BenQ Joybee GP2 review

The reasonably high resolution for such a small projector means you can use the Windows desktop without having to compress it into a smaller resolution, but the GP2 still suffers from inconsistent focus across the screen. There’s an auto-keystone control, but we didn’t notice it making much difference, so we switched it off, as keystone correction generally degrades the image. You also get wall colour correction – you select the approximate colour of your wall from a list, and the projector adjusts colour balance to compensate, helping image quality.

Despite this, colours weren’t very accurate, but their boldness made up for this to a certain extent. We noticed problems with skin tones from the start that the GP2’s colour temperature control didn’t fix, and you certainly wouldn’t use the GP2 to judge photos, but for watching movies it’s more than adequate. We had no problems viewing detail in dark scenes in Casino Royale, such as the folds in the black velvet dinner jacket worn by Le Chiffre.

Presentations are fine too, although if you’re using images you’d be advised to turn the lights down, as the projector’s limited brightness means your audience won’t see much detail. Charts and graphs were fine, however, and text was clear – you’ll be fine with high-contrast content, even under office lighting.

The GP2 is a versatile portable projector with reasonable image quality and a wealth of connections. If you don’t need the iPod dock there are cheaper alternatives, though; 3M’s PocketProjector MP180 and MicroVision’s Showwx+ HDMI should be on your shortlist depending on where you store your files and the type of content you want to project, while if you’re mainly going to project from a laptop’s VGA port the Asus P1 Pico Projector has better image quality than the GP2 and costs over £100 less.