Although the BenQ GP20 ($849) is similar to any number of other LED-based portable projectors, including the Acer K335($699.99 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) and the Editors’ Choice 3M Mobile Projector MP410, it also offers some features that help it stand out from the crowd. In particular, the GP20($1,066.47 at Amazon)(Opens in a new window) claims a brighter rating than much of its competition, at 700 lumens, and it offers a shorter throw than most, letting you get a given size image from closer to the screen. At the very least, the combination is enough to earn it a close look, although it’s not hard to find direct competitors that are brighter or offer better image quality.

What defines all of these portable LED projectors as a group is that they’re built around an LED light source, combined with a WXGA (1,280-by-800) DLP chip. Most also enhance their portability by being able to work without a computer or video source, so you don’t have to carry your laptop with you.

The GP20, in particular, can read a variety of common image, video, audio, and document file formats directly from USB memory keys, microSD cards, or its own internal memory—with 1.7GB available for storing files. In addition, its Mobile High-Definition Link (MHL)-enabled HDMI port lets you connect and charge mobile devices.

That said, the GP20 is a bit less portable than most of its competition. At 3 pounds 14 ounces, and measuring 2.4 by 8.7 by 7 inches (HWD), it’s easy enough to carry, but it’s heavier than the Acer K335, which weighs less than 3 pounds, and notably heavier than the 3M MP410, which weighs 1 pound 13 ounces with its power block and cable. (The GP20 and Acer K335 don’t use external power blocks). The weight makes the GP20 a little less appropriate than its competition to carry around for business presentations, but it’s not enough to affect its usability as a home entertainment projector.

Similar Products

3.5

Good

Acer K335

$699.99

See It

at Amazon

(Opens in a new window)

Read Our Acer K335 Review

3.5

Good

Optoma ML550

$669.00

See It

at Amazon

(Opens in a new window)

Read Our Optoma ML550 Review

Setup is standard fare for the category. The microSD card slot, a USB Type A port for USB memory keys, and an HDMI port are on the back panel, along with a VGA port, a composite video port, and mini jacks for audio-in and -out. There’s also a mini USB Type B port for direct USB display and for transferring files to internal memory. However, the USB display driver did not install successfully on the Windows 7 system I use for testing. As of this writing, BenQ is still looking into that problem.

The relatively short throw is also a highly useful convenience. For my tests, I measured a 48-inch wide image with the projector about 56 inches from the screen, and a 37-inch wide image with the projector 43 inches from the screen.

Brightness
Using Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) recommendations, and assuming a 1.0 gain screen, 700 lumens is the right brightness for roughly a 118-inch (diagonal) image for long sessions in theater-dark lighting at the GP20’s 16:10 native aspect ratio.

An important complication, however, is that, as with most DLP-based projectors, the GP20’s color brightness is lower than its white brightness. For color images, whether PowerPoint slides, photos, or movies, that translates to a lower brightness than the projector’s rating suggests. (For a discussion of color brightness, see Color Brightness: What It Is, Why It Matters.)

In my tests, I settled on a 44-inch (diagonal) image for comfortable viewing for long sessions in theater-dark lighting. With ambient light, you’ll need a smaller image, but for short sessions you can easily get away with larger screen sizes as well. Although the projector supports 3D with computer connections, the low brightness, which drops even further with 3D, keeps 3D from being a useful feature.

Image Quality
Data-image quality for the projector is acceptable for most purposes, despite some problems. On our standard suite of DisplayMate(Opens in a new window) tests, colors were suitably vibrant and eye-catching, but I saw some visible steps in what should be continuous gradients in white, green, and blue. I also saw a greenish-yellow tinge at some levels of white. This won’t be a problem for most images, but could be an issue if your graphics include gradients, particularly if you have a critical eye.

Apparent scaling artifacts at the projector’s claimed native resolution were more of an issue for most data images. This is standard for this class of projector, because it’s related to the DLP chip that these LED models use. The artifacts showed most obviously as added patterns in areas with closely spaced lines or dots, but they also affected fine detail, including text readability. With the GP20, white text on black was easily readable only down to 9 points, and black text on white was hard to read at sizes smaller than 7.5 points.

Video-image quality was also usable, but not impressive. Some colors, including skin tones, showed a slight greenish tint, but color was generally within the realm of acceptable.

I saw far fewer rainbow artifacts—red-green-blue flashes—for both data and video than I usually do with most DLP projectors. Even if you see these artifacts easily, you’re not likely to see them often enough with the GP20 to be bothered by them.

On the plus side, the three-watt mono speaker offered suitable volume for a small room, and the sound quality was good enough in my tests to make out every word of a clip that’s impossible to decipher with many projectors. Note, too, that the LEDs are meant to last the life of the projector, with a rating of 20,000 hours in Standard mode and 30,000 hours in Eco mode.

I’d like the BenQ GP20 a lot more if it were brighter, lighter, or offered better image quality, particularly for handling gradients without showing visible steps. As it is, the 3M MP410 in particular does a better job with image quality, which is a big part of why it’s Editors’ Choice; the Acer K335 offers a brighter image; and both are lighter than the GP20, making them easier to carry. That said, the BenQ GP20 delivers usable (though not impressive) quality and brightness. In addition, it offers a full set of conveniences, from its ability to read files from memory cards and USB keys, to its MHL-enabled HDMI port, to its shorter-than-typical throw distance, all of which makes it a reasonable choice.