The best projectors for your home: 10 ideas for your next movie night

By Andrew Lloyd

Published: Friday, 11 March 2022 at 12:00 am

Imagine a cinema that plays all your personal favourites, from classic DVDs to the latest movies and even your playlist of internet clips – well that’s pretty much what the best projectors for your home can do.

Delivering a theatrical experience to your living room, modern home projectors can produce 4K resolution on 300 inch screens, doing away with all that hassle of leaving your house. Some even allow you to connect your gaming console so you can take your multi-playing to the next level.

Whether you want to stream your favourite series on the big screen, set up a major Xbox tournament, or pick a portable projector you can take on the go, there’s plenty to consider below when creating your very own home theatre. Just don’t forget to bring the popcorn.

You can also read our pick of the best portable speakers.

Best projectors for your home

WiMiUS K1 8000 Lumen Video Projector

Best for LED lamp

Delivering a full HD display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080, this projector from WiMiUS connects to Bluetooth so you can easily pair your iOS or Android device.

Boasting a brightness of 8000 lumen for a vivid display, this is a durable bit of kit featuring an LED lamp with a lifespan of 100,000 hours, so you can stream your favourites on repeat.

This projector has been designed to create a quality display from every angle, which means you can watch your favourite flicks with friends and family without anyone being stuck with a terrible seat in your new home theatre. It also comes with a carry case included so you can pick up the mini cinema and take it to a mate’s place.

X1300i 4LED Gaming Projector

Best for gaming

This fully HD projector can create a 100-inch image from up to 2.5 metres away, packing 3000 lumens and 4k capability for an immersive viewing experience.

It’s fully compatible with consoles as well which include all of the obvious ones from PlayStation to Xbox and Nintendo Switch, so you can expand your gaming experience.

The projector itself stands at just 197mm and is 272mm wide, which means it’s small enough to pick up and take with you if you’ve got a major tournament planned with friends.

If you want to stream Netflix simply set it up on your laptop and connect with a HDMI cable to see it play out on the big screen.

Groview 9500 Lux WiFi Projector

Best for smartphone pairing

With an impressive output of 9500 lumen, this home projector from Groview should produce HD images with a quality of 1080p. This can be paired to your smartphone wirelessly, or you can use a USB cable to connect to your Apple device.

It should allow you to connect to your phone using 5G WiFi which means a smoother, lag-free experience so you don’t have to worry about the action being interrupted.

To avoid overheating it also has a quiet cooling system built-in that you shouldn’t even notice kicking in.

XGIMI Halo Portable Projector

Best for Android TV

Combining a lumen output of 800 with HD quality, this 1080p resolution projector has Android TV 9.0 built in with access to the Google Play store so you can explore over 5000 apps on the big screen.

You also have the option of tuning into YouTube, Prime or Disney+ to catch up on your favourite videos and shows.

The projector has an automatic focus so you won’t have to fiddle with the settings, and has 4-point keystone correction software which basically means it will display the image to its best ability for each angle.

Nebula Cosmos Max

Best for sound

Promising cinema-like quality in your home theatre, the Cosmos Max combines 4K viewing with DolbyDigital Plus and Sound Dimension for a full theatre experience.

It has a built in digital zoom which means you can change with the settings without getting up, with a possible screen width of 150 inches.

Apparently this clever bit of kit can even tell when you’re viewing films that are not HDR (High Dynamic Range) optimised like old DVDs, and will boost their quality so you can watch them with fresh eyes.

This device can also connect to over 7000 apps which include the big hitters like Hulu, HBO, Disney+ and Android TV.

OPTOMA UHD35 Home Cinema Projector

Best for presentations

This projector has four times more detail than full HD, producing 4K quality up to an impressive screen size of 300 inches. You wont need to perfectly balance this on a straight table either as it features manual keystone adjustments which will basically display a perfect image even if it’s set up at an angle.

You’ll have the option to manually adjust the image depending on the colour of the wall you’re displaying on, but it will automatically get to work on the film quality itself enabling you to watch old DVDs with enhanced picture quality.

Philips PicoPix Max

Best for streaming

Watch your favourite flicks or internet clips in HD on an 120-inch screen with this Philips projector. With auto-keystone enabled it will present the perfect image with quick auto-focus, so you wont have to meddle with the settings in order to settle down and watch a blockbuster.

There are plenty of apps which come pre-set on the device including Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Prime so you can immediately start bingeing your favourites.

Claiming to last 30,000 hours of screen time, you should be able to catch up on all the classics and stay up to date with all the latest releases.

ViewSonic Ultra-Portable Projector

Best for budget

Designed to be picked up and carried, this portable projector relies on a built-in battery which means there are no cables involved. This means it can be quickly set up in any room of your house, or taken to a friend’s for the next big movie night.

It has a customisable exterior, allowing you to swap the colour of the top plate depending on your mood, which is also handy if you have several in your home and you want to differentiate between them.

The JBL speakers built into the projector claim to fill the room with sound so you can pick up on the subtleties of any film, with a USB and mini USB input so you can connect your PC, mac or mobile device.

Epson EB-E01 Projector

Best for life span

Ideal for both the office and the home, you can host important business presentations in the day and relax with a film at night.

You won’t have to worry about anyone in attendance missing the details as this projector has 3300 lumens which they say is incredibly bright and shouldn’t burn out anytime soon, with a projected life span of 18 years.

Quick to set up and easy to pick up, the Epson EB-E01 should be ideal for everything from a last minute film fest to a long-awaited movie night.

Anker Nebula Capsule Max

Best for portability

Delivering an image with a quality of 720P on a 100-inch screen, this nifty projector is especially ideal for smaller environments and low light. Once set up it will use key-stoning and auto-focus to give you a clean, straight image whether you want to watch your favourite YouTubers or tune into Netflix.

Small enough to be stored and carried in a bag, this can be set up on a flat surface or even mounted on the ceiling as a more permanent position, with a remote control included so you wont have to reach up to turn it on and off.

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