BenQ Launches 4K HDR Gaming Projector

BenQ has launched a new, quirky projector and this time the company is targeting gamers. The X3000i as the model is known as, is a 4LED DLP projector that claims to have low input lag. Although it supports 4K, this is only at 60 Hz, but it has two different 1080p gaming modes that support either 240 Hz with a 4.16 ms input lag or 120 Hz with an 8 ms input lag. It sports a total of three HDMI 2.0b ports, of which the third, hidden port is occupied by an HDMI dongle that adds "smart" features to the projector. It's the QS01 dongle that we've seen before from BenQ, but it has been updated to Android 10. Other connectivity consists of a single USB Type-A 2.0 port that can deliver 2.5 A, an RS232 serial port, a DC 12 V trigger jackm, as well as a 3.5 mm audio jack and an optical S/PDIF out. One of the accessible HDMI ports supports eARC and the X3000i has a pair of integrated speakers that delivers a not too powerful 10 W audio output.

The projector can be ceiling mounted and also comes with a pair of extra feet that are apparently used when mounting the projector upside down. BenQ has included a 1.3x zoom option that can reduce the throw distance and the X3000i can produce a 120-inch image with a three metre throw distance. There are three different brightness settings, with a maximum brightness of 3000 lumens and the contrast ratio with lightsource dimming enabled is 500,000:1, although BenQ doesn't mention the default contrast ratio. There are also multiple different image presets for RPG, FPS and sports games. This is not some little dinky portable projector though, as it weighs in at 6.4 kg and has a typical power consumption of 330 W. It's also not cheap at US$1,999/€1,899, but if it delivers on its promised specs, it should at least be competitively priced.