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Viewsonic X2 4k projector: test and review

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Published on: 04-02-2024 / Modified: 04-02-2024
The Viewsonic X2 4k projector was released in 2023 and I'd been wanting to test it for a few months but hadn't had the chance to do so before, mainly due to lack of time. I was thinking of buying it in March 2024 because I had other products to test before then, but one of the projectors I was supposed to test was late, so I took the opportunity to buy this Viewsonic X2 4k to finally be able to test it. I wasn't the quickest, other tests already exist but as usual, I'll try to give you a more detailed test than what already exists

The Viewsonic is available in many stores for between 1500 and 1700€ (at the time of writing)

Here are a few examples:

Fnac (1546€)

Amazon (1549€)

Boulanger (1590€)

Darty (1599€)

If you can think of other stores, please let me know

Please note:

Nobody pays me to do these tests and I often buy the products with my own money (like you). If you appreciate my work, you can support me by buying your products from my links. It doesn't cost you anything, it doesn't change the price, but for me it makes a big difference. Thank you

Video test

If you can't play the video on this page, you can watch it directly on YouTube: Viewsonic video test/review

Manufacturer web site:
https://www.viewsonic.com

Price Viewsonic X2 4k

The list below shows the prices for the Viewsonic X2 4k from more than 50 sites around the world. If you are not satisfied with any price, you can subscribe to a price alert to be the first to be notified when the price drops.

Timeline

February 4, 2024 buy Viewsonic X2 4k on Fnac.be website

Why this projector?

Viewsonic has been around for a long time, but I'd never tested a video projector from this brand before, so I had to fill the gap in my culture. Beyond the curiosity of testing this brand, this projector does have some very interesting features, and it's not its Xbox compatibility that speaks to me the most.
The Viewsonic X2 4k is a short-throw projector, and I've never yet tested a projector of this type. It's halfway between ultra-short lenses like the Xiaomi Laser Cinema 2 and classic projectors like the XGIMI Horizon Ultra. I have several possible configurations in the projection room - I have two screens, in fact - and I think that a short focal length might enable me to make better use of my screens. Brightness and contrast are two other assets that on paper could justify the purchase of this projector.

The gaming part is finally the icing on the cake, as I'm not a hard-core gamer but I know there's potential for this kind of product, so I'll give you my objective opinion on this element too.

Unpacking

The Viewsonic X2 4k comes in a fairly basic box with plenty of space dedicated to protecting the projector, the box also contains:

- a European power cable

- an American power cable

- a remote control

- 2 AAA batteries

- a manual and a color guide

Operating system

Not yet available / tested

Finish

The Viewsonic X2 4K is very similar to a lamp projector in that it broadly follows the same format and size, and features an optical zoom with a sharpness adjustment wheel. What sets it apart, however, is the integration of its optical compartment with a semicircular shield at the bottom. It's a rather curious design, but it's a typical configuration for short-throw projectors. Two green stripes are present at the front, I imagine the use of this color is intended to reinforce the association with the Xbox which uses the same colors (if I remember correctly)



The protection could give the impression that part of the image could be blocked but this is not the case. In fact, I think the optical compartment is slightly tilted upwards. This configuration is undoubtedly linked to the short focal length used by this Viewsonic X2 4k



On the side, there are large openings that remind me once again of lamp projectors, these openings are present for the same reasons as lamp projectors. This Viewsonic X2 4k may not make the coffee, but it will easily raise the temperature of your room by a few degrees. I'll come back to this point later in this review, but heat means noisy ventilation.



Underneath the projector you'll find a small stand located at the front which offers the possibility of raising the projector a little, but this stand doesn't offer any flexibility for projection height as it's either open or closed. A stand with an adjustable knob would undoubtedly have been more practical. It is also possible to attach the Viewsonic X2 4k to a ceiling mount, with 3 slots provided for this purpose. The projector's four feet, however, are neither removable nor adjustable



To access the zoom and sharpness adjustment, a drawer must be slid across the top of the projector. The zoom is therefore completely encapsulated within the projector, as is the focus. The zoom can be adjusted via a protrusion on the optical unit, but not the focus. The position of the optical unit inside the housing is not very convenient for fine focusing, as you can only access the upper part of the wheel



The projector's control buttons are located on the right-hand side of the drawer, so you can control the projector manually from this area, but again, placing these controls inside the housing isn't super convenient.



