Customers value the EX3280 projector for its clear picture, easy setup, brightness, portability, and affordable price. They appreciate the excellent picture quality and performance, simple setup process, and its compact size for easy travel. However, some customers have concerns about the sound quality, outdated VGA port, fan noise, and sub-par speaker.
This summary was generated by AI based on customer reviews.
The vast majority of our reviews come from verified purchases. Reviews from customers may include My Best Buy members, employees, and Tech Insider Network members (as tagged). Select reviewers may receive discounted products, promotional considerations or entries into drawings for honest, helpful reviews.
Page 1 Showing 1-20 of 234 reviews
Pros mentioned:
Clear picture
Cons mentioned:
Sound quality
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
REASONABLE EXPECTATIONS??? You will be satisfied…
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Posted . Owned for 1 month when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Great budget projector. Bought it for a bedroom wall, so the demand for super-loud sound was not my need in a smaller, confined space. Does NOT have an AuxOut, so upgrade to a different model if you want a soundbar. Its about a loud as would be necessary for a presentation, but dont expect this amazing digital-sound experience. It is loud enough for me to hear in my bedroom. I have no issues watching movies or tv-and its sound is adequate for my needs. Plenty of volume. But, its only like a 2W speaker, folks…remember the expectation thing. Very easy function & setup and is ready for action within 2mins. I have mine positioned 10ft back from the area shown, and do not have a screen to beam it onto. I have a dark cream color painted wall, and see no compromise to the color. For the price, it was way cheaper than a bigger tv for the bedroom, and the clarity isnt bad at all. Can get surprisingly sharp and clear. The manual focus is very precise, and the options to zoom to many image sizes is simple on the remote control. This does NOT have bluetooth. This also has only 1 HDMI, so a soundbar will be better with an upgraded projector. Whatever you can play on your laptop, it will replicate 99% at the same speed & accuracy. If you are looking for a very casual experience, and dont require massive sound, or cinema-level picture, this will satisfy at this pricepoint in small spaces. For $499, you are winning for sure. Sound is the biggest thing to consider.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Easy setup
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Are you looking for a great projector?
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Posted . Owned for 1 month when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Set up was easy and the quality of the projector is better than I expected. I use it constantly to teach my class.
I would highly recommend the purchase of this projector.
I also suggest purchasing it through Best Buy. There service is great.
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Solid Product
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Posted . Owned for less than 1 week when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Bought this for my golf simulator, it produces a nice,bright, clear picture. Whisper quiet fan and the 3,600 lumen brightness can be seen clearly even in ambient or full lighting. Great value
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
All good but no aux
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Posted . Owned for 1 month when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
We purchased this product primarily for outdoor use. We have somewhat of a big family and immediately noticed that the sound from the internal speaker alone was too low. We were going to exchange the unit but learned that all we had to do was connect two more pieces. We purchased and connected a HDMI splitter along with a Bluetooth audio transmitter from another store (pictured below) which made our outdoor theater come to life! The connections enabled us to connect to any Bluetooth speaker of our choice. Sound is no longer an issue.
I would recommend this to a friend
Cons mentioned:
Sound quality
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
Epson projector
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Posted . Owned for less than 1 week when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
The audio is not good for the money paid i hear crackling sound with the volume up also i thought epson was alot clearer than others so far i havent seen a difference from this one to a cheaper one . Kinda dissapointed !!!!
No, I would not recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Price
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Handles Bright Room
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Posted . Owned for 4 months when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Performed well in well-lit room. Easy to setup and use. Price is pretty good too.
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Watching Sandlot
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Posted . Owned for less than 1 week when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Great for the memorable backyard birthday pool party. Complete with the official "fort" and the hands on demonstration of the S'more. Great for building memories. As for the projector. Highest Looms per dollar. We didn't notice speed blurs, lag, image wasn't HD but better then the 3 light rear projection screens and a tube TV. Served it's purpose for the price. We added the ION Pathfinder 280 All-Weather Speaker, ($139 at CostCo) and an old projection screen and wow what a night!
