Best Projector Under $200

Projectors are absolutely becoming more mainstream all the time. I mean, who doesn’t want a giant screen home entertainment experience? Irrespective of whether you want the screen for home movies, gaming, or even to use when you have to give essential office presentations, a projector will definitely do an outstanding job.

However, we’re all on a budget to some degree, and if you’ve set yourself a limit of a couple of hundred dollars maximum, then naturally, you have to be looking at the best projector for under $200.

Of course, deciding on the budget is only part of the problem; the biggest hurdle is finding the best projector for your price point. If you visit the manufacturer’s site, they will tell you their projector is the best. No, you need unbiased information so you can make the ideal choice.

That’s where this review of the best projectors under $200 is going to be helpful for you because we’ve picked out the projectors that offer the best features, entertainment value, and quality you are looking for in a projector for less than $200.

Our Top 4 Best Projectors Under $200

1. Smonet 1080p Projector for Outdoor Movie

The Smonet 1080p Projector is excellent for outdoor movies, where you’re more than likely to pick up some ambient lighting, mainly due to its 6,500lux brightness.

The manufacturers claim the lamp is 40% brighter than comparable projectors, but the 3000:1 contrast ratio will also help avoid washed-out colors from the stray ambient lighting. Smonet has rated the lamp life up to 55,000 hours of worry-free use. One complaint with some home projectors is the fan noise; when the fans kick in to reduce heat build-up, they can be noisy on some models; however, Smonet says they have reduced their projector’s fan noise by 30%.

The recommended distance from projector to screen, or throw distance, is 9.32ft; however, you can throw the screen from 4.92 to 16.4ft, with a screen size between 30 to 200 inches.

Connectivity is everything you’re going to need, from HDMI/VGA/USB/TF and compatible with TV Box, Fire Stick, Apple TV, Android TV, gaming consoles, etc. If you have content on your smartphone, then connect via HML cable.

The keystone correction is vertically +/- 15 degrees; if the screen image is blurry, you’ll need to adjust the lens height to compensate. As you would likely expect from a small projector, the built-in speaker’s sound quality is not the greatest. You are far better hooking up your external surround system to get the full home cinema experience.

Why We Like It: The Smonet for the price point is a great little projector with excellent color, even in ambient conditions. It might not be true Full HD, but nevertheless, the color is vibrant and clear.

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2. iRULU H6 Home Theater Projector

The iRULU H6 home theater projector is right on your budget, so if you are happy enough to go to the upper limit, this might be an excellent choice; if you compare other DLP projectors to this guy, you’ll find the iRULU a lot more cost-effective.

This is a tiny projector, so ideal if you want to take it camping or away on other vacations; of course, if you’re looking to impress the boss with your presentations, this projector will definitely help. The projector’s small size also means it will fit in any room where you want to set up.

The projector doesn’t have an internal battery, so if you’re going mobile with it, you’ll need a power bank or two. The iRULU H6 is only tiny, 5 inches x 3.5 inches x 2 inches, but that doesn’t mean it’s not a powerful machine with excellent connectivity. There are multiple ports, including HDMI, USB, Micro SD card, audio, and AV interface. Screen content from your smartphone, tablet, laptop, etc. If you want to connect a smartphone, you will need a wired Mirascreen to HDMI.

 The +/-45-degree auto keystone correction is convenient when you want to get the projector lined up. There is also a green power-saving mode and reduces power consumption by 87.5%, that’s a significant saving if you use the projector every day.

Unfortunately, the H6 is not Bluetooth compatible, which is a  real shame and detracts from the projector a little bit, at least I believe it does, but not connecting via Bluetooth might not be an issue for yourself.

Why We Like It: The iRULU H6 is a genuine portable home theater projector, perfect for outdoor use on camping and RV trips or anywhere else for that matter.

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3. GooDee YG600 2021 Upgrade HD Projector

The GooDee YG600 2021 is an excellent and also highly-rated projector that is bang on the $200 price point, and you get a lot of projector for the money.

The native resolution is 1289*768p; however, the projector supports 1080p Full HD. You’ll find the colors are accurate and exceptionally vibrant, helped by the 6,800 lumens and a 3000:1 contrast ratio. The YG600 is perfectly suitable for outdoor use in the backyard, garage, or to take camping.

Having such a bright lamp means there’s less likelihood of seeing washed-out colors when there’s ambient light present.

Although the screen ramps up to a massive 230 inches with an aspect ratio of 16:9/4:3, the optimal size is 98 inches with a throw distance of 10ft. You can adjust the throw distance (distance from projector to screen) from 4.9ft to 18ft if you prefer.

To round off the complete home theater package are two built-in 3W speakers, with GooDee HI-FI stereo and SRS sound system. The speakers will probably suffice for TV shows, but if you want the full sound effect and big-screen image when movie watching, I suggest you add your own external surround sound.

Running projectors continually for a few hours can undoubtedly build up a fair amount of heat. Still, the YG600 has incorporated a brand new cooling system with an improved fan design that not only reduces the fan noise but helps keep the machine from overheating.

Connectivity is another major plus for this projector; with 2x HDMI, 2x USB, VGA, AV ports, you can connect your TV box, Firestick, Chromecast, PC, laptop, gaming consoles, smartphones, and tablets, etc. 

Why We Like It: The YG600 has an innovative new cooling system and lowered fan noise allowing the projector to be used for several hours without overheating.

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4. Fangor HD 1080p Projector

The Fangor is a highly unusual projector for this price range because it’s one of the few that offer Full HD 1080p. Fangor is not new to the projector business; they’ve been making projectors for several years. 

Another plus for a sub $200 projector and Fangor, in particular, is the unit’s wireless capabilities. We all own wireless-enabled devices such as smartphones and tablets, and to be able to connect wirelessly without messy cables everywhere is a huge bonus. It’s not a big deal if the projector is situated in your living room, but if you are mobile on vacation, giving an office presentation or simply want a movie night outside wireless connectivity is a big deal. 

Combining the native resolution of 1920*1080 and a contrast ratio of 6000:1 means you’ll enjoy sharp and very detailed images on the screen. The projector has 6-layer high-refraction glass lenses and 6,500 lumens of brightness to improve the image quality.

The projector does have a built-in stereo surround speaker, but honestly, you will want to hook up your own speaker system via Bluetooth to complement the stunning images you’re watching. It would be scarce to find any make of projector with a decent built-in sound system; the units are not big enough to accommodate the necessary speakers. 

With a throw distance of between 7 and 20 feet, you can adjust the screen size from anywhere between 60 inches and 230 inches.

All the connectivity options you could ask for include wireless screen mirroring for your Android or iOS devices. When using Miracast for Android, don’t connect to your home WiFi because it interferes with the projector’s WiFi signal. Also, shows and movies from Netflix, Amazon Prime, and Hulu should be played by connecting to HDMI cable to comply with copyright issues.

Why We Like It: The Fangor is incredible value for money and offers features generally seen on more high-end projectors.

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Final Thoughts

Buying a projector is an excellent way to go if you don’t want to fork out $2500 upwards for a giant screen TV. To get something approaching the TV’s picture quality, you don’t have to break the bank or go broke, either. The best projector under $200 will offer you a great compromise.