BenQ TK705i review: The big-screen experience comes with a few compromises

Projectors are no longer a niche purchase for home-theatre hobbyists in India. They have become a serious consumer category, and the timing is not a coincidence. Going to the movies has become noticeably more expensive. According to the Ormax Box Office Report 2025, the average ticket price in India rose 20 per cent last year, from Rs 134 to Rs 161, the steepest jump in four years. Footfalls fell 6 per cent over the same period to 83.2 crore. Indians are paying more for the cinema and going less often.

The appetite for a big screen, however, has not gone anywhere. It is moving home. Smart TV shipments in India stayed broadly flat in 2025, according to Counterpoint Research. Projectors are where the growth is, at least according to BenQ. The company, which claims close to half of India's projector market, says home entertainment models are growing strongly year on year while business and education projectors stagnate, and it expects the home projector market to double by 2029. That forecast comes from a company with an obvious stake in it, but the direction of travel is hard to argue with.

The pitch is simple: a cinema-sized screen at home, without building a dedicated room for it. The BenQ TK705i takes that idea and makes it considerably easier to live with.


It is designed for the living room rather than a dedicated home theatre, with a bright 4K picture, built-in Google TV, automatic setup and enough gaming features to make it useful beyond movies and shows.

The only catch is the price. At its Rs 1,99,990, it is difficult to justify. At around Rs 1.4 lakh, which is where it is actually selling, the TK705i becomes much more interesting.

Price and availability

The BenQ TK705i launched in India in December 2025 at an MRP of Rs 1,99,990.

However, the TK705i is currently available through authorised online sellers for roughly Rs 1.4 lakh to Rs 1.47 lakh. That is an important difference because at around Rs 1.4 lakh, the projector is competing directly with 75-inch and 85-inch 4K TVs.

And that is where the TK705i starts making sense.

Design

The TK705i looks more like a piece of living-room furniture than a traditional projector. The silver-grey finish and fabric panels make it easier to leave out in the open, and at around 3.8kg, it is still relatively easy to move around.

You also have flexibility in how you set it up. You can keep it on a table or shelf at roughly eye level, or mount it on the ceiling if you want a more permanent setup. BenQ's automatic image adjustments make either approach relatively straightforward.

The biggest convenience is the setup. Smart Image Adaptation can automatically focus, correct the image, fit it to the screen and avoid obstacles. Point it at a wall and it can get you watching in seconds.

You still get the best image if you physically position the projector correctly, but the automation makes this much less frustrating than older projectors.

Display

The TK705i uses pixel-shifting DLP technology to produce a 4K image and is rated at 3,000 ANSI lumens. In our testing, it was bright enough to use in a living room with some ambient light, which is important in an Indian home.

Colours are one of its biggest strengths. Skin tones look natural and the picture is generally very well balanced out of the box.

We watched Netflix on the projector and also spent time watching cricket on JioHotstar. The combination of the huge screen and brightness makes both experiences genuinely immersive. Cricket, in particular, benefits from the size because you get that stadium-like feeling without needing a massive TV.

The compromise comes in dark scenes. Blacks are closer to dark grey, so this is not the projector for someone building a dedicated, pitch-black home theatre. It supports HDR10, HDR10+ and HLG, but there is no Dolby Vision.

This is also primarily a home entertainment projector. It does not really have an enterprise use case, and we would not recommend it as a projector for office or business deployments either. Its strengths are much more relevant to movies, streaming, sports and gaming at home.

The projector can produce screens up to 150 inches, although the standard-throw lens needs enough distance. If you have a smaller room, the short-throw TK705STi is the alternative.

Software

Google TV is built in, and importantly, the projector has an official Netflix app along with Prime Video, YouTube, the Play Store, Chromecast and Google Assistant.

That makes a big difference. You don't need to add another streaming stick just to get the apps you want.

However, AirPlay does not work on the projector, which feels like a missed opportunity, especially at this price. For users with an iPhone, iPad or Mac, the lack of AirPlay makes wireless screen sharing less convenient than it should be.

BenQ's automatic image adjustments also make everyday use easier, although excessive use of digital keystone correction can affect image quality.

Performance and gaming

The TK705i is also surprisingly capable for gaming. It has HDMI 2.1, Auto Low Latency Mode and low input lag, with support for 4K at 60Hz and up to 1080p at 240Hz.

For console gaming on a massive screen, it is a lot of fun. It is not a replacement for a dedicated high-refresh gaming monitor, but most casual and console gamers should find the experience responsive.

Audio

This is one area where I would strongly recommend spending a little extra.

The built-in 16W speakers are good enough for casual viewing and dialogue is clear, but the bass is limited and the sound feels like it is coming directly from the projector.

For movies, shows and especially action content, I would definitely connect a soundbar or external speakers. The projector supports eARC, so connecting a proper audio setup is straightforward.

Verdict

The BenQ TK705i gets most of the important things right. It is bright, produces good colours, has a genuinely useful automatic setup system, comes with Google TV and official Netflix, and is surprisingly capable for gaming.

It is not perfect. Blacks could be better, there is no Dolby Vision, AirPlay is missing and the built-in audio needs help.

But the bigger question is price.

At Rs 1,99,990, I would look at a large 4K TV instead. At around Rs 1.4 lakh, however, the TK705i makes considerably more sense. You are getting a massive screen that can transform a normal living room into a much more immersive space.

Just make sure you budget for external speakers as well.