Projectors

It's a sad fact of life that many video projectors look unspeakably dull – boxy and bland and still with one eye on the corporate presentation market. The ViewSonic X10-4K bucks that trend. With this new X Series mid-ranger, the company 
has shaken off years of dowdy design and created a projector that wouldn't look out of place in the swankiest of pads. 
It almost verges on being fashionable.

A short-throw model, this stubby star can be parked 
just metres from a wall or (less likely) a screen, for instant bigscreen gratification. Whether intended for movies, sports or a kid's birthday party, the X10-4K looks to be 
the ideal everyday projection solution.

Most obviously, it's designed to be portable. A carry handle makes its 2kg bulk easy to tote from room to room. Inputs are hidden behind a smart magnetic leather cover.

An integrated Harman/Kardon sound system looks much like a diddy soundbar, positioned beneath the centred lens, which incidentally sits behind a clear pane 
so there's no need to worry about dust clogging the optics. When it comes to cosmetics, the X10-4K is undoubtedly excellent. But is its AV performance just as creditable?

ViewSonic X-10 4K connections and setup
Connectivity is good. Behind that leather flap you'll find 
two HDMI v2.0 inputs, plus a USB-C for video playback from compatible smart phones, a microSD card slot, 
3.5mm audio minijacks, and a digital optical audio out. There are two further USB connectors for media reading, one of which is a fast 3.0 port.

There's also a slot for a Wi-Fi dongle (supplied) to support the Ethernet option. Being a trendy young thing, the X10-4K can be integrated with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa, although I've yet to be convinced of the need for any voice control on a projector. And if you want 
to stream audio direct from your smartphone to that Harman/Kardon speaker, there's Bluetooth too.

Given that the X10-4K eschews conventional projector design, there's no button-acne atop the chassis, just a simple volume dial. The IR remote control is tentatively backlit (you'll just about find the keys in a darkened 
room), and distinguished by a multi-function rotary wheel. This dial is novel, but not particularly responsive, particularly when it comes to volume control, often 
reacting seconds after you've spun it one way or the other.

One reason the X10-4K is so compact is that it doesn't use a conventional lamp, instead there's an LED light module inside. With an anticipated lifespan of 30,000 hours, it promises to be essentially maintenance-free.

The ethos behind the X10-4K is unashamedly plug-and-play. An AF mode keeps the image tightly focused, but you can always manually adjust the picture using the rotary wheel on the remote control if you feel it needs help.

Ideal for impromptu screening sessions, you need just 1.77 metres to cast an impressive 100in image (with no zoom, the throw ratio is fixed at 0.8:1). Setting up on a coffee table shouldn't present any issues, and if you can't get it square on, the projector offers manual horizontal and auto vertical keystone correction.

It's a good deal friendlier than the average office equipment escapee too. Running on an Android OS, the 
PJ offers a smart, graphical UI. It also runs apps from the Aptoide store. Vaguely familiar, like those knock-off sweets seen in Lidl, Aptoide is a less enticing alternative to Google Play, with a choice that's esoteric. The best on offer are BBC iPlayer, Netflix and Twitch. Rather than faff around, 
it makes more sense to use an Amazon Fire TV dongle.

ViewSonic X-10 4K performance
The obvious concern with any projector that uses an LED light source is brightness. But the ViewSonic is quick to dispel fears of dullness. It's claimed 2,400 Lumens output allows viewing in rooms with some ambient light, although obviously a fully dark room works best.

The X10-4K uses a DLP 4K Ultra HD chip with XPR technology, able to present an 8.3million pixel resolution image by flipping its DMD mirrors at lightning speed. It's not native 4K, but able to offer better-than-HD image quality. Fired up and aligned, my advice would be to head to the projector's Movie setting. While the average picture level is brighter in ViewSonic's TV mode (there are also Brightest, Game and User options), this cinematic preset tends 
to give a more pleasing image.

The X10-4K, unlike the BenQ W2700, is limited to a REC.709 colour space, but it doesn't disappoint when it comes to saturation and punch, looking particularly good with animation. Despicable Me 3 (Ultra HD Blu-ray) provides a veritable feast of eye-candy, with Minions realistically yellow.

The projector is also HDR compatible, although the usual caveats apply, which is to say, no projector offers a genuine HDR viewing experience. The best I normally hope for is that the overall picture level isn't adversely dimmed, and in this regard the ViewSonic fares well. Although if you prefer, you can always manually override the HDR mode, switching to SDR in the Advanced picture menu.

Inevitably, there are limitations to this cute model's performance. Deep black is elusive, leaving letterbox bars presented dark grey and proving a challenge with darker movies like Resident Evil: The Final Chapter (UHD Blu-ray). However, there's still an efficient contrast to its images, particularly with 4K SDR content, as evidenced by 
Sense8 (Netflix).

I also noted some banding when it comes to gradations, while bright highlights can wash-out completely. But 
this isn't a form-factor for performance hounds.

Fine detail reproduction is excellent, given the constraints of XPR. When Alice (Milla Jovovich) discovers her friend's helicopter on the beach at Arcadia in ...The Final Chapter, the amount of information on show in the cockpit is delicious. There's granular texture in the sand on the surrounding beach too. With high-quality sources, the X10-4K impresses.

If you're primarily interested in sports, image-smoothing frame interpolation is available, variable between Off, Low, Mid and High. I wouldn't recommend it for movies, however, finding its effect too noticeable.

Normally I'd advise against using the in-built sound system on a projector for anything other than casual non-critical use. But the Harman/Kardon speaker on this ViewSonic is in a different league; it's actually by far the best I've heard 
on a projector. Despite the small cabinet size, 
it exhibits admirable grunt, and I'd even consider watching regular TV with it, and that's saying something. There are two audio modes available, Movie and User; the latter allows you to twiddle with an equaliser, but the default Movie mode is pretty darn good.

Fan noise is a concern though, and doesn't significantly change whether you opt for an 
Eco LED setting or not.

ViewSonic X-10 4K verdict
It's probably too optimistic to believe that the X10-4K might have mainstream appeal. Home projection is always going to be something of a niche, but ViewSonic has certainly come up with a product that's fresh and exciting. While it doesn't offer the ultimate visual performance, suffering most obviously from a lack of black-level prowess, this portable is enormous fun when it comes to popcorn movie nights and sporting fixtures. Get it out when you need it, pop it away when you're finished.

We've seen brands attempt to make projection a lifestyle choice before. Philips' all-in-one Screeneo springs to mind, but this is arguably the most convincing lifestyle proposition yet.

Image quality is fine for the price point, the sound system is definitely top of the pops, and the overall design is class-leading. It certainly has the X factor.