Highly Recommended Award

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Released in July 2025, the W4100i is one of BenQ's newest projectors, refining and building upon the company's strengths while delivering strong performance for both home theater and gaming. Featuring a long-lasting solid-state light source and full coverage of the P3 color space, the W4100i also includes key features such as Dynamic Tone Mapping and HDR10+ support. These capabilities, along with other enhancements, make the W4100i a compelling choice for users stepping into the world of projection.

Features

The W4100i is BenQ's new 2025 addition to its Home Cinema line of projectors and the successor to the HT4550i, which Projector Central reviewed in May 2023. While the W4100i's design closely resembles the HT4550i, it features BenQ's updated user interface—first seen in the W2720i, reviewed by ProjectorCentral in May 2025. Though visually familiar, this 2025 release brings refinements to both functionality and features.

Designed for dark-room viewing, the W4100i is one of BenQ's brightest offerings, delivering 3,200 ANSI lumens and 100% DCI-P3 color coverage. These specs make it well-suited for home cinema use, especially on larger screens, providing an immersive cinematic experience in the comfort of your home.

With an MSRP of $2,999, the W4100i delivers strong value when considering its high out-of-the-box (OOTB) color accuracy, solid gaming performance, and robust feature set.

The W4100i uses a 4LED solid-state light source rated for 20,000 to 30,000 hours, depending on the light mode selected. This ensures years of enjoyment with virtually maintenance-free operation. While the projector is rated at 3,200 ANSI lumens—and does achieve this in testing (measuring 3,240 lumens)—this output is only possible in Bright picture mode with the Normal light source setting. However, Bright mode is less ideal for actual viewing due to its heavy green bias. Other picture modes that do not use the gamut-expanding filter generally produce between 2,000 and 2,100 ANSI lumens.

The W4100i utilizes Texas Instruments' 0.65-inch DMD DLP chipset and employs four-phase pixel shifting to achieve a full 4K UHD resolution of 3840 × 2160 from its native 1080p. The resulting image is sharp and detailed, producing a crisp picture that most viewers would be hard-pressed to distinguish from native 4K. However, because the projection system is based on a single-chip DLP design, some users may experience the "rainbow effect." During my time with the W4100i, I did encounter this artifact on certain on-screen elements. While it was infrequent, it was still noticeable, so those who are highly sensitive to this effect should take note.

The W4100i features a throw ratio of 1.15 to 1.5, with manual 1.3× zoom and focus. It can project images from 30 inches up to 300 inches diagonally. For optimal viewing, users will likely want to stay within the 60- to 200-inch range, where the image remains sharp throughout the available focus range. Thankfully, the W4100i also provides manual horizontal and vertical lens shift, offering ±15% horizontal movement and 0% to 60% vertical movement.

The inclusion of lens shift makes the W4100i highly versatile for installation, whether used on a tabletop or ceiling-mounted in front or rear projection setups. Measuring 16.56 × 5.31 × 12.28 inches (W × H × D) and weighing 13.45 lbs., it should be relatively easy to position in most environments. For more challenging setups, the W4100i includes 2D 4-point keystone correction, as well as auto keystone and screen-fit features. While these tools are useful for temporary setups, it is recommended to avoid them in permanent installations to preserve maximum image quality. To assist in planning an installation you can use the ProjectorCentral BenQ W4100i projection calculator.

Similar to the W2720i, the W4100i incorporates new AI features. The AI Cinema modes apply various picture enhancements by optimizing HDR, color saturation, and sharpness. AI optimization also extends to Dynamic Contrast control and Noise Reduction. The W4100i offers two AI Picture modes—one for SDR and one for HDR. In my time testing the W4100i, these modes produced an overall pleasing image, as their enhancements were not overly aggressive. One important note, however, is that users cannot enable Fast Mode to reduce input latency for gaming while using AI Picture modes.

As with many other BenQ projectors, the W4100i comes factory calibrated to ensure color accuracy. This proves to be effective, as the OOTB accuracy of the W4100i is excellent. Users seeking an accurate picture without performing a full calibration can achieve it simply by using the Filmmaker picture modes.

