When the BenQ GV30 (review) was introduced back in 2021, it had a revolutionary new circular design that fundamentally altered the way that we perceive portable projectors. You may easily change the projector’s projection to suit your needs because it can revolve on its axis when using the magnetic support. Furthermore, the BenQ streaming device functions flawlessly when inserted into the projector like a battery. Effective designs all have one thing in common: they endure. And BenQ has achieved this with their GV line of portable projectors. Although it has the same design, the new GV31 has significant improvements.
Design
The GV31 is a magnetically-enabled rotating angle projector with an LED design that is small in size. With dimensions of 131.3 x 203.2 x 191.4 mm and a weight of under 1.7 kg, it’s perfect to bring to parties in a bag. To alter the projection angle with other projectors, you must adjust the stands or position them at a specific angle. With the GV31, you don’t need to adjust the stand or place anything underneath the projector to give it the necessary elevation—you can just rotate the projector to cast an image on a wall or even the ceiling. A wide variety of projection angles are available thanks to the GV31’s moving lens.
The following ports are included with the portable projector:
- HDMI port
- USB Type-A port
- USB Type-C port
- Audio jack
- Charging port
The GV31 has a mesh pattern on both sides, just as the GV30. Additionally, you can take off the right side cover to reveal a dedicated slot where you can insert an Amazon Fire TV stick or utilize the brand’s streaming device, the QS02. There are merely four controls on top of the projector: input, volume up/down, and power.
The BenQ GV31 remote controller has a decent build quality and is somewhat long, but it also includes most of the necessary keys. The remote is also difficult to misplace because of its size and white color.
Features
This tiny BenQ projector is packed with functionality despite being a little device. It employs a DLP projection technology and boots straight into Android 11.0, giving you access to all the major streaming apps. For those who are unaware, this kind of projector technology creates images using a digital micromirror device (DMD). The DMD chip, which is encrusted with dozens or perhaps millions of tiny mirrors, is the brains behind a DLP projector. In the projected image, a single pixel is represented by each mirror. The GV31 uses an LED light source and supports native resolutions up to 1080p (1920 x 1080 pixels). In normal mode, this light source should last 20,000 hours, and in eco mode, 30,000 hours. The following are some of the BenQ GV31′s salient characteristics:
- Peak brightness of 300 ANSI lumens
- Contrast ratio of 100,000:1
- Native aspect ratio of 16:9
- A throw ratio of 1.2
The projector has Bright, Cinema, Daytime, Game, Living Room, and Sports picture modes and covers 98 percent of the Rec. 709 color spectrum. The projector displays an input lag of 45 ms at 1080p (60Hz). The GV31 is compatible with Bluetooth 5.0, Wi-Fi Standard 802.11a/b/g/n/ac/ax (2.4GHz/5GHz), and AirPlay and Google Cast for wireless projection. BenQ GV31.
Sound and visual experience
You don’t feel constrained in any way when you have the GV31 with you, which is one of its best features. It’s easy to pick up and carry to a friend’s house, set up in any part of your house, and if you want to, you can even start projecting on your ceiling. You can see an image as large as 80 inches with this projector from only seven feet away. You can get an image as large as 100 inches if you position it 8.7 feet away.
Now let’s discuss image quality, which is the most crucial component of any projector. Fortunately, the GV31 offers images that are crisp, detailed, and surprisingly accurate in terms of color. Despite the projector’s 1080p resolution cap, I still loved watching some of my favorite movies and TV series on it. Although I would love to see this projector support up to 4K resolution in the future, even in 1080p, the content quality was quite good, and for the majority of users, the available picture quality would be more than enough. Any projector in this price range has the drawback that ambient light will cause a sharp reduction in readability.
It’s a particularly wise move for BenQ to position the GV31 as the “Best Partner for Portable Parties,” as they have been doing. This projector is designed to be carried with you, with a rotating angle projection, a built-in battery, a simple setup procedure, and a compact and lightweight design. Not only is picture quality important, but it’s also about how easy it is to enjoy viewing movies, TV episodes, or videos with others. Since most of us only record 1080p movies of each other rather than 4K, this projector hits the ideal balance between portability, form size, image quality, and affordability.
Verdict
The BenQ GV31 is a portable projector that is perfect for both indoor and outdoor use because of its lightweight and compact design. Convenience was a key consideration in the design of this device, and it was successfully achieved. I had a great time with this device, turning it on and positioning it in any place to my liking. The more expensive X300G (review) is a great option if you want a dedicated home theater setup and superior image quality, but the GV31 is a great option if all you need is a projector to enjoy yourself at parties with friends and family. It has excellent visual quality, and the built-in speakers produce decent sound as well. That being said, I would prefer BenQ to release its successor with an improved battery backup and a native 4K display resolution. In that case, the market will be dominated by the following model in this series.
