BenQ X500i Projector Review: All Hail the Short (Throw) King

In the projector world, there are three broad categories. At one end are the traditional projectors (long throw), and they sit around 10 feet from a 100-inch screen, sometimes even farther. At the other extreme, ultrashort throw projectors sit just a few inches from the screen. In the middle of the two are short throw models like the BenQ X500i. It sits around 5 feet from the screen, potentially offering coffee-table placement and bigger images in smaller rooms.

8.4

BenQ X500i

Like

• 
  Excellent contrast
• 
  Accurate colors
• 
  Bright

Don’t like

• 
  Expensive
• 
  Short throw not for everyone

The X500i also has 4K resolution, a four LED light engine with the potential for some serious light output, and built-in Android TV. So the BenQ has a lot going for it on paper. It also has a pretty beefy price tag of $1,700.

Impressively, the X500i justifies that price with excellent performance across the board. It has one of the best contrast ratios I’ve measured in many years of testing, it has above-average brightness, excellent detail, and overall creates some gorgeous images. Due to the “legroom” required, the BenQ X500i will fit only in certain rooms, but for the rooms it does fit in, it offers impressive picture quality.

Specs and such

• Resolution: 3,840×2,160 
• HDR-compatible: yes
• 4K-compatible: yes
• 3D-compatible: yes
• Lumens spec: 2,200
• Zoom: 1.2x
• Lens shift: no
• Lamp life (normal mode): 20,000 (30,000 in ECO mode)

The X500i is a 4K HDR projector with all the typical trappings. It has 3D compatibility if you’re still interested and have some compatible glasses. No projector can truly take advantage of HDR content, but BenQ’s tone mapping has been decent to now, so it doesn’t hurt to have that compatibility. 

The unit does offer some degree of optical zoom, about the same amount as most other projectors in this range. It’s enough to give you some flexibility in how far you need to place the projector to fill a specific screen size. There’s no lens shift, which admittedly is fairly rare with DLP projectors, though BenQ’s own, and cheaper, HT2060 and TK860i both have some. 

Since it’s rated for 2,200 lumens, I was expecting a pretty bright projector. In its most accurate mode, I measured 911 lumens, which is decent, though not amazing. In its brighter-but-greener Bright mode, I was able to get 1,549. I’ve certainly measured brighter projectors, notably the similarly priced Xgimi Horizon Ultra, but this is plenty for 100-inch screens, and even a bit larger. 

Where the X500i really shines is with its contrast ratio. I measured an average of 1,990:1, which is the best I’ve measured since the $4,000 Epson LS11000 two years ago. That’s a seriously impressive number, over six times better than the aforementioned Xgimi, and nearly 50% better than our Editor’s Choice winner, the BenQ HT2060. Only the BenQ X300G (review shortly) gives its label mate a run for the money, at 1,762:1. Like the X300G, I suspect there might be some mild brightness ramping going on with the LED light engine to boost this number a bit, but subjectively when viewed with actual content it looks as fantastic as that number suggests.

Like most new projectors, the X500i eschews a mercury-filled UHP lamp and instead uses the aforementioned LEDs. In this case, it’s a four LED design with an extra LED on top of the typical RGB to add additional brightness. This configuration is rated for 20,000 hours, which is basically the life of the projector. That’s nearly 14 years if you’re watching four hours a night.

Connections

• HDMI inputs: 2
• USB port: 1 USB-C, 1 USB-A
• Audio output: speakers (5Wx2), HDMI ARC, optical, Bluetooth, 3.5mm analog
• Control: RS-232
• Internet: 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4G/5G)
• OS: Android TV
• Remote: backlit

The two HDMI inputs are actually generous when you consider the X500i includes an Android TV streaming stick which doesn’t require HDMI. It has its own connections, hidden behind a removable panel on the back of the projector. 

The two 5W speakers are adequate. They don’t have much bass (not surprising), but they’re clear and loud enough that you can enjoy a movie. With any projector, a soundbar or receiver and speakers are a worthy addition.

The remote is backlit, connects to the streaming stick via Bluetooth, and has fast access to regularly used features and settings.

Picture quality comparisons

BenQ TK860i

BenQ X300G

Behold the rare single-brand projector face-off! The TK860i is a recent 4K projector that’s a bit cheaper but did well in our testing. It’s not short throw, but it can be a little brighter. The X300G has very similar specs to the X500i and comes in a cute, cube form but isn’t short throw. I connected these three to a Monoprice 1×4 distribution amplifier and viewed them side-by-side on a 102-inch 1.0-gain screen.

Starting off with light output, the X500i and TK860i are about the same, a little over 900 lumens in their most accurate, Cinema mode. If you take off that restriction, they’re both capable of a lot more in their visibly green Bright modes. In that mode, you’ll get about 25% more light from the TK860i. The X300G is a step behind, about 25% dimmer when all are in Cinema mode. In its greenish Bright mode, it’s capable of about 25% more light than the others in their accurate mode, but far less than they can produce in their brightest modes. 

What really separates the three is contrast ratio. The TK860i’s is a little below average. I measured around 551:1. That’s not terrible, but here it’s going up against two of the best performers of the last several years. The 1,990:1 I measured from the X500i is outstanding and the best I’ve measured in several years. The X300G is close behind, at 1,762:1. So they both seem to have far better depth and realism than the TK860i. 

The X500i’s color is also more vibrant than that of the TK860i. It has rich, natural-looking greens, blues and reds, but also really accurate in-between colors that lead to healthy-looking skin tones, realistic variations in the greens of grass, and so on. The X300G is similar in that regard, though not quite as good. The TK860i is a step behind. Not bad, but not as colorful nor as accurate. Its color temperature is also a little less “true,” making the image look slightly cooler compared with the more accurate X siblings.

Detail is about the same across all three, though that’s not too surprising since they’re all 4K. All three are also DLP, so there’s no motion blur, something that can’t be said about any other current display tech. So they all look sharper than a similar-resolution LCD projector in many situations.

Overall, the X500i just draws the eye more than the others here, with its punchy contrast, excellent color and above-average brightness. The extra light output of the TK860i might come in handy in some situations, but for all but the largest screens, the X500i would put out a better-looking image.

Close-up contender

The performance of the X500i is so good I wish it wasn’t a short throw projector. This is entirely due to how my home theater is set up, making such a projector impossible to site properly. The contrast is fantastic, it’s plenty bright, and the color is accurate and vibrant. It has all the pieces of an excellent projector, with the small caveat that short throw projectors aren’t for everyone. The same can be said with “regular” projectors too, of course, but if you already have a room set up for a projector, it might be difficult to reconfigure it for something like the X500i. 

There’s also the price tag. With top-tier performance, 4K, and included streaming, the BenQ was never going to be cheap. Add on a commonplace (but unnecessary) short throw “tax,” and suddenly the X500i is looking rather expensive compared with some other 4K projectors. However, if you have a smaller room, or can only fit the projector fairly close to the screen, the X500i can create some absolutely fantastic images. So fantastic that it’s worth that premium of a few hundred dollars over lesser short throws.