The Quick Verdict
Get the BenQ AH500ST 1080P Short Throw Laser Golf Simulator Projector. It matches the AH700ST on almost everything a sim bay depends on: 4,000 lumens, 33.4 ms of input lag at 1080p 60Hz, a golf mode, and 4:3 and 1:1 among its stated screen shapes. It also lists at $1,999, $300 under the AH700ST at list, and it puts up a wider image from the same distance. The BenQ AH700ST 1080P Short Throw Laser Golf Simulator Projector (Ace) earns the extra money only if you need its zoom range to absorb a mount position you can't pin down, or if you want the lighter unit. Check price at The Indoor Golf Shop →
What They Have in Common
Both are native 1920x1080 at 16:9 and list 16:9, 16:10, 4:3 and 1:1 as stated aspect modes, so square and 4:3 impact screens are covered on paper for both. Both are rated at 4,000 lumens, though BenQ doesn't state a measurement standard for either. Both have 33.4 ms of lag and a golf mode, and both came out in 2024. They share a laser light source rated at 20,000 hours, the same 2D keystone, and no lens shift.
Where They Differ
Throw and image size
Image width is the throw distance divided by the throw ratio. The AH500ST has a fixed 0.499:1 lens, so from 10 ft back it puts up an image 20.0 ft wide. For a 10 ft wide image, it sits 5.0 ft from the screen. The AH700ST's lens runs from 0.69 to 0.83:1, so from 10 ft back the image is 12.0 ft to 14.5 ft wide. For a 10 ft wide image, it sits 6.9 ft–8.3 ft from the screen.
Both are short throw by the numbers. The AH500ST simply gets more width out of less distance. Before choosing, measure from where the lens will actually sit to the screen. Then divide that distance by each throw ratio and see which image width suits your screen.
Mounting slack
This is the real trade. The AH500ST has an optical zoom of 1, which means the mount position decides the image size and nothing else does. If the mount ends up somewhere other than planned, the only correction left is keystone, because there's no lens shift.
The AH700ST has a 1.2 optical zoom. For that same 10 ft wide image, it can sit anywhere in the 6.9 ft–8.3 ft range. That's a window to work in rather than a single spot to hit. Neither has lens shift, so on both projectors the keystone (±30 degrees vertical and horizontal) is the other adjustment available.
Weight and size
The AH700ST weighs 7.28 lbs against 11.2 lbs for the AH500ST, so it's 3.92 lbs lighter. It's also smaller, at 11.95 x 4.43 x 9.23 in versus 12.60 x 5.14 x 10.04 in. Check your mount's rated load against whichever one you pick.
Price
The AH500ST lists at $1,999 and the AH700ST at $2,299 MSRP, a $300 gap at list. Brightness, lag, golf mode, resolution and screen shapes are the same on paper. My read is that the $300 mostly buys the zoom range and the lighter, smaller body. The warranty is identical on both: "3 years parts and labor from purchase date (original retail purchaser), US".
Who Should Buy Which
Get the BenQ AH500ST if:
- The lens has to sit close to the screen. It needs only 5.0 ft for a 10 ft wide image, compared with 6.9 ft at the AH700ST's nearest zoom setting.
- You've measured exactly where the mount goes and want the widest image possible from that distance.
- You'd rather keep the $300 at list, since brightness, lag and golf mode are listed the same.
- You're running a square or 4:3 screen, which it lists among its stated modes just like the AH700ST.
Get the BenQ AH700ST if:
- The mount position isn't locked down yet. The zoom lets a 10 ft wide image come from anywhere between 6.9 ft and 8.3 ft.
- The projector has to sit further back than the AH500ST allows for your screen width. From 10 ft back, the AH500ST's image is 20.0 ft wide, while the AH700ST's is 12.0 ft to 14.5 ft.
- You care about weight, either for the mount or for handling it overhead during install. It weighs 7.28 lbs versus 11.2 lbs.
The Bottom Line
These two are close siblings: same resolution, same rated lumens, same 33.4 ms lag, same golf mode, same stated screen shapes, same warranty. The only things that separate them are the lens and the body. The AH500ST gets a wider image from closer in, but its fixed lens leaves no room for a misplaced mount. The AH700ST gives you a zoom window and drops 3.92 lbs, and it lists $300 higher. If you can measure your lens position once and mount it there, the cheaper projector gives up nothing on the spec sheet that matters for a sim.