BenQ X500i
4K UHD2,200 ANSIHome Theater16.7ms0.69–0.83 throw
Best for: Home Theater + Gaming|Native 4K · Android TV
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$1,499.00
Short throw projectors
A short throw projector fills a large screen from a few feet away rather than from the back of the room. That suits a bedroom, a small lounge or any room where the projector would otherwise sit behind where people sit. Compared with an ultra short throw it is less fussy about placement and a good deal cheaper, and compared with a standard projector it frees you from running a long cable or mounting at the far wall. This is a thinner part of the market than the name suggests, so check the throw range on each product page rather than assuming the category guarantees a given distance.
What this page filters onShort throw
Tell us your screen size, how far back the projector sits and how much light the room gets, and every row here shows whether it fits. Open the room finder
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We only list projectors whose specs we have checked against the manufacturer's own pages, and this corner of the market is thin. Rather than pad it out, we show what we have and keep looking.
Short throw projectors
4 projectors
BenQ TK710STi
4K UHD3,200 ANSIHome Theater16.7ms0.69–0.83 throw
Best for: Home Theater + Gaming|Native 4K · Android TV
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$1,749.99
List: $1,999.00
12% OFF
Optoma UHZ35ST
4K UHD3,500 ANSIHome Theater16ms0.50–0.50 throw
Best for: Home Theater + Gaming|Native 4K
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$2,199.00
ViewSonic X2-4K
4K UHDBrightness not confirmedHome Theater4.2ms0.69–0.83 throw
Best for: Home Theater + Outdoor|Native 4K
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$1,899.99
4 of 4
Before you buy
What counts as short throw?
We use the throw ratio, the distance divided by the image width. Below 0.4 is ultra short throw. From 0.4 up to 1.0 is short throw, meaning the projector sits closer to the screen than the picture is wide. From 1.0 upward is a standard projector. The boundary is arithmetic, not marketing.
Will a short throw projector work on a ceiling mount?
Yes, and it is often the neatest answer in a small room, because the mount sits close to the screen rather than above the seating. Check the lens shift and keystone figures on the product page, since a ceiling mount usually means the lens is no longer level with the screen centre.
Is the picture quality worse than a standard projector?
Not inherently, but a wide angle lens is harder to make sharp across the whole image, so at the budget end you may see softness at the corners that a longer throw projector would not have. At the same price a standard projector usually gives you a slightly better lens.