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Love this Epson
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Posted . Owned for 2 weeks when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I was so impressed with the brilliant color, play for many hours no problems.Can play sound to other speakers with HDMI Audio Extractor, I bought one at Best Buy around 50 bucks,works great.
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Great Mid level projector
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Posted . Owned for 3 weeks when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
This projector is fantastic for those looking for a mid to middle high level home theater setup! If you have external speakers and an HDMI switcher inline in your home theater setup - this projector is a great balance between quality and price, and I highly recommend it!
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Brightness
Cons mentioned:
Lens cover, Vga port
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Brighter, but with less inputs
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I’ve had various Epson projectors for many years now and they have all been rather impressive. The EX3280 is pretty much the new version of the previous EX3260. With a higher resolution (XGA vs SVGA) and brighter projection (3600 vs 3300 lumens) and it truly shows when comparing the two side by side. Even the two year old model does a decent job of projecting in a well lit room, but that extra brightness gives it just that much more clarity. In a slightly over exaggerated use I left the front overhead LED light on in front of my screen and you can still see the test image below. In direct comparison in low light I think the colors also look better on the 3280 compared to the older model.
The one thing I don’t understand about the EX3280 is why they removed the A/V Mute lens cover. That was always a quick and easy way to stop the projection, but quickly bring it right back up and a little added protection when moving from location to location. There is the A/V Mute on the remote, but that lens staring up at me in the bag just looks like it is screaming to be scratched and collect debris. They also removed the USB-A and RCA ports and the manual picture skew, leaving it to be automatic or through the menu. Though, the menu quick corner method is simple and effective. I can understand the RCA cables not being used any longer, but I did occasionally play a clip straight from a USB stick through the projector, which you can’t do on the EX3280. You have to have an input device such as a computer with USB, VGA, HDMI or something like a Chromecast/AmazonFire stick through HDMI.
With an included carrying bag, this projector is easy to take with you and start projecting just about anywhere you need to provide a presentation. With a Chromecast device or an HDMI cable for your phone, you can keep it real simple and your biggest issue will be getting enough distance to get the size of the display that you are looking for. Depending on lighting, it is sometimes easier just to be too far away and use the digital zoom to bring the display back down to a viewable size.
Overall, it is an amazing projector for presentations. It’s not a higher end HD projector that you might use to watch movies, but that doesn’t mean you can’t, just at a lower resolution. For business travel I just feel that the removal of that lens cover worries me too much. Even if it was a plastic snap on cover like the really old style projectors, I would feel safer with it being transported around.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Brightness
Cons mentioned:
Fan noise
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Great portable projector for many projects
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Right out of the box, the power cord is too short. Using the projector for business, most conference rooms have outlets in the floor or along the walls. The cord should be at least as long as table height and about 6-10-foot run along the floor so extension cords (which most likely aren’t available) aren’t needed. That said, the keystone settings work great. I needed to test in a spot where the wall was offset. I was able to use the keystone horizontal feature to square up the picture. It reduced the picture size a bit but was readable. It would be okay for a presentation. In a conference room, one would most likely have a straight shot at a projection screen or blank wall, but if not, the keystone would still allow one to continue with the show.
So, you most likely will need some type of dongle to connect the projector to a laptop. I first used a laptop that had a USBc port and I have a dongle that goes USBc to VGA and USBc. I connect the VGA cable to the projector and dongle and tada, picture/mirror of my desktop. It was a bit hard to read and I’m guessing that’s the VGA signal, (now I know I need to do projector only on this pc). So, this newer laptop doesn’t offer any HDMI and I don’t want to run over to the store and pic up a dongle. They are available for under $20 (USBc to HDMI). I do however have a gaming laptop that has HDMI out, so off I go to change sources. Please…. stand by!
