The XGIMI Horizon Ultra is an outstanding projector, balancing superb build quality with an intuitive user interface. It stands out for its easy-to-navigate interface and well-thought-out design, a stark contrast to the complexities often encountered with other projectors. Connection options are abundant and straightforward, enhancing its user-friendliness and making it an ideal option for clubs, talks, education and other events where there isn’t access to a fixed projector.
Audio performance is top-notch, complementing its excellent projection quality, which caters well to mainstream TV and films. The colour accuracy and intelligent screen alignment significantly reduce setup hassles and enable you to project onto surface colours that would usually be an absolute no. Its impressive brightness makes it suitable for both shaded and typical light conditions, so it is great if you are running a talk and can’t control the environment in a location. Ultimately, this projector is a valuable asset for photographers, filmmakers, photography clubs, and home entertainment enthusiasts alike.
For
Superior Dolby Vision HDR.
Smart picture adjustments.
Compact, premium design.
Against
Expensive compared to some 4K projectors
What is the XGIMI Horizon Ultra?
The XGIMI Horizon Ultra is a high-end 4K smart projector designed for standalone use with Android TV 11 installed. It can be connected directly to the HDMI port of your camera, laptop or any other supported HDMI device. This 4K projector is primarily aimed at enthusiasts in photography and videography, as well as amateur filmmakers, educators or anyone looking for the latest cutting-edge home entertainment system.
While there are other 4K projectors in this price bracket, the Horizon Ultra stands out as it comes equipped with Dolby Vision HDR support, intelligent screen alignment, and various connectivity options, including USB ports alongside the standard HDMI, making it suitable for displaying high-resolution images and films.
While most projectors are simple to use, the Horizon Ultra takes things a step further by handling most of the complex setup procedures automatically, such as focus and alignment. This makes it ideal if you need to travel with the projector for screenings and workshops, as well as home cinema and gaming. Well, why not?
The XGIMI Horizon Ultra projector is a stylish blend of form and function and is perfectly suited for the modern home as part of a high-end entertainment system. However, the quality of the build and features also means that a reasonably priced professional projector will suit most photographers and videographers looking for a high-quality, bright projector for presentations, talks and a lot more.
The relatively compact size and standard connectors make it instantly appealing both in aesthetics and function. There are certain features, such as the faux leather covering and aluminium accents, which are definitely designed for the home user and give the projector a premium feel.
However, this premium quality should ensure that it can withstand being moved from location to location, although some of the shine might start to wear relatively quickly.
One of the features that will appeal to general users is the inclusion of the Android TV 11 interface, which is supported by a fully featured remote control. The application of Android TV is excellent and seamless, so anyone just looking for a no-fuss, high-quality projector will be impressed.
When it comes to professional use and presentations, this long-throw projector doesn’t quite have the convenience of a short throw. However, with the autofocus and auto-keystone correction, it’s still incredibly easy to use. The fact that it is a long throw also gives it a more traditional appeal, which is especially good if your screen is a short film.
What also works incredibly well is the connectivity options that enable you to hook in a media player, camera, or laptop to assist with presentations. Connection is as simple as plugging an HDMI cable into the back and selecting the correct input from the options using the remote.
Whether you’re after a projector that will just sit there in the home or travel with you to events and presentations, the Horizon Ultra 4K is a stylish choice, although maybe a little too stylish.
Features
The XGIMI Horizon Ultra features Dual Light (LED+Laser) technology and a 0.47″ DLP display chip that enables the delivery of high-resolution visuals, which are obviously great for home entertainment but also image and film projection. Compared to other small projectors, the brightness at 2300 ISO Lumens enables a decent image without needing to block out ambient light fully. However, as always, lower light conditions will improve the projection quality.
For home entertainment, there’s a host of exciting features, such as compatibility with HDR formats, including HDR10, HLG, and Dolby Vision, which brings cinematic depth and vibrancy to the viewing experience. Supporting the cinematic look is the powerful 2 x 12W Harman/Kardon sound system, which again can support a range of professional audio technologies like DTS-HD, DTS-Studio Sound, and various Dolby formats. All good for watching the latest movies
For gamers, the projector offers a low latency mode with less than 18 delays, making it a suitable choice for fast-paced gaming. The connectivity options are abundant, with Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.2, HDMI, and USB ports, providing flexibility for various multimedia connections.
The movie and games projection should help you rationalise buying a nearly £2000 projector to show off your images and video productions, and compared with many of the professional options out there, this 4K projector competes on price incredibly well.
What’s more, because of the audience that it’s aimed at, the Horizon Ultra runs on Android TV 11.0, giving users access to all the usual streaming services and apps.
