Any links to online stores should be assumed to be affiliates. The company or PR agency provides all or most review samples. They have no control over my content, and I provide my honest opinion.
I have previously reviewed the excellent BenQ GV30 portable projector and also compared that against other popular portable projectors.
BenQ has now been kind enough to send me the GS50. This is a larger projector that is marketed as being an outdoor projector.
Costing around £230 more, but the BenQ GS50 is a larger unit with many of the key specs upgraded.
This isn’t a full review of the BenQ GS50 but a quick overview of how it compares to the GV30.
| Preview | Product | Rating | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BenQ GS50 1080p Wireless Portable Projector for Outdoor &... |
£699.00 | Buy on Amazon | |
| BenQ GV30 LED Portable Ceiling Projector with Rotating Angle... | Buy on Amazon |
BenQ GS50 vs GV30 Specifications
| BenQ | GS50 | GV30 |
|---|---|---|
| Brightness (ANSI lumens) | 500 | 300 |
| Native Resolution | 1080P (1920x1080) | 720p (1280x720) |
| Native Aspect Ratio | 16:9 | 1970-01-01 16:09:00 |
| Contrast Ratio (FOFO) | 100,000:1 | 100,000:1 |
| Display Color | 24-bit (16.7 million colors) | 24-bit (16.7 million colors) |
| Light Source | LED | LED |
| Light Source Life | a. Normal 20000 hrs, b. ECO 30000 hrs | a. Normal 20000 hrs, b. ECO 30000 hrs |
| Throw Ratio | 1.21 | 1.2 |
| Zoom Ratio | Fixed | Fixed |
| Lens | Fixed | Fixed |
| Projection Offset (Full-Height) | 1 | 1 |
| Keystone Adjustment | 2D, (Auto) Vertical ± 40 degrees; Horizontal ± 40 degrees | 1D, (Auto) Vertical ± 40 degrees |
| Rec. 709 Coverage | 98% | 98% |
| Picture Modes | Bright, Camp Fire, Cinema, Day Time, Game, HDR10, HLG, Living Room, Sports | Bright, Cinema, Day Time, Game, Living Room, Sports |
| Input Lag | 22.7ms (1080p 60hz) | 51 ms (1080p@60Hz) |
| Resolution Support | VGA (640 x 480) to 4K UHD (3840 x 2160) | VGA (640 x 480) to 4K UHD (3840 x 2160), VGA(640 x 480) to Full HD(1920 x 1080) |
| Horizontal Frequency | 15K~135KHz | |
| HDMI in | (x2), HDMI-1 (2.0b/HDCP2.2), HDMI-Internal (2.0b/HDCP2.2) | (x2), HDMI-1 (1.4b/HDCP1.4), HDMI-Internal (1.4b/HDCP1.4) |
| USB Type A | (x1), USB Type A-1 (2.0/Power Supply1.5A/Reader) | |
| USB Type C | (x1), DisplayPort / PD(only support 45W input) | (x1), DisplayPort / PD(only support 45W input) |
| Speaker | (x2), 5W | (x2), 4W |
| Woofer | 10W Chamber | 8W Chamber |
| Audio out (3.5mm Mini Jack) | (x1) | (x1) |
| HDMI Audio Return | Yes, ARC, 2 channel | |
| Operating Temperature | 0~40℃ | 0~40℃ |
| Power Supply | AC 100 to 240 V, 50/60 Hz | AC 100 to 240 V, 50/60 Hz |
| Typical Power Consumption (110V) | 65W@100 ~ 240VAC | 65W@100 ~ 240VAC |
| Acoustic Noise (Typ./Eco.)(dB) | 29dBA/27dBA | 29dBA/27dBA |
| Dongle OS | Yes, Android 10.0 | Yes, Android 10.0 |
| Bluetooth | Yes, Bluetooth 4.2 | Yes, Bluetooth 4.2 |
| Wi-Fi Standard | 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4G/5G) | 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac (2.4G/5G) |
| Dimensions (WxHxD) (mm) | 186*154*146 mm | 120.0mm(W)*195.8mm(H)*185.0mm(D) |
| Net Weight (kg) | 2.3kg | 1.6 kg |
| Dimensions (WxHXD) (inch) | 7.32*6.06*5.75 inch | 4.7 inch(W)*7.7 inch(H)*7.3 inch(D) |
| Net Weight (lb) | 5.07lb | 3.53 lb |
| Projection System | DLP | DLP |
BenQ GS50 vs GV30 Differences
You get quite a lot of improvements for the price difference.
The main difference are:
- Brightness is increased from 300 to 500 ANSI lumens
- Resolution increases from 720P to 1080P
- Resolution support goes up to 4K vs 1080P
- There is now support for HDR and a wider range of picture modes.
- Keystone adjustment is now automatic for both horizontal and vertical vs just horizontal.
- Input lag is reduced from 51ms to 22.7ms
- The HDMI in is 2.0b/HDCP2.2 vs 1.4b/HDCP1.4
- The HDMI now supports 2-channel ARC, allowing direct connection to a speaker system.
- You get an additional USB A port, which I found useful to power my Amazon Fire Stick.
- The speakers are improved with 2x5W and a 10W woofer vs 2x4W and 8W
The GV30 is advertised more as a portable projector, so this is obviously smaller and lighter. The only other advantage it has is that the circular shape gives you unlimited vertical adjustment.