The Viewsonic X2 4k's remote control is fairly well designed, not crammed with useless buttons like on the Optoma UHD38x, for example. The buttons are spaced far enough apart so as not to confuse them, making them easier to locate in the dark, but it's also backlit. The two AAA batteries required for operation are supplied in the box.

Projection room

My projection room is rectangular, 4.6m by 2.9m (height 2.2m). I have two projection walls, one white wall 2.9m wide with just white paint with a possible 4m setback. I then have a 133 inch ALR screen on another wall with a possible setback of 2.8m. I mainly use the ALR screen except when the layout or type of projector is not suitable for this situation.

Battery autonomy

This projector is not equipped with a battery.

Power consumption

Luminous projectors like this Viewsonic X2 4k are usually quite power-hungry too. The Optoma UHD38x I tested a month ago consumed almost 300 watts, and I was worried that this would also be the case for this Viewsonic, but fortunately the use of LED means it's very economical. I measured a consumption of 165 watts with the brightness in normal mode and with a setting of 50, but if you switch to "eco" mode, consumption will drop to around 100 watts. Obviously, brightness will drop sharply, but if you use the projector in a dark room, this won't be a problem.

Operating noise

In its factory configuration, this projector is quite noisy, too noisy in fact. I measure 50 dB on the back of the projector and at a distance of one meter, I still measure more than 40 dB. Fortunately, it's possible to reduce this noise, but you'll have to make a choice between donating a kidney or amputating an arm.

You can activate the silent mode, which will reduce the noise level by around 5 dB, but if you use this mode, you won't be able to use the maximum 4k resolution. This may seem odd, but there's a reason for this problem. The Viewsonic X2 4k is not a true 4k projector, as it uses a 0.65 DMD chip like the BenQ TH575, for example, which is a 1080p chip that can achieve 4k resolution by interpolation. It's precisely this interpolation that generates the extra noise

The other option is to switch the projector to "eco" mode, where the noise will drop sharply (+/- 10 dB) and make the proximity of the projector more acceptable, but this will be at the expense of brightness

So I'll leave it up to you to decide what to sacrifice if the noise bothers you. I'll come back to brightness later in this test, which should help you make the right choice for your situation

Connectivity

The Viewsonic X2 4k is equipped with a full range of connectors, including an audio output, an RS232 port, a USB port for maintenance, 2 HDMI 2.2 ports (one of which is optimized for Xbox), a USB C port and a USB A port

The USB C port can be used to power an HDMI stick; I've used a Google Chromecast TV stick powered by this port, and everything works just fine.

The USB A port lets you use a USB memory stick or hard drive, for example. You'll be able to read your local files from the operating system's file manager, which is the main entry point to the operating system.

Image settings
Not yet available / tested

Image quality

The Viewsonic X2 4K image after calibration is one of the best I've had in this price range. Unlike many other projectors, the colors are accurate and not too saturated (although my Samsung tends to add a bit of saturation). The image is neither too hot nor too cold, with a white temperature of 6540K and a near-perfect white. I haven't yet found the perfect setting to reproduce exactly the image of a projector, but what you see here comes very close, you just have to bear in mind that the image is actually even better in real life



For the Top Gun trailer it's a bit the same observation. The color treatment of this trailer is a little peculiar, with occasional yellow tones that can make the film look less natural, but that's how it was produced. If I compare the video on my PC with this one, I find the same tonalities. Without calibration, the image is excessively cold.



Does this projector stand up to dark film? Yes, without any problems. The contrast obtained after calibration is of the order of 1500:1, which makes it easy to distinguish what's going on in dark scenes. In addition to the good contrast, the color is again particularly faithful, even the red of the introductory sequence remained well red where it usually turns orange.

This projector therefore has enormous potential in terms of image quality. UST laser projectors can do better, but they also cost a lot more.

Colorimetry

When I started up the Viewsonic X2 4k projector for the first time, I was surprised by two things. First, the sharpness of the image was really good (after adjusting the thumbwheel) and the colors were extremely cold. Fortunately, you can easily change the color temperature by clicking on the settings button (a toothed wheel that looks a bit like a star) on the remote control. In the image tab, you have an entry for the color temperature, which is normally set to 9300k by default. If you change this temperature to 6500K, the colors will already be more accurate, but that's not enough to obtain a good image.

