Finding a gaming projector used to be something of an oxymoron, but today you can get projectors that go full throttle with ridiculous 240Hz refresh rates and a very low 4ms input latency. Optoma UHZ55 It's one of them. It's designed for competitive gaming, but it's not the only one out there right now. It does a lot of things and does them well for the price, but the question is whether it lives up to the rest of the top-of-the-line projectors on our list. Best gaming projector A rundown of specs that aren't about speed. Because, let's face it, not everyone needs a super-fast projector. And not everyone has the money to spend on refresh rates that are often wasted.
It seems like a tough decision to make, but there are a couple of things holding the Optoma UHZ55 back.
The Optoma UHZ55 is pretty low-key. It doesn’t have a flashy design, it’s just a plain black projector with a series of wide slots on the sides to push all the air out. And it needs them, because this thing really powers down at higher refresh rates. You can definitely tell it turns on when you switch to gaming mode, which isn’t so great when the projector is sitting right next to your head.
Thankfully, keystone correction and vertical lens shift make it much easier to project from an angle other than directly in front of your chosen wall. Not only are there digital and physical controls for zoom, focus, and lens shift, but they’re all easy to set up. It’s important to note, however, that keystone correction, or “geometric correction,” cannot be changed once the lens tilt has been set. Also, in gaming mode, keystone correction is reset, so you may need to position it behind your head or place it on the ceiling if you want to enjoy the full speed the projector has to offer.
UHZ55 Specifications
Projector Type: DLP
Lamp type: Laser
Resolution: 1080p
Image size: Up to 300 inches
Update frequency: Up to 240 Hz
Response time: 4 ms
Projection ratio: 1.21:1 ~ 1.59:1 (long throw)
Glow: 3000 ANSI lumens
Tickets: 1 x Ethernet, 1 x HDMI 2.0 (eARC), 1 x RS232, 2 x HDMI 2.0, 3 x USB Type A, 1 x 3.5mm jack, 1 x S/PDIF
Dimensions: 337 x 265 x 119.3 mm
Characteristics: Keystone correction, zoom 1.3, Creative Cast, Optoma Connect
Light life: 30,000 hours
Warranty: 3 years limited
Price: $2,099 | £1,498
The user interface is easy to navigate, either with the controls on the top of the projector or the small lighting controller. But, as beautiful as the UI is, the saddest thing about the Optoma UHZ55 is that it runs on a custom Android OS. Aside from the few apps in the Optoma Marketplace, such as Netflix, TED, Prime, there isn’t much to choose from. Google Play Services is completely ruled out, meaning there’s no YouTube.
This might be a deal breaker for some, but if you're always going to have your device plugged in, it shouldn't be a huge issue since you'll have it for shows. Otherwise, you'll need to invest in an Amazon Fire Stick or something similar, which means spending on another device if you just want to catch up on your subscriptions without moving your device. gaming laptopor whatever.
Plugging it in, it’s clear where Optoma’s focus was going. There’s absolutely no perceptible latency across inputs with the Optoma UHZ55. Whether in 4K or 1080p in game mode, motion is fluid and I was able to take full advantage of the super-high frame rates with V-Sync engaged.
The image is incredibly sharp when you perfect the focus, and it looks great even with the curtains open on a sunny day thanks to all those lumens.
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But how does it compare to the rest of the best gaming projectors?
You can get the BenQ TK700STi (currently on our list of the best projectors for being the fastest at 240Hz/4ms) for $1,699 (£1,340). That’s a saving of $400 (£160) over the Optoma, with virtually the same specs and a speaker that’s just as terrible. Of course, the BenQ’s lamp life isn’t nearly as long as the Optoma UHZ55’s, which is starting to look pretty good in the long run and might be worth the extra money.
Buy if…
✅ You are a competitive player: If you have a need for speed and your machine can take advantage of that 240Hz refresh rate with high fps, the Optoma UHZ55 is one of the fastest projectors we've tested.
✅ You have room for long throws: The Optoma UHZ55 should be positioned between 1.2m and 8.1m away from the projection surface, and almost in a straight line, as keystone correction does not work in gaming mode… make sure you have somewhere to put it.
Don't buy if…
❌ You are planning to use the built-in speaker: The speaker is weak and tinny, to the point of being quite annoying, especially if you are sitting right next to it. You may want to purchase your own speaker system for this case.
❌ You won't always have a machine/firestick: Without Google Play, the Optoma UHZ55's app options are limited. It only supports Spotify, Netflix, TED and Amazon Prime.
That said, compare it to the current best projector on our list: the BenQ X3100I—and you start to see why speed isn't everything. The Optoma UHZ55 costs almost £200 more ($800 for those living in the US) and offers a higher refresh rate and half the input latency. So if you're running a huge rig with one of the The best graphics cards You'll probably want to take full advantage of the Optoma's high refresh rate, but if you're barely hitting 120fps at 1080p, there's little need to spend the extra money.
Sure, you're sacrificing some speed with the Benq X3100I, but overall it's a more well-rounded projector, with the same lamp life and fantastic picture quality, but with 5W stereo speakers and a real Android TV adapter backing it up.
Basically, unless you already have one of the Best PC Gaming Speakersa machine that can output over 200fps and an Android device or Fire Stick if said machine is a gaming laptop And it’s not always available, which makes the UHZ55 a little harder to recommend. It’s hard to justify the extra cost compared to its competitors (which are a bit slower), plus all the extras you’ll have to get. But if you’re set with a surround sound system and a monster gaming PC, it’ll eat up those frames like no one else.