I connected the other laptop to the projector via an HDMI cable. At first, it didn’t work. I had a desktop showing and it had the correct toolbar, but it wasn’t showing the chosen background that the pc was. I then searched this laptop and I needed to press “Fn-F5” which opened a Windows side pane that gave me 4 options to chose from. Either just the monitor, just the projector, extending the desktop (default), and mirror. IMHO, mirror should be the default, but since it wasn’t, it allowed me to learn how to change views. All is good now. My first impression of the HDMI signal. Not that great, it still a bit hard to read. I guess I’ll have to try some different settings in Windows 10 ClearType or display resolution. Okay, I played around with the PC and projector, did a web search, and found out it’s most likely the PC resolution causing the issue. I press “Fn-F5” and chose projector only. It shut off the laptop screen and automatically squeeze the PowerPoint application to more of a 4:3 ratio and it was clear. I’ll post both photos so you can see the difference…hopefully. From my vantage point, the image using just the projector was clear and I was able to read the drop-down menu titles as well as the image of the rock and verbiage. I wouldn’t have any problem using this in a business setting with just the little I’ve discovered tonight.
I should have squeezed this in somewhere above, but Epson states this projector works great in bright rooms and I’ll have to agree. I’m used to using my ceiling projector in the dark, but for review purposes, I had the 5 light (60w LED bulb equivalent) chandelier shining bright and didn’t think two shakes about it. The picture was as good as my 60” Sharp LED Smart 4k tv. That should work great for presentations. With a well-lit room, attendees tend to pay more attention when their actions are easily seen. A speaker can lose some listeners as a room darkens, causing disruptions in the presentation and for others that wish to participate. The photos I post are from said lit room.
Overall, I think this is a great little projector. If I have any issues with it, they would be it needs a longer cord. For me, I can work with that as I have photography lights and they come with very long cords. Another thing is it’s a bit loud with the fan noise. Not overbearing, but if you're next to the unit, it has a whirl. And it should because it’s exhausting some warm air from the front vent. My Epson Cinema ceiling projector has the same whirl, but I fail to notice it after I start watching a program. I’m not so sure this would be the same for anyone close to it. That said, those few cons wouldn’t stop me from using this projector for lectures, instruction classes, or a business presentation. Heck, it wouldn’t stop me from shooting a movie at the house, inside or outside. It’s a sweet projector and as an Epson owner, I’d tell a friend to purchase Epson if they’re in the market. They seem to work with little to no issues and if you do have an issue, there are tons of posts on the net, most likely someone that’s trying to do what you are.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Brightness, Price
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
A capable road warrior's assistant
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
The Epson - EX3280 3LCD XGA Projector is notably a road warrior’s assistant like me especially with regard to making sales presentations. It is the successor to the EX3260 with the EX3280’s most noticeable difference being the brighter 3600 lumens it has up from the 3300 of its predecessor.
Still having the older XGA resolution 1024 x 768 with an aspect ratio of 4:3 it is still a worthy projector. It can still receive signals up to 1080p meaning it can still handle videos quite decently.
Varying not much from other models it has the basic inputs a USB cable wherein you have to install an app on your computer for the projector to work, a VGA input but most laptops being thin nowadays no longer have that port and the ubiquitous HDMI cable which can handle both video and audio. Do note that the package does not include any cable at all. This model however does include a carry-on bag albeit a bit flimsy. But at least you’ll have some protection right out of the box. However, I am dismayed that this and other models no longer have a cover whether it’s a snap-on cover or slide cover for the lens.
Controls for setting the projector are quite similar across models. So if you’ve been using projectors for some time, there is almost no need for you to really read the manual (available online) as its operation is pretty much intuitive even if you haven’t been using projectors. A remote is included in the model. Also, I wish a laser pointer feature should have been integrated in the remote unit as well.
I no longer tested the unit using the USB and VGA cables as HDMI is the way to go nowadays. And upon use, I am impressed of the brightness of this model being an entry to mid-range model. Back I the day a 2000 lumens model is something to brag about. This is quite handy more so for salespeople like me since presentations are often made in just about any room with a wall in lieu of a screen.
