Projectors with Full HD resolution no longer cost a fortune: If you are willing to accept certain compromises in terms of equipment, you can get a usable projector for just 100 to 200 euros using devices from Chinese manufacturers, like our top 5 list : China projector from 80 to 250 euros shows. The BW-V5 Max from Blitzwolf, the house brand of online retailer Banggood, falls into this category and on paper offers a Full HD resolution with 9000 lumens (that would be around 900 to 1000 ANSI lumens) and Android 9.0. Buyers with the Max version of the projector also get an autofocus feature for 127 euros at Banggood.
Update: With the voucher code BGMZLA the price is reduced until 30. April 2024 on a tight note 117 Euro. We check what the projector does in practice in our test report.
Optics & workmanship
Anyone who has ever held a Blitzwolf device in their hands knows that the Chinese manufacturer’s products are well made. This is also the case with the BW-V5 Max. All parts appear stable and of good quality for the price of the device. Only slightly inaccurate edges on the case cloud the otherwise positive overall impression. Immediately after the first hands-on after unpacking, you will notice the chic design of the white projector. The lens is located on the front, while there are ventilation slots on the back and right side of the housing.
In addition to the fan on the back there is also a small speaker, but the projector also has two HDMI ports, an AV port and a slot for an audio cable (3.5 mm jack). Because the BW-V5 Max supports Bluetooth 5.0 in addition to Wi-Fi 6.0, it can also be paired with a soundbar or comparable audio devices. Last but not least, the projector also has two USB ports that can be used to connect additional hardware and storage media.
steering
The BW-V5 Max can be controlled using both the control panel on the housing and the included remote control. There are various buttons on the housing itself that we can use to navigate through the projector’s menus and change the image source. The buttons are arranged sensibly, but are not illuminated, so you cannot see the markings on the individual keys in the dark. There is also a rotary wheel above the lens with which we can change the focus manually if necessary.
The included remote control is rudimentary: In addition to the menu buttons, which are also located on the housing, there is a play/pause button, a volume button and the option to regulate the focus. We search in vain for buttons for Netflix or similar streaming services, such as those found on the remote control of Amazon’s Fire TV Stick.
Blitzwolf BW-V5 Max images
Blitzwolf BW-V5 Max
Software & Usability
The BW-V5 Max runs Android 9.0, which is no longer the latest version of Google’s mobile operating system. There is no update option apart from security updates from the manufacturer, but the projector still shows all important apps such as Netflix, YouTube and Co. in the main menu. However, in some cases the software still needs to be installed. If you want, you can also set a German menu language, but we don’t recommend this; The translation is sometimes quite strange and sometimes difficult to understand. The English version is more convincing.
When it comes to the usability of the software, the projector generally makes a good impression. The menu navigation is logically structured and can be controlled easily and without delays using both the buttons on the projector and the remote control. However, there was an annoying problem with YouTube in our test: When the projector lost the connection to the WiFi network due to poor signal strength, YouTube displayed a network error. Shortly afterwards, the projector software switched to the browser and also displayed a network error. That wouldn’t be a big deal and it wouldn’t be a shortcoming of the projector, but we couldn’t leave the screen again using either the remote control or the control on the projector itself. All that was left was to completely restart the device.
We also noticed a few negative things when unpacking the BW-V5 Max: There is no HDMI cable included in the package. Only the power cable and an AV cable are included in the scope of delivery. If you want to connect a games console to the projector, you will need a separate HDMI cable. Batteries for the included remote control are also missing. When you look at the price of the projector, it’s basically not a big deal, but it could still lead to disappointment if you unpack it and want to get started right away.
Meanwhile, the screen diagonal leaves a good impression. The minimum distance between the projector and the projection surface is 1.5 meters, with the projector then projecting an image measuring 50 inches (1.27 m) onto the wall. The maximum possible distance is 4.8 meters with an image size of 200 inches (approx. 5 m). As an accessory, Blitzwolf recommends the BW-VF3 stand for 17 euros, on which the projector can be easily mounted. But due to the medium size of the case and the relatively small footprint, the device can easily be placed on a small table or on a shelf. The footprint should be at least 15 × 17 centimeters.
Bild
On paper, the BW-V5 Max offers an image with Full HD resolution (1920 × 1080p). Our eye test was able to confirm this information, at least subjectively. The image is still sharp even with a larger projection diagonal and text remains clearly legible. Manual keystone correction is also possible. If you want to adjust the focus manually despite the autofocus, which worked reliably in our test, you can do this on the projector itself or using the remote control.
Unfortunately, adjusting the image turned out to be quite a bit of fiddly work in practice. Although the projector has an autofocus feature, if you use the keystone correction you will sometimes see blurry image edges. Adjusting the image so that there are no more blurry edges can take a few minutes – or you can fail completely. To be fair, it must be said that hardly any inexpensive projector with simple activated keystone correction gets the entire image sharp, since the corners of the projection are at different distances from the lens.
Blitzwolf states the brightness of the LED projector as 9000 lumens, which roughly corresponds to a value between 900 and 1000 ANSI lumens. Considering the price that the manufacturer is asking for the BW-V5 Max, this is an outstanding value. However, Chinese manufacturers tend to exaggerate here. The brightness of the projector was still convincing in our test. The image was still clearly visible even with the lighting turned on and in daylight, so you don’t necessarily have to have a darkened room to use the BW-V5 Max. Nevertheless: the darker the room, the better the picture.
Where the picture is convincing, the fan spoils the positive impression a little. According to the manufacturer, its volume is actually a tolerable 44dB, but in our test the value right next to the projector was already 50dB. If you move away about half a meter, the volume drops to 40dB, and at a distance of one and a half meters it is still 35dB. This means that the fan can be clearly heard when you sit directly next to the projector. People who are sensitive to noise may still find the fan noise annoying even at greater distances, but the volume is acceptable for all other users.
Preis
Blitzwolf sells the BW-V5 Max on its own website for 189 euros, but you can get the model in the Banggood online shop for just under 127 euros. With the voucher code BGMZLA the price is reduced by 30. April 2024 on only 117 Euro.
Considering the features and the image quality, this is a very fair price. Although there are Full HD projectors from Chinese manufacturers that cost less than 100 euros, these devices have lower brightness and fewer features.
Conclusion
Anyone who buys a cheap Chinese projector should be prepared from the outset to have to live with a few shortcomings. In the case of the BW-V5 Max, these include the laborious calibration of the image if you rely on keystone correction, as well as the relatively loud fan. On the plus side, the BW-V5 Max offers a good and surprisingly bright image, decent usability thanks to Android and a fair price-performance ratio. If you can ignore the problems with the keystone correction and ideally operate the projector with a streaming stick (list of the best), you are doing everything right by purchasing it for less than 130 euros.