The W4100i is rated to cover 100% of the DCI-P3 color space, and our testing confirmed this claim. Our measurements show 99.98% coverage in both xy and uv for P3. The Rec.709 color space also achieved 100% coverage, while BT.2020 measured at 79.43% xy and 83.09% uv. This level of coverage requires the use of the cinema filter, which is tied to specific picture modes such as Filmmaker Mode and User in SDR, and Filmmaker Mode and HDR10 when viewing HDR content. However, using the cinema filter results in approximately a 36% reduction in light output. Users should keep this in mind, as selecting picture modes that do not engage the cinema filter will allow for maximum brightness.

The W4100i supports Dynamic Tone Mapping for HDR10, allowing it to display content with greater depth and detail in highlights and in areas that would otherwise be clipped. This is a welcome addition, and the W4100i performs very well in this regard. It also supports HDR10+, which enables dynamic, frame-by-frame tone mapping for compatible devices. This ensures optimal HDR performance without requiring users to manually adjust settings based on the content being viewed.

The W4100i comes with BenQ's QS02 Android TV dongle, a component used in many of the company's projectors. Housed in a dedicated compartment within the unit—where it connects via HDMI and is powered internally—the QS02 delivers a proven smart platform without the need for an additional external device. The platform offers an authorized Netflix app, along with YouTube, Prime Video, Disney+, and other streaming services.

However, as I've noted in previous reviews, the main drawback of this dongle is that it defaults to HDR10 mode at all times and does not properly detect or adjust to the correct dynamic range of the content. As a result, SDR material is still displayed in HDR mode rather than switching to SDR as intended. While this may not affect users who primarily watch HDR content, those who frequently view SDR will find that color reproduction appears slightly inaccurate compared to how it should be. However, BenQ does offer a workaround for this by following these steps: Settings--> Device Preference--> Display & Sound--> Screen Resolution--> Color Space Settings--> YCbCr444 8bit.

The W4100i features a single built-in 5-watt mono speaker with four selectable sound modes: Cinema, Music, Game, and Sports. While the audio quality is decent for temporary setups, it tends toward a thinner sound and often requires higher volume levels for clear dialogue. Fortunately, the W4100i includes S/PDIF and eARC support, allowing audio to be sent to a more robust system such as a soundbar or AVR/AVP.

For connectivity, the W4100i offers three rear HDMI ports in addition to the internal HDMI port dedicated to the included streaming dongle. All rear HDMI ports are HDMI 2.1 with HDCP 2.3 support. HDMI 2 offers eARC, while HDMI 3 is a full-bandwidth 48Gbps port capable of 12Gbps@4L and accepting a 4K/120Hz signal (down sampled to 1080p/120Hz). The internal HDMI input supports HDMI 2.0b. Additional connections include one 2.5A USB Type-A port for power delivery, a second USB Type-A port for media playback, an optical S/PDIF audio output, a 3.5mm audio output, a USB Mini Type-B for service, RS-232, and a 12V trigger.

The W4100i also supports BenQ's Fast Mode, which reduces input latency for improved gaming performance. With Fast Mode enabled, latency can be as low as 7ms when receiving a 1080p/240Hz signal, 15ms at 120Hz, and 19ms at 60Hz. Note that when the projector receives a 120Hz or 240Hz signal, Motion Enhancer 4K and Noise Reduction are automatically disabled.

The included backlit remote is responsive and intuitive, capable of controlling both the projector and the bundled streaming dongle. It features transport controls for playback, quick-access buttons for picture modes, and input selection, making navigation fast and convenient.

Lastly, the W4100i supports 3D playback using simple DLP-Link glasses (not included), allowing fans to enjoy their favorite content in 3D.

Performance

Color Modes.The W4100i offers a total of 12 picture modes: six for SDR, three for HDR, one for HDR10+, one for HLG, and one for 3D. This can be increased to 14 if users unlock and utilize the ISF Day and Night picture modes. The SDR modes include Bright, Bright Cinema, AI Cinema, Cinema, Filmmaker Mode, and User. HDR modes consist of HDR AI Cinema, HDR10, and Filmmaker, while HDR10+ has a single mode named HDR10+.

Each picture mode uses a different combination of settings, some of which can be adjusted and others that are locked depending on the mode. For example, AI Cinema mode cannot enable Fast mode, which is used to reduce input latency. Some modes, such as those with Wide Color Gamut enabled, do not allow this feature to be disabled, while others—like Cinema mode—lack the option to enable it altogether. Fortunately, the Wide Color Gamut limitation only applies to SDR modes; in HDR, all non-AI picture modes allow users to toggle this feature as they wish.

