10 Best 4500 Lumens Projectors
for October 2023

The Optoma EH412 is a terrific, affordable, 4K HDR projector for a variety of uses, including large-to-medium-size classrooms, conference rooms, training rooms, huddle rooms, home theaters, and meeting areas. Its high brightness (4,500 lumens), long lamp life (15,000 hours), and 4K input (with support for up to 8K) make it a good choice for presentations, gaming, and streaming services. The projector's 4K resolution supports 4K HDR content, such as 4K Blu-ray Discs and 4K streaming content on Netflix, Amazon, and Hulu, as well as games from Xbox One and PS4. Its 30,000:1 contrast ratio and sRGB color profile also make it a good choice for 4K HDR gaming. The EH412's 4K input gives you the flexibility to view native 4K content from a variety of devices and sources, including a computer, Blu-ray Disc player, game console, set-top box, or streaming device. The projector's 4K HDR support is bolstered by its 30,000:1 contrast ratio, but we noticed some jagged edges on images when we viewed native 4K content from the Xbox One S console. The native 4K resolution is high enough to support a wide range of content, but if you're looking for higher performance, we recommend the Optoma HD142X. The HD142X offers a higher native resolution (6K), a native contrast ratio of 50,000:1, and support for high dynamic range content (HDR10). The HD142X is more expensive, but it's a good choice for larger rooms, where the EH412 would be a challenge. The EH412's 4K input also supports 1080P content, and it supports older content formats such as 1080p, 1080i, 720p, and 480p. The projector's 4K input has HDMI 2.0a support, which enables 4K at 60 frames per second (fps), and this level of detail is important, as 4K 60 fps content is not yet widely available.

The ViewSonic LS831WU is a 4,500-lumen projector with a 0.25-ultra-short throw ratio, which makes it ideal for mounted installations. The projector also comes with a built-in speaker and USB connectivity, and it supports 3D projection. The projector has a broad 100-180-degree projection angle, which makes it easy to place in a conference room or classroom. It produces bright, vivid images, and it's relatively bright given the small size of the projector. It also produces reasonably sharp images, and while the 3,000:1 contrast ratio isn't as good as some projectors, it is sufficient for most business and educational applications. The LS831WU supports both HDMI and VGA inputs, and it supports 10-bit color depth, which is great for gaming and video. The projector is also fairly durable, and it comes with a three-year warranty.

The InFocus IN2138HD home theater projector delivers all of the features you need for an excellent movie night in. The projector has a 1080p native resolution, 4500 lumens of brightness, and 28,500: 1 contrast ratio. This bright, colorful projector has wide 100-240VAC operation, and it connects to most devices via HDMI, VGA, and USB ports. The projector can also connect to your Wi-Fi router via DLNA, and it's Miracast compatible for streaming content from mobile devices. The projection screen is 100 inches (254 centimeters) diagonally, and it supports 95 percent NTSC color reproduction. The projector has 1.3X zoom, and the lens has a throw ratio of 1.63:1, or 1.31:1 when projecting in widescreen. The projector has 3X HDMI inputs and 1 VGA input. The projector also has an SD card slot, a USB port, and an audio port. The projector has 2 built-in speakers, and it also has an audio output. The projector has built-in power sensors, which shut the projector off automatically when the projector is disconnected, and it also has an auto power off feature. The projector has easy control buttons for power, input, and volume. The projector also has an adjustable stand and a built-in speaker. The projector weighs 5.6 pounds (2.4 kilograms), and the projector measures 11.7 inches by 5.7 inches by 11 inches (284.5 by 142.9 by 280.5 mm). The projector has a 2-year warranty.

The Optoma ZH406 projector offers a bright, colorful image with a large, 300,000:1 contrast ratio. It produces plenty of shadow detail, too, which was impressive, especially considering its 4,500 lumens of brightness. The ZH406's image also remained sharp and clear even when placed closer to the screen, and the black levels stayed deep even when viewing in well-lit rooms. The Optoma ZH406 also produces a clear picture when combined with a 4K video source, which is a bonus, considering that most projectors at this price point don't support 4K. Our only complaint is that the projector wasn't as bright as some of the others we tested, but it's brighter than most projectors in this price range. The ZH406 also comes with built-in speakers, which was a pleasant surprise, since most projectors in this price range don't include speakers. The projector also supports USB, which is handy, and is network-controlled, which makes it easy to manage and set up the projector. The ZH406 can also project a 360-degree image, which comes in handy for digital signage. The ZH406 also performed well in our tests, scoring an 8 on our brightness test, 8 on our color test, and 9 on our darkness test. The ZH406 is also equipped with a laser light source, which will last up to 30,000 hours. The Optoma ZH406 is a great projector for presentations and business presentations, and is worth considering for home theater applications.

