Black Friday is here with incredible discounts on the tech you’ve seen all year. The holiday season is a great time for movie nights, but if your TV isn’t up to the task, a projector can turn your living room into a cozy theater. Save up to 31% on these seven can’t-miss deals from top manufacturers.
In our review of the 1080p version of this projector, we found it to be “a solid value among home projectors.” Its short throw distance makes it ideal for smaller rooms, and this model pushes resolution to 1080p with 4K HD input, while the DuraCore laser light source is rated for 30,000 hours of operation. With a maximum brightness of 3,500 lumens, this projector can get the job done even in the middle of a bright winter day. It’s also great for gaming, with a fast response rate and clear output.
The Epson EpiqVision Flex CO-W01 straddles the line between home entertainment and office use, offering good color accuracy and much higher brightness than comparable mini home entertainment projectors that are only slightly lighter and don’t cost much less. Its three-chip LCD eliminates rainbow artifacts, the 3,000-lumen lamp works well even in brightly lit rooms, and the 720p video output is clean and crisp.
One of the best values in ultraportable projectors is the Xgimi MoGo 2. Standout features include autofocus and powerful audio for its size. Plus, the built-in Android TV 11 platform lets you stream content from your favorite services without connecting an additional device. There’s no internal battery, so you’ll need to plug it into a wall outlet or an external battery pack, but with $150 off for Black Friday, that’s a small trade-off.
One of the biggest advantages of watching something on a projector is the ability to easily move it from one place to another, and the LG CineBeam PF510Q fits the bill. There is a rare LAN port, in addition to a Wi-Fi connection, for more stable streaming. With a maximum image size of 120 inches diagonally from a projector that fits in the palm of your hand, this is a great choice for movie nights, presentations and more, especially with a 34% discount.
BenQ GP100A Projector
1080p resolution, max size 120″, 1000 lumens
$649.00
on Amazon
$899.00
Save $250.00
Although the weather may not be conducive to outdoor movie nights where you live, a portable projector is a solid investment, especially with a price cut like this. With native 1080p resolution and a 1,000 lumen lamp, the BenQ GP100A “delivers a bright picture, image quality that’s great for casual viewing, and powerful audio, making it an excellent choice for a portable room-to-room projector. ” The included Android TV dongle allows you to easily stream your content.
The best Black Friday deals in PCMag’s Best of the Year picks
An Editors’ Choice award-winning projector, the Hisense C1 4K “will show almost anything you throw at it to its best advantage.” Compatible with both HDR10 and Dolby Vision picture formats, the TriChroma laser engine, with red, green and blue lasers, delivers a wider color gamut than the competition. With a resolution of 3,840 by 2,160 pixels and a maximum projection size of 300 inches, it is the prime choice for a home theater. Right now, Amazon has a $350 coupon, dropping the price to the lowest we’ve ever seen it.
We also gave an Editors’ Choice nod to the Anker Nebula Mars 3, “the most impressive outdoor projector we’ve seen.” Thanks to IPX3 water resistance, dust resistance and drop resistance up to half a meter, it’s built to last and much tougher than the competition. It doesn’t skimp on image quality either, with native 1080p resolution, support for 4K and HDR input, and a long-lasting LED light source. Because it doesn’t run an LED, battery life is also impressive, with 2 hours in full-power mode for video, 5 hours in Eco mode and 15 hours for audio alone.
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Designer FAQs
Hi, I’m John Burek, executive hardware editor and lab director at PCMag. I’ve overseen hardware testing at PCMag and other tech outlets for decades, and I’m here to discuss some key questions about projector purchases on Black Friday and Internet Monday.
What are the different types of projectors?
Digital projectors create images using three main types of technology. The most basic, DLP (Digital Light Processing), has a series of tiny mirrors inside the lens to transform white light into other colors. 3LCD projectors use three LCD screens, one for each descending primary color. LCoS (Liquid Crystal on Silicon) uses an active matrix display on a silicon wafer for the most accurate colors, although it is significantly more expensive.
What should I look for in a projector?
Whether you’re looking for a portable projector or a home projector (and that includes outdoor models), the two most important indicators for a projector in terms of specs are brightness and resolution. Brightness is measured in lumens, where a higher number is better. However, projectors usually have two distinct brightness numbers, one for white light and one for color. Images may appear dull if the color rating is lower than the pure white rating. Resolution determines the number of pixels the projector uses to create the image. 1080p high definition is the most common, with 4K projectors becoming more common these days and defining the top tier. For best results, match your projector’s resolution to the image source.
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Do I need a screen for my projector?
Most projector deals you’ll see don’t come with a screen included. In general, although you can throw an image from a projector onto any wall or surface, it won’t look as good as using a non-reflective white screen designed for this purpose. There are many different types of screens on the market, even some that are inflatable for easy setup and storage. While not strictly required, they definitely make your viewing experience better. Here’s our handy guide to how to choose the right screen for your projector.
What is the best cheap projector?
For now, we appreciate it Vankyo Performance V700W as the best free all-in-one projector. It’s fast enough for casual gaming, it’s bright enough for movies, and it even has surprisingly good built-in speakers. In our review, our expert said it was “a very capable choice for home use” and often sees price cuts.
Why are mini projectors so cheap?
Hardware size continues to shrink in the projector market, and some palm-sized units sell for under $200, with some even under $100. The most typical compromise made in a small projector is around lamp brightness. Pico-sized models, which fit in a pocket, typically capture about 100 ANSI lumens of brightness, and the image can appear washed out in ambient light. Also, the image resolution is lower than you would get on a more expensive model. (720p is common among mini projectors.) That said, they’re more than adequate for casual use.
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About K. Thor Jensen
Contributing writer
