XGIMI Horizon Ultra 4K Projector Review

I’ve beforehand reviewed the superb XGIMI Halo+ transportable projector and lots of different transportable choices from the likes of BenQ and Anker Nebula.

For bigger projectors, my expertise has been considerably restricted to low-cost Chinese language manufacturers like Yaber. The perfect bigger projector I’ve reviewed up to now is the Acer H6543BDK, which is a superb projector as a result of its large 4,500 ANSI Lumen ranking and comparatively reasonably priced £530 value level. Nonetheless, it makes use of a bulb with a restricted 4000-hour lamp life, making it extra expensive to run long-term.

The XGIMI Horizon Extremely is a special beast. It’s the flagship projector from XGIMI and claims to be the world’s first true 4K (3840 x 2160 pixels) lengthy throw projector. It makes use of a 0.47” DMD show chip utilizing DLP show know-how with a lamp lifetime of 25000h (which is over 1000 days of steady use).

It’s able to 2300 ISO Lumens, which is the equal of round 2900 ANSI lumens. It then helps HDR10, HLG, Dolby Imaginative and prescient HDR codecs.

It even has twin 12W Harmon/Kardon audio system, although that is clearly designed to be wired into a house theatre system, and it has an HDMI eARC port to benefit from superior audio codecs like Dolby Atmos.

As you’d anticipate, this isn’t an affordable projector. The RRP is £1750, however it’s repeatedly out there for £1650. Whereas that’s some huge cash, it appears to be fairly affordable for a 4K laser/LED projector with Dolby Imaginative and prescient.

Specification / Options

Lumens

One of many highlights of this projector is the brightness. At 2300 ISO Lumens, it has the equal brightness of 2900 ANSI lumens. This makes it considerably brighter than the favored transportable projectors. The Halo+ caps out at 700 ISO Lumens.

Whereas you will get desktop projectors with a excessive lumen output, these usually use a extra conventional lamp with a restricted lifespan of round 4,000 hours vs the 25,000 lamp life hours of this projector.

Moreover, projectors just like the Acer H6543BDK are restricted to 1080P decision.

The 2300 lumens brightness is excellent for a 4K laser projector. It’s sufficient to ship watchable image high quality even in some ambient gentle. Shadow particulars and distinction take a success in brighter rooms. However picture high quality excels when considered in darker house theatre areas.

Design

This can be a properly designed projector with a sexy rectangular form that blends into fashionable decor. The air flow grills have a particular scaled sample. Construct high quality feels premium, due to the aluminium alloy housing.

Wall mounting is feasible utilizing the usual screw holes or elective ceiling mount.

The ability pack may be very massive, and with the projector being fairly massive itself, I feel this can be a projector that’s finest suited to be arrange in a set place. Ceiling mounting could be the perfect possibility, for my part.

Set Up / Android

The Horizon Extremely runs Android TV, giving entry to all fashionable streaming apps. The interface is quick and responsive due to the quad-core CPU and highly effective IMG GE8300 GPU. Constructed-in Chromecast permits wi-fi streaming, which labored flawlessly in my testing.

My assessment pattern loaded into the Android interface with out the normal arrange process however you possibly can add a Google account simply sufficient by way of the settings.

Past that, the setup is straightforward with automated display screen alignment and focus. The lens shift vary of +/- 20% vertical and +/- 5% horizontal permits some flexibility in positioning.

Netflix / DRM

A standard challenge with most projectors which have Android built-in is restricted entry to premium streaming companies like Netflix.

Sadly, the identical is true for the XGIMI Horizon Extremely. At present, solely the Anker Nebula Mars 3 Air has built-in Netflix help.

You may sideload the app, however you can’t obtain 4K because of the DRM limitations of sideloading apps.

Different apps, similar to Disney Plus and HBO Max, work completely wonderful.

After all, you possibly can simply use a streaming gadget like a Hearth TV Stick 4K Max or Nvidia Defend. Whereas this isn’t ultimate, I really feel it’s much less of a difficulty with the XGIMI Horizon Extremely as it’s extra doubtless this will probably be mounted in place and wired into an AV system.

Picture High quality in a Effectively-Lit Room

In my house, I don’t have a devoted wall for a projector, and the wall I venture onto is a biscuit brown color. I tried to make use of an affordable projector display screen to check this with, however the creased materials made it look worse.  The outcomes on the colored wall ended up being higher.

With ambient gentle current, the Horizon Extremely can nonetheless produce a watchable image, and the efficiency is considerably higher than that of small and extra reasonably priced transportable projectors.

After all, picture high quality is much from good. The shadow particulars and distinction take a noticeable hit. Vibrant scenes look respectable, however darker sequences lose influence. The picture additionally seems a bit washed out.

The projector has a turbo gentle mode that makes use of optical zoom to scale back the picture measurement and enhance the brightness. This may be efficient and is an appropriate various if you happen to don’t have a TV in its place.

I’d advocate limiting ambient gentle as a lot as doable. Mild from home windows might be difficult for any projector. However the Horizon Extremely remains to be watchable in reasonable ambient gentle, which is spectacular given the excessive decision and brightness.

Picture High quality in a Dimly Lit Room

In a dim room with little ambient gentle, the Horizon Extremely delivers glorious 4K picture high quality with good sharpness, correct colors, and good distinction. HDR content material seems nice, with vibrant highlights in supported content material. Shadow particulars may very well be higher, however the image has good depth total.

