Best Budget Projectors Under $300

You can get a genuinely good projector for under $300 in 2026. Not "good for the price" with an asterisk — actually good. Native 1080p with decent brightness, reasonable color accuracy, and smart features that used to be reserved for $800+ models. The catch is knowing which ones deliver and which ones lie about their specs.

I set up five projectors in the same room, projected onto the same 100-inch screen, and compared them in daylight, evening, and full darkness.

Quick comparison

XGIMI MoGo 3 Pro

The MoGo 3 Pro is the best all-around budget projector because it eliminates the setup headaches that make cheap projectors frustrating. Automatic keystone correction, auto focus, and auto screen alignment mean you set it on a table and it figures out the rest. I literally placed it on a stack of books aimed roughly at a wall and had a perfectly aligned 80-inch image in about 10 seconds.

Built-in Google TV means Netflix, Disney+, YouTube, and everything else without connecting a streaming stick. The Harman Kardon speakers are surprisingly decent — not home theater quality, but adequate for a bedroom or small living room.

The brightness limitation is real. In a dark room, the image is vibrant and sharp. With ambient light — curtains partially open, a lamp on in the corner — the image washes out noticeably. This is a nighttime projector.

BenQ TH575

The BenQ TH575 takes the opposite approach to the XGIMI — maximum brightness at the expense of portability and smart features. 3,800 ANSI lumens is bright enough to use with lights on and curtains open. That's a massive practical advantage if your projector lives in a living room rather than a dedicated theater space.

For gaming, the 16ms input lag at 1080p/120Hz is competitive with budget TVs. I played Elden Ring on a 120-inch projected image and the responsiveness was fine — not monitor-fast, but no perceptible delay.

The trade-off: it's a traditional lamp projector. Big, loud fan, needs a streaming stick for apps, and manual setup. Not something you'll carry to a friend's house.

Epson EF-11

The EF-11 uses a laser light source instead of a traditional lamp, which means it'll last 20,000 hours before replacement. At two hours a day, that's 27 years. Laser also means instant on/off — no waiting for a lamp to warm up or cool down.

1,000 lumens splits the difference between the dim XGIMI and the bright BenQ. It's usable with some ambient light but not in a sunny room. Image quality is clean and sharp at 1080p, with good color accuracy for an Epson.

No smart features means you'll need to connect a Fire Stick, Chromecast, or laptop. The USB-C input is handy for direct laptop connections.

Nebula Capsule 3

The Capsule 3 is the ultimate portable projector. It's the size of a soda can, has a built-in battery, and runs Google TV. Toss it in a backpack, point it at any white surface, and you have a movie screen. I've used it in hotel rooms, campsites, and on a friend's garage wall.

At 300 lumens, it needs near-total darkness. The image is sharp at 60-80 inches but gets soft beyond that. Battery lasts about 2 hours at reasonable brightness — enough for most movies if you dim slightly.

VANKYO V600 Pro

At $130, set expectations accordingly. The V600 Pro produces a watchable image in a dark room for movie nights, backyard screenings, and kids' sleepovers. It won't look like a TV, and the colors lean slightly green. But for occasional use at this price, it does the job.

I wouldn't recommend this as your primary display. Think of it as a $130 entertainment purchase for specific situations — outdoor movie nights, camping, temporary setups.

The takeaway

Spend $250-300 for a projector you'll actually enjoy using. Below that, compromises start stacking up. The XGIMI MoGo 3 Pro for portability and smart features, or the BenQ TH575 if brightness and gaming matter most.

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