Where they actually differ
The most decisive specs, ranked by how much they matter — before the full spec table.
| Spec | BenQ - W5800 | Epson - Home Cinema 3800 |
|---|---|---|
| Brightness | 2600 lm | 3000 lm |
| Light source | Laser | Lamp |
Between the W5800 and Home Cinema 3800, the W5800 comes out ahead in light source, while the Home Cinema 3800 wins on brightness. Overall, the W5800 scores 71.1 and the Home Cinema 3800 scores 74.3 on our Mars Score.
Which should you buy?
The Home Cinema 3800 edges ahead on the Mars Score (71.1 vs 74.3), but the 3.2-point gap is small enough that the right pick comes down to which spec advantages matter to you.
Pick the W5800 if you care most about light source. The biggest gaps in its favor are light source. The single most decisive one: Light source: Laser (vs Lamp).
Pick the Home Cinema 3800 if you care most about brightness. Its strongest claims are brightness. The single most decisive one: Brightness — 15.38% more. 3000 lm vs 2600 lm.
Both ship with comparable resolution, short-throw, so those specs do not separate the two — focus on the differences below.
Bottom line: there is no wrong answer here — match the spec advantages to how you actually use the product. The Mars Score parity says both are well-rounded; the differences are about trade-offs, not quality.
Which should you buy: BenQ - W5800 or Epson - Home Cinema 3800?
Epson - Home Cinema 3800 leads the current Mars Score by 3.2 points.The more useful decision is the trade-off behind that result: compare brightness, light source against the way you will actually use the product.
Choose BenQ - W5800 if…
BenQ - W5800 has the measurable edge on light source.
Choose Epson - Home Cinema 3800 if…
Epson - Home Cinema 3800 has the measurable edge on brightness lumens.
This is a structured comparison of the published catalog values. It is not a claim of identical real-world performance across every workload; use the linked spec drill-downs and methodology page to inspect the inputs.
Why BenQ - W5800 wins
- ▲Light source: Laser (vs Lamp).
Why Epson - Home Cinema 3800 wins
- ▲Brightness — 15.38% more. 3000 lm vs 2600 lm.
Spec comparison
Image
| Spec | BenQ - W5800 | Epson - Home Cinema 3800 |
|---|---|---|
| Resolutionⓘ | 4K | 4K |
| Brightnessⓘ | 2600 lm | 3000 lmlead |
| Contrast | 2000000:1 | 100000:1 |
| Light source | Laserlead | Lamp |
| Short-throw | false | false |
Smart & Connectivity
| Spec | BenQ - W5800 | Epson - Home Cinema 3800 |
|---|---|---|
| Smart OS | None | None |
| HDMI inputs | 2 | 2 |
| Built-in speakers | false | truelead |