The fan noise is well-controlled, and the sunshine output may be very uniform with no indicators of laser speckle, which might have an effect on some laser projectors.

Total, the Horizon produces a clear and detailed 4K picture in dimmer house theatre areas, and I feel that is the place it actually excels. I’d say the picture high quality isn’t that far off what you obtain in a darkish room. All that you must do is shut your blinds/curtains, and you’ll obtain glorious outcomes that make it a viable possibility over a TV.  You are able to do the identical with transportable projectors, but when there may be any ambient gentle in any respect, the picture shortly washes out.

Picture High quality in a Darkish Room

In a totally darkish room, the Horizon Extremely reveals its full potential with very good 4K readability and high-quality HDR. Colors are vibrant and correct when utilizing the Cinema or HDR image modes. Distinction seems glorious with deep blacks, though shadow particulars are nonetheless a bit missing in comparison with premium 4K TVs.

The Horizon Extremely delivers a cinematic projection expertise in a darkish theatre room. It’s nonetheless restricted in comparison with self-emissive OLED TVs, however this is likely one of the finest 4K laser projectors I’ve seen when it comes to sharpness, color accuracy and distinction.

Sound High quality & Fan Noise

The built-in twin 12W Harmon Kardon audio system sound respectable however lack bass, which is typical for projectors.

As a result of measurement and value of this projector, I’m not certain why you’ll need to use the built-in audio system regularly, however it may be helpful for infrequent use.

One factor that stood out to me was the fan noise. That is significantly quieter than transportable projectors and low-cost desktop projectors. Whilst you can usually drown out the noise with audio system, I discover any kind of fan noise fairly distracting when making an attempt to observe TV, and subsequently, the expertise with this projector is a lot better.

Worth and Different Choices

The XGIMI Horizon Extremely has an RRP of £1,749, and you’ll usually get it for £1,649.

Different choices from XGIMI embody:

• XGIMI Aura 4K UHD Extremely Quick Throw for round £1870. That is 1800 ISO Lumens, however it advantages from being an ultra-short throw, permitting you to put it simply 30cm/11.7” away from any wall.
• XGIMI Horizon Professional 4K is extra reasonably priced at simply £1130 however 1500 ISO Lumens.

For various manufacturers, it’s tough to discover a like-for-like various.

The Hisense PX1 Professional seems to be a superb possibility, as it’s one other ultra-short by way of projector. That is 4K with 2200 lumens brightness, Dolby Imaginative and prescient help and an affordable value of £1800.

For the ultra-short throw choices, you may be restricted to round 130-inch screens, whereas lengthy throw can go as much as 200-inches.

Most 4K lengthy throw projectors value effectively over £2000. The Epson EH-TW7000 is round £1400, however it makes use of a lamp with a brief 3500-hour life. Equally, the BenQ TK860 and W2710 each have a brief 4000-hour life.

The Epson EH-LS11000W makes use of a laser, however even that has a restricted lamp lifetime of simply 5,000 hours and prices over £3000.

The Dangbei Mars Professional 4K Projector is the most effective various I can discover. It has the identical measurement DMD chip, 30,000 hours gentle supply lifespan, and 4K with a claimed 3200 ANSI lumens. The draw back is that it lacks optical zoom and has a set offset. It is usually restricted to HDR10, HLG and makes use of Dangbei Sensible OS moderately than Android. Nonetheless, it’s attractively priced at round £1500 RRP, however on the time of writing, there was a £300 voucher out there.

Total

The XGIMI Horizon Extremely is a powerful all-in-one 4K laser projector that excels in house theatre use. It delivers very good image high quality in darker rooms, together with sensible TV options and versatile placement. HDR content material seems glorious, and it could even produce watchable pictures in reasonable ambient gentle.

Quick-throw projectors are maybe probably the most interesting various as you will get them for the same value level, and they are often positioned near your wall.

You may also choose up 85-inch 4K HDR TVs for the same value level. The 86-inch LG 86QNED816RE is simply £1800, although it lacks Dolby Imaginative and prescient. The 75-inch full array Sony KD75X85LU is £1500 and options DV.

Nonetheless, in case you are on the lookout for a display screen measurement above 100-inches, then a projector is your solely possibility.

In the end, the Horizon Extremely stands out as among the best choices on this class due to its sharp 4K high quality and brilliant, vibrant efficiency that may fill a big display screen in model whereas additionally having a really lengthy lamp time.

I’m James, a UK-based tech fanatic and the Editor and Proprietor of Mighty Gadget, which I’ve proudly run since 2007. Obsessed with all issues know-how, my experience spans from computer systems and networking to cellular, wearables, and sensible house units.

As a health fanatic who loves operating and biking, I even have a eager curiosity in fitness-related know-how, and I take each alternative to cowl this area of interest on my weblog. My numerous pursuits permit me to carry a singular perspective to tech running a blog, merging life-style, health, and the newest tech tendencies.

In my educational pursuits, I earned a BSc in Info Techniques Design from UCLAN, earlier than advancing my studying with a Grasp’s Diploma in Computing. This superior research additionally included Cisco CCNA accreditation, additional demonstrating my dedication to understanding and staying forward of the know-how curve.

I’m proud to share that Vuelio has constantly ranked Mighty Gadget as one of many high know-how blogs within the UK. With my dedication to know-how and drive to share my insights, I purpose to proceed offering my readers with partaking and informative content material.