Our 4 Favorite Projectors Will Fundamentally Change Your Home Entertainment

• Great-looking 4K Ultra projection
• Dolby Atmos sound
• Smart hub
• Worth the investment
• Looks nice

• Not great in direct sunlight
• While more affordable than other options, still pricey

If you want to go all out, here you have our all around winner—the king of short throw projectors if you will—and an all in one replacement for your TV and soundbar. Esquire's Commerce Director Krista Jones, reviewed it here, but the gist is that it's so insanely great, she replaced her TV with it. A short throw design sits right in front of the wall, so it's space-saving and looks sleek as hell when it comes to decor. And as for the performance, she says:

"Here we have it: the best picture, the best sound, the best smart hub, the smallest/slimmest design in its class—and finally, the lowest price tag I've seen yet. So why do you still have a TV? Enter the future now; you waited till just the right time."

• Great picture quality
• Automatic keystone correction keeps your screen dimensions constant
• Weighs less than six pounds
• Easy to navigate smart control
• Great for the outdoors

• No hands-free voice control

If you want something portable that can actually give you theater-quality picture, this new one from TCL is our top pick to take just about anywhere. It's a 1080p projector with features that Esquire editor-at-large, Dave Holmes called "as smart as it needs to be" in his review. He says:

"This is the best and the smallest and the easiest projector we’ve had so far, and it might just be my favorite TV I’ve ever owned. At $499, it’s one of the cheaper options on the market. Cop one for your Super Bowl party. Your guests will thank you, and Kendrick deserves no less."

• Perfect for outdoor movie night
• Super portable
• Google TV and built-in Netflix apps
• Sound by Harman Kardon

• Not the brightest picture

We awarded this our best projector of the year in our 2024 Gadget Awards. It's a portable long throw, perfect for indoors, outdoors, or anywhere you need to take it. What's key here is that it's incredibly versatile all while look cool and being easy to move around. If you have a small apartment, this could be the one for you. Our reviewer says:

"There’s no shortage of portable projectors on the market, but the issue with most of them is user interface. XGIMI solved this by actually licensing Google TV for the MoGo 3 Pro. The result is a portable projector that works seamlessly with all of your apps. Netflix, Disney, Max—it’s all there with simple log-in processes. Plus, the colors are great, and the attachments—like a battery and stand—make it a real do-all portable projector."

• Projects screen sizes between 65 and 300 inches
• Ultra crisp picture quality
• Seamless Xbox integration
• Spectacular sound by JBL and Harman Kardon

• Doesn't seem all that mini to me
• Pricey
• Have to project across the room

While it's labeled as "mini" and "portable" this big boy isn't going with you anywhere the same way as the last two. No, instead we recommend it as the next replacement for your gaming TV. Seriously, I was the one who tested and reviewed it and was blown away by the quality of both picture and sound. What impressed me the most, though, was using it for gaming. Here's what I thought:

"The Hisense C2 Ultra Mini Projector is a 4K laser projector designed specifically to be compatible with Xbox consoles. Most of my testing was on my Xbox Series X, connected via HDMI, and when I wasn't doing that, I was using the native apps to stream. It worked pretty damn well and, on the gaming front, was a smooth and low-lag experience. Long-throw projectors have come a long way since I was in high school."

Let's start by clarifying the difference between them. Short throw projectors go right in front of your wall and project directly onto it. Long throw projectors require a longer distance to project the image and must be placed further back—if you haven't touched a projector in a decade this is the style you're used to.

Our experiences have led to us preferring short throw projectors. They tend to be easier to set up and store in our homes. Long throws can be a hassle indoors or in small spaces, but they can be a better option for outdoor projection or getting theater quality picture.