Best Projector Under 100? Make the right buying decision with this comprehensive guide on buying portable mini projectors under $100, detailing general specs and considerations you should make.
State your preferences about having a memorable TV time with family and friends, and I will tell you how the projector matches up to meet them better than the heavy smart TVs.
Talk about needing to watch your favorite shows in clear HD formats or binge-watch Netflix while you clear your work table right from the corner of your living room.
I can tell that projectors make a great replacement for heavy and LED Televisions you may find in most homes.
What’s more interesting is that for less than $100, you can get laughs, catch up on the latest global news, play video games, and lots more, all in quality visual display.
So before we dive into the buying guide, let’s check out the list of top 5 projectors under 100 dollars
- TOPTRO TR23 – Best WiFi/Bluetooth Mini Projector
- ZDK 1080p Projector – Best Portable Mini Bluetooth Projector
- AuKing FullHD Projector- Best Portable Mini Home Theater pocket-friedly Projector
- HAPPRUN Native FullHD Projector – Best Indoor/Outdoor Movie 1080P portable mini projector
- NISOO Portable FullHD 1080p – Best Gaming/Home Cinema Portable Mini Projector
Quick Buying Guide
Crucial Factors to Consider
In this guide, you’ll learn about the world of projectors and their many features concerning satisfying different wants and needs.
Please read my feedback after a vacation in the world of projectors, where I talk about visual quality, screen size, imaging technology, and other specs that define your needs and preferences and subsequently guide your buying decision.
Grab a cup of coffee, a book, and a pen to note the factors you love to see in your projector choice.
Meanwhile, don’t be selfish; get the family into your consideration or friends, as the case may be. These factors weigh little to change your pool of options despite your budget.
However, you can make the kids happy by making certain considerations.
The specs are often visible on labels. Regardless, to help you choose the right ones and not rely on the vendor’s discretion, I provide major considerations regarding choosing the right projector, even at a budget-friendly rate, under $100.
Important Considerations To Make Before Buying a Projector
Here, you will find that I highlight important considerations and specs to look out for to get the right projector for your money.
What’s your goal? From prioritizing colors and resolution to understanding the right screen throw range, you should make a handful of considerations to ensure you get a projector that meets your needs.
Let’s delve into some important considerations that generally shape a fulfilling projector purchase, even if it’s cheap.
Connectivity: Are connectivity ports important?
How adaptable is your projector or choice? Projectors with multiple input sources are generally preferable because they allow for exploring different digital content.
When choosing one to buy, consider the ease of connecting to a laptop or some other visual or audio content source for entertainment or any other purpose.
Projectors that connect to game consoles, laptops, and any other source come with HDMI ports, with some providing universal or advanced HDMI 2.0b ports.
These ports facilitate seamless AV controls for gaming consoles, Blu-ray players, and streaming boxes.
This technology aids the quality connection for 4K content with a superb HDR effect. It’s a whole package!
Interestingly, as you read along, you’ll find that you can enjoy this bunch of fun almost anywhere and at any time.
However, if you don’t want a stand-alone projector that does just one thing – probably display content – you should consider going for one with better connectivity.
It’s no issue, though. Most projectors come with multiple input sources to cater to a wide range of uses.
Brightness: What levels of brightness you must expect from your $100 projector?
I want the cinematic feeling sometimes. Where the lights go out, and our popcorn and soda complement the intimate atmosphere like it’s a real cinema let out for my spouse and me.
You could get that. It’s all about choosing the right projector that blends with where you intend to use it.
How big is your room, and what amount of light comes through? Leave the calculations; let’s focus on how the projector adapts and offers quality visuals irrespective of the environment and the ambient light.
The light output and brightness a projector produces are essential in deciding where to use them.
Projectors are very sensitive to light, with their brightness gauged in ANSI lumens. So you might want to consider lowering the curtains when it’s sunny. But that might not be necessary.
