Best Short-Throw Projectors for Small Rooms in 2026: 5 Picks

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A normal home projector needs 10 feet or more to throw a 100-inch picture, and most living rooms and bedrooms don’t have that once the couch is in. A short-throw projector makes the same picture from about 3.5 to 8 feet, so it can sit on a coffee table or shelf in front of the seats, and nobody walks through the beam on the way to the kitchen.

Top picks at a glance

Best overall

BenQ TK700STi

Living rooms, movie nights and console gaming

$$ Mid-range

Check priceDetails ↓

Best laser

BenQ TK710STi

Small rooms and anyone who never wants to replace a lamp

$$$ Premium

Check priceDetails ↓

Brightest

Optoma GT2160HDR

Very tight rooms and rooms you can’t fully darken

$$ Mid-range

Check priceDetails ↓

How much space each one needs

Projector	Throw ratio	80-inch	100-inch	120-inch	Price
Optoma GT2160HDR	0.49 (fixed)	2 ft 10 in	3 ft 7 in	4 ft 3 in	$$Check price
BenQ TK710STi, X300G, TH671ST	0.69–0.83	4 ft 0 in – 4 ft 10 in	5 ft 0 in – 6 ft 0 in	6 ft 0 in – 7 ft 3 in	–
BenQ TK700STi	0.9–1.08	5 ft 3 in – 6 ft 3 in	6 ft 6 in – 7 ft 10 in	7 ft 10 in – 9 ft 5 in	$$Check price

Check any model against your room with our projector throw calculator.

What the reviews don’t tell you

Reviews cover picture quality. On a coffee table or shelf, two spec-sheet numbers decide whether the picture even lands on your screen, and one brightness number decides whether it holds up with a lamp on.

Offset decides how high the picture starts

Offset is how far above the lens the picture begins, as a percentage of picture height. At 100% the bottom edge is level with the lens; at 116% it starts an extra 16% of the picture’s height above it (below it if ceiling-mounted).

Projector	Offset	Gap above lens, 100 in	Gap above lens, 120 in	Lens shift	Price
Optoma GT2160HDR	116%	about 7.8 in	about 9.4 in	None, fixed lens	$$Check price
BenQ TK700STi	110%	about 4.9 in	about 5.9 in	None	$$Check price
BenQ TK710STi	102.5%	about 1.2 in	about 1.5 in	Not listed	$$$Check price
BenQ TH671ST	102.5%	about 1.2 in	about 1.5 in	Not listed	$Check price

Measure the lens height on your table, add the gap, and that’s where the picture’s bottom edge lands. If it’s wrong, change the furniture height, not the projector angle. BenQ explains keystone correction squeezes the image into fewer pixels, costing brightness and sharpness, and neither the TK700STi nor the GT2160HDR has lens shift to fall back on.

The GT2160HDR gives you one picture size per spot

Optoma lists a fixed lens with no zoom. On the BenQs you can fine-tune size with zoom; on the Optoma, the distance you have is the picture you get. Measure before you buy.

Rated lumens drop in the mode you’ll actually use

ProjectorCentral measured the TK700STi’s brightest mode at 2,584 lumens against its 3,000 rating, and its more accurate Cinema mode at 1,625. On a plain 1.0-gain screen, using lumens ÷ area in square feet:

Screen	Cinema mode (1,625 lm)	Brightest mode (2,584 lm)
100-inch (29.7 sq ft)	about 55 ftL	about 87 ftL
120-inch (42.7 sq ft)	about 38 ftL	about 60 ftL

So a 3,000-lumen short-throw can handle a lamp on at 100 inches in Cinema mode, but at 120 inches with daylight you’ll want the bright mode, a gain screen or closed curtains. Optoma’s 4,000 rating for the GT2160HDR isn’t labeled ANSI on its spec page, so don’t compare it one to one with BenQ’s ANSI figures.

The picks

1. BenQ TK700STi: best overall

A sharp 4K picture (DLP pixel-shifting, like nearly every 4K projector at this price), 3,000 ANSI lumens and a 1.2x zoom. BenQ rates lag at 16.7 ms at 4K 60Hz and 4.2 ms at 1080p 240Hz, and ProjectorCentral measured 16.8 ms in game mode, giving it a Highly Recommended award as a gaming projector. One HDMI port has eARC for a soundbar.

The catch: it needs the most room of these, black levels are the weak point, the lamp dims and needs replacing, and the bundled Android TV dongle doesn’t run Netflix properly. ProjectorCentral measured its fan at 39.2 dBA in normal mode, louder than BenQ’s 34 dB rating.

2. BenQ TK710STi: best laser

The TK700STi’s laser sibling with a shorter throw: 100 inches from about 5 to 6 feet. BenQ rates the laser at 20,000 hours and lag at the same 4.2 ms at 1080p 240Hz. Simple Home Cinema found it bright enough for moderately lit rooms. Our BenQ TK710STi review has more.

