Once the province of classrooms, boardrooms, and hardcore home cinema enthusiasts, projectors are now more accessible than ever. With a range of form factors and features, they can suit almost any room and viewing style. While some of the best can be a sizeable investment, many others are surprisingly affordable.
But with a dizzying range of projectors available, figuring out the right one can take some time. However, I’ve narrowed the shortlist by playtesting some of the best on the market.
As you might expect, big players like Samsung and Hisense are in the projector game, though other brands like Nebula and Yaber also offer functionality and affordability. Whether you want a projector that’ll recreate that immersive, big screen experience in the comfort of your home, one that boasts low latency for gaming or a portable model for outdoor cinema evenings, I’ve got you covered.
My picks of the best projectors include those that’ll meet key requirements, from the best 4K and gaming models to the best portable and budget varietals. My favourite is the Anker Nebula X1, but there are several other excellent options if that isn’t right for you. I’ve personally tested every projector on this list, and I’m confident these are among the best in their range.
How I tested
As a tech writer with more than 15 years of experience, I know what to look for in a good projector. For this review, I put all their features to the test using different films and video games, including Top Gun: Maverick, Avengers: Endgame and Final Fantasy Rebirth. I’ve assessed each projector based on the following criteria:
- Display and picture: I thoroughly tested each projector across different types of media, including films and games. Crucially, I tested them under different lighting conditions, including bright daylight and low ambient light. Then I examined pictures for their contrast ratio, motion handling, colour accuracy and brightness, while also looking for rainbow effects with fast-moving edges that are common with laser projectors. I was looking for deep blacks, which are admittedly difficult to reproduce due to the nature of projectors, as well as a wide, vibrant colour gamut with luxurious saturation. Most of the models here deliver 4K resolution, which is the current gold standard in image quality.
- Set-up: I also explored each model’s setup process and whether recalibration is straightforward, particularly when you’re porting projectors between rooms or taking them outside.
- Sound: I examined their sound and determined whether they offer that oomph that big speakers can provide, while analysing voice notes for clarity. Second to this, I noticed their fan noise and whether that detracts from the overall experience.
- Value for money: Projectors are relatively expensive, so I compared each against its list price to see if they really live up to the price tag.
Why you can trust IndyBest reviews
IndyBest is The Independent’s reviews section, where expert product journalists analyse the latest products on the market to see if they stand up to scrutiny.
Matt Ng is a tech writer with years of experience critiquing all things consumer tech, including gaming, audio players, dash cams, projectors, laptops, VR headsets and much more. Given his background in tech, he has a personal interest in projectors, including how they work and in what conditions. He’s also a keen gamer and film watcher, making him the perfect candidate for this review.
The best projectors for 2025 are:
- Best overall – Anker Nebula X1: £2,199.99, Amazon.co.uk
- Best budget buy – Yaber L2 plus: £224, Currys.co.uk
- Best premium – Valerion visionmaster pro2: £2,599, Amazon.co.uk
- Best for gaming – BenQ W500i: £1,380, Amazon.co.uk
- Best ultra-short throw – Samsung premiere 9: £4,099, Johnlewis.com
- Best portable – Xgimi MoGo 4 laser: £679, Amazon.co.uk
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Anker nebula X1
Best: Projector overall
Projector type: DLP
Resolution: 4K
Brightness: 3,500 lumens
Screen size: 300in
Supported formats: Dolby Vision, HDR10
Speaker: 2x15W (woofer), 2x5W (tweeter)
Why we love it
- Bright, vibrant picture
- Automated setup
- Adapts well to most rooms
Take note
- Some rainbow artefacts
- Expensive
Anker’s newest flagship 4K projector packs a reported 3,500 lumens of brightness, making it suitable for almost every environment, regardless of the lighting conditions.
It’s crammed with premium features, including a robust retractable handle, built-in touch-sensitive controls and liquid cooling for quiet operation.
Impressively, its spatial adaptation AI scans the projection surface and automatically sets up the best image with its motorised gimbal, making it great for lugging between rooms or the occasional movie night outside. However, its heft and bulk mean you don’t want to travel long haul with it.
It’s no slouch in image performance either, with a super vibrant and bright picture that offers deep levels of contrast. Nebula projectors also do surprisingly well in the sound department, and the X1 offers pleasingly punchy yet clear audio. However, it doesn’t come cheap, particularly when rivals offer slightly superior picture quality.