When it comes to projection, this model is highly versatile, offering a throw ratio of 1.2-1.5:1 and the ability to project images ranging from 40″ to 200″ in size. This makes it ideal for home use but also for projecting down at the local hall, in meetings and within educational environments, which is how the projector was tested in this review.
In terms of physical build, the projector is relatively portable, measuring 265 x 224 x 170mm and weighing 5.2kg. The general operation is quiet, with a noise level of less than 28dB at 1 meter, ensuring that it doesn’t distract from a film, game or presentation. Another feature that’s worth pointing out is that the power draw is just less than 300W so that it can be run from a small power station like the Bluetti AC60.
When it comes to the colour, the Horizon Ultra holds SGS Certification. It features intelligent wall colour adaptation technology, which auto-calibrates the picture based on the colour of the wall it’s being projected on. This one feature makes the Horizon Ultra 4K stand out against almost every other projector out there, making it a great solution as you can project almost anywhere easily and with great colour representation, even if the projection surface you’re using is off-white.
Performance
The XGIMI Horizon Ultra projector offers a well-balanced blend of innovative features and user-friendly functionality that’s hard to dispute. The ease of setup is a standout feature. You simply set it down and switch it on, and the projector springs to life, with its auto-focus and auto-keystoning features promptly engaging to ensure the image is both focused and correctly aligned. This immediate adjustment to its environment, including the ability to recognise and scale around obstructions, streamlines the setup process.
During testing, the auto-focus proved to be both fast and effective. However, it’s the intelligent screen adaptation that really stands out. This feature dynamically adjusts the size and shape of the projection to fit the designated space, saving a considerable amount of time and effort that would otherwise be spent on manual adjustments. While the feature is good, there were some occasions where a little manual adjustment was needed. When this was needed, accessing the manual adjustment tools was quick and easy and offered a level of adjustment beyond many other projectors.
One aspect that I found less beneficial, especially during presentations, was the intelligent eye protection. This feature, designed to reduce projector brightness when someone walks close to it, can become somewhat disruptive over time. Thankfully, like many of the projector’s features, it can be easily turned off if found unnecessary.
The integration of connection ports enables straightforward connectivity with laptops and cameras via HDMI. Additionally, the inclusion of Android TV 11 enhances its functionality significantly, granting easy access to platforms like YouTube, Vimeo, and Amazon Prime for screening films and content. During my tests, screening the film “Rewilding” from Amazon Prime demonstrated the projector’s exceptional ability to handle high-quality video content backed by a surprisingly good speaker system.
Image projection for slideshows revealed the impressive colour depth and contrast. A feature I need to highlight is how the projector adapted its colours to the surface it was projecting on. In one instance, projecting directly onto a light apple green wall, the projector adjusted its colours to maintain a balanced and natural appearance. This feature can be invaluable in locations where a standard projection screen isn’t feasible.
The final part of my test involved connecting the projector to a camera for live projection, a setup particularly useful in educational settings. The impact of coupling the Horizon Ultra with the HollyLand Cosmo C1 was immediate and impressive. The projector handled the 1080p transmitted image from a Sony A7 IV camera with remarkable ease, offering students a high-quality, live view of the camera’s perspective. This functionality was particularly effective in a studio setting, where the projector seamlessly operated even in partially shadowed conditions, thanks to its adaptability and high-quality light output.
Overall, the XGIMI Horizon Ultra stands out as one of the most solid-performing projectors I’ve had the opportunity to review and use. While its aesthetics may be a bit bold for some, particularly photographers and videographers in workshop or presentation settings, the sheer quality of its performance in various aspects—from image quality to ease of use—makes it an exceptional choice for a wide range of applications.
Final Thoughts
The XGIMI Horizon Ultra is really designed as a stylish, high-quality home projector for entertainment and gaming. However, the features also mean that it’s an ideal solution for professionals in photography, videography, and education.
The intelligent screen adaptation technology and the ability to project onto various coloured surfaces without losing colour fidelity are standout features and why this projector should find appeal beyond simple home use. These capabilities not only make it easier to set up in diverse environments but also ensure that the image quality is consistently high, regardless of the backdrop.
If you do want to use this for home entertainment, then the integration of Android TV 11 is essential, and its integration here is absolutely seamless. When you do move out and start to use the projector with various devices like laptops and cameras, that’s when this projector, its connectivity, its brightness, and auto-configuration features all lend themselves to professional use.
In educational settings, the projector’s versatility and excellent image quality make it a powerful tool for enhancing teaching. The ability to connect it directly to a camera for live projection offers greater immersion.
The XGIMI Horizon Ultra is designed for home use, but it also lends itself to being used professionally. Either way, this projector is outstanding and really doesn’t fail to impress however you use it.
