BenQ X300G review: Portable 4K powerhouse projector

I still remember the first time I ever saw a personal projector. It was in the early 2000s and I was just a kid then. My dad bought home one after getting a bonus at work, and soon enough we were immersed in the Matrix Reloaded watching giant mechs do battle in all 100-inch glory. The feeling at that moment was incredible. Let me say then, the BenQ X300G, almost rivals that experience, that feeling, but in a uniquely different way.

I’ve spent a lot of time testing projectors and monitors over the last few years. I’ve even been involved in the quality control and design of a few of them too. I live and breathe the stuff, so trust me when I say, the X300G is an outstanding projector. The image quality alone, particularly for a small form factor 4K unit is just exemplary. Out-of-this-world even. It doesn’t suffer from some of the latency artefacts you get on other portable units either, in fact, I can safely say, it’s almost assuredly one of the best gaming projectors out there today.

There is one minor caveat to that statement, however, and that’s the pricing. BenQ’s placed this thing at an astounding $1,800, or £1,500 RRP. It is not cheap, even Benq’s own X500i pips it to the posts when it comes to affordability, and that is troublesome.

But why should you get a projector? What is it about these things that makes them so palpable? Well, it’s a complex decision, that’s for sure. Let’s face it, projectors aren’t ever going to replace some of the best gaming screens out there, they’re just not. If you’re in love with using a 21:9 ultrawide for your gaming needs, then that’s not about to go away any time soon, and nor should it.

No, this is all about that gaming-den, or going to your bud’s place, and chucking a 110-inch 4K projection on the side of his house (you can do that with this). It’s a premium product, a halo offering, for those looking to take their gaming setup to the absolute max. Or add a bit of flash to their home office. It serves an entirely different purpose and is something you have in addition to a decent monitor setup, not despite.

BenQ X300G Specifications:

Design

The X300G sort of blurs the line between the X500i and the X3100i. It’s effectively a micro version of the latter. Still quite boxy and square, but far smaller in its overall appearance. It lacks the in-depth connectivity that both of those premium fixed options have, but you do gain that far smaller form factor as a result.

The overall aesthetic is stunning. The crisp black and white plastic panelling gives it a massively contrasted look. The front plate with its intricate gloss finish is sharp and eye-catching, and the orange accents littering the sides of it bring the whole look together. Interestingly when powered on it even has its lighting. With two rear “vent” “-like structures shining a bright orange, amplifying those subtle accents dotted here and there. It’s not that distracting either, so don’t worry about it taking the edge away from what it’s displaying.

Speaking of ventilation, the X300G is aptly cooled too. Its internal fans aren’t particularly noisy, which is impressive given the chunky projection tech at work. They still do a fabulous job of keeping it all chilled. There’s plenty of ventilation on both sides as well.

On top, you’ll find identifiable OSD buttons, along with a joystick to help navigate the menus, and the power button too. The X300G also comes with its own remote, similar to the X500i and the X3100i, which is a super slick white affair again, with black buttons lit up with white LED backlighting, making it particularly easy to control things in the dark.

I/O is somewhat limited. You only get a single HDMI 2.0, USB 2.0 and USB C / DisplayPort out, but again, that can be somewhat forgiven, given the size of the thing. What’s mildly more frustrating however is the lack of any unplugged capacity, even at 1080p. Unlike the XGIMI Halo+, unless you’ve got power, the X300G just ain’t going to display. There’s no internal battery here at all sadly, which does make it a bit of a bummer if you thought about taking it on camping holidays or anywhere even mildly remote. But then, given how tight the latencies are, and the refresh rate and resolution on offer, that’s perhaps unsurprising, as an additional battery would greatly increase the X300G’s size.

Still, it is an issue, and it would be less of one if it wasn’t for the fact that the X500i is also a touch cheaper than this, while still providing similar projection quality, and a significantly larger I/O, while not being particularly larger.

Features

Similar to its X500i and X3100i cousins, the X300G also packs in an absolute arsenal of additional tech to help keep things dialed in. As standard of course you get that 3LED bulb, delivering an impressive 4K60 resolution, along with options for 2560×1440 at 120 and 1080p at 240Hz as well. Response time is best at 1080p, driving an impressively low 4.16ms whereas 4K will slow you all the way down to a chugging 16ms, although that’s pretty much the norm for 4K projection at this point.

On top of that, BenQ’s also slid in some auto keystone tech, allowing it to align itself with its projection surface, from a fairly generous angle. Meaning you can set it off to the side of what you’re displaying on. Plus there’s an auto-focus feature too. Both of which you can manually tweak as well.

BenQ’s also added a fairly hefty speaker system to the X300G, with dual 8W speakers, and a unique, “passive radiator” that, according to BenQ stabilizes air pressure changes during compression and dispersion phases (basically makes the bass notes smoother). I’ll get more onto that in a little bit, but it’s a decent solution for an impressively small unit like this.

As for brightness, well that tops out at just 2,000 lumens or so, a little less than the X500i, although it was plenty crisp enough during my testing. Additionally, the life-cycle on this should be fairly decent, again with the usual 20,000 hours expected, or 30K in eco-mode.

