BenQ W5850 review

At first glance, it’s business as usual: central projection lens, flanked by large vertical louvres, and a chassis that walks the line between industrial and handsome. But there’s a bit more intent in its stance and a bit more tech behind the lens this time around. The W5850 gets an upgraded 16-element glass lens array with aspheric coating, a step up from the already-sharp 14-element setup on the W5800. The benefit? Even less distortion, better light transmission, and image sharpness that stays tighter across more of the screen.

There’s more good news if your projector room is short on… well, room. The W5850 now comes with a 1.0–1.6 throw ratio, which is a massive leap in flexibility compared to the 1.52–2.45 of its predecessor. That means it can throw up a 100-inch image from a much shorter distance, making it much better suited for media rooms, apartments, or setups where your couch isn’t parked halfway down the hallway.

The W5850’s remote is refreshingly old-school. Big, backlit, and loaded with tactile buttons that feel good to press. No touch surfaces, no nonsense. It’s designed to be used in the dark and is a proper tool for movie nights, not a fashion statement.

Under the hood, it still uses a 0.47in Texas Instruments DLP chip with pixel shifting to deliver its “true 4K” image. And yes, the laser light source still pumps out 2600 ANSI lumens, which is more than enough for controlled-light rooms. The thoughtful design like the angled, textured ring around the lens that helps cut down on light spill, is kept intact. 

A major new trick in the W5850’s arsenal is Dynamic Tone Mapping, which adjusts brightness and contrast in real time, frame-by-frame, much like Dolby Vision does. It adds a welcome layer of depth and dynamism to HDR content, especially with streaming content that can otherwise look flat. This feature will roll out to the W5800 via firmware we are told, but here it’s native and tuned to work with the upgraded optics.

CinematicColor is still here, ticking all the checkboxes: 100% DCI-P3, 100% Rec.709, and HDR10+ support. No Dolby Vision officially, but practically, you’re not missing anything if your content supports HDR10+ (and most of it does now). 

As before, there’s no Android TV or bloat, keeping in mind its target audience and thank god for that. Bring your own streaming box, speakers, and popcorn. Connectivity remains solid with dual HDMI (one with eARC), LAN, USB-A, RS232, and 3D sync if you’re still hoarding those discs and glasses.

BenQ’s factory calibration continues to impress with out-of-the-box colour accuracy that is top-tier, but there’s a deep menu if you’re the type who calibrates your toaster. From multi-point white balance to contrast enhancers and full CMS controls, the W5850 lets you geek out without begging for an ISF pro to show up.

Motorised focus, zoom, and lens shift make setup laughably easy. Keystone is here but skip it if you value image integrity. And yes, you still get support for anamorphic lenses and aspect-ratio switching. Thanks to the shorter throw, we managed a 100-inch image from about 8.5 feet — something the W5800 would’ve needed nearly 11 feet to match.

In terms of performance, everything just feels a little more refined. Dynamic Tone Mapping works best on Mid or Low settings, avoiding the crushed blacks or blown-out highlights that aggressive settings can cause. The improved lens does make a real-world difference. Aap Jaisa Koi on Netflix may be just another slice of life OTT release but it has a healthy dollop of Dolby Vision goodness, which translates into an HDR10 image on the Benq, but its clarity holds up better towards the edges and colours have a bit more punch without oversaturation compared to the W5800.

Motion remains smooth, though the Motion Enhancer still makes everything look like a soap opera on steroids so is best skipped. HDR content, especially in Filmmaker Mode, looks lush and balanced. All of  Apple TV+ shows generally trigger the HDR10+ processing and shadow detail is strong, skin tones are natural, and the bump in contrast makes scenes pop a little more than they did on the W5800. Deep blacks still aren’t OLED-level, but that’s expected from a single-chip DLP at this price.

Fan noise? Still a minimal 32dB at peak and rarely bothersome, even when ceiling-mounted. You’ll hear your cat walking before you hear the W5850.

The BenQ W5850 takes everything the W5800 did right and nudges it further along with sharper optics, shorter throw flexibility, and Dynamic Tone Mapping, making it one of the most well-rounded, enthusiast-grade projectors around ₹6L. It still isn’t Dolby Vision certified or built for daylight viewing, but in the right room, with the right content, it’ll give you visuals that punch way above its weight.