found a sharp, punchy picture and easy setup, although sound was thin and BBC iPlayer absent. Expert Reviews' portable recommendation is the MoGo 4 Laser, citing its clever design. XGIMI rates that laser version at 550 ISO Lumens.

The Mars 3 Air suits someone who values the whole package: What Hi-Fi?'s 2024 review praised both picture and sound, while finding inconsistent app support. For a compact laser alternative, Trusted Reviews' 2025 review liked the GV50's battery convenience and Google TV, but ruled out daylight use.

For a film away from a socket, eco mode is part of the battery calculation. Anker rates the Capsule and Mars at 2.5 hours in eco mode; XGIMI says up to 2.5 hours for the MoGo. Trusted Reviews found around 2.5 hours for the GV50. Neither Freestyle has an internal battery; Samsung says the Plus runs at approximately 80% brightness on its external battery.

For a tighter budget, the small L2 Plus at Richer Sounds is Stuff's budget pick. Stuff praises its design and performance for the money, but complains about intrusive fan noise and hit-and-miss automatic setup. I'd accept those compromises for occasional films; Yaber's current rating is 460 ISO Lumens, despite older 700-lumen listings.

Living-room 4K needs more than the label

I'd buy these for films at home rather than pocketability. Pixel shifting uses rapid, offset images to build the displayed picture: Texas Instruments describes XPR splitting a 4K frame into four 1080p sub-images. Epson describes PRO-UHD shifting pixels diagonally. Both describe a way of building the displayed image from shifted pixels; the resolution printed on the box can therefore differ from the chip's own resolution.

For films, my shortlist starts with the Hisense M2 Pro. What Hi-Fi?'s review, first published in 2025 and updated in 2026, praises its sharp, consistent picture, easy setup and app support, while noting thin audio and a single HDMI. It's What Hi-Fi?'s Awards 2026 pick for best projector under £1,500, with the magazine saying the M2 Pro “takes the crown for a second year”. The review confirms pixel shifting; Hisense gives brightness as 1300 lm without naming the standard.

TechRadar's budget 4K pick is the GP520. Its 2025 review found a bright, crisp picture, with ordinary colour and no optical adjustments. BenQ lists 3840×2160 without specifying whether it uses pixel shifting. I'd choose it for the reviewed picture and integrated streaming.

The Acer H6815BD is the lamp alternative. Trusted Reviews' 2024 review praised bright HDR, motion handling and low lag, while finding loud fan noise, weak blacks and possible rainbows. The following AAcer UKAcerAcer's official UK store sells its own laptops, convertibles, 2-in-1s, Chromebooks, desktops and monitors. It is a direct route to the brand's range, useful if you want to compare 7 current offers · View store → offer is for that exact model.

The Hook Up's comparison below covers projectors from about $800 to $1,500, with chapters on brightness, contrast, input lag, the DLP rainbow effect, fan noise, speakers and built-in smart systems. In its description, The Hook Up names the Hisense M2 Pro its best bedside-table projector.

When the lights stay on

I'd shortlist the CO-FH02 before a tiny portable if the sitting room cannot become a cinema. Expert Reviews names it its bright-room budget pick; its older 2023 review praised bright, vibrant images but found weak sound and limited connections. It remains a Full HD machine.

The EF-72 is a more self-contained alternative, with Google TV and Bose sound. Stuff's 2026 review praises its “rich 3LCD picture quality”, accurate colours and automatic setup, but wants deeper blacks and stronger sound. I'd favour it for easy setup in a room you can dim; the CO-FH02 has the higher brightness rating.

Epson specifies 3LCD for the CO-FH02. That's helpful if you notice the rainbow effect Trusted Reviews describes: flashes of colour as single-chip DLP shows colours in sequence. Epson's 3LCD has no colour wheel, avoiding that effect.

Where the projector and screen fit

A 100-inch picture sounds lovely until the projector needs to sit where your sofa is. BenQ explains throw ratio as distance divided by picture width, so the distance you need depends on the lens as well as the size you want.

A 100-inch, 16:9 picture is about 2.21m wide. The distances here are our calculations from the makers' ratios. At 1.2:1, it needs about 2.66m between lens and screen: that's the ratio for the Capsule 3, MoGo 4, Mars 3 Air, GV50, GP520 and EF-72.

The Hisense M2 Pro's 1.0 to 1.3:1 ratio and zoom give about 2.21 to 2.88m. The CO-FH02's 1.19 to 1.61:1 works out at 2.63 to 3.56m, while the Acer H6815BD's 1.5 to 1.65:1 needs 3.32 to 3.65m. That makes the Acer harder to accommodate in a shallow room.

LABC Warranty's 2019 analysis puts the average living room in houses built since 2010 at 17.09 square metres. I'd work from the clear space between your proposed screen and lens, allowing for furniture. If regular throw won't fit, Epson describes short throw as roughly 1 to 2 metres, and ultra short throw as centimetres.

Home Cinema Tech Review's “How to Choose a Projector: Throw Ratio Explained” covers the formula, zoom and a calculator example below.

A wall can get you started: Which? says smoothness and colour determine the result. What Hi-Fi? warns that ordinary paint compromises detail, contrast and colour. For brighter rooms, BenQ says an ALR screen must suit the throw ratio; it cannot reject light arriving from the same direction as the projector.