I measured color fidelity for all the basic configurations, but contented myself with running the test with a white temperature of 6500k, as it doesn't make sense to use another configuration, and also contented myself with using the standard mode and the "eco" mode for brightness. This reduces the number of tests to be carried out, but does not affect the final result, as these configurations contribute nothing to color fidelity.

Brightest / Brightness 50 / White temperature 9300k

dE colors = 17.77

dE white = 23.5

White temperature = 7496k

dE gray = 15.34

Gamma = 2.21

Contrast 1862:1

This configuration produces an appalling image. This is the brightest mode, but the image takes on a green tint that makes it unusable.

TV / Brightness 50 / Temperature 6500k

dE color = 9.09

dE white = 5.9

White temperature = 7358

dE gray = 6.09

Gamma = 2.17

Contrast = 1780:1

The situation improves greatly with TV mode with very good contrast but color fidelity is still not good enough

Movie / Brightness 50 / Temperature 6500k

dE colors = 7

dE white = 5.8

White temperature = 7333

dE gray = 6.12

Gamma = 2.17

Contrast = 1773:1

This is the best mode if you don't want to calibrate your projector but you'd be wrong to stop here because this Viewsonic is capable of much better

After calibration, I get the following values:

dE colors = 2.2

dE white = 1.2

White temperature = 6555

dE gray = 1.08

Gamma = 2.12

Contrast = 1323:1

This result is simply excellent and, in terms of colors, it's the best I've had so far

Here's the result color by color:



The eye no longer perceives any difference above a dE of 3, so I didn't try to do even better because there's no point

Then for the grays:



Same observation here, the grays are perfect. Contrast has dropped, but that's often the case with calibration, so I'm going to play around with brightness a bit more to see if I can do better, but with contrast at this level, this Viewsonic X2 4k far surpasses the vast majority of LED projectors in this price category. In particular, it does better than the XGIMI Horizon Ultra, which has a contrast of around 800:1, and it also does better in terms of color

And here's the CIE graph:



The color space is clearly limited to REC 709, here by contrast the XGIMI Horizon Ultra does better

Calibration

I'm going to share with you my calibration data on a neutral configuration, then on a white screen and a gray screen so that you can have a basis adapted to your situation. Calibration is specific to each projector and environment, which means that with my configuration, you may not get the same result, but you shouldn't be far off

Calibrating a projector is a time-consuming activity, so I'm offering you my calibration data free of charge, I hope it will motivate you to buy this projector using my links. A professional calibration is undoubtedly better, but it will cost you several hundred euros

NEUTRAL CONFIGURATION

White temperature: 6500k

Red: 60

Green: 45

Blue: 37

This will reduce the white to pure white, but you then have to work on each color individually. I see that other sites publish calibration data but based on colors only, that's only half the story as you also need settings for white and gray

Color settings:

Red (-5,99,135)

Green (48,142,80)

Blue (-30,101,75)

Cyan (-25,110,93)

Magenta (42,84,106)

Yellow (-35,88,105)

This will bring the color dE back to around 2

Contrast and gray settings:

Brightness on "eco" mode and at 47. Contrast set to 4

Here I get a contrast of just over 1300:1 (in FOFO) and an ANSI contrast of 250:1, which are very good values for this type of projector.

GREY SCREEN CONFIGURATION

The neutral settings can be used on a gray screen too, so you get a dE of just over 3, but you can do better with the following settings to achieve a dE close to 2

White temperature: 6500k

Red: 58

Green: 47

Blue: 30

Color settings:

Red (10,98,135)

Green (48,144,82)

Blue (-28,102,50)

Cyan (-30,115,108)

Magenta (44,84,108)

Yellow (-40,88,105)

WHITE SCREEN CONFIGURATION

Here too you can re-use the basic data and achieve a dE of around 3, but with a few changes you can also get a dE close to 2

White temperature: 6500k

Red: 65

Green: 43

Blue: 31

Red (15,99,155)

Green (48,144,83)

Blue (-28,102,65)

Cyan (-30,115,80)

Magenta (44,84,108)

Yellow (-40,88,105)

