THE BEST DEALS OF THE DAY
One minute review
The BenQ GV30 projector does indeed leave a strong first impression, at least at first glance. Before you even turn on the device, you'll find that it comes in a clever, high-quality carrying case that simply opens to reveal the projector and its components inside.
We are quite simply in love with the fit and build quality of the GV30.. It's sturdy and has just the right amount of weight for a portable projector without feeling cheap or underdeveloped. The same can be said for the magnetic ball head, where the GV30 snaps in and out effortlessly, where it can be swiveled around a XNUMX-degree axis to help you find the right viewing angle for you. That great build quality carries over to the remote control, which must be some of the best we've used for a projector. It's simple to understand with clearly defined buttons, and the tactile feedback offered when you press them is more satisfying than it sounds. Unfortunately,
results when turned on are more mixed, as there seems to be a caveat to pretty much anything positive about the GV30. Even the solid build quality has the downside that the side panel is unnecessarily quite difficult to open with the included rubber pick. Image quality is clean and clear, and
the GV30 takes full advantage of its limited 720p resolution. And with efficient automatic keystone distortion, the projector can be reliably adjusted to find the best viewing angle most of the time. Unfortunately, with image quality comes one of the GV30's biggest drawbacks: horribly low brightness. At just 300 ANSI lumens, the GV30 is largely useless in bright environments. A day mode preset helps, adding artificial brightness to the image, but only very dimly. You will clearly want to use this projector in a dark room for the best results. Fortunately,
the outlook for the GV30 improves exponentially in the sound department. The clear sound profile means your content is perfectly audible even at low volumes, and the added bass adds weight to more intense or conclusive scenes. Bass isn't too muddy either and avoids distorting the overall sound even when turned up to a reasonably high level. As such, the GV30 isn't one of the best projectors out there, but it's a decent alternative in that regard for casual home theater viewing.
Prices and availability
BenQ GV30 portable projector launches on September 15 for $499 / €499 (roughly AU$679), which puts it in line with other portable projectors like the Optoma ML750e featured in our Portable Projector Best Buyer's Guide.
We'd argue the cost is a bit high for a 720p projector, especially with brightness as low as 300 ANSI lumens. Still, a clean 720p picture, great sound quality, and a surprising number of free apps undoubtedly help make the GV30 a more appealing acquisition.
Design and functionality
- High build quality
- It looks fantastic
- Terrible battery life
In short, we love the physical design of the GV30. It has a pleasingly round design that complements the included magnetized pivot. This allows users to position and rotate the projector as they wish, making viewing on walls and ceilings as simple as adjusting its placement on the pivot, with a total radius of 135º. The magnetized connection is also strong, so it will not simply be removed without applying deliberate force.
The projector is also quite solid, measuring just 4.7 x 6.7 x 6.3 inches (12 x 19.6 x 18.5 cm) and weighing about 3.5 pounds (1.6 kg).. While the GV30 is big enough to move around a potentially awkward house, its somewhat small form factor prevents it from getting too big.
The GV30 doesn't have much connectivity, but it is enough to do the job depending on your viewing preferences.
It has an HDMI and USB-C port on the outsider, such as a 01mm headphone jack and a power adapter port. By removing the side panel, you have access to a slot for the QSXNUMX HDMI streaming device (included). It was quite difficult to remove using the included rubber pick, but you probably won't need to do this process more than once. The streaming device provides access to a variety of applications that you can use to view streaming content online. Powered by Android TV, the number of apps on offer is pretty staggering. Although Netflix lacks a common view on projectors,
the GV30 makes up for it with Play Store support, which will let you download apps like Prime Video, Disney Plus, Crunchyroll, Apple TV, Vehicle Inspection Hub, Platoon and more.
For audiophiles, Spotify, Amazon Music, and YouTube Music are also free to download, and the GV30 is ideal for these applications thanks to its clean, low-pitched sound profile.
Unfortunately,
the GV30's battery life falls well short of what we'd expect from cost-comparing projectors. In just 2 hours, you may not even be able to watch a full movie on a full charge. Indeed, you won't be able to watch Lord of the Rings movies when the GV30 is offline. Compare that to the Viewsonic M1+, which is an even smaller projector than the GV30. The M1+'s battery life is more than double that of the GV30 at 6 hours on a full charge. It is now possible to extend the battery life of the GV30 by using the Eco and Low Power battery modes, but each of these will darken the screen even further below 30 ANSI lumens at full brightness, which is not the case, it is not. ideal. However, we don't want to force you to plug in the GV30 all the time. Although this is where the projector works best, it misses out on the portable factor for which the solid form factor of the GVXNUMX is perfect. We strongly advise investing in a power bank if you haven't already, as it will greatly increase the usability of the wireless projector.
Image quality
- 720p image
- Erase text
- Only three hundred ANSI lumens
At 720p and with 24-bit color depth, the GV30 doesn't have the cleanest picture quality or the most colorful display. However, he does indeed do the best with what he has. Despite the somewhat low resolution, the image quality seems clear enough to be viewed from any angle, although we advise you to keep the screen size in the range of fifty to eighty inches, if possible, for best results. .
We're happy to report that the sharpness of the screen extends to text. This is great news if you watch movies and TV shows with subtitles turned on, either out of necessity or preference. It also makes movies with foreign subtitles like Parasite and The Raid much more noticeable. Since the lumen count is already rock-bottom with the GV30, movies and shows with consistently vibrant color palettes do better. Animated shows like The Simpsons and Rick & Morty display beautifully on the GV30 and as such are ideal for watching short cartoons.
However, things start to fall apart when you start watching darker movies and shows. Even shows with partially richer colors like What If? From Marvel. he struggled with the darker colors. Generally, the edges of the screen were especially hard to see. In our tests, this carried over to grainier shows like The Mandalorian and The Walking Dead, which were virtually unwatchable in brightly lit environments. But even in perfect darkness, it's going to be quite difficult to get a really perfect image with the GV30.
The GV30 does not exceed 300 ANSI lumens, which is very below average for a model of its cost. For comparison, the cheapest Anker Nebula Solar portable projector has XNUMX ANSI lumens, and we even found it to be more puny than we would have liked.
Should I buy the BenQ GV30 portable projector?
Buy it if...
You like the idea of a portable home theater
The GV30 totally nails the sound department, so much so that it can complete a room with deep, clean sound that perfectly reproduces the feeling of going to the movies.
You watch with subtitles
The GV30 does a good job of reproducing clean text, making subtitles perfectly intelligible to those who need them. It excels where other projectors like the Viewsonic M1 + can blur text, regardless of concentration.
Build quality is essential for you
The GV30's great build quality matches its somewhat high cost compared to other portable projectors. It's tough and tactile without feeling too big.
Don't buy it if...
You want a brighter projector
300 ANSI lumens is low, which makes the GV30 outrageously difficult to use in bright environments and still has drawbacks in darker environments.
Portability is essential for you
The GV30's twenty-five-hour battery life isn't ideal, which means you could charge the device when you're in the middle of your favorite epic.
You have a tight budget
That $499 / €499 is a bit steep for a portable projector, and there are better (and brighter) options available at lower prices. THE BEST DEALS OF THE DAY