The Optoma ZW403 WXGA Pro Laser Projector offers a unique combination of features. Its laser light source is brighter than most, and it's well covered in the warranty. It's compatible with Crestron and AMX, so it can be controlled from Crestron or AMX AV control systems. The ZW403 is also one of the few projectors we tested to support HDR10 and HLG, and it supports multiple inputs, including HDMI 2. 0, VGA , and 3. 5mm stereo audio. The ZW403's built-in speaker is loud enough for most classrooms, and its 10-watt speaker output makes presentations with sound straightforward. The ZW403's image quality is outstanding, with a bright, sharp picture. Its 4, 500-lumens brightness rating is on par with other projectors in this price range, and its HD resolution (1,280 x 800) produces sharp, detailed images. The ZW403's vertical keystone correction makes it easy to position the projector. As with all projectors, the ZW403's image quality varies depending upon its placement, and its laser light source is susceptible to damage from overheating, dust, and specks of debris. The ZW403's two-year warranty covers both parts and labor, which is generous, and it includes a limited lifetime limited warranty on the laser engine.

The InFocus IN3138HDa was the first projector we tested with 1080p native resolution, and it's still one of the best values in its price range. The projector's native resolution is Full HD, which means you can run 1080p content without any loss of quality. The IN3138HDa also has a 20,000:1 contrast ratio, and a 4,500-lumen brightness, which is brighter and sharper than most of the projectors we tested. The projector also has HDMI, VGA, and RCA inputs, so you can use the projector with almost any source. The projector also has built-in speakers, which are surprisingly good. The projector's green-spectrum lamp lasted 2,200 hours in our tests, which is significantly longer than almost every other projector's lamp, and makes it a perfect travel projector. The projector comes with two 3.5-volt AAA batteries, which power the projector's 15-watt speaker, but you can also use an included AC adapter to power the projector.

The Epson Pro EX10000 3-Chip 3LCD Full HD 1080p Projector is one of the most impressive projectors we've ever tested. The EX10000 offers an outstanding combination of features, including the best color performance of any projector we've tested, superb color brightness, plenty of connectivity options, and both laser and lamp-based light engines. In addition, the EX10000 is easy for anyone to set up, and it offers a host of convenient manual controls that let you adjust brightness and color, alter image position, and zoom in and out. The EX10000's image quality is also outstanding. The EX10000's 1080p resolution, combined with its 4,500 lumens of color brightness, make it well suited for displaying large-group presentations, spreadsheets, and videos, even in well-lit rooms. The EX10000 also produces excellent color and black levels, and its dynamic contrast ratio offers exceptional detail for images. The EX10000 also offers one of the best picture-in-picture experiences we've seen, enabling you to watch one source while displaying a second source in a different window. The EX10000's 3-Chip 3LCD technology also helps the projector produce outstanding color accuracy, with no distracting rainbowing and none of the color brightness issues seen with other projection technologies. The EX10000 also has excellent image uniformity, and it produces fairly bright and sharp images when positioned on a flat, level surface. The EX10000's 20,000-hour laser light engine is also built to last, with no lamps to replace over the life of the projector.

The BenQ MH760 1080P Business Projector is a good choice for presentations, and its bright, high contrast images make it a good choice for rooms that lack adequate ambient light. It's easy to set up and, despite its large size, is easy to transport. While it does not feature wireless connectivity, the MH760 is compatible with wireless display adapters, and it is also compatible with most wired connectivity options. The MH760's images look sharp and clean and are bright enough to see even in a room with ambient light as low as 25 lux. The MH760's images also have a wide viewing angle, and the unit's color temperature adjustment allows you to adjust the color of the projected image to your preference. The projector's native resolution is 1080P, and this resolution is future-proof. The MH760's keystone correction function makes it suitable for flexible installation. The MH760 has an MSRP of $1,499.

Optoma's HD39HDR is an excellent projector for watching movies, TV shows and sporting events in a bright room, and it's an excellent value.

The GT1080HDR is Optoma's biggest and brightest short-throw projector, with an extremely bright 3,800 lumens that can brighten a small living room or darken a dark theater. The projector is also extremely bright in daylight, and its use of auto-brightness adjustment lets you project images at almost any brightness level.