The brightest true-4K picture you'll get near this price — 2,600 honest lumens, Google TV, lit-room-friendly.

BenQ GP520

BenQ

Brightness is what matters on a budget, and it wins there: an honest 2,600 LED lumens, a sharp 4K image usable in some light, Google TV and sound built in. Downsides are 81% DCI-P3 color, shallow blacks, and a laggy OS.

The GP520 is the budget-4K pick, and it wins on the one spec that matters most at this price: brightness. Its 4-LED engine and 0.47-inch DLP chip put out an honest 2,600 ANSI lumens — measured right at spec, and roughly 800 lumens brighter than typical rivals like the Nebula Cosmos 4K SE — which means a sharp, pixel-shifted 4K image that stays watchable with the curtains half-open, not just in a blacked-out room. For under $1,500 it's a complete package. Setup is genuinely the easiest BenQ has made: autofocus, auto-keystone, auto-framing, obstacle avoidance, and wall-color correction square up an image (up to 180 inches) the moment you move it. It runs Google TV with Netflix, Prime, and Disney+ built in, casts via Google Cast and AirPlay, and its dual 12-watt speakers are among the better built-ins in the class — loud, clear, and enough to skip a soundbar for casual use. The compromises are the honest ones you'd expect. Color coverage is modest at ~81% DCI-P3 — fine and accurate, but not the vibrant wide gamut of a triple-laser projector — black levels are elevated so dark scenes lose some depth, and the Google TV processor is underpowered, so menus can hang for a beat. There's no Dolby Vision, and gaming caps at 4K/60 (a ~18ms lag suits casual play, not competitive). But if you want the brightest, sharpest true-4K picture you can get near this price, with streaming and sound already inside, it's the value champion of the lineup.

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Last reviewed Jul 6, 2026

What we like

• ✓Honest 2,600 LED lumens — the brightest true-4K projector near this price, usable in some ambient light
• ✓Sharp, edge-to-edge pixel-shifted 4K from a good lens
• ✓Effortless auto-setup: focus, keystone, framing, obstacle and wall-color correction
• ✓Google TV with Netflix built in, plus Google Cast and AirPlay
• ✓Dual 12W speakers — among the better built-ins in the class

Trade-offs

• −Color coverage is modest (~81% DCI-P3) — not the vibrancy of a triple-laser projector
• −Elevated black levels — dark scenes lose depth
• −Underpowered Google TV processor can hang for a beat
• −No Dolby Vision; gaming caps at 4K/60 (casual, not competitive)