The catch: it costs more up front, blacks look gray in a dark room, and Simple Home Cinema found keystone softens the picture, so place it square to the screen.

3. Optoma GT2160HDR: shortest throw

If you truly have no space, this makes 100 inches from about 3 ft 7 in. Optoma rates it at 4,000 lumens and 4 ms of lag in its enhanced gaming mode, and lists a 10W speaker.

The catch: no zoom, a high 116% offset, a lamp, no built-in apps, and reviewers say the fan can be heard in quiet scenes.

4. BenQ X300G: best compact

A 6.6 lb cube you can carry between rooms, with an LED light source, Android TV 11 built in and two 8W speakers. TechRadar praised its bright, crisp picture in dim rooms and the automatic focus and keystone.

The catch: at 2,000 ANSI lumens it’s the dimmest here, so it’s a bedroom projector, not a sunny-living-room one. TechRadar hit a Hulu sign-in bug on its older Android TV.

5. BenQ TH671ST: best budget

An older 1080p model that’s still great value: 3,000 ANSI lumens, a 1.2x zoom and 16.7 ms lag. It’s also a golf-simulator favorite for the same reasons.

The catch: no 4K or HDR, no apps, and BenQ lists its HDMI ports as 1.4a, so plan on a streaming stick.

Which pick for which room

Room or need	Pick
Small living room, movies and console games	BenQ TK700STi
Short room, lots of viewing, no lamp swaps	BenQ TK710STi
Tiny room or a coffee table close to the wall	Optoma GT2160HDR
Bedroom, or moving it between rooms	BenQ X300G
First projector or golf sim	BenQ TH671ST

If you watch mostly in daylight and can’t darken the room, a bright TV still wins; see projector vs TV. Taking movies outside? See our best outdoor projectors.

Short throw or ultra-short throw?

Feature	Short throw	Ultra-short throw
Throw ratio	About 0.4 to 1.1	Under about 0.4
Distance for 100 in	About 3.5 to 8 ft	A few inches from the wall
Where it sits	Coffee table, shelf, short mount	Console under the screen
Screen	Any screen or smooth wall	Best with a special ALR screen
Price	Lower	Higher

Screen, sound and setup

A good ALR screen helps those gray blacks: ProjectorCentral found one dramatically improved perceived contrast with the TK700STi. But match it to the projector. Sound & Vision explains that UST screens use a sawtooth structure that rejects light from above, and ceiling-light-rejecting screens also reject a ceiling-mounted projector. Neither suits a short-throw. In a dark room, a matte white screen or flat-painted wall is the simplest choice; see best projector screens.

1. Pick the screen size and find the distance in the throw calculator.
2. Place the projector there, centered left to right.
3. Set the height using the offset table so you don’t need to tilt it.
4. Use zoom for final sizing, then focus on small text near the center.
5. Leave keystone at zero if you can.
6. Use Cinema or Movie mode for films and game mode for consoles. ProjectorCentral measured the TK700STi at 33.5 ms with game mode off.
7. Send sound to a soundbar over eARC (see ARC vs eARC), and run the cables where nobody trips.

At four hours a day, a 4,000-hour lamp in bright mode lasts under three years; a 20,000-hour laser lasts well over a decade. Gaming from the couch? See our couch gaming setup.

How we picked

We gathered the measurements and expert reviews for every pick, put them side by side, and worked out the room-fit numbers the individual reviews leave out. Every throw ratio, offset, brightness rating and lag figure was checked against BenQ’s and Optoma’s own spec pages, and the distance, offset and foot-lambert tables are our own sums. Every source is listed at the end.

FAQ

How close can a short-throw projector be to the wall?

With a 0.49 ratio (Optoma GT2160HDR), about 3 ft 7 in for 100 inches. With 0.69 to 0.83 (BenQ TK710STi, X300G, TH671ST), about 5 to 6 feet.

Is a short-throw projector good for gaming?

Yes. BenQ rates the TK700STi and TK710STi at 4.2 ms at 1080p 240Hz and 16.7 ms at 4K 60Hz.

Can I project onto a wall instead of a screen?

Yes, if it’s smooth and painted flat white or light gray. A screen helps contrast, especially with some light in the room.

How bright should a projector be for a living room?

About 2,000 lumens for a dim room and 3,000 or more with lights on or some daylight.

What does projector offset mean?

How far above the lens the picture starts, as a percentage of picture height. At 100% the edge is level with the lens.

Can I use an ALR screen with a short-throw?

Yes, if it’s designed for your throw ratio and position. UST screens and ceiling-light-rejecting screens with a ceiling mount won’t work well.

Related guides

• Projector throw calculator
• Projector vs TV
• Best projector screens
• Home theater setup guide

Sources: BenQ TK700STi specs · BenQ TK710STi specs · BenQ X300G specs · BenQ TH671ST specs · Optoma GT2160HDR specs · BenQ: projector offset explained · ProjectorCentral BenQ TK700STi review · ProjectorScreen.com: foot-lamberts · Sound & Vision: UST projectors and ALR screens