I’ve spent about three weeks testing the XGIMI Horizon Ultra in my living room with a 120-inch screen.
Throughout the testing period, I was constantly stunned by the projector’s quality and ease of use.
But there are a few things that I dislike about this projector.
And because of its awkward size and weight, it may be a non-starter for some customers.
The Horizon Ultra is XGIMI’s flagship home projector.
It’s a big fat box, obviously, but it looks like a futuristic radio.
As for actual build quality, the XGIMI Horizon Ultra feels quite nice.
The plastic chassis has a pleasant texture, and the video ports aren’t loose or wobbly.
The external power supply also offsets some of this projector’s heat.
Andrew Heinzman / How-To Geek
It’s comfortable to use in a small room, and more importantly, its fans are extremely quiet.
You won’t find yourself cranking up the volume to hide the fan noise.
The projector’s motorized lens cover is also a nice touch.
The Horizon Ultra is XGIMI’s flagship home projector. It features an impressive 2,300 lumens ISO brightness, plus a 4K 60Hz resolution with a minimum 18ms input latency. Not to mention, Horizon Ultra makes ample use of XGIMI’s excellent auto-framing technology, and it offers optical zoom for fine-tuning your image without a loss in quality. This is an enthusiast projector, though its large footprint and weight are best suited for placement on a coffee table, a strong tripod, or a bookshelf.
And because the motor is silent, it isn’t annoying.
I see the purpose of this feature, but I’m on the fence about it.
Also, there aren’t any buttons on the projector itself.
The Horizon Ultra is XGIMI’s flagship home projector. It features an impressive 2,300 lumens ISO brightness, plus a 4K 60Hz resolution with a minimum 18ms input latency. Not to mention, Horizon Ultra makes ample use of XGIMI’s excellent auto-framing technology, and it offers optical zoom for fine-tuning your image without a loss in quality. This is an enthusiast projector, though its large footprint and weight are best suited for placement on a coffee table, a strong tripod, or a bookshelf.
There’s just a power button.
Outrageous Image Quality and Brightness
The XGIMI Horizon Ultra puts a lot of movie theaters to shame.
Its image quality is jaw-droppingly good, with excellent sharpness, vibrant color, and surprisingly detailed contrast.
Andrew Heinzman / How-To Geek
The 4K resolution obviously contributes to this quality, as does the maximum 2,300 ISO lumens of brightness.
The picture quality is extremely vibrant, yet it doesn’t look artificial or over-saturated.
(I apologize for using my smartphone to shoot the photos shown above.
Andrew Heinzman / How-To Geek
Photos shot on my DSLR looked terrible, presumably because I couldn’t find the right shutter speed.
Anyway, most of these sample images were shot with some ambient lighting.
hey expand the photos to see them at a higher quality.)
Andrew Heinzman / How-To Geek
Horizon Ultra is also decently good at handling contrast, at least when compared to previous XGIMI projectors.
There’s a fair amount of detail in the blacks and grays.
If you want to watch movies with amazingly detailed contrast,buy an OLED TV.
Andrew Heinzman / How-To Geek
(For those wondering about the HDR functionalitywell, projectorsdon’t support HDRin the same way that TVs do.
Projectors don’t have local dimming zones!)
you’re able to read a long and detailedexplanation of “Dual Light” projectionat XGIMI’s website.
Andrew Heinzman / How-To Geek
Oh, and in case you’re wondering, the Horizon Ultra is a solid choice for gaming.
But the XGIMI Horizon Ultra does most of the work for you.
Also, unlike previous Horizon models, the Horizon Ultra offers optical zoom.
Andrew Heinzman / How-To Geek
(Other projectors use digital zoom, which can noticeably reduce picture quality.)
Of course, Horizon Ultra allows you to make fine adjustments on top of the auto-setup process.
But even with a nearly automatic setup process, finding a good location for this projector can be difficult.
But this placement wasn’t ideal for me.
To my surprise, this odd placement didn’t have any major effect on the video quality.
But the remote is a bit too thin and flat.
And the buttons aren’t backlit.
I’ve got just one last complaint about the remotereplacements cost $65.
But this is a projector that’s made to sit on a coffee table.
Many customers will use the Horizon Ultra for parties, film classes, and summer camps.
Yes, you could control this projector with the Android TV app on a smartphone.
An Xbox controller or some other Bluetooth gamepad will also work, though with some limitations.
In my testing, Android TV worked almost flawlessly and felt very responsive.
I’m sure that most people will appreciate its inclusion in this projector.
(If it’s possible for you to’t tell, I really miss"dumb" TVs.)
Also, for some reason, XGIMI projectors cannot plant the Netflix app through Google Play.
I also dislike the fact that XGIMI’s workaround relies on athird-party app.
But I’m willing to make an exception for the Horizon Ultra.
I’m also impressed by how loud the Horizon Ultra’s speakers can get.
The built-in speakers should also fare well outdoors, so long as you’re relatively close to the projector.
That said, external speakers will greatly enhance your experience with this projector.
Even a cheapsoundbar and subwoofer combois a noticeable upgrade over the Horizon Ultra’s built-in speakers.
(Using a Bluetooth speaker while gaming will introduce unavoidable audio latency.
If you want to game with external speakers, a wired connection.
Should You Buy the XGIMI Horizon Ultra?
TheXGIMI Horizon Ultracarries a $1,700 price tag.
This pricing certainly lines up with theBenQ TK700STiand other super-bright 4K projectors.
But it’s still a ton of money.
That said, there’s always the old adage of “buy once, cry once.”
Not to mention, this is a laser projector.
Just know that this is a long-throw projector.
