Posted on May 27, 2022 By Kam Valentine
The BenQ X3000i is a 4K HDR capable 4LED Gaming Projector which retails for $1,999. With 3000 ANSI lumens, dedicated gaming picture and sound modes along with dual 5-watt chamber speakers, the BenQ X3000i was designed for immersive open-world gaming on the latest gaming consoles.
The X3000i is part of BenQ’s Console Gaming Projector Series which includes the X Series, TK Series, and TH Series. BenQ states X Series projectors like the BenQ X3000i projector are designed for cinematic immersion in gameplay with 4LED HDR-PRO for grand scenery in authentic colors with dynamic virtual 3D sound from various directions. BenQ also states the X3000i was made for use with PS4, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S, and Nintendo Switch.
Currently, I have well over 79 hours of using the BenQ X3000i in my two testing areas. Spoiler alert – I easily decided to award the BenQ X3000i Projector Review’s Highly Recommended Award at the conclusion of my testing period.
BenQ sent Projector Reviews a demo sample of the X3000i to review. To test the projector, I connected my Kaleidescape Compact Terra 6TB movie server, Kaleidescape Strato C 4K movie player PlayStation 5, Razer Blade 17 4K – GeForce RTX 3080 Ti laptop to the X3000i via 48Gbps HDMI cables. For this review, I projected onto a 110-inch Screen Innovations (SI) Solo Pro 2 Unity AT Pure White 1.3 gain screen.
I will start with a brief overview of the X3000i, followed by some of the projector’s notable features. I will then take you through the X3000i’s hardware and discuss performance and video quality. From there, I will sum it all up for you on the last page. My goal is to cover everything you need to decide if the BenQ X3000i is the right projector for your projector gaming and home theater movie streaming needs by the time you reach the end of this review.
The BenQ X3000i has a Manufacturer’s Suggested Retail Price (MSRP) of $1,999. The X3000i was released to the public in March 2022. Although, I was fortunate enough to have early hands-on experience with the X3000i when I used it for a quick gaming session in January 2022 while at CES 2022, where the projector was unveiled.
The X3000i’s 4LED light source brightness is rated at 3,000 ANSI lumens while being able to reproduce 100% of the DCI-P3 color gamut. In addition, BenQ states the light source should last 20,000 hours in Normal Mode and up to 30,000 hours in Eco Mode.
One of a few important items to us gamers is input lag. As far as input lag goes, BenQ states 0-20ms is a high speed, 20-40ms is fast, 40-62ms is slow, and anything lower than 63ms is very slow. The X3000i has a BenQ rated input lag of 4K/60Hz @ 16.67ms, 1080p/240Hz @ 4.16ms, 1080p/120Hz @ 8.33ms, and 1080p/60Hz @ 16.67ms.
The BenQ X3000i 4LED gaming projector should not be confused with the BenQ X1300i 4LED gaming projector. The X3000i is $1,999, which is $700 more than the $1,299 X1300i gaming projector. The additional price of the X3000i is due to some key differences between the two projectors.
For starters, the X3000i is a 4K projector, and the X1300i is a 1080p projector. The XPR Technology found in the X3000i allows it to display a 4K image. BenQ states that “XPR Technology achieves true 4K by producing 8.3 million distinct pixels regardless of the DMD chip’s number of native pixels. XPR quadruples the 0.47-inch DMD chip’s native 1920×1080 pixels to generate true 4K, 8.3 million pixels with lightning-fast pixel shifting speed.” Projector Reviews has a Glossary for additional details on 4K DLP with XPR Technology, be sure to check it out.
Also, the X3000i has an Android 10.0 built-in Operating System (OS), and the X1300i has an Android 9.0 built-in OS. The X3000i has BenQ’s CinematicColor Ultra-Reality with 100% DCI-P3 color gamut coverage, and the X1300i has BenQ’s CinematicColor 98% Rec.709 color gamut coverage. The wider the color gamut, the more colors you can see in movies and your gaming world.
The X3000i has a 1.3x zoom lens with a throw ratio of 1.15~1.5, and the X1300i has a 1.2x zoom lens with a throw ratio of 1.13-1.56. The X3000i projects a 100-inch image at 8.2 feet and a 150-inch image at 12.5 feet from the projection surface, whereas the X1300i projects a 100-inch image at 9.45 feet and a 150-inch image at 14.11 feet from the projection surface. Lastly, the X3000i’s preferred projector image size is between 60-inches and 200-inches. In contrast, the X1300i’s preferred image size is 60-inches to 150-inches, according to page 14 of both projector’s User Manuals. For more information on the BenQ X1300i, you can read Philp Boyle’s full review of the BenQ X1300i by clicking here.
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