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A big image from twenty centimeters, and a screen that must match

The best short and ultra short throw projectors for 2026

Throw ratio is the whole family: an ordinary projector sits at 1.5 times the image width, a short throw at 0.5 to 1, an ultra short throw below 0.4 — close enough to sit on the furniture under the screen. That geometry solves the cable run and the shadow of anyone walking past, and it creates two constraints nothing else has. The first is that the surface must be flat to within millimeters: light arriving at a grazing angle turns any ripple in a pull-down screen into a visible band. The second is that an ordinary white screen wastes the design — these projectors are normally paired with an ALR screen built to reject light from above. We compare stated throw ratio, image size at a stated distance, brightness with its unit, geometry correction, and the screen type the maker specifies.

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In brief

We compare five short and ultra short throw projectors on what each listing publishes. Four had an Amazon.com offer on October 25, 2026, from $1,400 to $3,208. On this shelf the distance to the wall decides the type, the unit decides which brightness figures compare, and the room decides whether a special screen is part of the price. Gamers have the Hisense and the AWOL; a buyer who wants one finished system has the Epson, the brightest on a rated scale.

The models we recommend

  1. Hisense Laser Cinema PT1 ultra short throw laser projector

    Ultra short throw · 4K · laser · 2,500 lumens stated · 80–150 inch image · Dolby Vision and Atmos · HDR10+ · 240 Hz · screen not included

    A laser television in the literal sense: an ultra short throw machine that sits under the screen, decodes Dolby Vision and Atmos, and is sold without the screen it needs.

    Best for: A living room that cannot take a ceiling mount, where the projector has to look like furniture and work as a television.

    8.2/10

    ≈ $1,400

    Check price on Amazon Read the review: Hisense Laser Cinema PT1 ultra short throw laser projector

  2. AWOL VISION Aetherion Pro ultra short throw 4K projector

    Ultra short throw · 4K · 2,600 ISO lumens · 6,000:1 NATIVE contrast · Dolby Vision · 1 ms input lag · up to 200 inches

    The only machine in this catalog that publishes a native contrast ratio — 6,000:1 — alongside a measured brightness figure, which is what makes it comparable rather than merely impressive.

    Best for: Someone who reads specifications and wants an ultra short throw machine whose figures can be checked against another that publishes the same ones.

    7.9/10

    ≈ $2,299

    Check price on Amazon Read the review: AWOL VISION Aetherion Pro ultra short throw 4K projector

  3. BenQ TK705STi 4K HDR short throw projector with Google TV

    Short throw · 4K HDR · 3,000 ANSI lumens · Google TV built in

    The 4K version of the short-throw idea, with Google TV on board — a self-contained machine that sits close to the wall and needs nothing else plugged into it.

    Best for: A room too small for a long throw projector where the picture still has to be 4K, and where one object is preferable to three.

    7.4/10

    ≈ $1,599

    Check price on Amazon Read the review: BenQ TK705STi 4K HDR short throw projector with Google TV

  4. Epson Lifestudio Grand Plus EH-LS970W ultra short throw laser projector

    Ultra short throw laser · 4K · 4,000 lumens stated · 3LCD · Bose 2.1 audio · Google TV · 150-inch image · three HDMI with ALLM

    The most expensive projector in this catalog, and the most complete: a 3LCD laser ultra short throw with Bose audio, Google TV and 4,000 lumens rated to ISO and IDMS standards.

    Best for: A living room where this is the television — with the Hisense PT1, one of the two machines here sold and specified as a replacement for one.

    8.8/10

    ≈ $3,208

    Check price on Amazon Read the review: Epson Lifestudio Grand Plus EH-LS970W ultra short throw laser projector

  5. Acer H6518STi short throw Full HD projector

    Short throw · Full HD 1,920 × 1,080 · 3,500 ANSI lumens · 10,000:1 stated contrast · 3D Ready · keystone

    A short-throw 1080p projector at the accessible end of a family that is usually expensive — it sits close to the screen without needing the rigid, matched surface an ultra short throw machine demands.

    Best for: A small room where a projector at the back is impossible, and where a rigid ALR screen is not in the budget.

    6.8/10

    No Amazon.com offer on Oct 25, 2026

    Search Amazon for this model Read the review: Acer H6518STi short throw Full HD projector

Need by need, within short and ultra short throw projectors

Gaming at a high refresh rate

One projector here states a refresh rate, 240 Hz. For a console or a PC, that is the figure that decides how smooth fast motion looks.

Hisense Laser Cinema PT1 ultra short throw laser projector

The lowest input lag

One listing states input lag, 1 ms: the delay between a controller press and the picture. The others do not publish it.