Overall, the available picture modes deliver a generally pleasant viewing experience, with variations in warmth or coolness depending on the default color temperature. Filmmaker Mode is the most accurate OOTB. The only mode that is not truly suitable for regular viewing is Bright, due to its strong green bias. Additionally, testing revealed that the Bright mode exhibits a previously observed trait: after approximately 15 seconds of displaying a mostly white image, brightness receives a slight boost and measures higher than normal. When this occurs, opening the menu—which is normally gray and cyan—will result in much of the color appearing desaturated.

Out of the box, Filmmaker, Cinema, and User modes provide good picture quality for SDR content, with Filmmaker Mode being the most accurate thanks to its correct tracking of the Rec.709 color space. HDR picture modes for both Filmmaker Mode and HDR10 produce a similar image, with Filmmaker Mode again offering the highest accuracy. The AI Picture modes also perform well, though they introduce a slight amount of additional sharpening with AI Cinema.

For users who value accuracy but choose not to calibrate the W4100i, using Filmmaker Mode for both SDR and HDR is the best option. However, because Filmmaker Mode employs a color filter that reduces overall light output, Cinema Mode may be a better choice when extra brightness is needed. If other picture modes are used, simply setting the gamma to 2.4 (or whatever best suits the viewing environment) and the color temperature to Normal will go a long way toward improving accuracy.

The W4100i offers controls for standard 2-point grayscale adjustment, an 11-point white balance control, and a CMS (color management system) for adjusting RGBCMY primary and secondary color points, as well as white. These same controls are also available in HDR picture modes. Standard global controls for Contrast, Brightness, Color, Tint, and Sharpness are included as well.

I calibrated the W4100i with Calman Ultimate calibration software from Portrait Displays, a Colorimetry Research CR-300 Spectroradiometer, a Colorimetry Research CR-100 Colorimeter and a Murideo 8K Seven Generator. The projector was placed approximately 8 feet, 5 inches away, and I utilized zoom to project a 100-inch, 16:9 image on a reference 1.3 gain, 130-inch 2.35:1 Stewart Filmscreen.

Using Filmmaker Mode picture modes resulted in good OOTB accuracy with averages all below 3dE, which is the metric used to determine the visible error. It has been determined that anything over a dE of 3 is visible, anything over 2.3 is a just noticeable difference for trained eyes and anything below 2.3 won't likely be seen to the eye. Pre-calibration measurements of Filmmaker picture mode had dE errors averaging 2dE for grayscale with a 3.2 max. Color checker measured an average of 2.5dE with a max of 5.3dE. 20% saturation sweeps had an average of 2dE and a 4dE max. HDR Filmmaker Mode performed similarly with 99.98% P3 coverages and averages under 3 in dE2000 when luminance wasn't factored into the measurements since projectors lack the needed brightness to properly hit luminance targets.

Using the provided 2-point Gain and Offset controls—though only utilizing Gain—I targeted the production industry standard D65 neutral gray white point by adjusting the Gain controls in combination with the 11-point white balance. Afterwards, a full CMS (color management system) calibration was performed for the RGBCMY primary and secondary colors. Post-calibration results showed notable improvements in overall accuracy for both SDR and HDR.

In SDR, grayscale averaged 0.5 dE with a maximum of 1.7 dE. The Large Color Checker averaged 0.6 dE with a maximum of 1.9 dE, while saturation sweeps averaged 0.6 dE with a 1.0 dE maximum. In HDR, grayscale averaged approximately 2.5 dE2000, and saturation sweeps were generally all under 3 dE—except for 100% blue, which showed a slight amount of desaturation.

The device used for reviewing content post-calibration was a Panasonic UB820 UHD player.

4K HDR. The first movie I watched was Lucy on 4K UHD Blu-ray. The presentation looked excellent, with outstanding detail and accurate color reproduction. Skin tones appeared natural, with the right amount of saturation and no excessive redness. The W4100i's Dynamic Tone Mapping proved effective, adding depth to the image and preserving details that might otherwise be clipped—such as the scene where Lucy, after reaching 70%, sits in the chair as light bursts from her mouth.

When Lucy begins constructing the supercomputer, the subtle red within the organism was rendered clearly, along with crisp highlights in the blue sparks. The W4100i also produced a bright, clean white in the moment when the entire room transitions to all white just before she reaches 100%.

