If you’re setting up a home theater and find that even the biggest 4K TVs are coming up short in the size department, you’ve got another option. Today’s best projectors are capable of delivering a cinematic experience right at home, but those theater-grade units will cost you a pretty penny (although there are also plenty of cheap projectors out there if your needs are more basic). To help you save some cash, we’ve rounded up the best projector deals you can score online right now, with our picks covering a nice range of features, sizes, and price points.
Today’s Best Projector Deals
- Apeman Mini Projector — $90, was $130
- ViewSonic PA503S Projector — $285, was $459
- Epson VS250 Projector — $310, was $370
- Epson EX3260 Projector — $415, was $500
- Optoma HD146X Projector — $549, was $949
- BenQ TK800M 4K Projector — $1300, was $1450
Apeman Portable Projector
$95 $130
Expires soon
It’s not going to replicate a cinema in your basement, but for less than 100 bucks, it’s hard to beat the Apeman projector if you’re after a cheap and portable unit.
Buy at Amazon
LG HU80KA 4K Smart Laser Projector
$2,097 $2,425
Expires soon
It’s a bit pricey (which is why a deal like this is welcome), but if you want the most user-friendly cinema-quality home theater experiences, look no further than the LG HU80KA 4K laser projector.
Buy at Amazon
ViewSonic PA503S 1080p Projector
$300 $459
Expires soon
The ViewSonic PA503S is a great mid-range projector packing a lot of features for the price including 1080p output, 3,600 lumens, a throw distance of more than 15 feet, and a wide range of inputs.
Buy at Amazon
Epson VS250 LCD Projector
$310 $370
Expires soon
Epson is a leading name in the world of projectors, and its 3,200-lumen VS250 is a fantastic mid-range LCD model for both home theater and professional applications.
Buy at Amazon
Nebula by Anker Mars II Portable HD Projector with Android 7.1
$370 $500
Expires soon
With a 300-lumen 720p output, the Anker Nebula Mars II is a portable projector that won’t break the bank — and it even features Android software for easy streaming right from the projector itself.
Buy at Amazon
AAXA P300 Neo Mini Wireless Projector
$280 $335
Expires soon
AAXA makes our favorite portable projectors, and the palm-sized P300 Neo punches well above its light weight with a 400-lumen HD output.
Buy at Best Buy
Optoma HD146X 1080p Projector
$549 $949
Expires soon
The Optoma HD146X is the updated version of the HD142X, which we named the best Full HD projector for those who want a theater-like experience without paying a grand or more for a 4K unit.
Buy Now
BenQ TK800M 4K Projector
$1,299 $1,449
Expires soon
As one of our favorite 4K home theater projectors, the BenQ TK800M is the go-to for a cinema-quality home theater experience.
Buy Now
Kodak Luma 150 Pocket Projector
$220 $250
Expires soon
The Kodak Luma 150 is small enough to fit in a bag or even a large pocket. It even features AirPlay and Miracast, allowing you to stream right to it from a mobile device.
Buy at Amazon
Optoma UHL55 4K Ultra HD Home Theater Projector with Voice Assistant
$999 $1,799
Expires soon
It’s not easy to find a 4K home theater projector for less than a grand, but the Ultra HD-capable Optoma UHL55 hits that mark with some excellent additional features like a built-in voice assistant.
Buy Now
ViewSonic PX747 4K Projector
$1,100 $1,300
Expires soon
Some 4K projectors run well north of $2,000, but for around a grand, the Viewsonic PX747 offers a lot of capabilities for enjoying videos and games in Ultra HD.
Buy at Newegg
Epson Home Cinema 3800 4K Projector
$1,400 $1,700
Expires soon
The Epson Home Cinema is a great 4K Ultra HD projector for any home theater (or professional or classroom setting if you’re so inclined) with a gorgeous 3,000-lumen picture and 40″-300″ picture size.
Buy at Best Buy
How To Choose A Projector
Projectors span a huge range of features and prices, and the age-old axiom “you get what you pay for” applies here. You can get a cheap projector for less than a hundred bucks, while high-end, theater-quality 4K projectors can run into the thousands. You probably have a set budget in mind already, however, but you’ll want to be aware of what features and specs to look for before you buy the first cheap projector you find that suits your wallet.
The basic specs to consider when shopping around for projector deals are the picture size and resolution, brightness (typically expressed in lumens), and throw distance. “Throw distance” refers to the optimal and/or maximum distance the projector can place an image on the viewing surface while still maintaining a good picture at the advertised size and resolution, and your needs here will depend on what room(s) you plan to use your projector in. Brightness is an important consideration, as projectors are typically darker than a TV’s LCD panel. A brighter picture naturally looks better and a projector with sub-bar lumen output might not look very good even in a sufficiently dark room.
More complex modern features you’ll find even on some cheap projectors today include built-in smart software, wireless connectivity (Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, or both), and content settings (for example, optional color presets that are optimized for sports, games, movies, and so on). You’ll also want to look at the ports to make sure that your projector works with whatever input source(s) you’re hooking up to it, but most modern projectors will feature standard hookups such as HDMI connections for use with Blu-Ray players, laptops, and gaming consoles. Many projectors can let you play media directly from devices such as USB flash drives or external hard drives as well.
Then comes the audio. Pretty much all units have built-in speakers, which is usually fine for a cheap projector or a portable one that you might be moving around frequently. For a projector that’s going to be part of a more permanent high-definition home theater setup — one that will likely feature some sort of surround speaker setup along with an A/V receiver to power it all — you’ll want something that can be integrated into your sound system and that is compatible with whatever surround sound standard you’re using.
We strive to help our readers find the best deals on quality products and services, and we choose what we cover carefully and independently. The prices, details, and availability of the products and deals in this post may be subject to change at anytime. Be sure to check that they are still in effect before making a purchase.Digital Trends may earn commission on products purchased through our links, which supports the work we do for our readers.