Sharp XR-30X

Full Review

The Sharp XR-30X is the cheapest projector in our mainstream projector segment. It matches its more expensive rivals with an XGA resolution, and a 2300 ANSI lumen rating for the lamp. You won’t find any of the extra features that the others have, though.

This is also the least bright of the top five, and this hurt it a little in our objective tests. An advantage of the lower brightness rating is the extremely quiet operation and cool running. The control panel is really well laid out as well, more so than many others. The buttons are easy to find in the dark, and have a positive feel to them, so you know when you press something. The remote control has glow in the dark buttons as well—a nice touch.

An advantage of the Sharp XR-30X's lower brightness rating is its extremely quiet operation and cool running.

In the Display Mate tests, the XR-30X suffered a little from moiré issues. The banding patterns were quite noticeable on gray screens and in complex spreadsheets. PowerPoint presentations were alright, as long as they didn’t have a gray background. Also, the focus tests showed some blurriness around the edges. Gray scales blended together as well, so this projector isn’t the best for video.

Of course, all of this is made up for by the really low price for a projector in this bracket. Yes, for a few tens of thousand of rupees more you can get a better projector, but if you’re on a tight budget, you might overlook these small flaws.

Bottom Line

The cheapest in this list, this is a good projector for the price.