Reminder:
a professional calibration can undoubtedly do better, but costs several hundred euros. This work takes up a lot of my time, so I'd be grateful if you could buy your products through my links

Brightness

The Viewsonic X2 4k has a theoretical brightness of 2900 lumens, but as is often the case, this brightness level is actually lower or not usable. This projector has a variable brightness setting that could potentially allow you to get closer to 2900 lumens, but at the cost of a big degradation in image quality. You should therefore always be cautious about manufacturers' specifications, because even if a projector is undoubtedly technically capable of producing this level of brightness, it doesn't mean you'll be able to enjoy it

I measured the brightness of the various modes available by first playing with the basic configurations (e.g. brightest, tv, movie,...) and then by playing with the individual brightness settings

In brightest mode I'm well over 2000 lumens, but the image quality is appalling and totally unusable. If I use the game, movie, tv or user settings, I get lower luminosity but better image quality

Brightness / 50%: 2147 lumens

Game / 50%: 1384 lumens

Movie / 50%: 1358 lumens

User / 50%: 1538 lumens

It's also possible to use the eco mode, which will radically reduce the noise level. Power consumption will be around 100 watts, but the projector will obviously be much less bright. The choice of light type will therefore depend on your projection room. If you're in total darkness, you can use the eco mode without any problem, otherwise you'll have to opt for a setting of around 50%.

While measuring the light, I also measured the black level, which is essential for creating depth in the image. I measured a black level of less than 1 lux in most configurations, so the black is really dark and provides a very good level of contrast



Brightness is fairly uniform even if I measure a loss of brightness on the periphery, so you shouldn't notice anything when watching a film or series.

Sharpness



The sharpness of this projector has to be adjusted manually using the knob on the optical compartment. The projector doesn't adjust the sharpness by itself, and I find the position of the knob inside the projector inconvenient (especially once the projector is in place). Fortunately, you won't need to change the sharpness again if the projector stays where it is. Sharpness is excellent across the entire image, with lines 1 pixel apart perfectly legible and no chromatic aberration. Unlike many projectors where sharpness is automatic, here it is not forced or exaggerated



Contrast

Contrast is the biggest weakness of a whole generation of LED projectors using a DMD 0.47 chip. The Viewsonic X2 4k is part of a new generation of projectors using a DMD 0.65 chip capable of producing images of better quality and, above all, with better contrast. I measured a contrast ratio between 1300:1 and 1800:1 with all factory settings. After calibration, I obtained a contrast of 1538:1 (see my parameters in the calibration section). This contrast is far superior to what you can get with an XGIMI Horizon Ultra and the vast majority of LED projectors with a DMD of 0.47

With its price positioning at around €1,600 (at the time of writing), this projector stands out as a contrast champion in this price range.

Motion compensation

Not yet available / tested

Image size and projection distance

The Viewsonic X2 4k is equipped with an optical zoom that can vary the projection ratio between 0.69 and 0.83. If you use the projection ratio at 0.69, you'll get an image 1.45m wide for every meter of distance from the wall. If you use 0.83, you'll get an image 1.2m wide for every meter between the projector and the projection screen

Distance plays a big part in brightness, but as this projector is bright and uses a short focal length, distance will be less of a problem for the light. It may, however, be more problematic for your screen. My projection room is set up to use a remote projector or an ultra-short-throw projector. I'd never tested a short-throw projector, so I had to make a few adaptations to be able to use it and avoid ending up with an image that's too big.

Here's a graph giving an indication of the distance to respect for the light with a projection ratio of 0.69:



In a dark room, you can place the projector up to 2.7m away and get an image 3.92m wide, so it's a pretty big image

With the ratio at 0.83, you get an image 3.24 meters wide at the same distance

Audio quality

I've taken a few random tracks from Spotify to illustrate the sound quality produced by this projector. From the very first seconds, you'll realize that the sound quality is very good. The Viewsonic manages to cover a wide range of frequencies, so that it's at home in both high and low frequencies. The speakers are made by Harman Kardon, as with XGIMI, and you can hear it.

