In this BenQ GV1 portable projector review, I will take you to a short guide and a short BenQ GV1 portable projector review to know if it’s suitable for you or not, let’s get started…
The portable projector of BenQ’s GV1 is designed to look like a robot from a Pixar film. In the real world, it might be anything like a Bluetooth mic.
It’s cheap, but the resolution is only standard definition, and the image brightness is, well, not so bright. There isn’t even a true HDMI input, but it does have a dongle for connecting HDMI sources.
BenQ GV1 portable projector review – In short, the architecture of this pipsqueak is pretty much the only reason to like it. It’s so adorable that I couldn’t help but introduce it to my Dmo-kun – they’re about the same height at just 6 inches tall, and the two became fast friends during my evaluation time.
It has a disappointing picture quality, as well as multiple usability issues that I discovered during testing, which made me want an updated version with improved internals and the same cute case design.
Even at its current low price, the GV1 is difficult to recommend; instead, save up for something like the Anker Nebula Mars II Pro.
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BenQ GV1 portable projector review: Know more about the design
The GV1 is designed to look more like a portable speaker than a projector. A bright yellow band separates the speaker grille from the top projection portion.
The projector itself can be tilted up to 15 degrees, and the whole device fits on a regular camera tripod frame.
On the end, there are four buttons: two for volume adjustment and one to switch the machine on. There is also a button that allows the GV1 to function as both a projector and a Bluetooth speaker.
There’s also a manual focus ring on the side, and the GV1’s auto-keystone ensures that the picture is still aligned.
There are two ports on the rear, one for a power adapter and one for connecting a computer such as a compatible smartphone or laptop (BenQ includes a USB-C to USB-C cable with the projector). You may also use a USB-C card reader to project material from a memory card or USB drives, such as images or videos.
It’s a shame that the GV1 lacks a normal USB-A port or at the very least some sort of dongle for connecting other inputs.
Also, just because your computer has a USB-C port doesn’t mean you can use it for projection right away – it must support DisplayPort 1.1 at the very least for the GV1 to detect it.
BenQ GV1 portable projector review: the performance
Things take a turn for the worse when you try to stream wirelessly, specifically content from Netflix or iTunes on iOS – neither of which has an iOS app that is compatible with the GV1.
BenQ GV1 portable projector review – YouTube is great, but who connects a projector only to watch YouTube clips? We tried attaching a USB-C to Lightning cable in the hopes that it would resolve our iOS issues, but our linked iPhone simply began charging through the GV1, rather than displaying something.
If you don’t have access to Wi-Fi, the GV1 will create its hotspot for you to link to allow wireless streaming. This, however, will disable Internet access on your mobile, allowing you to only download content that is already on your phone.
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Is the BenQ GV1 a decent product?
Most of the BenQ GV1 portable projector reviews agree that the image quality is adequate, but it is dim if the projector is not plugged in. Although the GV1 is theoretically capable of displaying a 100-inch image, you’re unlikely to be able to go that large in practice. With a maximum brightness of 200 lumens when plugged in, this is a fairly dim projector.