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BenQ GS50

By BenQ · Smart Projectors · Audio & Electronics

  • 1080p (1920x1080) native resolution
  • 500 ANSI lumens brightness
  • LED light source, 20,000 hrs (Normal) / 30,000 hrs (ECO)
  • 2.1CH audio: dual 5W midrange tweeters + 10W woofer
  • IPX2 splash-proof, 2.3ft (70cm) drop-proof

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Strengths

  • Real 1080p resolution was rare among battery portables of 2021, with sharp HD and 4K-downscaled sources.
  • The speaker system punches far above its size: genuine stereo separation, real bass and music playback more credible than any other portable.
  • Auto-focus, auto keystone and a drop-down front foot mean almost no manual setup work.
  • The bundled QS01 dongle runs a full Android TV build with Chromecast rather than a stripped launcher.
  • Brightness holds up in overcast conditions and controllable indoor light where rival portables wash out.

Weaknesses

  • The 2.5-hour battery claim only applies in Low Power mode at volume 15/50, and battery use force-drops brightness to 50%.
  • HDR is weak on both instrumented reviews: dark, dull midtones and washed-out blacks, sometimes unwatchable; SDR is the better feed.
  • 24p motion handling draws an unnatural, staccato judder on camera pans with no setting that fixes it.
  • Netflix is not natively supported, the remote is not backlit, and you cannot watch and charge at the same time over USB-C.

Verified specifications

Projection systemDLP, single 0.23-inch Texas Instruments Pico DMD.
Brightness (rated)500 ANSI lumens.
Native resolution1080p (1920x1080); accepts inputs up to 4K UHD, with no 4K/120Hz or VRR.
Contrast ratio100,000:1 (full on/full off); native contrast is lacking per What Hi-Fi.
Light sourceLED, rated 20,000 hours Normal and 30,000 hours ECO; replacement is not user-serviceable.
Throw ratio 1.21, fixed zoom; no optical zoom and no lens shift.
Keystone2D, auto vertical and horizontal ±40 degrees.
Input lagBenQ claims 22.7 ms at 1080p60Hz in Game mode; PCMag measured 42 ms at 1080p 60Hz and 62 ms at 4K 60Hz; What Hi-Fi initially measured above 90 ms.
Screen size30-110 inches per BenQ, 30-100 inches in What Hi-Fi’s spec box, 30-112 inches at 3 metres per Best Buy Canada.
Eye-protection sensor turns the light off when an object comes within 30 cm of the lens.
Sound hardware2x 5W midrange tweeters plus a 10W woofer chamber, treVolo-tuned, 270-degree output; sound modes Standard, Cinema, Music, Sports.
Bluetooth-speaker modeup to 360 minutes of music playback claimed.
Wireless projectionMiracast, AirPlay, Chromecast, plus the BenQ Smart Control app.
I/O2x HDMI 2.0b (one internal, for the dongle), USB-A 2.0, USB-C with DisplayPort alt mode and PD input (45W input max), 3.5mm audio out, HDMI ARC.
Batterybuilt-in lithium-ion, LiCoO2, not user-replaceable.
Smart systemAndroid 10.0 OS, Bluetooth 4.2, Wi-Fi a/b/g/n/ac on 2.4G/5G.
Shell1 mm water-resistant TPU inner layer plus drop-resistant outer resin; IPX2; 2.3 ft (70 cm) drop-proof.
Dimensions186 x 154 x 146 mm (7.32 x 6.06 x 5.75 inches); net weight 2.3 kg (5.07 lb), excluding the external AC adaptor.
In the boxQS01 Android TV dongle, carry bag, remote RCI067 with battery, power cord, quick start guide, warranty card.
Warranty3 years for the projector; the battery is separately warranted for one year from purchase.
Full research notes and sources

Brightness and picture

PCMag’s separate assessment put Normal power plus Cinema mode at roughly the level it expects from 400 ANSI lumens, enough to light a 90-inch 1.0-gain white screen in a dark room or at low ambient light. BenQ’s own FAQ confirms the projector cuts image brightness to 50% when it drops into Low Power mode on battery. Best Buy Canada’s reviewer could not get a usable image on a large outdoor screen with the sun still out. Outdoors at dusk or in a dark room is where this projector belongs.