Overall, the W4100i delivered an impressive performance during my viewing of this film.

4K HDR. The next film I selected was Hacksaw Ridge on 4K UHD Blu-ray. The W4100i performed well overall, though it did exhibit some issues in certain scenes. The two most noticeable were a slight rainbow effect on various highlights and a visible color shift when using certain light source modes.

The rainbow effect was most apparent in a scene after the soldiers retreated and were unloading the wounded at their base. In this moment, sunlight bounced off their helmets, and because there were many characters on screen, the effect was more pronounced since it was visible on a large number of highlights. Additionally, during my first viewing—while using either the High or Low Dynamic light source modes—a noticeable color shift occurred, transitioning between red and green. Fortunately, this issue can be avoided by using the Normal light source mode, which I did during my second viewing.

Aside from these two issues, the movie presented well. There was no visible posterization in the clouds of smoke during Desmond's rescue scenes, and the image remained sharp and detailed throughout.

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4K HDR. The last movie I watched was Batman v Superman on 4K UHD. The W4100i performed very well, delivering richly saturated colors when the film called for them—such as in the vibrant bursts from explosions, Doomsday's energy surges, and the Kryptonian spear. However, some scenes showed minor detail clipping, particularly during the moment when Superman and Doomsday were firing their heat vision at each other just before Superman goes to save Lois.

Additionally, during the scene where Batman rescues Martha, mild rainbow artifacts were visible in the small highlights of gunfire. Overall, though, the image quality was impressive, with excellent color reproduction and strong brightness.

Conclusion

The BenQ W4100i, while new, has a familiar feel thanks to its design similarities with the HT4550i and the refreshed UI seen in the W2720i, all while offering more refined functionality and additional features that today's buyers are seeking. With the solid home theater and gaming performance users have come to expect from BenQ, the W4100i continues to deliver. At a compelling MSRP of $2,999, it's an intriguing option for those who want a well-rounded experience without placing too much strain on their budget.

With features such as HDR10+, Dynamic Tone Mapping, ALLM support, low latency, and the ability to accept a 4K/120Hz input signal, the W4100i is a solid performer. While I feel the W4100i shines most in gaming, it is certainly no slouch for movie viewing—though its lower native contrast will be more noticeable in content that demands deeper blacks and higher contrast.

Out of the box, the W4100i also offers impressive color accuracy, meaning users who value a precise image will have to do very little to achieve it.

That said, there's still room for improvement. The projector's UI can occasionally lag and exhibit delays when switching between picture modes. Additionally, reducing the slight color shift that can appear when using the High and Low Dynamic Light Source modes would be welcome.

Ultimately, the W4100i is a great choice for those new to projection as well as seasoned users seeking an upgrade. It's a true all-around performer—especially appealing if gaming is high on the priority list.

Measurements

Brightness. The W4100i is rated for 3,200 ANSI lumens. The brightest picture mode is the SDR picture mode Bright. This picture mode measured 3,240 ANSI lumens, which is 1.23% higher than its rated specification.

BenQ W4100i ANSI Lumens

SDR/HDR Modes	Normal	ECO
Bright	3,240	2,657
Bright Cinema	2,106	1,727
AI Cinema	2,009	1,647
Cinema	2,009	1,647
Filmmaker Mode	1,119	983
User	1,199	983
HDR AI Cinema	1,976	1,620
HDR10	2,009	1,647
Filmmaker Mode	1,166	956

Zoom Lens Light Loss. The W4100i's light loss when shifting from the widest zoom position to its longest telephoto position was 23%.

Brightness Uniformity. The W4100i projecting a 100-inch diagonal image resulted in measured brightness uniformity of 90%. The brightest portion of the screen was the middle bottom sector, and the dimmest the right top. The difference in brightness on a full white screen was not noticeable.

Fan Noise. BenQ rates the fan noise for the W4100i between 30/29dB for typical and ECO. Using Room EQ Wizard software and a Umik-1 microphone, my theater room ambient noise floor is 33.3 dBA. Measuring the W4100i at approximately three feet away from multiple locations the W4100i measured the following.

