For fans of cinema and television series, sometimes a TV. That’s why we came up with this guide to the best cheap projectors under $300. We will explain how to choose the most suitable product for your needs: with a minimum investment you can obtain an effect comparable to that of a cinema!
The category of cheap projectors is very interesting because you offer devices for enjoying multimedia content in an unconventional way spending even less than a traditional low-end TV. You will therefore be able to enjoy huge and immersive screens like in the cinema, with a much smaller investment than that of a TV. Cheap projectors cannot replace a TV for everyday use, but they are highly recommended to keep in the living room, for example, to use them in the evening to watch a good film or TV series like at the cinema. That’s why we came up with this ai guide best best cheap projectors under 300 euros.
How to choose: some advice
Projectors are generally very expensive devices, in fact at the high end you can easily reach prices with three zeros. However, technology advances rapidly and the features that a few years ago we found in very expensive products are now available at much more affordable prices. This guide to the best cheap projectors under 300 euros aims precisely at this range of products: by making some compromises, spectacular results can be obtained. First of all though some advice on how to choose an affordable projector – which are also our evaluation metrics.
Let’s start immediately with one of the most important aspects: the brightness. In fact, the projector produces a beam of light which is reflected by the screen and returns towards us. The stronger the beam of light, the better the quality of the projection. High brightness is essential especially if you want to use the projector even in environments that are not completely dark. Indicatively for a quality we can recommend 1000 ANSI lumens for a darkened room and at least 2500 for a lit room. Second step projection technologythere are two main types, both with strengths and weaknesses: LCD which guarantees excellent saturation, but very often limited contrast and DLP which guarantees high contrast, but often has chromatic aberrations (especially in the range of cheap projectors). The resolution it is very important because if we project a low quality image on a very large screen the result will be bad. Be careful not to confuse the supported resolution (i.e. the resolution that the projector accepts on input) with the actual projection one (i.e. the one projected on the screen): we recommend starting at least with a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels.
Comparison of DLP (left) and LCD (right) technology
Also the contrast it is a fundamental parameter for image quality and is correlated with brightness and projection technology: in essence, a low-contrast image is faded and has little impact. An optimal value would be at least 5000:1, but even values around 2000:1 can be fine if you are not too demanding. To make the most of your device also check the presence of HDMI and the audio sector, as well as possibly Wi-Fi and Bluetooth for smarter management. Finally, other parameters to take into account with the noise, size and draft (it is therefore important to think carefully about where and how you want to install your projector before buying it) and the lamp life. Also pay attention to adjustment of focus and keystone distortion (useful when the projector is not perfectly perpendicular to the screen). If these controls are not efficient, you risk not being able to view the image well.
Different contrasts compared in different lighting conditions
Vankyo 720p | Best cheap projectors under 300 euros
- Brightness: 5000 lumens
- Projection technology: LCD
- Effective resolution: 1280 x 720p
- Contrast: 5000:1
- Declared lamp life: 60,000 hours
This little projector has very good specs and can project up to 250 inches (although better not to go that far because of the resolution and brightness, up to 100 inches is excellent). Connectivity is good with two HDMI, VGA, USB, SD and integrated audio satisfactory even if with an external system you will go much better. There is also the possibility of connecting smartphones and tablets with special adapters. Keystone correction +/- 15° is also more than sufficient in most cases. The online assistance is also good.
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Vamvo L4200 | Best cheap projectors under 300 euros
- Brightness: 4000 lumens
- Projection technology: LCD
- Effective resolution: 1280 x 720p
- Contrast: 2000:1
- Declared lamp life: 50,000 hours
A simple and inexpensive projector that can get to cover 200 inch screens (although better not to go that far due to resolution and brightness). Connectivity is complete with HDMI, VGA, USB, AV. The audio is not very powerful, but there is a jack out to connect it to external speakers. The keystone correction works vertically, but without expecting miracles. Ultimately it is a satisfactory product that can give good results if set up correctly.
Elephas Mini | Best cheap projectors under 300 euros
- Brightness: 4000 lumens
- Projection technology: LCD
- Effective resolution: 800×480
- Contrast: 2000:1
- Declared lamp life: 50,000 hours
This little guy deserved a spot on the list of best budget projectors just for the value for money: with less than 100 euros you will have a very good product! Of course you will have to use them in dark rooms and the contrast is not optimal. Approximately 3 meters away, it projects an image of approximately 100 inches. But it’s all commensurate with the price. Let’s find HDMI, USB e jack audio. Construction and cooling are a bit rough, especially recommended for those who want to spend time with friends and not for cinema purists. Distortion correction and audio not excellent.