Video games

The Viewsonic X2 4k is a projector designed with gamers in mind, and is the first projector to be certified for Xbox consoles. What does this mean? It means that the projector must be able to recognize an Xbox when it's plugged into the HDMI port to adapt the display frequency. That's all very well in theory, but in practice you'll need a latest-generation Xbox (X) to be able to take advantage of a higher frequency. Older generations use a 60Hz frequency, as do most projectors of this type, so there's nothing new here

Adapting to the higher frequency of the Xbox Series X increases the playability of fast-paced games, with smoother movements on the screen. If you've never played with a frequency of 120Hz or more, you're probably thinking that it won't make much difference, but think again. The difference is real, but it's only when you've seen a game running at 120 or 240Hz that you'll realize that 60Hz isn't the best.

Beyond frequency compatibility, this projector has a gaming mode that reduces latency to such a low level that it's imperceptible, so you'll be able to play fast-paced FPS-type games without experiencing any lag between the controller and the image

I don't have a last-generation Xbox, so I wasn't able to test a frequency higher than 60Hz, but I did feel the absence of lag when playing Shadowrunner. I'd just have to get myself a more precise controller, because mine tends to cause movements that are too fast and not precise enough.

If you use gaming mode, the projector will undo any image corrections you've made, so you'll have to put it on straight projection if you want to play in good conditions.

Encoutered bugs

Not yet available / tested

ALR/CLR Projection screen

Are you looking for a good ALR/CLR screen for your projector? I may have what you need:
ALR/CLR NothingProjector Screen

Test / Review conclusion

I'd been wanting to test this projector for a few months now but never managed to find time to buy and test it. Now that I've tested it, I feel I should have given it a higher priority as this projector is really excellent...if you can tame it! Fortunately, I'm going to help you tame the beast so you can get the most out of it

The Viewsonic X2 4k is a gamer projector optimized to work with the XBOX but luckily it has many other arguments in its favor, it would be a shame to reduce it to a very specific audience. Out of the box, I wasn't really impressed by the color accuracy, the image was excessively cold. A few adjustments are enough to bring the color temperature back to a more acceptable level but it's possible to go much further to obtain an absolutely superb image. I spent more time than usual finding the right settings for this projector because without them, you're likely to be disappointed. In fact, I think it's crazy that Viewsonic is ready to sell a projector at over €1,500 with such a poor basic configuration

After calibration, I obtained a delta E of around 2 for colors (compared with 9 out of the box), a delta E close to 1 (compared with 6 out of the box) and a contrast of just over 1,500:1. With these results, the Viewsonic shakes up most LED projectors in this price range and is quite simply the best of those I've tested.

The qualities of this projector aren't limited to color accuracy or contrast. Image sharpness is excellent, it's very bright, it has excellent input lag for games, it's not power-hungry and produces great sound thanks to its Harman Kardon speakers. I could go on extolling its virtues on many points but I must also point out a few things you should be aware of before buying

The Viewsonic X2 4k is noisy, impossible to ignore this. There are two things that make this projector noisier than average. The first is the need to cool the housing. The more you push the brightness, the more noise the projector will make to evacuate the heat. The solution here is quite simple. If you're using the projector in the dark, you can switch to eco mode and the noise level will drop quite sharply. The other reason this projector is noisy is extrapolation. Viewsonic uses the word "4k" in the name of this projector but this projector is not a true 4k projector. It actually uses a DMD 0.65 chip in 1080p. 4k is obtained by interpolation and it's precisely this interpolation that generates noise. You can disable interpolation to reduce noise but in this case your resolution will be limited to 1080p

Noise is the main flaw, but it can be corrected or attenuated depending on the settings. There's another flaw that can't be corrected, however and that's the absence of motion compensation (MEMC). This means that the image will tend to tear when scrolling quickly and I haven't found an option to limit this problem.

I almost kept this projector as my main projector because it's really good. I didn't keep it because the configuration of my projection room is not optimal for the use of a short focal length and the placement of the projector was problematic. This may not be your case but be sure to read my paragraph on projector placement to make sure you make the right choice

Strengths

Color fidelity (after calibration)

Contrast

Brightness

Input Lag

Sharpness

Sound quality

High frequency for XBOX Series X

Moderate power consumption

Simple, efficient operating system

Adjustment options

Large image size with little recoil

Weaknesses

Out-of-the-box colorimetry

Operating noise

No motion compensation

Proprietary operating system

Zoom access