The ViewSonic X10-4KE takes the big screen experience, makes it portable, and gives it a handle. Add to that the 4K UHD resolution (3840 x 2160), short throw design and smart TV capabilities, you’ve got a highly versatile, portable home theater. The X10-4KE combines the very best of home entertainment and packages it into a super compact form, measuring just 10.3” wide, 10.7” deep, 6.5” tall, and weighing 9lbs.

This full review of the ViewSonic X10-4KE takes an in depth look at the projector’s features and benefits, and puts its manufacturer claims to the test. Our reviews check the performance of the projector and report on the strengths and shortcomings we find during our process. You’ll get an honest, third-party account of the X10-4KE, and by the end of the review, you should have a pretty clear idea about whether or not this is the projector for you. There is no such thing as “the best” projector – only the projector that’s right for you, that best suits your needs.

Let’s get started.

Immediately, I was struck by the projector’s design, for which it actually won the iF Design Award. I’ve been creating graphics involving the ViewSonic X10-4KE for months for Projector Reviews, so I am intimately acquainted with all angles of the projector, and I was quite eager to get this little guy in for review. Occasionally, I get thrown an exciting home entertainment projector to break up the steady stream of classroom projectors I usually review, and the ViewSonic X10-4KE did not disappoint.

This is a compact projector made even more portable by its handle. The projector is a sleek, matte gray with brown leather accents, making the X10-4KE look retro with a modern touch. That handle’s top is lined with a classy strip of leather, its color reminiscent of a briefcase from the late 60s. Even cooler, the inputs are hidden by a leather door that flaps down to reveal a simple connector panel that has everything you require for your home entertainment needs.

The ViewSonic X10-4KE has a 2,400 lumen claim, which is bright enough for most living rooms, media rooms, and family rooms with decent lighting control. This is not a bright room projector, but it is capable of handling a modest amount of ambient light without the picture being severely washed out. It’s also not a gaming projector – its input lag is far too high for most gamers, save for the super casual gamer or families playing Nintendo Switch. More on gaming later in the review.

The projector has 4K UHD resolution and an RGBB LED light engine. That light engine will last up to 30,000 hours. That means next to no maintenance on the X10-4KE, as compared to lamp based projectors, whose lamps last between 3,000 and 8,000 hours. It can project an image of up to 120” – this is the preferred size of many home theater enthusiasts. I have a 92” screen, but think I would prefer 100” for my space. Though, I wouldn’t say no to that 120”.

Since this is a super portable projector, you may find yourself taking it outside for a movie night when the weather warms up! This ViewSonic has built-in Harman Kardon speakers for great onboard sound, or you can hook up your favorite Bluetooth speaker or sound bar. Since I’m getting into the projector’s special features, let’s take a look at the X10-4KE’s highlights, then dive deeper into the individual features on the next page.

At Projector Reviews, we cover not only home-theater, home-entertainment, and business/education projectors, but also mini projectors designed for packing light. One of the most popular such models on Amazon is the Vankyo Leisure 3, which measures a mere 7.8 x 5.8 x 2.7 inches and weighs in at only 2.4 pounds.

That's about the size of a small laptop, making it easy to schlep anywhere you need a projected image. The included carrying case has room for the projector, cables, and remote, and it's small enough to pack along with anything else you might need. Even better, its list price is only $99.99 with a $10 savings on Amazon as of this writing.

The Vankyo Leisure 3 is a single-chip LCD projector that uses white LEDs as its illumination source. Wait, what? A single-chip LCD projector? That's what the company tells me. In my communication with Vankyo reps, they never completely confirmed that it uses a color-filter wheel like a single-chip DLP projector, but when I told them I assumed as much, they said, "Glad you found the answer on your own!"

In a single-chip DLP projector, some viewers notice a "rainbow effect"—momentary rainbows that trail bright, moving objects on a dark background—which is caused by the color-filter wheel. I have no idea if it causes the same problem in a single-chip LCD design, though I can't imagine why it wouldn't.

Most inexpensive projectors have relatively high black levels, and at such a low price, this one probably does too. I don't imagine it has a dynamic iris or LED modulation, which are used only on much more expensive projectors.

At the other end of the brightness scale, the Leisure 3 claims a peak light output of 2400 lumens, which is pretty high for such a low price tag. But of course, any such manufacturer claim must be taken with a grain of salt, and small, low-cost projectors like this often claim wildly inflated light-output numbers.

As Art Feierman, editor and president of Projector Reviews, points out, "A projector with a measurable 2400 lumens typically draws at least 220 watts (110V); this projector draws only 50. This is typical for these entry-level models. I think the Vankyo Leisure 3 should be typically bright for its class, which is to say a few hundred lumens." On the other hand, the LEDs might be much brighter than low-cost bulbs; there's no way to know without measuring it.

The Leisure 3 also claims a contrast ratio of 2000:1, but again, there's no way to know if this is accurate without measuring it.

The native resolution of the Leisure 3 is only 800x480, but it accepts content up to 1080p and downscales it. No wonder the product web page says, "Not recommended for PowerPoint or office presentations"! Interestingly, the web page includes a conceptual illustration of the difference in resolution between 1080p and 720p, but I don't see what it has to do with the end result on the screen with this projector.

Another oft-repeated feature is the ability to fill screens in a wide variety of sizes, from 32 to 170 inches diagonally, and a throw-distance range from 4.9 to 16.4 feet. But the lens has no zoom function, so the size of the image is controlled entirely by the distance from the projector to the screen.

The Leisure 3 does not provide lens shift, but most projectors under $1000 don't, so no surprise there. It does offer vertical keystone correction to compensate for geometric distortions arising from less-than-ideal placement in the vertical direction. But such correction inevitably softens the picture, so I strongly recommend against using it, especially since the native resolution is quite low to begin with.

The projector has stereo speakers built in, each powered by 2 watts. That's fine in a pinch, but any outboard speaker will probably sound much better. A 3.5mm analog-audio/headphone output lets you connect external speakers; even better, the projector can send audio wirelessly to Bluetooth speakers.

Another interesting feature is an "innovative cooling system with heat dispersion." I confirmed that this is a cooling fan, so I'm not sure what's innovative about it. In addition, the company's product page cites a noise-suppression technology that cuts fan noise in half, but I could find no details about it.

Also, I was unable to learn anything about the Leisure 3's input lag time, so I have no idea if it's well-suited for gaming.

The inputs on the Vankyo Leisure 3 are located on the side of the unit rather than the back. They include one HDMI 1.4 input along with a VGA input, USB port, and 3.5mm AV input (which, I assume, accommodates composite video and two channels of audio).

The only other connection is a TF card slot, which accepts Micro SD memory cards. The specs include a long list of supported video, audio, and photo file types, which means the Leisure 3 includes a built-in media player. This allows it to play files from a MicroSD card as well as a USB storage device.

Of course, no one said The Vankyo Leisure 3 is a home-theater projector. In fact, I might call it a family projector for games with the kids or movie night under the stars.

If you need something this portable, its low price lets you give it a try without risking much—in fact, it will probably be fun!