Although the GP500 is not identical to the BenQ X series gaming projectors, it shares a common shape, features, and specifications. One example of the shared design language is the GP500's onboard sound system with four drivers providing 4-directional sound output that BenQ calls a 360° sound field.

The GP500 shares a similar shape with BenQ's X series of gaming projectors. This projector measures 10.2” x 10.5” x 7.2” (260 x 266.5 x 182.5 mm). The GP500 comes in at (5.4 Kg +/- 100g) At just under twelve pounds, the projector is transportable should the owner wish to take it out of the house for a gaming or movie event.

The window for the IR remote sensor is located on the front panel directly next to the lens. An additional IR remote sensor Is located on the projector's rear next to the inputs and connections. An ambient light sensor is located on the top front of the projector next to the projector's Bluetooth, volume, and power buttons. The top of the projector is where a manual focus lever is also located.

BenQ has removed its typically robust control panel that allows users to access all the projector's features and functions and, instead, has put a very limited number of buttons for power, volume, and Bluetooth on the top-right side of the projector (looking from the front). From the projector's right side, moving left is the power button. (Press once to power on; press twice to power down.) Next to it are the volume up and down buttons, and finally, the Bluetooth button and an ambient light sensor. The final control on the top is the manual zoom lever.

Remember that the distance from the projector lens to the projection surface, the video format, and the zoom setting all factor in the GP500's projected image size. The GP500 can produce a 100-inch image at 7.3 to 9.4 feet and a 150-inch image at 10.9 to 14.1 feet from the projection surface.

After manually squaring the projector to my screen, I noticed only two things. The first is a minor issue, with the focus being a little soft in the top left corner of the displayed image. The second issue is the projector's focus slightly drifting over time, forcing me to run the autofocus feature periodically.

Everything I write in this section requires using the included QS01 HDMI media device. The following features will only work if the QS01 is plugged into the projector. Wireless Networking is completely contained in the QS01. The device provides 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac connectivity in both 2.4 and 5 GHz bandwidths.

The QS01 adapter provides Bluetooth 4.2 connectivity allowing users to connect to compatible Bluetooth devices such as, but not limited to, remotes, speakers, or headphones. In addition, the QS01 allows external Bluetooth devices to use the projector as a wireless speaker.

The BenQ GP500 is what we at Projector Reviews refer to as a hybrid menu system. This projector uses four menus. The first three, QUICK INSTALL, BASIC, and ADVANCED are used to control the projector.

The GP500 projector menu button is marked on the remote control and takes the user directly to the projector's On-Screen Display (OSD) menu. The menu settings in SYSTEM allow the end-user to select the projector menu type as advanced or basic. Lastly, there is the Android TV 10 menus and interface.

Regarding skin tones, the BenQ GP500 does a commendable job. Skin tones look most natural in HDR mode and when watching SDR content in CINEMA and GAME modes, even with sitcom-style shows. This applies to both 4K and upscaled 1080p content. BenQ has struck a good balance between detail and super sharp image and staring at all the pores on an actor's face. This BenQ projector's skin tones look very natural in color and sharpness.

Like BenQ home entertainment projectors, most users would be satisfied with the picture quality of the GP500 whether it was calibrated or not.  However, since the GP500 has lots of adjustments to fine-tune the image to calibrate the projector’s USER Mode.

Since your room and screen material significantly impact the overall picture, we don’t recommend using someone else calibration adjustments. If your room is brighter/darker or your walls are a different color, copying someone else results can cause more harm than good. However, below are the before and after calibration results in my room.

To test, measure and calibrate the BenQ GP500, we used Portrait Displays Calman color calibration software.

Delta E measurement of 3 or less is considered ‘Excellent’ and imperceptible by the human eye. After calibration, the BenQ GP500 had an average grayscale dE of 0.9, which is outstanding. An average post-calibration Color Tracking dE was just 1.08, which is great.

The GP500 includes BenQ's Auto Color calibration feature designed to maintain optimal performance throughout the lifespan of their LED projectors. This feature does not replace professionally adjusted for your room. Instead, it monitors the decay and deviation of the LEDs that can occur over time. It automatically makes adjustments to ensure the projector remains within specifications, ensuring years of consistent performance.

Most customers in the market for a sub-$2000 home entertainment projector will not invest hundreds of dollars to have their projectors professionally calibrated. The great news is that BenQ projectors like the GP500 continue to deliver outstanding picture quality whether they are calibrated on not. 

The HDR and HLG picture modes have their dedicated color temperature adjustments. The color temperature and white balance were very good when viewing HDR, like SDR. Even before adjustment, the average 2-point HDR RGB Balance dE was less than 2. While theoretically, you don't need too, you can fine-tune the RGB Balance (Grayscale) further.  

BenQ states that the GP500 can reproduce 90% of the DCI -P3 color space. We measured 87.83%. Switching the Wide Color Gamut setting to ON engages a color filter for those looking for even wider color reproduction when viewing HDR and HLG content. This gives the GP500 the ability to deliver nearly 96% of the DCI-P3 color space. Note that engaging the color filter does reduce the projector’s brightness. The GP500 also did well tracking DCI-P3 colors in HDR content.