Sound, streaming apps and games

The projector budget needs room for what feeds it and what you hear. What Hi-Fi? recommends allowing money for a speaker and dedicated streamer, because built-in sound and app selections can disappoint. The Acer's small speaker makes that especially relevant.

Android TV alone doesn't promise Netflix. 9to5Google explains that approval is device-specific, and BenQ says Netflix was never preloaded on its older QS01 dongle. BenQ's later QS02 supports Netflix directly. The Google TV Capsule, Mars and MoGo pages explicitly list Netflix; I'd want the same confirmation for the other apps you use.

Subscriptions belong in that calculation too. Our Disney+ price rise article covers that separate expense. For 4K streaming, the broadband speed requirements sit in the comparison below.

For games, mode and signal matter. BenQ claims 17.9ms at 4K/60Hz for the GP520; XGIMI claims at most 20ms at 1080p/60Hz with automatic keystone off. Trusted Reviews measured 8ms in the Acer's game mode; TechRadar measured 62ms for the older Freestyle. I'd favour the Acer over the older Freestyle for responsive games, and use the stated game modes when comparing lag.

Electricity, lamps and the other extras

The electricity bill varies with the machine as well as the film length. At Ofgem's average cap rate of 26.32p/kWh for 1 October to 31 December 2026, the following costs are our arithmetic from makers' rated watts, rather than measured use.

The Acer H6815BD's 245W operating rating works out at about 6.45p an hour, or 12.9p for a two-hour film. The CO-FH02's 270W normal peak rating gives about 7.11p an hour, falling to 5.63p at its 214W eco peak.

BenQ's typical figures are specified at 110V: 186W for the GP520 gives about 4.90p an hour, and 85W for the GV50 about 2.24p. The EF-72's 111W normal on-mode rating gives 2.92p, while the Freestyle 2nd Gen's 50W maximum gives 1.32p.

For comparison, the TCL 65-inch TV's EU fiche gives 110W in SDR and 198W in HDR: about 2.90p and 5.21p an hour. Our running costs calculator lets you substitute your tariff. Peak, typical and maximum ratings help estimate a bill, but won't predict every viewing session.

Lamp replacement is the other recurring expense. Epson rates the CO-FH02's lamp at 6,000 hours, or 12,000 in economy; Acer UK's page gives no lamp-life figure for the H6815BD. As an example of replacement cost, Epson's own replacement lamp for its EH-TW models, the ELPLP97, costs £81.15. Which? says bulbs can cost more than £200, so I'd establish the correct part and cost before choosing a lamp model.

BenQ rates the GP520's LED and GV50's laser for 20,000 hours normally and 30,000 in eco. I'd favour those if regular lamp replacements put you off. A screen belongs in the initial spend too: What Hi-Fi? says decent options start below £100, before sound or a streamer.

What I'd skip

I'd pass on Acer's Entry/HD models for films. The AAcer UKAcerAcer's official UK store sells its own laptops, convertibles, 2-in-1s, Chromebooks, desktops and monitors. It is a direct route to the brand's range, useful if you want to compare 7 current offers · View store → catalogue lists the X1128i at 800×600 and X1228i at 1024×768, so neither is actually HD.

The TCL C1 has useful apps, but RTINGS found it terribly dim and poor for gaming. Dangbei's N2 Mini specification gives just 200 ISO Lumens, at the bottom of this portable range. I'd reserve it for darkness: Android Authority liked its value while finding daytime viewing unsuitable.

I'd also pass on the Neo as a new purchase: ProjectorCentral records its discontinuation in February 2025. I'd choose a current model instead.

Where I'd buy, and when

The table's links take you to a retailer or maker for each pick. I'd compare those pages once the room, picture size and apps have narrowed the choice.

The Freestyle+ is sold by ElectricshopElectricshopElectricshop is an online retailer of home appliances, televisions, hi-fi, home audio and wireless music systems, stocking a mix of well-known brands. Because the range spans large7 current offers · View store → through its projector listing, and Sonic DirectSonic DirectSonic Direct is an online discount retailer focused on home appliances. Its range, as described by the merchant, centres on branded domestic appliances, small kitchen and householdBuying guide · View store → through its Freestyle+ page. The panel above shows their live prices; the H6815BD offer comes from AAcer UKAcerAcer's official UK store sells its own laptops, convertibles, 2-in-1s, Chromebooks, desktops and monitors. It is a direct route to the brand's range, useful if you want to compare 7 current offers · View store →.

I'd settle the model before waiting for an offer. Our Black Friday guide covers shopping around the event, while price drops helps you watch a price. The weekly email below brings the offers together.

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Which I'd bring home

For occasional films in darkness, I'd choose the Capsule for portability or the Mars for its reviewed balance of picture and sound. For a permanent film setup, I'd start with the Hisense; with unavoidable room light, I'd favour the CO-FH02. Which?'s argument for projection is picture size for your money, and that's the attraction I'd buy into.

For everyday daytime viewing or gaming, I'd lean towards a TV. What Hi-Fi? highlights projectors' ambient-light and gaming compromises, and says their black depth cannot match OLED. I'd buy a projector when the big evening picture earns its place, with the curtains, screen and sound to make it work.

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