On top of that BenQ’s also included a Google TV dongle in this unit too. It’s quite a unique implementation. Unlike the XGIMI Halo+, which has it integrated as standard, all of BenQ’s current top-tier models feature Google TV, kind of as an added extra, which you have to install yourself. This usually involves removing a rear panel, then haphazardly attaching a micro-HDMI and micro-USB power cable to the dongle, and then stuffing it out of the way.

In the case of the X300G, this is the best implementation I’ve seen so far from this range, and it’s a lot sturdier and more secure than in some of the other models. Again, why this is an added extra, rather than just being built into the model, however, is a little curious. I can only assume variance in market region compatibility is to blame here.

Performance

I’ve been testing the X300G now for a little over three weeks, running it through its paces in all manner of content I could throw at it. From gaming on the Switch to PC to enjoying a bit of Netflix, YouTube and more, and I can safely say it’s a beautiful thing to witness. Just having that 4K resolution on a little tiny box like that, is outstanding.

I typically do a stress test of each of those projectors, by running them against a dark gray wall, to see how they fair on the brightness front, and the X300G did outstandingly well, with very little color desaturation. Throw it against a white wall, however, and of course, those pigments explode by comparison.  On a gray wall it’s very much akin to a standard monitor, which is a seriously impressive feat.

If you get any form of 4K HDR content up on it, it’s just a dream to enjoy and really is exceptional. In-game, whether that’s Zelda, Baldur’s Gate 3, or Cyberpunk, it’s just a beautiful thing to enjoy. If you are planning on using a PC though, I would highly recommend dropping down to 1440p at 120 Hz. It’s just a lot smoother to run, and you don’t suffer from quite the same latency lag as you do at 4K. 4K’s great for entertainment purposes, but for real competitive gaming, that 16ms latency is just not up to par.

Now sound. It’s ok, and the built-in speakers are alright, however ironically (given that air radiator thing BenQ has patented), it does struggle on the bass front, particularly compared to something like the X500i which is leaps and bounds ahead. Ultimately to get the most out of it you’re going to want a dedicated soundbar, and one that’s ideally Bluetooth at that, which is a bit of a pain given, you know this is meant to be a portable unit.

Google TV setup as well is outstanding just on a side note. Initial setup just involves you signing in on your phone, which automatically detects the device in the area (which will be familiar to you if you’ve ever set up a Google Home hub on an Android device), after which it transfers over your login details for your apps, and you’re done.

As I touched on earlier, the only major downside is the lack of any form of battery. It just doesn’t have anything, which is a real shame, and a missed opportunity. The only thing that really makes it portable is its small form factor, and that auto-adjusting keystone (which to be fair is on every other model anyway). That is quite a shame really, as it mars an otherwise flawless product.

Should You Buy?

• Yes: If you want a beautiful 4K media experience
• Yes: If you don’t mind gaming at 1440p
• Yes: If you enjoy vibrant colors and easy setup
• No: If you want to take this somewhere without power
• No: If you want a sub $1,000 projector

Similar to BenQ’s other 4K gaming projector options, the X300G doesn’t disappoint. Its outstanding color depth, and crisp resolution makes it an absolute dream when it comes to 4K entertainment. That said, it’s seriously pricey and struggles to differentiate itself from its cheaper X500i sibling.

Alternatives

BenQ X500i. Its more traditional form factor, breadth of ports, and slightly superior image quality make it a tempting pick. Particularly as it’s at a lower price than the X300G. Although the X300G doesn’t hold any punches, it’s not perfect, and lacking that I/O plus any form of portability outside of “it’s small” just doesn’t give it enough of an edge to outcompete its own projector family.” data-logo=”https://www./wp-content/sites/pcgamesn/2024/05/benq-x500i-lens.jpg” data-gamename=”” data-affmerchant=”” data-affprevprice=”” data-affprice=”” data-affctatext=”Read our review” data-afflink=”https://www./benq-x500i-review” data-affmessage=”Network N Media earns affiliate commission from qualifying sales.” data-widget-type=”star”>

XGIMI Halo+ is your next best pick. It’s super easy to set up, with potent color accuracy, and a fairly reasonable battery life that’ll net you 2.5 hours.” data-logo=”https://www./wp-content/sites/pcgamesn/2024/05/xgimi-gaming-projector-hero2.jpg” data-gamename=”” data-affmerchant=”” data-affprevprice=”” data-affprice=”” data-affctatext=”Read review” data-afflink=”https://www./xgimi-halo-review” data-affmessage=”Network N Media earns affiliate commission from qualifying sales.” data-widget-type=”star”>

If dedicated PC gaming is your thing, I highly recommend ultrawide gaming monitors, particularly OLED panels to scratch that itch. Something like Alienware’s AW3423DWF is a seriously strong option on that front.

Verdict

On the surface, BenQ’s X300G is an exceptionally well-built 4K gaming projector. Color vibrancy absolutely pops, and the resolution is outstanding (and the latency isn’t bad either). I/O is a little on the low side however, and the lack of any other portability features outside of “it’s small” does detract from that overall portable label, however.

Still, it has some awesome tech behind it, and the inclusion of Google TV here also makes it incredibly versatile. The only problem? Competition from BenQ’s other projectors like the X3100i (only slightly more expensive but far more potent) and the X500i (slightly cheaper, and just as good).