Buy now £2199.99, Amazon.co.uk
Yaber L2 plus
Best: Budget projector
Projector type: LCD
Resolution: 1080p
Brightness: 700 lumens
Screen size: 120in
Supported formats: N/A
Speaker: 2X8W
Why we love it
- Superb value
- Good features and connectivity
Take note
- Brightness often insufficient
- Image far from class-leading
The adorably styled L2 looks like it’s been plucked straight out of a Pixar sci-fi feature, with its cute robot head and single-lens eye. There’s also a lens cap for protection, though it was fairly loose on my unit and came away too easily. That said, it’s a very light unit with a vertical hinge for easy manual adjustment.
For the price, you’re getting a solid low-end 1080p projector. Granted, its contrast and colour gamut fall quite short of others on this list, but for casual viewing, it does the job. Autofocus and auto keystone are also bundled into its no-fills UI, which is a nice surprise. Its overall sound is passable, though mid-range notes sometimes lack clarity.
Sadly, I found this projector’s brightness struggled against even ambient light, but considering the wallet-friendly price, it’s an absolute steal and a worthy model for a spare room or student room.
Buy now £249.00, Currys.co.uk
Valerion visionmaster pro2
Best: Premium projector
Projector type: DLP
Resolution: 4K
Brightness: 3,000 lumens
Screen size: Up to 300in
Supported formats: Dolby Vision, HDR10, HDR10+, IMAX Enhanced
Speaker: 2x12W
Why we love it
- Unique design
- Gorgeous, cinema-like image
Take note
- Quite heavy
- Sound purists may need a soundbar
The Valerion visionmaster pro2’s chrome ribs and smooth, premium styling are sure to be conversation starters. Due to its hefty weight, you’re unlikely to want to move it around regularly, but it features a standard tripod mount for versatile installation.
The system benefits from autofocus and auto keystone, while the 0.9-1.5:1 optical zoom and kickstand make setting up between different rooms easier.
Outstandingly for a relative newcomer, image quality rivals premium home cinema setups, with superb levels of contrast and images that pop off the screen with a wide colour gamut. In dark scenes, like those in The Matrix, the dark colours it delivers are impressive, thanks to its dynamically adjusting laser. Brightness is also great, with the visionmaster pro2 faring well even in daylit rooms. The audio performance isn’t quite on par with its visuals, but it’s robust and punchy enough.
Buy now £2599.00, Amazon.co.uk
BenQ W500i
Best: Projector for gaming
Projector type: DLP
Resolution: 4K
Brightness: 2,200 lumens
Screen size: 150in
Supported formats: HDR10, HDR10+
Speaker: 2x5W
Why we love it
- Excellent game modes
- Good image performance
Take note
- Fan gets noisy
- UI not as premium as others
Premium projectors don’t usually cater to gamers, but the W500i looks to buck this trend. This 4K HDR model from BenQ yields refresh rates of 120Hz at 1440p or even 240Hz at 1080p.
It shows too, with even graphically intense games like Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth and Astrobot running smoothly and responsively, with no screen tearing or motion blur. Plus, the low input lag translates to highly responsive gameplay in twitchy, fast-paced FPS or driving games. Image quality is also commendable, with smooth detail and a decent colour output, though true cinephiles might want to plump for a brighter model.
It’s a short-throw projector only, so you’ll need to be fairly prescriptive about your placement, but the manual 1.2x zoom and focus help. The W500i also has a good sound performance, even if the bass is a little lacking.
While it won’t outshine its class-leading rivals, the W500i offers decent value and excellent gaming credentials.
Buy now £1499.00, Benq.eu
Samsung premiere 9
Best: Ultra-short throw projector
Projector type: DLP
Resolution: 4K
Brightness: 3,450 lumens
Screen size: 130in
Supported formats: HDR10, HDR10+, HLG
Speaker: 40W
Why we love it
- Superb image and sound
- Great design
Take note
- Very expensive
- Wide and bulky
This 4K UST lifestyle projector from the Korean tech giant is designed to sit right next to your wall and project huge images of up to 130 inches. And while the pricetag might make you wince, know that it oozes quality and class with its wide speaker-grille design and curvy white lines.
