BenQ TH685i Review: Best Gaming and Movie Projector Under ฿20,000 in Thailand 2026

The BenQ TH685i is the projector to buy in Thailand if you want one device that handles both gaming nights and movie marathons without a dedicated dark room. At ฿15,990–18,990, you get 3,500 lumens for ambient light performance, 8.3ms gaming mode lag, and Android TV built-in for Netflix and Disney+. The best dual-purpose projector under ฿20,000 available in Thailand right now.

Design and Setup

The BenQ TH685i has a workmanlike design — matte black, compact, and quiet. There is nothing flashy about its exterior, and that is appropriate for a projector. What matters is that it is light enough (2.6kg) to reposition between a shelf setup and a coffee table gaming session without it feeling like a production. The standard lens cap, side vent design, and bottom adjustment foot are all exactly where you expect them to be.

Setup in a Thai living room is straightforward. The 1.15–1.5:1 throw ratio means a 100-inch screen requires approximately 3–4 metres of throw distance — achievable in most Bangkok apartment living rooms. There is no ultra-short throw angle here, so you do need a reasonable distance between the projector and your screen or wall. For a 120-inch image (the sweet spot for movie nights), you are looking at around 4.5 metres. Most Thai condo living rooms can manage this with the projector on a coffee table or shelf behind the sofa.

Android TV setup takes about 5 minutes on first boot — connect to Wi-Fi, sign into Google account, and the Google Play Store is available for any streaming app. Netflix, Disney+, YouTube, and AIS Play all run natively. The remote is basic but functional, with dedicated Netflix and YouTube shortcut buttons.

Picture Quality and Brightness for Thai Living Rooms

3,500 ANSI lumens is the spec that matters most in Thailand, where living rooms with windows and ambient light are the norm. At this brightness, the TH685i is usable with curtains partially closed during daylight hours, and genuinely impressive in a darkened room at night. You do not need a dedicated home cinema to get a good picture.

The 30,000:1 contrast ratio from DLP technology delivers sharp blacks in dark scenes — better than most LCD projectors at this price point. DLP’s colour reproduction is accurate without oversaturation, and the image stability (DLP tends not to develop the uniformity issues that LCD projectors develop over time) means the picture holds quality across the lamp life.

4K content is accepted via HDMI 2.0 and downscaled to 1080p for display. The upscaling processing adds some detail enhancement, and the result looks noticeably better than native 1080p content on the same source — but it is not the same as true 4K projection. For native 4K, you need to look at the BenQ W2710i or similar at roughly double the price.

Colour accuracy out of the box is good. The Cinema and Game preset modes are both usable without calibration. Advanced users can calibrate via the colour management settings, but the defaults are solid enough for most Thai buyers who just want to plug in and watch.

Gaming Performance: 8.3ms Input Lag

This is where the TH685i earns its gaming projector designation. 8.3ms input lag at 1080p 60Hz in Game mode is genuinely responsive — comparable to a mid-range gaming monitor, and imperceptible as lag in standard gaming. For console gaming (PS5, Xbox Series X), this means your controller input translates to screen action without the delay that makes older projectors feel sluggish.

To access gaming mode, connect your console to HDMI 1 (the designated gaming input) and the projector automatically applies the low-latency processing profile. The tradeoff is that Game mode reduces some of the image processing effects that improve movie quality — but BenQ has designed this correctly: the Cinema mode and Game mode are genuinely different optimisations, and switching between them takes one remote button press.

The 1080p 60Hz spec is the gaming sweet spot here. The PS5 and Xbox Series X both support 1080p 120Hz, but the TH685i handles only 60Hz — so at 1080p you are getting 8.3ms at 60fps, not 120fps. Competitive FPS players who care about 120fps will need a gaming monitor. For casual to mid-level console gaming and everything that is not competitive multiplayer, 60fps at 8.3ms is entirely satisfying on a 100-inch screen.

Android TV, Streaming, and Audio

Android TV integration means this is a complete home entertainment device without an external streaming box. Netflix, Disney+, AIS Play, and YouTube run natively. Google Assistant is built in for voice control. The app store has the full range of streaming services available in Thailand.

One limitation worth noting: Netflix certification on projectors with Android TV varies by firmware version and device certification status. If you find Netflix streaming quality is restricted (720p cap), check for firmware updates or use a certified streaming device (Chromecast, Apple TV, Fire TV Stick) via HDMI as an alternative — the HDMI 2.0 inputs handle any external device cleanly.

Built-in audio (5-watt speaker) is functional for casual use in a quiet room but should not be your long-term audio solution for a home cinema setup. The optical audio out is the right choice for connecting a soundbar or receiver — at this projector price level, pairing with a dedicated sound system is strongly recommended. A ฿2,000–4,000 Xiaomi or JBL soundbar transforms the experience significantly.

Thailand Price, Availability and Warranty

The BenQ TH685i is available through BenQ Thailand’s official Lazada store, Power Mall, and authorized BenQ dealer networks across Bangkok and major Thai cities. At ฿15,990–18,990, prices fluctuate — the official Lazada store runs promotions during major sale events that can bring the price to ฿15,000 or below.

BenQ Thailand provides a full local warranty with authorized service centres in Bangkok. This is a significant advantage over grey market projectors at similar prices. Lamp replacement cost (when needed at the lamp life limit) is approximately ฿2,500–4,000 through authorized BenQ service channels in Thailand.

Compared to cheaper competitors at this price point — Xiaomi Laser projectors, Mecool projectors — the BenQ TH685i offers superior brightness, better DLP picture quality, and crucially, an official Thai warranty with local service. The Xiaomi ecosystem projectors are tempting at lower prices, but they typically sacrifice brightness (1,200–1,800 lumens) which matters significantly in Thai living rooms with any ambient light.

Who Should Buy the BenQ TH685i

The TH685i is built for the dual-use buyer: someone who wants gaming performance on a big screen without sacrificing movie quality, and who does not have a dedicated dark room. Bangkok condo residents with typical living rooms — some ambient light, standard 4–5 metre depth — get exactly the performance this projector is designed for.

Skip this if: You need native 4K — at that point look at the BenQ W2710i (฿35,000+) or Epson EH-TW7820. Also skip if you have a truly dedicated dark room and want the best possible image quality per baht — a laser projector like the BenQ V7050i or XGIMI Horizon Pro will outperform a lamp projector in that environment despite similar or lower price points.

Consider alternatives: For a pure streaming/movie setup without gaming requirements, the XGIMI Horizon Pro (฿18,000–22,000) offers native 1080p with better built-in audio at a similar price. For a tighter budget, the BenQ TH585P (฿10,000–12,000) offers the same DLP technology at lower brightness (3,500 lumens) without Android TV built-in.

For a full comparison of the best projectors available in Thailand this year, see our guide: 5 Best Projectors in Thailand 2026.

Verdict

The BenQ TH685i is the benchmark dual-use projector under ฿20,000 in Thailand. 3,500 lumens handles Thai living room ambient light, 8.3ms gaming mode handles console gaming, Android TV handles streaming, and BenQ Thailand warranty handles peace of mind. It does not do native 4K and the built-in speaker is mediocre — but everything it does, it does right. For gaming plus movies in a Bangkok living room, this is the projector to buy.

Check Price on Lazada →