Being an XGA projector, the limitations can clearly be seen when using a computer. But since it is not much of a big deal for your usual slideshows, this decade old technology is still widely acceptable in the business world. Using it for video let’s say a training video from YouTube gives satisfactory performance. One thing to note though is that a 1080p projector may cost a little more than the price of this model and you may want to do your research first. But otherwise, this model is a good one for a mobile professional like me. If you intend to use this as part of your home theater, it can still perform but like I mentioned earlier do your research.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Portable
Cons mentioned:
Sound quality
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Crisp, Sharp with vibrant rich color!
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I've had a few Epson products now and this falls right in line with great quality and simple and easy functionality like the other products I've had the pleasure of owning. This is definitely not the overhead projector we had back in my school days haha
It's nice and quiet quoted at 37 decibels( I didn't measure), full color with a nice range of variable sized image available. You have a few different ways of input as seen in the picture below. USB type B, HDMI, and VGA coax for a computer.
The remote has everything you need clearly laid out at the touch of a button. Zoom, volume, aspect ratio, Split, Freeze, etc. So as far as remotes go I found this to be perfect for the device.
It has 3600 lumens, Max resolution of 1980 x 1080. Weighing only a bit over 5 lbs. So portability is excellent and it comes with a really nice padded carrying case. It's quoted that the lamp life is 6000 hours and 12000 on economy mode. If you want to count that in straight days.. you can run it for 250 days straight or 500 in economy mode to give you an idea even though normal usage would be less than an hour at a time. The sound is mono not stereo which was a downside for me. In this day and age with the technology of speakers being so advanced anything with sound should be at least in stereo.
Overall It's a great projector and would definitely recommend it to others
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Easy setup
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Almost perfect
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
I’ve never owned a projector before so I was excited when Epson sent me their newest projector to review, the Epson EX3280 3LCD XGA Projector. And since I don’t have any prior experience with projectors I’m just going to review this on its own instead of comparing it to other projectors like for example older Epson models.
To start, this projector was designed to be connected to computers for Office presentations like slideshows, PowerPoint, charts and spreadsheets etc. There are three plugs in the back, a USB, an HDMI, and a VGA plug. No outputs like an audio jack for example. Which means you could technically connect a video game system or even cable TV to this projector but unless you have another way to connect audio to it, you’re just going to have to listen through the speakers on the projector itself, which is probably the worst thing about this projector.
The speakers themselves work fine, the problem is that they are not very powerful and not very loud, they are barely just loud enough to listen to any audio that your slideshow presentation might have for example.
The projector itself is white in color and has a certain texture to it that makes it feel premium, it is well constructed.
I am very disappointed in the remote, it looks and feels really cheaply made even though it works perfectly fine. A shame considering the projector itself is really well-made.
On the projector itself you’re able to adjust the up or down angle of it with a simple but effective “foot”, that raises or lowers the angle of the projector, as well as the focus on the lens by simply turning the focus righ either left or right. On the remote you’re able to electronically zoom in or out depending on how far you’re wall, or white screen is. Everything works as it should.
It’s basically plug and play, just connect the power cable, Connect your PC (or laptop) to it with one of the mentioned the cables, turn it on and that’s it!
Included in the box is the projector itself, the remote control with batteries, the power cable plug, and a cool carrying case.
