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Living-room ultra-short-throw projectors, sometimes called laser TVs, compared on official manufacturer specifications. Brightness is scored only with an ISO 21118 or ANSI label. Samsung figures come from official UK specification tables, because the US product pages we fetched were unreadable shells. Contrast is quoted, never scored. Short-throw (but not ultra-short-throw) models such as the Epson LS7500 and Optoma GT3900UHD are listed with home-theater projectors instead.
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Top pick
X
XGIMI AURA 3 Max
Score 8.3/10 · Check price
Why it wins: 5,700 ISO-lumen 4K ultra-short-throw with 80 W Harman/Kardon audio. Top built-in speakers in this comparison (80 W).
"Not listed" means the manufacturer page we used does not publish that figure. Prices show "Check price" until a retailer feed provides a current price.
Best for: 5,700 ISO-lumen 4K ultra-short-throw with 80 W Harman/Kardon audio
8.3/10
What we like
Top built-in speakers in this comparison (80 W)
Watch out for
Light-source life not published by XGIMI
Score breakdown
Brightness (ISO or ANSI)26%
Resolution class16%
Light-source life *10%
HDR10%
Dolby Vision12%
Built-in speakers14%
Smart OS or streaming12%
* Not published by the manufacturer; scored at the lowest published value in this category, so an unpublished figure never outranks a published one.
Brightness (ISO or ANSI)
5700 lm
Resolution class
4K UHD class, including pixel-shift (computed)
Light-source life
Not listed
HDR
Yes
Dolby Vision
Yes
Built-in speakers
80 W
Smart OS or streaming
Yes
Brightness (maker)
5,700 ISO lumens
Resolution (maker)
4K UHD; 4K 120 Hz playback listed
Resolution class
4K UHD class, including pixel-shift (computed)
Light source life (maker)
Not listed
Throw ratio (maker)
Ultra-short throw (numeric throw ratio not in a full spec table on the page we used)
HDR (maker)
Dolby Vision Gaming listed
Dolby Vision
Yes
Built-in speakers
80 W audio, Harman/Kardon (maker)
Smart OS (maker)
Official smart / laser-TV features listed
Light source
RGB triple laser
Native contrast (maker)
8,000:1 (quoted, not scored)
Note
The official launch page repeats 5,700 ISO lumens, 4K 120 Hz, Dolby Vision Gaming and 80 W Harman/Kardon audio. Throw ratio, weight and light-source life were not in a full specification table when we checked.
Best for: 3,450 ISO-lumen 4K triple-laser UST with 40 W 2.2.2ch Dolby Atmos audio
4.9/10
What we like
Watch out for
Light-source life not published by Samsung
Score breakdown
Brightness (ISO or ANSI)26%
Resolution class16%
Light-source life *10%
HDR10%
Dolby Vision12%
Built-in speakers14%
Smart OS or streaming12%
* Not published by the manufacturer; scored at the lowest published value in this category, so an unpublished figure never outranks a published one.
Brightness (ISO or ANSI)
3450 lm
Resolution class
4K UHD class, including pixel-shift (computed)
Light-source life
Not listed
HDR
Yes
Dolby Vision
No
Built-in speakers
40 W
Smart OS or streaming
Yes
Brightness (maker)
3,450 ISO lumens
Resolution (maker)
4K UHD (Quantum Processor 4K, 4K AI upscaling listed)
Resolution class
4K UHD class, including pixel-shift (computed)
Light source life (maker)
Not listed
Throw ratio (maker)
Ultra-short throw (maker); numeric throw ratio not in the spec table we used
HDR (maker)
HDR10+ Certified, Quantum HDR, HLG
Dolby Vision
Not listed
Built-in speakers
40 W, 2.2.2 ch, Dolby Atmos (maker)
Smart OS (maker)
Tizen (maker)
Native contrast (maker)
1,500:1 (quoted, not scored)
Dynamic contrast (maker)
2,000,000:1 (quoted, not scored)
Note
The US product page we fetched did not include a readable spec table, so we used Samsung's official UK specification table for the same LPU9D model. HDMI: 3 ports, 4K 60 Hz.
Best for: 2,500 ISO-lumen 4K UST with 30 W 2.2ch Dolby Atmos audio and Tizen
4.1/10
What we like
Watch out for
Light-source life not published by Samsung
Score breakdown
Brightness (ISO or ANSI)26%
Resolution class16%
Light-source life *10%
HDR10%
Dolby Vision12%
Built-in speakers14%
Smart OS or streaming12%
* Not published by the manufacturer; scored at the lowest published value in this category, so an unpublished figure never outranks a published one.
Brightness (ISO or ANSI)
2500 lm
Resolution class
4K UHD class, including pixel-shift (computed)
Light-source life
Not listed
HDR
Yes
Dolby Vision
No
Built-in speakers
30 W
Smart OS or streaming
Yes
Brightness (maker)
2,500 ISO lumens
Resolution (maker)
4K UHD (Quantum Processor 4K)
Resolution class
4K UHD class, including pixel-shift (computed)
Light source life (maker)
Not listed
Throw ratio (maker)
Ultra-short throw (maker); numeric throw ratio not in the spec table we used
HDR (maker)
HDR10+, Quantum HDR, HLG
Dolby Vision
Not listed
Built-in speakers
30 W, 2.2 ch, Dolby Atmos (maker)
Smart OS (maker)
Tizen (maker)
Native contrast (maker)
1,000:1 (quoted, not scored)
Dynamic contrast (maker)
2,000,000:1 (quoted, not scored)
Note
The US product page we fetched did not include a readable spec table, so we used Samsung's official UK specification table for the same LPU7D model. HDMI: 3 ports, 4K 60 Hz.