If you plan to use your projector in environments with ambient light and relatively bright scenery, you might want to consider projectors with 3,000 lumens and above.
Talk about wanting to go dark and emulate the typical cinema style; projectors above 2,000 lumens are great.
Resolution: Does resolution of a budget projector matters?
How do you want to see the moves in the games and movies? Or the colors in your favorite football match? The ball is in your court.
Projector resolution is all about clarity in the visuals. A minute, taking you on a quick photography sojourn, resolution bothers on pixels.
Pixels are tiny dots on the screen that form to make a meaningful quality image. However, the resolution would determine its quality.
The more pixels you’ve got on the screen, the better and superb the images turn out to be.
With this, if you aim for clear visuals, the mission is clear: go for projector resolutions with a higher number of pixels.
While getting a superb resolution for $100 might be hard, it’s relatively available in the market.
You will get a projector below $100 with a 2,400 lumen, offering a sufficient resolution at a reasonable screen size.
If you’re going big on visual quality, ensure your projector has a 1920X1080 resolution.
However, with projectors under $100, you rarely bother about resolution, as their specs are in sync to offer a generally satisfactory home theater experience.
Related: How important is projector brightness?
Size: What is the recommended projection size you can expect from a cheap projector?
There are two reasons why you shouldn’t bother about size and, equally, why you should.
Projectors come in different sizes to suit our preferences.
A compact and sleek projector comes in handy for those who love to take the fun out to friends’ places or on vacation.
Some are considerably hefty yet allow for easy carriage within the home.
However, it improves as technology evolves to allow multiple embedded features while limiting size and weight.
Regardless, do bear in mind that compact projectors are prone to overheating due to their mini-designs, often causing restraint in active use duration.
Screen Throw: What will be the best screen throw distance for a budget projector?
Here comes the question of how far you plan to be from the wall or whatever object you intend to project upon.
Remember that the farther you get, the less visual quality you achieve.
You wouldn’t have to guess, anyway. Projectors come with their screen throw distances, making choosing easy for you.
If you find it puzzling to choose the right projector for a suitable screen throw, consider the room where you plan to use it and the angle you plan to place it.
Measure the distance to reach a suitable screen throw range that eliminates straining your eyes or having to reduce the screen size.
Imaging Technology: What is the recommended display technology?
Is it surprising that you find one of the most important considerations at the bottom?
No worries. There is no particular order to it.
However, you can trust that this guide offers the right path to choosing a generally satisfying projector for cinematic or corporate use.
Imaging technology is a core consideration when choosing projectors. So get in your lesson spirit as I take you on another short photography sojourn.
There are three types of image projector technologies – liquid crystal processing (LCP), digital light processing (DLP), and light-emitting diode (LED).
The limitation comes in as you rarely would find a DLP projector with a $100 or below the price tag.
Uh, no worries. The game is still on. You’ll enjoy brighter visuals and rich colors from under $100 projectors, which typically support LCD and LED imaging technologies.
Meanwhile, I don’t want you to think halfway that you have an oven, so you might want to know that LCD projectors generate more heat, especially when used for longer periods.
Nonetheless, this common situation is a good use of your exploration of a projector within your budget.
Getting a cooling fan or timing your use is an alternative to enjoying your money. It’s never a losing game if you follow this guide.
Conclusion: Best projectors under 100
Your need for a projector might differ. But, irrespective of where you plan to use it, whether indoors or locked up in a room with your lover and cups of popcorn, it will be memorable.
Perhaps it’s with friends on the balcony anticipating the start of the big game; I can assure you that technology has got you, and you don’t need the popularly glorified smart TVs.
Go simple and save some money while still accessing comforting features that bring you close to the typical cinematic experience anywhere, anytime.
All you need to do is choose the right projector that suits your plan.
This guide offers enough knowledge to eliminate regrets and frustrations from purchasing a less satisfying projector.
Now it’s your turn to go for what makes you happy and is worth your money.