Buying a projector for an enterprise or small business is not straightforward. Whether a projector is being used in a small meeting room or a large meeting room, it should produce a bright picture with great contrast and have enough connectivity ports regardless of which brand or price point you choose. But lately, seeing the upward trend, I questioned myself if projectors also need to be ‘smart’ enough, just like the devices we use on a day-to-day basis. I was curious about the prospects of built-in ‘smart’ features in a projector and when the opportunity came to review the BenQ EH620, I couldn’t refuse it. It’s one of the first projectors to be powered by a Windows 11 operating system — something that piqued my interest. But is it as good as BenQ claims? I tested the BenQ EH620 for a week and here’s my review.
BenQ EH620 price in India (as reviewed): Rs 95,000
Design
The BenQ EH620 is neither too heavy nor extremely lightweight (Image: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)
At 4.2 kg and 14.9 x 4.9 x 10.35 (HWD), the EH620 is neither too heavy nor extremely lightweight but good enough to carry easily from room to room. It can be permanently installed on a mount if you wish to. It’s a standard-looking projector we have already seen from BenQ — nothing fancy, as such. The projector is covered in a glossy white plastic casing. On the top of the projector is where you access the zoom and focus functions of the lens. Users will also notice the Power, Temp and Lamp LEDs around the top side of the buttons. As for the buttons, we have the power button to the left. On the bottom are the Back, Menu and source buttons and smack dab in the middle is the OK (Select/Enter) button. Around the OK buttons are the arrow buttons that will allow you to navigate through the menu and even change the volume of the built-in speakers.
Like most projectors, there’s a built-in fan. Although it remains quiet, it can get louder depending on the picture mode. Connectivity options here include 2.4 and 5GHz Wi-Fi and Bluetooth 4.2, meaning you can connect to just about any network or pair it with devices like a Bluetooth soundbar or keyboard if you really want to. Meanwhile, the two HDMI ports let you connect to most video sources, game consoles and PCs.
The EH620 can project a 150″ screen while only being 1.5M away from the projection surface. The projector also comes with a remote, which is handy for easy access without having to go all the way through the menu. The setup is simple, and the intuitive menu design creates a good user experience. The internal speaker can get pretty loud, though you shouldn’t expect much in the audio department from most projector speakers.
The BenQ EH620 comes with a remote, which is handy for easy access without having to go all the way through the menu (Image: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)
Image quality
The idea of a projector always shines when you have sufficient space, it can turn your meeting room into a conference hall, thanks to a giant screen. The EH620 can provide a 1080p image resolution, and while I was expecting the 1080p native resolution to be on the lower side, I was pleasantly surprised with how it came out. I spent most of my time using it in the 55-75” range and found the image to be sharp given the price and the use case. The quality is absolutely amazing and really feels like you’re looking at an extra-large TV. Even at 100″, the projector was crisp and clear. But you do lose some contrast. This has 3500 Lumens, and it defaults to 50 per cent brightness. That is about 1000/500 nits.
Software
Powered by the latest Intel Processor 4000 series, the BenQ EH620 runs the Windows 11 operating system. If you’ve used a Windows computer before, you should be familiar with what this is like. You’ve got the standard Windows navigation scheme or you can choose BenQ’s own launcher UI. The latter interface is user-friendly and has three buttons for key operations— Wireless Projection, Conference and File Manager.
The built-in Windows OS allows you to access a ton of apps without having to connect to an external laptop (Image: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)
A projector that has a Windows OS built-in offers certain advantages over a traditional projector, one being you can access a ton of apps without having to connect to an external laptop. Almost all the apps you would expect to do a video meeting with colleagues are there, like Google Meet, Skype and TeamViewer. More business apps can be easily downloaded from the Microsoft Store. Plus, it has built-in web browsers including Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge, so it’s basically a projector that doubles up as a laptop. The EH620 allows easy wireless access to files on OneDrive. Alongside, the BenQ EH620 protects against malware and most cybersecurity assaults with AES 128-bit encryption, WPA2 wireless protection, and Intel Secure Boot.
Should you buy the BenQ EH620 projector?
The BenQ EH620 may seem more expensive than most other 1080p projectors, but it’s got extra features that enterprise customers will surely make use of, such as built-in Windows 11 and better security features. The EH620 offers so much for its more mid-range price point, making it a prime choice for organisations who want a “smart” projector without breaking the bank.
