Just days after launching its highly affordable, dinky-new portable projector, BenQ has announced a couple of more serious models that beef up the hardware, ensuring brighter, crisper 4K images with superior clarity and much higher brightness.
They’re called the BenQ TK705i and TK705Sti, and they feature a laser light source that pumps out 3,000 ANSI lumens of brightness, which means they can be used during the daytime even if you can’t prevent the sunshine from sneaking into the living room. That’s quite unlike the portable BenQ GV32 projector we covered earlier this week, which can only hit 500 lumens, making a darkened viewing environment more or less essential.
The “STi” label identifies the latter model as a short-throw projector – and that’s really the only difference between the two. While the TK705i has a motorised optical zoom, the TK705Sti doesn’t, but it can be placed much closer to the wall you project images on, making it more suitable for showing big-screen action in smaller spaces.
Aside from that, the TK705i and TK705Sti are more or less identical. Both projectors can project 4K images at a maximum of 150-inches diagonally, and they have the same colour accuracy, with BenQ’s proprietary Cinematic Colour and HDR-PRO technology helping them to cover 98% of the Rec.709 colour gamut. Both models come with HDMI 2.1 and USB-C ports, which make it possible to use them for low-lag gaming with Auto Low-Latency Mode at 4K/60Hz, with BenQ claiming five milliseconds latency.
Bluetooth 5.2 and WiFi are also supported for mirroring and broadband connectivity, and you’ll also find voice controls thanks to the integrated Google TV platform, which means streaming apps like Netflix, YouTube and Amazon Prime Video are all onboard.
The projectors offer a simple setup experience, with BenQ’s 8-way Smart Image Adaptation technology helping to align the images with the surface, adjust the zoom, focus and perform keystone correction and everything else to get that picture looking perfect.
While they’re probably not as performant as higher-end, dedicated home theatre projectors, the TK705i and TK705Sti nevertheless look like a good and affordable option for anyone wanting to enjoy a cinema-style movie experience during daytime conditions. The TK705i is priced at £1,249, while the short-throw TK705STi costs £1,399, ($1,799 and $1,999 in the U.S.) and they’re available to buy from today.