Image performance is in keeping with its looks. It has a bright and luscious screen that’s colour accurate, and details are extremely sharp and well defined. Its 3,450 lumens are also great against rooms with a fair bit of daylight. Plus, there’s AI upscaling to crank up the quality on SD content.
Audiophiles will have no qualms with Samsung’s heavy-hitting sound — its 40W Dolby Atmos up-firing speakers filled the room with sound, creating an impressive soundstage that brings a cinema experience to proceedings. Plus, its SolarCell remote utilises voice control and can charge via light. Clever stuff.
Buy now £4999.00, Samsung.com
Xgimi mogo 4 portable projector laser
Best: Portable projector
Projector type: DLP
Resolution: 1080p
Brightness: 550 lumens
Screen size: 200in
Supported formats: HDR10
Speaker: 2X6W
Why we love it
- Clever design
- Solid image performance
- Internal battery
Take note
- One of the more expensive Full HD projectors
- Underpowered speakers
The MoGo 4 Laser’s genius lies in its design, with one end of this wine cooler-size projector serving as the power button, lens cap and adjustable stand. Pull it out, and the unit automatically turns on. You can then place it on any surface and rotate it 360 degrees to project the image where you want it.
The internal battery is good for around 2.5 hours of viewing, making this a projector that offers decent portability. It won’t last for the extended editions of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, but it’s enough juice for most movies. There are even four filters that magnetically snap to the lens, offering ambient mood lighting for your space.
Despite it being a 1080p beamer, image performance surprisingly holds up well, with vibrant colour, smooth motion and great overall contrast, even if colour accuracy is slightly off and needs retweaking. Plus, with 550 lumens of brightness, it’s best suited to darker rooms with the blinds down. But while the onboard Harman Kardon speakers offer decent clarity, they lack the power of bigger rivals, particularly during outdoor showings.
Buy now £679.00, Uk.xgimi.com
Your questions on projectors answered
What is the best projector?
For those looking for excellent versatility, I can wholeheartedly recommend the Nebula X1, which boasts an auto-positioning and autofocusing lens and plenty of brightness.
Cinema obsessives looking for a premium big screen experience should turn to the Valerion VisionMaster Pro2. Its exquisite design and vibrant image offer deep blacks and excellent colour accuracy.
If you don’t want to break the bank, the Yaber L2 Plus is an extremely cheap and cheerful wall beamer. It might be the lowest performing in this list, but it does the job, and it’s available at a fraction of the cost of the bigger models.
What do I need to look for in a projector?
The key considerations are:
Lastly, if you’re looking for a projector for gaming, ensure it has an HDMI 2.1 port, which offers 4K gameplay at optimal refresh speeds (120Hz). You’ll also want a low input lag for better responsiveness — anything lower than 40ms is typically fine for most people.
How do I get the right projector for my room?
Consider your room space and size. If you have a large, unobstructed wall but limited space, an ultra-short throw is ideal, though these tend to be very expensive and bulky.
Long rooms can benefit from long-throw projectors, while short-throw projectors are going to suit most rooms. If you’re looking to move your projector around, go for autofocus and keystone, which eliminates the faff of setting up the optimal picture every time.
Lastly, projectors with side projection or keystone can help you achieve the right setup by angling the projector to the side so it doesn’t have to be perfectly square to the wall, though the more pronounced the angle, the more input lag and loss of detail you contribute to the overall image.
What brightness do I need?
It depends on where you’ll be using your projector. In total darkness, 500 to 1,000 lumens will do just fine, but if you’re likely to be using a fair bit of ambient lighting or daylight, go for around 1,500 to 2,000 lumens. If you’re in a room that receives lots of bright daylight or bright lighting, consider pushing past 3,000 lumens.
What’s with smart projectors?
Smart projectors have built-in operating systems, better connectivity options and can run apps and stream video like Netflix, YouTube and Amazon Prime.
Without smart functionality, you’ll be reliant on using multiple input sources, HDMI ports and cables to connect your streaming and display devices. Simply put, if you use streaming services regularly, it makes sense to opt for a smart projector. Many use the Google TV operating system, which incorporates all the major streaming apps, while some even utilise voice control features, making them ideal for those with accessibility issues.
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