At 1,500 lumens, this isn't the brightest projector you can buy at this price point, but it's still decently bright, especially in a darkened room. While a brighter projector paired with an Ambient Light Rejecting (ALR) screen might be a better solution for a room with moderate or high ambient light, the GP500 produced a vibrant image in my viewing space. Pre-calibration, we measured 140 nits (cd/m2) on our 100” matte white screen, which is more than enough brightness for a room with little to no ambient light.

High Dynamic Range (HDR) offers a visibly higher dynamic range in HDR-encoded video signals, allowing an image to be shown with more brightness and increasingly detailed color tones. HDR is meant to enhance the light areas of the image while also allowing dark areas to show better details.

The GP500 does an excellent job with HDR. The projector's dark-level detail is very good in a light-controlled space. The GP500 also does a commendable job maintaining bright highlight details while delivering full-screen brightness. In addition, the GP500 provides users with an HDR BRIGHTNESS adjustment, where the projector's HDR tone mapping can be adjusted to fit the owner's taste. Increasing the setting brightens the overall image, but you will lose some highlight detail.

One of the nice surprises I found with the BenQ GP500 was the projector's gaming performance. Users can game at 1080P and 4K at 60 Hz with a 25-millisecond input lag or 1080p at 120 Hz with a 28-millisecond input lag. These numbers are nothing to sneeze at, considering that not long ago, anything below 50 milliseconds of input lag was considered by many to be bordering on a professional level.

Before I started the detailed testing on the GP500, I was concerned about the projector's stated brightness of 1,500 ANSI lumens. More and more LED light source projector manufacturers have moved forward to create light engines that output anywhere from 2,000 to 3,000 ANSI lumens. BenQ's 2023 LED light source projector lineup has two models at or above 3,000 ANSI lumens. No matter how good the color is, and the color is good, 1,500 ANSI lumens does limit where this projector can be placed based on the room's uncontrolled ambient light.

The GP500 produces an excellent picture in a completely dark room or with a small amount of uncontrolled ambient light. Unfortunately, as you begin turning up the lights, the picture begins to fade fast compared to other LED projectors that offer more brightness to punch through the uncontrolled ambient light. As I said upfront, to get the best performance, the GP500 is a projector made for light-controlled spaces. If you have a small amount of uncontrolled ambient light, then make sure to use an Ambient Light Rejecting (ALR) screen to increase your black levels.

The GP500 is also a short-throw projector, so if you're in a situation where you have limited space between your seating and the screen, this projector can still offer the ability to project an incredibly large image in a small space.

Like many BenQ projectors, the GP500 comes from the factory well-calibrated. BenQ engineers are top-tier in color science, which shows in the GP500's color performance. Like many DLP projectors, this projector's colors are rich without being overly saturated.

The GP500's 4LED light engine covers 90% of the DCI-P3 color gamut and 97% of the Rec.709 color gamut. Most owners of this projector will be extremely satisfied with the BenQ-tuned preset picture modes. Should you wish to have the projector professionally calibrated, then BenQ has provided all the controls needed to do so.

The BenQ GP500 is not your typical projector design. BenQ has managed to shrink the size of the projector and change its shape away from the typical rectangular slab we so often see. The GP500's square design is similar to BenQ X-Series gaming projectors. The company makes use of every inch of space without sacrificing performance.

BenQ has added two additional speakers to the sound system on the bottom half of the projector. Additional speakers combined with BenQ's proprietary 360° sound result in audio that has more bass and fills your room more effectively. BenQ has included a new projector positioning control that allows you to adjust the projector's audio performance for where you sit in the room. This feature allows users to move the "sweet spot" to wherever they are sitting without moving the projector.

One of the nice surprises I found with the BenQ GP500 was the projector's gaming performance. Users can game at 1080P and 4K at 60 Hz with a 25-millisecond input lag or 1080p at 120 Hz with a 28-millisecond input lag.

The BENQ GP500 offers enough of everything to be a worthy contender for your home and even transportable needs. Like most BenQ projectors that we have reviewed, we were impressed with the GP500 out 0f the box picture quality. This projector offers a full range of smart capabilities, a great-looking picture, amazing sound, and competitive specifications, all for a $1,799 MSRP.

Optoma UHD55 - $1,799 MSRP

The Optoma UHD55 is a 4K DLP projector that retails for $1,799. It utilizes a single DLP (0.47" DMD) chip to reproduce 4K UHD resolution (3,840 x 2,160 pixels). The UHD55 measured 3,478 ANSI lumens which is 122 lumens less than Optoma's estimated brightness rating of 3,600 ANSI lumens. Although this number is lower, it is not very far off the mark, and in my experience testing the projector, the UHD55 provides more than enough brightness to enjoy movies with the lights on or in the daytime. With a 1,200,000:1 contrast ratio, the UHD55 supports High Dynamic Range (HDR), providing brighter whites and deeper blacks with detail in both picture areas.

The UHD55 can be a compelling option compared to the GP500 when considering brightness and contrast capabilities. The BenQ GP500 uses a state-of-the-art 4LED light source, while the UHD55 utilizes a bulb-based light source. The GP500 also offers a bigger onboard sound system along with features like automatic focus, keystone correction, and object avoidance. which simplify installation.