While traditional LED and OLED televisions are most prominent, projectors offer the best price-to-screen size ratio. Though there are plenty of home cinema and gaming projectors, tiny portable projectors let you easily throw an outdoor movie night. The BenQ GV1 fits this niche as a soda can-sized mini projector. Despite its diminutive stature, the GV1 delivers good audio and visual quality plus decent ease of use. A few minor shortcomings make it somewhat less user-friendly than it could be, but it’s still an awesome choice for transforming any room into a theatre.
BenQ GV1 Specs and More
The BenQ GV1 could easily masquerade as a Bluetooth speaker. Indeed, the pint-sized GV1 comes in a palm-friendly form factor. Its comprised primarily of a grille that conceals a 5 Watt speaker that’s shockingly competent, and a dedicated Bluetooth speaker mode means the GV1 is versatile enough to handle movies and music with ease. The 854 x 480 (480p) resolution projector features 200 ANSI lumens and a 100,000:1 contrast ratio. Under the hood, the BenQ GV1 packs 1GB of LPDDR3 RAM and an 8GB eMMC. With Android 7.1.2 built-in as well as the Aptiode app store, a self-contained streaming experience is possible.Alternatively, its USB-C input allows for video transmission. And you can cast from various devices such as phones, tablets, and PCs. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth come standard for wireless connectivity. A 1.3 throw ratio allows for a 35-inch image from 1 meter away. You should be able to shoot an image as big as 100 inches.
BenQ GV1 specs:
- Brightness: 200 ANSI lumens
- 100,000:1 contrast ratio
- 5W speaker
- Projection type: DLP
- Resolution: 480p
- 16.7 million colors
- 1.3 (35″@1m) throw ratio
- 802.11 a/b/g/n Wi-Fi
- Bluetooth
- Android 7
- App store: Aptiode
- Input: USB-C
BenQ GV1 – A Good Portable Projector for Backyard Movie Nights
The BenQ GV1 is a fun projector that performs shockingly well. Its 200 ANSI lumens and 480p resolution are pretty low. However, the resulting image is nonetheless crisp and vivid, even with a small amount of ambient lighting. Still, you’ll want to use the GV1 in as dark a room as possible. Moreover, while the maximum lumens rating is 200, that’s limited to use with the included wall charger. On battery power, it drops down to 100 ANSI lumens.
Watching movies and TV shows on the GV1 is a bit different than the average projector. Unlike the majority of home theatre projectors, the GV1 lacks any traditional video inputs such as HDMI, DisplayPort, or even legacy ports like VGA. Instead, you’ll find a lone USB-C input for physical connections. Since Android is baked in, you can install apps directly onto the projector for an all-in-one streaming experience. Alternatively, you can cast from mobile phones, tablets, and PCs to the GV1. Because casting has become increasingly popular, it’s a simple solution.
Videos looked crisp and bright, particularly in a dark room. Although the image didn’t hold up well with lots of ambient lighting, with a few lights on indoors it remained watchable. The onboard speaker is adeduate enough for a small room, but you’ll want to pair the GV1 with a Bluetooth speaker for use in a medium to large room, as well as outdoor use. One of the biggest challenges in setting up a projector is achieving a perfectly rectangular image. Thankfully, BenQ includes auto-keystone for a vertical ± 40 degree correction. As such, if the BenQ is too high or low, it will nevertheless maintain a rectangular picture.
Samsung phone and tablet users will be pleased to learn that the GV1 remains compatible with DeX. The DeX feature found in high-end Samsung mobile devices, lets users enable a desktop-like experience, hence the name: DeX is a contracted version of Desktop eXperience. With my Samsung Galaxy S9+ I was able to connect to the GV1 with the includes USB-C to USB-C cable and use the BenQ projector to display an image on a wall for a sort of portable PC environment. It’s easier and more compact than lugging around an external monitor, though not quite as convenient as simply bringing my laptop along.
Unfortunately, lack of common video connections as well as a mobile-optimized version of Android make the GV1 less user-friendly than it should be. Although it does feature onboard controls, the GV1 is rendered nearly useless without its remote. While Android comes pre-installed, it’s a mobile optimized version of Android rather than an official Android TV operating system like you’ll find on devices such as the NVIDIA Shield TV. So navigating app interfaces can be pretty cumbersome. What’s more, the GV1 lacks the Google Play store. Aptiode TV lets you install many apps, but the experience is hit or miss. Plex worked incredibly well, while Netflix and Disney+ were unplayable. And without a tradtional HDMI, DisplayPort, or VGA input, you’re limited to casting or a hardwired connection with USB-C.
I was in luck since my Galaxy S9+ supports video over USB-C. However, you’ll need a phone or PC that supports DisplayPort. And disappointingly, casting proved complicated. Strangely, the Disney+ app on Android failed to show the GV1 as an option, while the Plex app on the same device did. Compounding the issue, using Samsung’s Smart View, I received audio for Disney+ but no video. Using Chrome for Windows 10, I was successfully able to case Disney+ to the GV1. Plus, the USB-C cable let me easily hook up my Galaxy S9+ for hardwired screen mirroring.
Aside from video watching, I tested the BenQ GV1 as a Bluetooth speaker. While it’s not necessarily audiophile calbier, I found the GV1 more than able to pump out some tunes on the go. The GV1 remains competitive with devices like the Anker Nebula Capsule II and Capsule Max, both of which feature a similar ANSI lumen rating and higher resolution as well as price tag. Overall, it’s a solid little projector that works really well, although getting content displayed can be a bit of a challenge.
BenQ GV1 Review Final Thoughts – Should You Buy the BenQ GV1 Portable Projector?
The BenQ GV1 is a sweet little mini portable projector that’s great for outdoor movie nights or just setting up on your nightstand for a movie in bed. It’s simple to set up because of its excellent auto vertical keystone. Despite the low brightness and resolution, its picture quality is superb with solid color accuracy thanks to a 100,000:1 contrast ratio. But managing to get videos displayed can be a challenge, particularly with its mobile Android OS as well as lack of the Google Play Store. Casting mostly works, though you might need to test out different devices. And DisplayPort video over USB-C works well.
GV1
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Pros
- Good picture quality
- Great audio quality
- Lots of display options: USB-C, wireless screen sharing, Android OS
- Built-in Android operating system
- Small, portable, battery-powered
Cons
- No HDMI or DisplayPort, just USB-C
- Casting doesn't work like it should on all devices
- Low brightness of just 200 ANSI lumens
- Only 480p resolution
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