The BenQ GV50, a 1080p room-to-room portable projector, offers robust audio for its size, an onboard battery, and overall picture quality suitable for casual viewing. Our main quibble: It loses significant shadow detail for SDR input (though not for HDR).
If you’re familiar with BenQ’s GV projectors, the BenQ GV50 is immediately recognizable as part of the line, looking like a small wheel of cheese poised on a magnetically attached base. But it also takes a step in a different direction, substituting laser light for the LEDs the other GV models use (including the GV31 and the new GV32, which we expect to have in hand for review shortly). The GV50 also lacks the drop-resistance rating of earlier models and has a higher list price of $799 (though it’s often available for substantially less). It’s not as bright nor as lightweight as the Xgimi Halo+, one of our Editors‘ Choice picks with a similar list price, but it handles HDR better and is worth considering if you want a lightweight projector with a built-in battery.Design: Toss the LEDs, Bring in the Laser, Make It Brighter
The GV50 is slightly larger than the GV31. BenQ gives the dimensions as 8.3 by 5.1 by 7.5 inches (HWD). However, since it’s wheel-shaped, it’s really 5.1 inches thick and 7.5 inches in diameter, except for a bump where the lens increases the diameter there to 8.3 inches. Putting it on the magnetic stand stops it from rolling away, and a finger loop makes the projector easy to carry—as long as your finger is comfortable holding the 4.5-pound weight. The magnets are strong enough to keep the base attached when you lift the projector.
Like most portable projectors, the GV50 is built around a DLP chip with a native resolution of 1,920 by 1,080. BenQ rates the brightness at 500 ANSI lumens, and the lifetime of the laser-phosphor light source at 20,000 hours in full-power mode or 30,000 hours in Eco mode. As is common in models with built-in batteries, switching from AC to battery power lowers the brightness. However, instead of just switching to a different power setting, it delivers a lower power—and a dimmer image—at any given setting. The Eco mode gives the longest battery life, at 2 hours and 30 minutes.
Setup is easy. Unlike some BenQ models, which require you to install a streaming dongle, the GV50 comes preinstalled with fully integrated Google TV for its OS and streaming. All you have to do is turn it on and go through the standard Google TV setup, including connecting to your Wi-Fi network. There’s also one HDMI port, one USB Type-A port, and one USB Type-C port.
