BenQ’s expertise in video projection is well established. The Asian brand has just announced its new portable model, the GV31, which succeeds the GV30. This product has a battery and a sound system, all powered by Android TV.
The GV31 takes up the atypical design of its predecessor, which is rather good news, because the whole thing is rather successful. We therefore find a circular format reminiscent of a clock and a carrying strap in synthetic leather, one of the sides being occupied by the speaker grilles and the connectors. Everything takes place on a base for the most stable possible support.
The projection is based on BenQ CinematicColor technology and now reaches 1080p, the GV30 being satisfied with 720p. The GV31 is capable of producing an 80, 90 and even 100 inch diagonal image with a setback of 2.1, 2.4 and 2.5m respectively. It can focus almost immediately, automatically. The vertical keystone is also done automatically. BenQ advertises a maximum brightness of 300 lumens and a contrast of 100,000:1.
Watts to liven up your evenings
The brand has worked a lot on the sound part of the GV31. There is thus a 2.1 system with two 4 W tweeters and an 8 W woofer. Behind these speakers, a DSP generates several modes of use. The sound is diffused over 270°. The projector, which can turn into a wireless speaker via Bluetooth, is also Chromecast and AirPlay compatible. Its Android TV operating system provides access to all content as well as Google Assistant. According to BenQ, its built-in battery is capable of giving the GV31 an autonomy of 300 minutes in audio player and 180 minutes in video.
The connection consists of an HDMI input, a USB-A port (to read the contents of a USB key for example) and USB-C, which can be used to charge a smartphone or display the image of a Nintendo Switch. A headphone jack is also available. The projector comes with a compact remote, but it also has a few buttons for quick access to most features.