BenQ LH820ST vs Optoma ZW350ST: The short-throw decision

The spec sheets make these two projectors look like twins. Both are short-throw lasers with 3,600 lumens, a fixed lens, and a dedicated golf picture mode. Both fit the same rooms.

Here is the takeaway: brightness is a tie, so the fight is resolution against price. The BenQ LH820ST sells you true 1080p for $1,899. The Optoma ZW350ST sells you the cheapest laser short throw worth owning for $909, and it trades pixels to get there. Prices as of Oct 22, 2026.

The numbers, side by side

• Resolution: BenQ 1920 x 1080 (true 1080p). Optoma 1280 x 800 (WXGA). The BenQ packs about twice the pixels.
• Brightness: 3,600 lumens on both. A tie.
• Throw ratio: BenQ 0.497:1, Optoma 0.521:1. Both are fixed lenses with no zoom.
• Laser life: BenQ rated 20,000 hours, 30,000 in Eco. Optoma DuraCore rated 30,000 hours.
• Noise: BenQ 29 to 33 dB. Optoma 27 to 34 dB.
• Size and weight: BenQ 12.3 lb, about 16 x 6 x 11 inches. Optoma 6.61 lb, about 11 x 4.5 x 8.5 inches.
• Native aspect ratio: BenQ 16:9. Optoma 16:10, and it also handles 16:9 and 4:3.
• Golf picture mode: both have one.
• Warranty: BenQ 3-year limited. Optoma 1-year limited, plus 5 years or 12,000 hours on the laser.
• Dust sealing: BenQ IP5X sealed laser engine. Optoma IP6X.
• Price as of Oct 22, 2026: BenQ $1,899, Optoma $909. Check our deal pages for the live price before you buy.

What resolution really changes

Here is the honest version. On a virtual fairway, both look great. At 3,600 lumens in a dark room, your eyes are busy with the ball flight, not the pixel grid. From 10 to 12 feet back on a 10-foot screen, the extra pixels are hard to see.

Where the pixels show up is everything around the course: sim software menus, launch monitor data grids, a PC desktop, and movie night. WXGA at 1280 x 800 is noticeably softer on small text than 1080p. If your room doubles as a theater, or you run software with dense menus, the BenQ's resolution is worth real money. If the projector exists to put a fairway on the wall, the Optoma's trade matters less than the price gap suggests.

Our earlier guide on 4K vs 1080p reached the same conclusion from the other direction: sort projectors by lumens first, throw distance second, resolution third. Both of these pass the first two tests. Resolution is the tiebreaker, not the headline.

Where each one mounts

The throw ratios are close enough that placement is nearly identical. The BenQ's 0.497:1 throws a 10-foot-wide image from about 5 feet. The Optoma's 0.521:1 needs about 5 feet 3 inches for the same width. Both mount just off the screen, above the hitting area, with you standing well out of the light path.

One caution for both: neither lens zooms and neither has lens shift. You get digital geometry tools instead, and digital correction costs you pixels. Measure, mount, and you will never touch them. If throw ratios are new to you, read our throw distance guide first.

Noise and heat: the living-room factor

At 29 to 33 dB on the BenQ and 27 to 34 dB on the Optoma, both sit in normal projector territory. Audible in a silent room, fine once the ball is flying, and quieter in Eco mode. Neither will bother a ceiling mount.

The bigger difference is physical. The Optoma is half the weight and much smaller, which makes it easier to ceiling-mount, floor-mount, or move between rooms. The BenQ is a full-size box that draws up to 360W at maximum, so respect its vent clearance.

Golf modes and color

Both projectors were built with simulators in mind, and both ship a dedicated golf picture mode. BenQ's Golf Mode pushes greens and blues, and BenQ claims 90% Rec.709 color coverage. Optoma's Golf Sim mode does the same job on its side. Projector Reviews ran the LH820ST through a full golf sim review, and Top Shelf Golf's breakdown lists the ZW350ST as its budget laser sim pick. One limit they share: neither supports HDR, so if movie nights in HDR matter to you, neither of these is the box.

Our take

Buy the Optoma ZW350ST if the projector budget is what stands between you and a good mat, if the room is tight, or if this is a second sim. At $909 as of Oct 22, 2026, it is the cheapest way into a laser short throw worth owning, and the resolution trade costs less than you would think.

Buy the BenQ LH820ST if the projector is the centerpiece of the room, if the room doubles as a theater, or if you read small text in your sim software. True 1080p, a native 16:9 image, a 3-year warranty, and a box BenQ designed specifically for golf justify the step up at $1,899 as of Oct 22, 2026.

The wrong buy here is not one of these two. It is a long-throw projector in a room that needs short throw, or a dim projector in a room with the lights on. Get the throw and the lumens right first, then pick your pixels by your budget.

Compare live prices on our deal pages: BenQ LH820ST and Optoma ZW350ST.