AWOL VISION Aetherion Pro ultra short throw 4K projector

Who each model suits, among short and ultra short throw projectors

A television replacement against the wall
The ultra short throw models sit on a cabinet inches from the wall: the Hisense PT1 (80 to 150 in, Dolby Vision, 240 Hz, $1,400), the AWOL VISION Aetherion Pro (6,000:1 native contrast, 1 ms, up to 200 in, $2,299) and the Epson Lifestudio Grand Plus (3LCD, 4,000 ISO lumens, Bose audio, Google TV, $3,208).
A short throw from a shelf
The BenQ TK705STi is a short throw rather than an ultra short throw: it sits a few feet from the screen instead of at its foot, with 3,000 ANSI lumens, 4K HDR and Google TV, at $1,599 on October 25, 2026.
A room that is never fully dark
An ultra short throw projector is built to be paired with a ceiling light rejecting screen; the Hisense states that no screen is included. Budget for one — on a plain wall, room light washes out the black.

What you gain and what you give up, on short and ultra short throw projectors

Ultra short throw against short throw
Ultra short throw puts the projector under the screen and removes the beam from the room, but it shows every ripple in the wall and needs a special screen. Short throw keeps a normal screen and a normal shelf, a little farther away.
Four brightness units
The BenQ and the Acer state ANSI lumens, the AWOL ISO lumens, the Epson ISO-rated white and IDMS-rated color, the Hisense plain lumens. The ANSI, ISO and IDMS figures are measured to procedures and land close together; the Hisense's 2,500 lumens is not on that scale.
Built-in sound and apps against a separate system
The Epson includes Bose audio and Google TV, and the Hisense decodes Dolby Atmos. That replaces a soundbar and a stick on day one, and ties both to the projector for its whole life.

Frequent questions on short and ultra short throw projectors

What is the difference between short throw and ultra short throw?

Distance. A short throw projector fills a large screen from a few feet away, from a shelf or a ceiling mount. An ultra short throw projector sits on a cabinet a few inches from the wall and fires upward. The BenQ TK705STi and the Acer H6518STi are short throw; the Hisense, the AWOL and the Epson are ultra short throw.

Do I need a special screen for an ultra short throw projector?

For a bright room, yes: a ceiling light rejecting screen designed for light arriving from below. Ordinary ALR screens built for projectors at the back of the room reject exactly that angle. On this site, the Elite Aeon CLR3 is the screen designed for it.

Why are the brightness figures hard to compare?

Because they are in different units. ANSI and ISO lumens are measured to defined procedures and land close to each other; Epson rates its white brightness to ISO and its color to IDMS. A plain lumen figure, as on the Hisense, is not tied to any procedure. Compare the Epson, the BenQ, the AWOL and the Acer, but not the Hisense, on brightness.

Is 1 ms input lag real?

It is what the AWOL VISION states, and it is the only listing here that publishes the figure. Input lag usually depends on the picture mode; check that the figure applies in the mode you will play in.

What does 6,000:1 native contrast mean?

The contrast the panel and the light source produce within one scene, without dimming. The AWOL states it as native, which is rare; the Acer's 10,000:1 is not qualified, so the two cannot be compared.

Which of these are sold in the United States?

On October 25, 2026, Amazon.com had offers for the Hisense PT1, the BenQ TK705STi, the AWOL VISION Aetherion Pro and the Epson Lifestudio Grand Plus. The Acer H6518STi had none.

The short version, on short and ultra short throw projectors

On this shelf the distance to the wall decides the type, the unit decides which brightness figures compare, and the room decides whether a special screen is part of the price. Gamers have the Hisense and the AWOL; a buyer who wants one finished system has the Epson, the brightest on a rated scale.

Summed up: short and ultra short throw projectors

    The full table of short and ultra short throw projectors

    Only figures stated by four devices in five open a column. A half-filled column sets nothing against anything.

    ModelPriceBrightnessResolutionThrow
    Hisense PT1$14002,500 lumens — stated by the maker in this form, not qualified as ANSI—Ultra short throw — stated
    BenQ TK705STi$15993,000 ANSI lumens — stated in a measured unit4K — statedShort throw — stated
    AWOL VISION Aetherion Pro-FBA$22992,600 ISO lumens — stated in a measured unit4K with PixelLock and anti-RBE — statedUltra short throw — stated
    Epson V11HB83040$32084,000 lumens white (ISO rated) and 4,000 lumens color (IDMS rated) — stated4K HDR10 through Epson 4K Display Technology, 8.29 million pixels on screen — stated—
    Acer MR.JSF11.001—3,500 ANSI lumens — stated in a measured unitFull HD, 1,920 × 1,080 — statedShort throw — stated

    Our guides on short and ultra short throw projectors

    Our sources, and our method

    Specifications: manufacturer sheets for home theater gear and the matching Amazon product pages. Prices and availability: Keepa. Every figure in this table names its source.

    Most recent revision in this category: October 25, 2026.

    The method applied to short and ultra short throw projectors

    Prices quoted in these summaries are dated readings. The live price is shown next to each product.