XGIMI Horizon Ultra Review: A 4K Projector with Dolby Vision Support
XGIMI has sent me their newest laser + LED projector: XGIMI Horizon Ultra. The word that comes to mind to describe my first impression is perfect. It is an advanced and high-end projector that we will test today. According to XGIMI, the projector is going to nail the perfect balance between performance, features, brightness, and price.
So, here is my thorough inspection to find out if it is as good as XGIMI promises.
Let’s Inspect!
Summary
Pros
- Bright light source
- Intelligent ISA 3.0 technology
- Supports Dolby Vision, HLG, and HDR 10 formats
- Ample port selection
- Unbelievable Price
Cons
- You need a mouse to run Netflix
XGIMI Horizon Ultra – Price
XGIMI is supposed to replicate the performance of high-end laser projectors at just 1699$. At this price point, we have multiple competitors like BenQ’s X3000i and similar products from Epson. Moreover, the previous generation Horizon Pro is available at 1100$, so it is a big step up. Let’s see how the performance differs.
XGIMI Horizon Ultra – Unboxing
Unboxing is quite remarkable; XGIMI has put great emphasis on delivering the product safely. Mine was packed in three boxes, and the last one had bubble wrap protection to prevent any damage to the product.
The main packaging is excellent, on top, we have the user manual, and then we have the XGIMI Horizon Ultra. It feels good, and have arrived safely. The rest of the contents include a big power brick and the remote, which happened to be the same remote that comes with Horizon Pro.
Design and Construction
At first impression, you might wonder where the optics are; the front panel has a motorized shutter that keeps the optics protected from dust and damage. It’s a pretty nice addition, I think. Overall, it is a heavy projector that weighs over 5kg. It has a solid base that also acts as a vent for air. Taking the projector out of the box feels really premium; it is the kind of feeling that you get from very few devices.
It has a beautiful misty gold color. The flow cover has fabric, and the rest of the projector is covered with genuine Nappa leather that is water, oil, and dust-resistant.
The port selection is also great. It has 2 HDMI, 2USB Type-C, 1 LAN, a headphone, and one optical output port. It has ample port selection to connect various devices like speakers, Play Station, game controllers, etc.
The power brick with XGIMI Horizon Ultra is not an average black brick. It is the same color as the projector and has an excellent finish. Moreover, the remote also looks good; although I would have loved to see a dedicated Netflix and YouTube button, it is pretty functional.
Technical Specifications
- Display Technology: Dual Light DLP 0.47 DMD
- Resolution: 3840 x 2160 pixels
- Projected Size: Up to 200-inch
- Brightness: 2300 ISO Lumens
- Light Source Life: 25000 hours
- Speakers: Two 12W Harman Kardon Speakers
- Focus Adjustment: Yes, Automatic
- Keystone Correction: Yes, Automatic
- Memory: 2GB + 322GB
- OS: Android TV 11.0
- Weight: 5.2kg
- Ports: 2 x HDMI, 2 x USB, 1 x LAN, 1 x 3.5mm Headphone jack, 1 x Optical Output
- Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.2/BLE, Dual-band Wi-Fi 6 2.4/5GHz
Setup and Installation
The setup is quite simple; you can put it on a table, and it will stay very stable thanks to its extensive base. The projector also has a ¼ mount to attack it to stands and tripos; it is another convenient method to set up XGIMI Horizon Ultra.
Then, just connect the power supply, and you are good to go. Account setup is also straightforward as the operating system is Android TV. You can speed up the process if you have your smartphone around. From this point, it’s primarily up to you and your subscriptions. If you want YouTube, it will run in 4K; the same goes with Amazon Prime and HBO. Netflix is not available right now, but you can use a TV stick or box to run Netflix.
XGIMI Horizon Ultra – Performance
The video looks excellent; a combination of LED and Laser works perfectly well, displaying lifelike visuals with great colors, contrast, and sharpness. The video even looks good in a bright room. It does not appear pale and works well, which shows the clear difference between 300ANSI Lumens and 2300 ISO Lumens. It achieves a comfortable natural spectrum, ultra-high brightness, and a huge color gamut with exceptional color accuracy.
One of the reasons for excellent color accuracy is the Dolby Vision certification. If it is one of the few 4K projectors that support this experience, you can try a lot of Dolby Vision graded content through the Apple TV app.
Moreover, XGIMI has added a lot of options to fine-tune the video quality, brightness level, and other metrics.
Being an Android TV-based projector, it also has extras like Chromecast and Airplay, allowing you to project content through your Android and iOS smartphones.
Distortion and Keystone Correction
XGIMI Horizon Ultra has an ISA 3.0 technology that includes auto keystone correction, autofocus, screen alignment, obstacle avoidance, eye protection, and wall color adaption. Keystone correction immediately kicks in as soon as the projector is moved. It takes no more than a second to correct the angle.
Moreover, eye protection immediately lowers the brightness as soon as something moves in front of the light source.
Gaming on XGIMI Horizon Ultra
XGIMI Horizon Ultra has a very low latency for a projector. At just 18ms, it is a great gaming device. The projector is a mini-PC with 2GB RAM and 32GB storage, but the specs are incapable of heavy games. You can play some mobile games by downloading them through the Play Store, but computer games are challenging to run.
But here’s a thing: You can connect your Play Station, laptop, or PC via HDMI to play your favorite games. The graphics look great, and the experience is quite smooth.
Speakers Performance
The projector has solid 2 x 12W Harman Kardon speakers. A solid 50% increment over the previous generation.
The projector’s fan noise is also very low at 28dB from a meter distance; it is hard to sense any noise.
For better video and audio analysis, watch our YouTube video.
Drawbacks
- Using Netflix requires a mouse
- The remote control does not have a backlight
Conclusion
XGIMI Horizon Ultra is close to perfection. It checks all the boxes for a great projector. It supports 4K, has continuous autofocus, keystone correction, screen adaption, super right LED and laser-backed light source, low latency, beautiful design, and Dolby vision certification at the price of maxed out iPhone. The projector is definitely worth buying.