I would recommend this to a friend
Cons mentioned:
Speaker
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Great Outdoor Projector For Backyard
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
My research led me to this model as being the most lumens on a name brand projector. I wanted the lumens as this is intended to be used outdoors. I have used it about 6 times now. During shaded daylight hours I turn up the brightness and contrast for a modest result. It is at night that this shines. I LOVE LOVE LOVE it at night. I enjoy watching ball games and movies in the back yard. The picture is great and large enough to see from just about any distance my yard allows. The only shortcoming is the built in speaker is not close to the necessary sound and it doesn't have any audio out option. I solved this by spending about $100.00 for an HDMI audio converter. This runs the HDMI cable through a small box that allows several audio out options including 5.1 surround, optical and 3.5mm audio jack. I simply plug the 3.5 mm to a large Bluetooth speaker. This is more than enough sound for my purposes.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Brightness, Easy setup, Portable
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Great projector for different settings
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Posted . Owned for 3 weeks when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
The Epson EX3280 is perfect for a portable, easy to set up, bright bulb projector. I use it in classrooms with low light & bright light. I'm usually projecting onto a random painted or fabric wall that is large enough for kids to see presentations. I've used it for about 2 weeks and love it so much more than my previous DELL projector. One thing I was mindful of when purchasing was the ease of navigating the different settings since I never know what my location will present. It's so simple. The shutdown and cool down are easy to save the bulb. Replacing projector bulbs is an expense to keep in mind.
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Clear picture
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Excellent
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Projector could be better if I can set it anywhere and still have a straight picture but overall, it’s an Excellent projector,and it has a clear picture, you can also set up colors and enhancements, sharpness etc.
I would recommend this to a friend
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
Perfect for Presentations
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
The Epson EX3280 is well suited for the work or the home office. The package included a power cord, remote control and handy carrying case. I followed the quick setup guide and had the projector up and running in less than 5 minutes. I connected it to my laptop and ran a couple of presentations.
The projector was bright enough for a fully lit room.
The remote control has all the features I need and has surprisingly long range from the projector.
E-Zoom and volume buttons were responsive and spaced apart well. The home button makes it easy to transition from presentation to presentation. I used a HDMI cable to connect and the projection quality is very sharp, even at different angles.
I am looking forward to using the Epson EX3280 for home entertainment. I think if there is one thing I would improve about this projector, it would be to improve the speaker quality. I would like to be able to connect my surround sound, but not that important.
This is a review for the Epson EX3280 projector that I received free of charge to do a beta test and review.”
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Clear picture
Cons mentioned:
Sound quality
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
Great for art AND entertainment!
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Posted . Owned for 2 weeks when reviewed.
This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
We bought this (and another piece to connect wirelessly with my phone) to project large images for art and mural purposes. The picture is clear and bright on a white wall, even with sunlight filling the room, PERFECT for what I need to trace my small sketches on large canvases/walls. As a home entertainment piece, we’ve used it for watching shows and movies, and if you’re a sound junkie, you’re gonna want more than the built in speaker it comes with. It’s loud enough for sure, but the quality can be greatly improved with some additional speakers. I wish it came with a wireless connection feature already built in so we didn’t have to buy a separate piece (we bought a Google Chromecast $50) but essentially, this is an additional monitor/screen, not quite an all in one computer, with awesome picture quality and size. We love it and it’s a major part of the setup I needed originally for art! (You might need and extension cord too, depending on where you set it up. Also, once it’s going, sudden movements or tilting it dramatically will make it shut off and restart. It likes its balance.)
I would recommend this to a friend
Pros mentioned:
Brightness
Rated 3 out of 5 stars
Good for General presentation Not good for Tech
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This reviewer received promo considerations or sweepstakes entry for writing a review.
Overall a good projector. Small, lightweight, and easy to use.
Setup was a snap. Plug and play for HDMI PC windows 10 based. I even tried USB and it was pretty seamless with installation. Came with power cord, remote, and soft carrying case. On board controls were easy to use. Focus was easy to use.
So here is the rub. Quality for generic presentation material is fine. But when it comes to technical presentation like using AutoCAD it did not have the resolution to display what I needed.
Video conferencing there was no lag. Sound on the built in speaker was fine. Not high quality but got the job done.
Super bright. Works in lit up room during sunny day. So lumen output was great.
If you are using this for marketing it will do fine. But if you are using for technical it won't work for you. I gave it 3 stars because not did not support my industry but it will support general marketing and not technical industries.