Normal:
Front: 39.1
Left: 40.8
Right: 38.1
Rear: 36.6

ECO:
Front: 35.1
Left: 35.8
Right: 35.6
Rear: 34.1

Input Lag. Input lag measurements were taken using a Murideo 8K Seven Generator using Fast Mode in the W4100i. While using Fast Mode keystone is disabled. When sending 120 to 240Hz Motion Enhancer 4K and Noise Reduction are disabled. When sending 4k/120Hz image is down sampled to 1080p/120Hz.

1080p/60 = 19ms
1080p/120 = 15ms
1080p/240 = 7ms
4k/60 = 19ms
4k/120Hz = 15ms down sampled to 1080p/120Hz

Connections

• HDMI 2.1 (x2; HDCP 2.3, ALLM, eARC HDMI 2)
• HDMI 2.1 (x1; HDCP 2.3, HDMI 3)
• HDMI 2.0b-Internal (x1; HDCP 2.2)
• USB 2.0 Type A (x2; Power Supply 1.5A/2.5A; media playback; firmware upgrade)
• USB Type Mini-B (service)
• DC 12V Trigger
• RS232
• 3.5mm Mini Jack
• S/PDIF

Final Settings

Calibrated image settings from any third-party do not account for the significant potential for sample-to-sample variation, nor the different screen sizes and materials, lighting, lamp usage, or other environmental factors that can affect image quality. Projectors should always be calibrated in the user's own space and tuned for the expected viewing conditions. However, the settings provided here may be a helpful starting point for some. Always record your current settings before making adjustments so you can return to them as desired. Refer to the Performance section for some context for each calibration.

SDR

Picture Mode: Filmmaker Mode User Management: N/A
Brightness: 50
Contrast: 49
Color: 50
Tint: 50
Sharpness: 0

Advanced Color Settings

Gamma Selection: 2.4
Color Temperature Tuning: Normal
Red Gain: 98
Green Gain: 100
Blue Gain: 99
Red Offset: 256
Green Offset: 256
Blue Offset: 256

Adv. Color Temperature Tuning

Percentage	Red	Green	Blue
5%	50	50	50
10%	50	46	46
20%	50	47	49
30%	51	48	50
40%	50	50	50
50%	51	52	51
60%	50	52	50
70%	51	52	52
80%	53	49	52
90%	55	48	50
100%	53	46	50

Color Management

Color	Hue	Saturation	Brightness
Red	242	193	154
Green	116	168	184
Blue	161	195	186
Cyan	254	118	202
Magenta	117	160	186
Yellow	160	164	200

White
Red Gain: 200
Green Gain: 200
Blue Gain: 200

Cinema Master
Color Enhancer: 0
Pixel Enhancer 4K: 1
Motion Enhancer 4K: Off
Global Contrast Enhancer: Low
Local Contrast Enhancer: Low

Light Source Mode: Normal
HDR Brightness: N/A
Noise Reduction: Off

HDR

Picture Mode: Filmmaker Mode User Management: N/A
Brightness: 50
Contrast: 50
Color: 50
Tint: 50
Sharpness: 0

Advanced Color Settings
Gamma Selection: 2.2
Color Temperature Tuning: Normal
Red Gain: 99
Green Gain: 100
Blue Gain: 99
Red Offset: 256
Green Offset: 256
Blue Offset: 256

Adv. Color Temperature Tuning

Percentage	Red	Green	Blue
5%	50	50	50
10%	50	50	50
20%	50	48	49
30%	50	50	50
40%	50	50	50
50%	50	50	51
60%	50	50	50
70%	50	49	50
80%	50	48	50
90%	50	48	50
100%	50	48	50

Color Management

Color	Hue	Saturation	Brightness
Red	165	200	200
Green	194	166	200
Blue	200	196	200
Cyan	181	196	200
Magenta	188	201	200
Yellow	200	200	200

White
Red Gain: 200
Green Gain: 200
Blue Gain: 200

Wide Color Gamut: On
Cinema Master
Color Enhancer: 0
Pixel Enhancer 4K: 2
Motion Enhancer 4K: Off
Global Contrast Enhancer: Low
Local Contrast Enhancer: Low
Dynamic Tone Mapping: On

Light Source Mode: Normal or Low Dynamic
HDR Brightness: 0
Noise Reduction: Off

For more detailed specifications and connections, check out our BenQ W4100i projector page.

To buy this projector, use Where to Buy online, or get a price quote by email direct from Projector Central authorized dealers using our E-Z Quote tool.

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