The onboard chamber speakers, which include two 5-watt midrange tweeters and a 10-watt woofer, deliver impressive quality and volume for such a small projector. Note that you need the remote to give commands to download and set up the app, so be sure to get it working before the remote goes missing.Īlthough you can connect an external audio system to the 3.5mm stereo audio-out port, there's little need to. All other adjustments require the remote or a BenQ app on your mobile device. Four buttons on top let you turn the projector on and off, activate a Bluetooth speaker, and adjust volume. All are hidden under a protective rubber cover that stays attached to the side when you remove it from the ports. As with most portable models, there is no optical zoom, but there's an automatic focus, which in my tests delivered as sharp an image as the lens is capable of.ĭigital inputs on the left side panel include a second HDMI port with ARC support, a USB-C port for mirroring, and a USB-A port for reading files from USB memory. Connect the AC adapter (or not, if the battery is charged) and video source, turn it on, and point it at a screen or any handy flat surface. The good news is that the Android TV setup is standard, with Wi-Fi as the only connection choice, and once everything's set up the first time, using the projector is easy. Beyond that, even if there were no issue with the grommet, installation would be a lot easier if BenQ simply shipped the projector with the dongle already installed. I count this particular combination of grommet and cover as poorly thought out. I finally gave up and removed it altogether.īenQ later confirmed that the grommet is needed to give the GS50 its full IPX2 water resistance, so if you can't successfully position it properly with the cover closed, the projector no longer qualifies as IPX2 even if you have the attached rubber covers in place over the ports. The grommet had come partly off when I removed the cover, and I couldn't find any way to put it back in place without dislodging it again every time I tried to replace the cover. After finally getting it connected, I then had to deal with a thin rubber grommet that surrounds the outside edge of the compartment. Sliding the cover off is easy, but there's so little free space beyond what the dongle itself needs that I found it hard to hold the dongle at the right angle to insert into the HDMI port. The compartment for the bundled Android TV 9 dongle is on the top of the projector, near the rear. Initial setup is harder than it should be. It also comes with soft carrying case that looks even more like a lunch box. At 5.7 by 6.1 by 7.3 inches (HWD) it's roughly the shape of a lunch box, with a handle on one side. The GS50 weighs 5.1 pounds, not including the external AC adaptor, which puts it in the middle of the 4-to-6 pound weight range for current room-to-room-to-backyard portables. BenQ rates battery life at 2.5 hours in Low Power mode with the volume set to 15 (out of a maximum 50) and "playing content from a USB device or YouTube via a stable Internet connection." There is no battery life rating rating for Eco or Normal power modes. You can switch back to Eco or Normal mode if you prefer, but the battery won't last as long. In addition, the projector drops automatically to a Low Power mode, a step below Eco Mode, when switching to battery power, which also lowers brightness. As is common, the brightest color mode has an obviously green bias, so you won't want to use it except when you absolutely need the brightest image possible. However, it can accept up to 4K (3,840 by 2,160 pixels) 60Hz input and also supports HDR10 and HLG, so in some ways behaves like a 4K projector with soft focus.īenQ rates the projector at 500 ANSI lumens. The GS50 pairs a 1080p DLP chip with an RGB LED light source rated for 20,000 hours in full power mode or 30,000 hours in Eco mode. Enough Battery Life to Get You Through a Movie Either way, the GS50 is worth a look, and it doesn't hurt that it offers 1080p resolution, Android TV streaming, good image quality, and robust speakers. And while it doesn't offer enough to replace the more expensive, and brighter, Epson EF12 as our top pick for the category, its water and drop resistance give it an edge for outdoor use. BenQ says it will also survive a 2.3-foot drop, which is about the distance from your hand to the floor. In particular, it's IPX2-rated, which means it won't be hurt by an unexpected light rain shower. That doesn't mean you shouldn't use it inside, but it does mean it has some features that make it particularly appropriate for your backyard. BenQ calls the $799 GS50 an outdoor projector.
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