BOMAKER GC355 | Best cheap projectors under 300 euros
- Brightness: 5000 lumens
- Projection technology: LCD
- Effective resolution: 1280 x 720p
- Contrast: 2000:1
- Declared lamp life: 50,000 hours
A very good projector in terms of value for money, with a nice gem of connectivity. As wired connections we find HDMI, USB, VGA and audio out jacks, also useful because the integrated audio 2 x 3W not great, but acceptable. They can be projected up to 300 inches (at 6 meters), but it is better to keep to 2 meters to get a screen of about 100 inches. The keystone distortion is also good, although not perfect. But the interesting thing is that this projector allows you to connect a device via Wi-Fiwithout the need for wired connections!
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YABER Y60 | Best cheap projectors under 300 euros
- Brightness: 4200 lumens
- Projection technology: LCD
- Effective resolution: 1280 x 720p
- Contrast: 4000:1
- Declared lamp life: 55,000 hours
Here too we have a rather cheap product, but probably a little better cared for. 2 porte HDMI, 2 porte USB, porta VGA e jack audio out (even the built-in speakers aren’t too bad) the main connections. At around 3m we will have a 100 inch projection. Yaber also delivers good assistance and in general its products are above average. The noise level and the quality of the optics are also good, but the distortion adjustment is not very advanced. When mounted perpendicular to the screen in any case the quality will not disappoint!
YABER Y21 | Best cheap projectors under 300 euros
- Brightness: 5500 lumens
- Projection technology: LCD
- Effective resolution: 1920 x 1080p
- Contrast: 7000:1
- Declared lamp life: 78,000 hours
Let’s go up in bandwidth and resolution with always with Yaber. All specifications receive a nice boost and you can project in native FHD up to 300 inches (at 3.5 meters a 12o inch image is projected) with a good stereo sound system. The connection ports are HDMI, USB, VGA, AV e jack da 3.5mm. The projection quality in this case is much higher than the previous ones in the list. It features manual keystone correction and focus, but don’t expect miracles. In this case, if installed correctly, you will have a great result.
ELEPHAS Q9 | Best cheap projectors under 300 euros
- Brightness: 6800 lumens
- Projection technology: LCD
- Effective resolution: 1920 x 1080p
- Contrast: 6000:1
- Declared lamp life: 50,000 hours
Another great projector is this model from Elephas. Can project in FHD up to 300 inches with excellent contrast and many connection ports including 2x HDMI, USB, VGA, SD e uscita audio da 3,5 mm. But the most interesting part that distinguishes it from the others is the system audio stereo da 5 W con subwoofer. In short, by purchasing this product you will basically have a complete and ready-to-use system at your disposal. Also in this case we have a manual and not particularly advanced focus and distortion correction.
YABER Y31 | Best cheap projectors under 300 euros
- Brightness: 5500 lumens
- Projection technology: LCD
- Effective resolution: 1920 x 1080p
- Contrast: 8000:1
- Declared lamp life: 78,000 hours
It is produced with a very high quality compared to the others: good brightness and a high enough contrast for projections up to 300 inches of excellent quality, although we recommend staying below this threshold. We find among the connection ports 2x HDMI, 2x USB, VGA e audio out. The audio performance is also of a good standard, but if you want to make the most of it, you should use an external system. It uses three small fans for cooling which can spin quite fast with the production of noise: not unbearable, but sometimes you feel. In this case the keystone correction is superior to the other models, but still not on par with more expensive models.
BOMAKER Parrot I | Best cheap projectors under 300 euros
- Brightness: 6500 lumens
- Projection technology: LCD
- Effective resolution: 1920 x 1080p
- Contrast: 9000:1
- Declared lamp life: 50,000 hours
Undoubtedly one of the best in this list with very good brightness and the highest contrast among the products listed. We find many ports for connectivity including 2x HDMI, 2x USB, VGA, SD e audio out. The audio is of good quality, but unfortunately always an integrated system; to make the most of this product, it is advisable to buy an external soundbar (perhaps a BOMAKER). A lot of brightness is paid for in terms of noise, but nothing excessive. Excellent the horizontal and vertical keystone correction up to 50°. Truly a product with superior visual quality.
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Vankyo Performance V630 | Best cheap projectors under 300 euros
- Brightness: 6500 lumens
- Projection technology: LCD
- Effective resolution: 1920 x 1080p
- Contrast: 7000:1
- Declared lamp life: 78,000 hours
This Vankyo is probably the product…