Best for: 3,300 ISO-lumen 4K RGB laser ultra-short-throw
2.0/10
What we like
Watch out for
Light-source life not published by AWOL Vision
Built-in speakers not published by AWOL Vision
Score breakdown
Brightness (ISO or ANSI)26%
Resolution class16%
Light-source life *10%
HDR10%
Dolby Vision12%
Built-in speakers *14%
Smart OS or streaming12%
* Not published by the manufacturer; scored at the lowest published value in this category, so an unpublished figure never outranks a published one.
Brightness (ISO or ANSI)
3300 lm
Resolution class
4K UHD class, including pixel-shift (computed)
Light-source life
Not listed
HDR
No
Dolby Vision
No
Built-in speakers
Not listed
Smart OS or streaming
No
Brightness (maker)
3,300 ISO lumens
Resolution (maker)
4K RGB laser UST (official listing)
Resolution class
4K UHD class, including pixel-shift (computed)
Light source life (maker)
Not listed
Throw ratio (maker)
Ultra-short throw (numeric throw ratio not clearly tabulated on the page we used)
HDR (maker)
Not listed
Dolby Vision
Not listed
Built-in speakers
Not listed
Smart OS (maker)
Not listed
Note
The official product page clearly lists 3,300 ISO lumens and 4K RGB laser UST. HDR format, throw ratio, lamp life, speakers and weight were not in a readable specification table when we checked.
Buying guide: how to choose the right ultra-short-throw projector
What ultra-short throw actually means
An ultra-short-throw projector sits inches from the wall or screen, often on a low cabinet, and throws a large image up and onto the surface. That is different from a short-throw home-theater model (roughly 0.5–1.3 throw) that still needs several feet of depth. Keep the light path clear, and use the maker's throw chart and, where listed, proximity sensors.
ALR screens and ambient light
UST images look best on a screen designed for ultra-short throw, often an ambient-light-rejecting (ALR) material. Official brightness still matters in a bright room, which is why ISO or ANSI lumens are a large part of this ranking, but a screen is part of the system and is sold separately.
Built-in speakers versus a sound system
Many UST “laser TVs” include a substantial speaker system, sometimes with Dolby Atmos decoding. We score the wattage the maker lists and label channel sums as computed. If the official page does not publish a wattage, that criterion scores at the category minimum — even when the brand sells a matching external soundbar.
Lamp, laser and mounting safety
A projector beam is bright enough to be uncomfortable or harmful if you look into the lens, and laser models in particular should be treated with the same caution you would give any intense light source. Follow the maker's installation manual for clearance, ventilation and, on ultra-short-throw sets, any proximity or child-safety sensors. Ceiling mounts and shelves need to be rated for the published weight of the projector plus a margin; have a qualified installer do the work if you are hanging a heavy home-theater or UST cabinet. Replace lamps only with the type the maker specifies, and let the unit cool before you move or service it.
How this ranking is calculated
Score = weighted average of normalised specs, out of 10. Full method
Brightness (ISO or ANSI)White brightness the maker labels ISO 21118 or ANSI. Missing values take the category minimum. Scale: 1800 → 6000 lm.
26%
Resolution classFour classes (computed) from the maker's resolution label. UST models in this set are 4K UHD or 4K PRO-UHD (pixel-shift) class unless noted. Scale: 1 → 4.
16%
Light-source lifeThe longest light-source life the maker lists. Missing values take the category minimum.
10%
HDRYes when the maker lists HDR10, HLG, HDR10+ and/or Dolby Vision. Unstated counts as no.
10%
Dolby VisionYes only when the maker lists Dolby Vision. Unstated counts as no.
12%
Built-in speakersSpeaker output the maker lists. Channel sums are labelled computed. Missing values take the category minimum.
14%
Smart OS or streamingYes when the maker lists a smart OS or built-in streaming. Unstated counts as no.
The Samsung US product pages we fetched for the LPU7D and LPU9D were JavaScript shells with no readable specification table. We used Samsung's official UK specification tables for the same model codes and noted that source on each product page.
Why is the XGIMI AURA 3 Max included if it has no full spec table?
The official AURA 3 Max launch page repeatedly lists 5,700 ISO lumens, 4K 120 Hz, Dolby Vision Gaming and 80 W Harman/Kardon audio, which are enough scored fields to compare. Throw ratio, weight and light-source life were not in a full table when we checked, so those fields are Not listed and the missing numeric ones score at the category minimum.
Which UST models did you leave out?
We did not include XGIMI AURA 3 Max's marketing-only cousins that lacked ISO or ANSI brightness, and we omitted Hisense models such as M2 Pro whose official US pages had no usable table. The ViewSonic LS740-4K page we fetched was a generic or mismatched UK shell, so it is not ranked. JMGO's US catalog did not load when we tried to collect official sheets. Optoma Photon Go is a portable ultra-short-throw with a battery, so it is ranked with portable projectors; its “650 / 1,200 Lumens HK” figure is not scored.