Android
Both of the projectors use the BenQ Android dongle, which runs Android 10. This then slots inside the projector. It is a bit of a weird design choice, but it could potentially provide room for upgrades.
The cavity for the dongle is designed for this specific dongle. With this being slightly larger than the GV30, I wish they had made the cavity a bit bigger so you could fit 3rd party dongles in there, such as the Fire TV Stick 4K Max.
Design
The design has completely changed. The GV30 has that weird circular design which requires a magnetic puck to sit on and keep it upright. As unusual as the design may be, it is surprisingly functional; you have unlimited control over the vertical angle. You can easily project this on either a wall or your ceiling.
The BenQ GS50 is an attractive but chunky cube. It has a built-in pop-out stand for angle adjustment, so there is no risk of losing anything like the magnetic puck of the GV30.
On the left-hand side, there is a rubber cover for all your ports and a good selection of ports.
Video Quality and Brightness
For these tests, I left all the image settings as default. I will experiment with the different picture modes in my full review later.
I tested in three scenarios, one very early in the morning with it dark outside, then later in the day but with my blinds closed, and then with two of the blinds open. I don’t have any walls suitable for testing outdoors; hence I haven’t tested this outdoor projector outdoors yet!
To try and keep the test consistent, I used the Fire TV Stick 4K Max to provide the video.
Testing has been somewhat limited, but both projectors do an excellent job.
If anything, I was impressed with how well the GV30 does against the GS50 when there is quite a big difference in the specification.
Using the full-resolution photos I took and zooming in, you can start to tell that the GS50 has quite a bit more detail, but I think I would struggle to tell the difference when watching an actual movie with people moving around.
The brightness from both units is excellent. Again, for the GV30, this is an impressive performance, considering the ANSI lumen is supposed to be 40% less.
The performance was also excellent from both units in the afternoon, with my blinds closed.
With the blinds open, the performance of both units deteriorates a lot, as expected. For both of these, the image quality was poor in the default state. But going into settings and setting it to daytime and normal power, the overall performance improves.
When watching The Peripheral, I wouldn’t say the performance was amazing for either unit, but it is watchable. There is some rainbow banding on both shots, but this seems to be an issue with my phone camera, and this was not present in real life. I’d say the main difference with the GS50 in this situation is that the colours seem to be a bit better.
Audio Quality
The audio quality is interesting one. As far as portable projectors go, you will struggle to do better than either of these. They both have a 2.1 speaker system.
The GS50 can certainly go louder, but like most portable speakers, dialling up the volume achieves a decrease in audio quality. I found keeping the volume at 15 was the sweet spot for my living room. It sounded good and was room-filling without introducing too much imbalance between the woofer and the tweeter.
The GV30 sounds different, but I wouldn’t say it sounds worse. As long as you keep the volume moderate, it sounds good. You just can’t get the same overall volume as the GS50
Price
| Preview | Product | Rating | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
| BenQ GS50 1080p Wireless Portable Projector for Outdoor &... |
£699.00 | Buy on Amazon | |
|
| BenQ GV30 LED Portable Ceiling Projector with Rotating Angle... | Buy on Amazon |
The BenQ GS50 is priced at £729 on Amazon, and the BenQ GV30 is £499 but with a £50 off voucher available.
If you order from the BenQ website, you can get a special 15% discount if you enter the code ENJOYBENQGS50 – The offer ends on the 31st of December.
Overall
Both projectors are excellent and up there with the best portable projectors, I have used.
It is a tough call to say which one I prefer. I am naturally inclined to choose the best I can afford, and I think the improved features of the BenQ GS50 are worth the price. The improved audio connectivity via ARC is probably worth the price difference alone. Then the 1080P resolution does make a big difference with some content.
That being said, the BenQ GV30 holds up well, and there is quite a big price difference, especially with the current Amazon voucher. If you are limited by budget, you certainly won’t be disappointed opting with this cheaper model.
BenQ GS50 Outdoor Projector Review
Summary
The BenQ GS50 is an excellent higher-spec alternative to the already excellent BenQ GV30. The improved audio connectivity via ARC is probably worth the price difference alone. Then the 1080P resolution does make a big difference with some content.
Overall
85%-
Overall - 85%85%
I am James, a UK-based tech enthusiast and the Editor and Owner of Mighty Gadget, which I’ve proudly run since 2007. Passionate about all things technology, my expertise spans from computers and networking to mobile, wearables, and smart home devices.
As a fitness fanatic who loves running and cycling, I also have a keen interest in fitness-related technology, and I take every opportunity to cover this niche on my blog. My diverse interests allow me to bring a unique perspective to tech blogging, merging lifestyle, fitness, and the latest tech trends.
In my academic pursuits, I earned a BSc in Information Systems Design from UCLAN, before advancing my learning with a Master’s Degree in Computing. This advanced study also included Cisco CCNA accreditation, further demonstrating my commitment to understanding and staying ahead of the technology curve.
I’m proud to share that Vuelio has consistently ranked Mighty Gadget as one of the top technology blogs in the UK. With my dedication to technology and drive to share my insights, I aim to continue providing my readers with engaging and informative content.
Last update on 2024-09-21 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
