Vankyo Performance X3 Review

The Vankyo Performance X3 mini projector shares most of its features with the , which we recently reviewed and judged to be one of the best inexpensive rainbow-artifact free projectors we've seen. The two even have the same list price, at $299.99, and offer similar levels of performance. Where the X3 differs dramatically is its shape. Unlike the V700W and most other projectors, the X3 takes the form of a tower, which can make it harder than usual to set up in a way that lets you sit behind it without it blocking part of the picture. Set the screen low enough to avoid that problem, however, and the X3 will give you good image quality for the price, including suitable detail for its 1080p native resolution.

A Single LCD Without the Rainbow Risk

As with other inexpensive rainbow-artifact-free projectors, including the V700W, the , and the , the X3 is built around a single LCD and a white LED light source. The 5,760-by-1,080-pixel LCD adds a red, green, or blue filter on each cell, which gives it 1,920 (that's 5,760 divided by 3) by 1,080 sets of red-green-blue pixels. Putting all three primary colors on screen at the same time means it can't generate annoying rainbow artifacts. The light source, rated at 30,000 hours, is designed to last the life of the projector.