Verdict
The BenQ W4100i is an excellent choice in the sub-5Lac projector market, offering impressive performance and versatility for home entertainment. It projects large, vibrant images with excellent colour accuracy and brightness, making it suitable for both casual viewers and cinema enthusiasts. However, it has some drawbacks. The 5W onboard speaker is subpar, and an external audio system is recommended. While black levels are decent, they don't quite match those of higher-end models, and the Android TV interface could be further improved. Despite these issues, the W4100i delivers an immersive cinematic experience at an attractive price, making it a worthy investment for home theatre enthusiasts.
The Good
- Stunning 4K resolution with sharp images.
- Bright 3,200 ANSI lumens for diverse lighting.
- Excellent color accuracy
- Compact and lightweight for easy installation.
The Bad
- Underwhelming 5W mono speaker.
- Black levels not as deep as high-end options.
- Noticeable chromatic aberrations up close.
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Build & Design
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Performance
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Colours
The BenQ W4100i is a premium 4K HDR DLP projector that promises to transform the way we consume content at home, offering a cinematic experience that rivals that of commercial theatres. With its ability to project images up to 200 inches or more, this projector turns any living room or dedicated home theatre into an immersive visual haven. Priced at ₹4 lakh, the W4100i is positioned as a high-end yet accessible option for cinephiles, gamers, and casual viewers who desire the brilliance of a large-scale display without the exorbitant costs typically associated with professional cinema setups. Is this the projector you’re looking for? Let’s find out!
Build and Design
The BenQ W4100i strikes a balance between aesthetic appeal and practical design, making it suitable for both dedicated home cinema setups and living room environments. Measuring 420.5 mm x 135 mm x 312 mm and weighing just 6.6 kg, it’s compact and lightweight enough to be ceiling-mounted or placed on a table, offering flexibility for various room configurations. Its matte black finish and rounded edges give it a sleek, modern look that blends seamlessly into darkened rooms while remaining hidden in brighter settings. The off-center lens, protected by a clip-on lens cap, adds a touch of refinement, while the recessed design hints at the projector’s ability to deliver precise, geometrically correct images.
The W4100i’s build is thoughtfully engineered for ease of use. Manual zoom and focus wheels, along with a 2D lens shift, enable precise image alignment without compromising resolution. This flexibility makes installation straightforward, accommodating a range of throw distances (2.5m to 3.3m for a 100-inch image) with a 1.3x zoom. The projector also features keystone correction, though perfectionists may prefer physical adjustments to maintain image integrity. A unique design element is the detachable bay at the rear, which houses the included QS02 Android TV dongle, providing built-in Wi-Fi and streaming capabilities without cluttering the projector’s form. The cooling grill and ventilation system effectively dissipate heat, and the fan noise is minimal.
The included gloss-white remote is a standout, featuring backlit buttons and a spacious layout for easy navigation in low-light conditions. Connectivity is robust, with dual HDMI 2.0b ports (HDCP 2.2), SPDIF, and eARC for 7.1-channel and Dolby Atmos audio pass-through, ensuring compatibility with modern AV systems. The only minor critique is the 5W mono speaker, which feels underwhelming for a projector of this kind, making it necessary to use external speakers for true cinematic immersion.
Performance and Colours
The BenQ W4100i’s performance is where it truly shines, delivering a blockbuster 4K experience that sets a high standard for projectors in its price range. Powered by a 0.65-inch Texas Instruments DLP chip with pixel-shifting technology, it achieves an actual 4K UHD resolution (3840 x 2160) by rapidly flashing its 2.7 million micromirrors to produce 8.3 million distinct pixels. This results in sharp, detailed images that rival native 4K displays, with minimal errors and only slight chromatic aberrations at the edges, invisible at typical viewing distances. The four-LED light source, rated for 20,000 hours in Normal mode and 30,000 in ECO mode, eliminates the need for frequent lamp replacements, offering longevity and consistent performance over time.
Brightness is a significant advantage of the W4100i, which offers a rated output of 3,200 ANSI lumens. This makes it worthwhile enough for use in moderately lit rooms. Unlike many LED projectors that require near-total darkness, this model retains its vibrancy and clarity even in ambient light, making it perfect for afternoon sports viewing or casual movie nights. It supports HDR10, HDR10+, and HLG, ensuring compatibility with a wide range of content.
Colour performance is exceptional, with factory-calibrated 100% coverage of both DCI-P3 and Rec.709 colour spaces, backed by ISF and THX certifications. The Wide Color Gamut (WCG) mode enhances reds and greens, achieving 67% of the BT.2020 standard, which is impressive for a projector under $3,000. During testing, vibrant scenes in web series like Squid Games 2 on Netflix showcased the projector’s ability to render candy-coloured hues with precision. The Local Contrast Enhancer enhance detail without washing out colours. However, black levels are a slight weakness, as is often the case with DLP projectors, falling short of the inky blacks achievable by more expensive laser-based models.
The Android TV dongle provides seamless access to streaming services such as Netflix and YouTube. This time, they opted for a Google-certified Android TV dongle, which enhances navigation and offers a smoother user experience.