The picture splits reviewers in other ways. PCMag liked Cinema mode’s color accuracy and skin tones and saw very few rainbow artifacts, but found Bright mode green-biased and HDR10 midtones dark and dull with no HDR brightness control, recommending SDR input instead. CNET, scoring the projector well overall, found color more accurate than the Anker Nebula Mars II Pro. What Hi-Fi, the most negative instrumented verdict, gave the picture its lowest score: dark HDR scenes wash out into low-contrast grey with a slight red tint, sometimes to the point of being unwatchable, and 24p content suffers a staccato judder from any source that no setting fixes. Bright HDR content looks punchy and richly saturated, and sharpness is genuinely good, with 4K sources downscaled looking arguably crisper than native HD. The through-line: a solid SDR projector with a weak HDR mode.

Sound and the dongle hatch

The speaker system is the clearest win. Two 5W midrange tweeters plus a 10W woofer in a ported cabinet with a 270-degree spread and a dedicated DSP produce what PCMag calls impressive quality and volume for a projector this small, and CNET says it easily fills a campsite. What Hi-Fi goes furthest: real stereo separation from drivers firing out of both sides, a soundstage in scale with the picture, vocals that sound human, a rounded tone that never turns harsh under load, and real bass beneath action scenes. BenQ also put four top-panel buttons on the unit for power, Bluetooth-speaker mode and volume, so basic use works without the remote.

The dongle compartment is the most annoying part of ownership. IPX2 itself is a low bar: water striking at 15 degrees or less, tested over 10 minutes at an equivalent of 3mm of rainfall per minute. Practically, three reviewers ended up with a unit that looks splash-proof but is not.

Battery life and running costs

BenQ markets up to 150 minutes of non-stop movie time. CNET states the same figure is in Eco mode and shorter at full brightness. On battery the projector automatically drops to Low Power, a step below Eco, and you can raise it back manually at the cost of runtime. You also cannot watch and charge the internal battery at the same time through the USB-C power-bank input. The battery is warranted for only one year against the projector’s three, and BenQ directs battery replacement to a service center. BenQ’s care guidance for this class: charge 3-5 hours before first use, charge and discharge at least once a week, avoid frequent full discharge, store at 40-60% charge, and keep the unit cool. The external AC adaptor ships with the projector, and the QS01 dongle is included, so the main running costs are electricity and occasional firmware and streaming-app work. Firmware updates are user-serviceable via a FAT32 USB stick, and BenQ publicly shipped a firmware update specifically to improve input lag.

Input lag and gaming

BenQ advertises 22.7 ms at 1080p60Hz in Game mode. What Hi-Fi initially measured above 90 ms out of the box, and BenQ told the outlet the 22 ms figure is only reachable on firmware v01.00.17.00 or newer, with Keystone and Corner Fit both set to zero, and with an exact 1920x1080 signal fed. PCMag measured 42 ms at 1080p 60Hz and 62 ms at 4K 60Hz with a Bodnar meter. Treat 22.7 ms as a configured best case; the measured 42 ms is the real-world number, and the HDMI input carries no 4K/120Hz or VRR.

Is it worth it?

ProjectorReviews and PCMag cited a $799 launch MSRP in 2021. What Hi-Fi, in August 2024, saw the projector at £699 / $699. PCMag displayed a $549 street figure in 2022, recorded here only as a historical datapoint that PCMag published. At $799 in 2021, CNET pointed out that BenQ’s own HT2050A was significantly brighter with far better picture quality for the same money. What Hi-Fi called the GS50 a one-trick pony whose inability to adapt to interior viewing undercuts a premium price. The defensible case is narrow and it is about the box, not the beam: real 1080p, outdoor-ready drop and splash protection, a 3-year warranty that PCMag notes is two years longer than its portable competitors, and the best sound in the class. Buy it for camping, a backyard screen or a cabin, in the dark, on a battery. If the projector will never leave the house, the same money buys a brighter, better-picture home projector.

Which model this is

This page covers the BenQ GS50, the second generation of BenQ’s GS portable line, launched at the end of August 2021. It sits alongside the lower-resolution GV30 (720p, 300 ANSI lumens) and the later GV50 (laser light source, Google TV), and should not be confused with either, with the GS30, or with the newer GV31, which is the subject of a separate BenQ recall notice. Hardware identifiers are the 0.23-inch TI Pico DMD, the LED light source, the LiCoO2 battery, the bundled QS01 Android TV dongle and remote RCI067. The US Amazon listing carries ASIN B09BTTVJLX.

Sources

Manufacturer:

Independent reviews:

Owner reports:

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