Joined in 2023 
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63 About this deal
The built is speakers are great but I'm using with a full 5.2.1 system and Apple TV. So have no need for the apps or speakers. I can see how that would be useful for those that want to move it around. Another clutter-free aspect of this projector (but perhaps not in an ideal way) is the minimalist remote, which arguably reduces the button count too far. The remote features navigation controls for the Android TV system, access to the Google Assistant, as well as buttons to control the volume level and settings – that’s your lot. There’s no direct access to switch between HDMI inputs, picture modes or shortcuts to access streaming services. It's barebones, to say the least. It's most happiest with 4k content, watching Top Gun in HD exposes its flaws in handling lower quality content. It's not bad but not good either If you use the Xgimi with extensive key stone you get a slanting light outline several ft around the image. This is natural to DLP so cannot be removed and Xgimi don't provide a shutter restriction to counter this. I've got used to it. Xgimi says this combination delivers a wider color gamut (range of colors) than LEDs provide by themselves—a rated 99.9% of the Rec.709 standard for HDTV and 95.5% of the DCI-P3 standard for the film industry—and is also less tiring on the eyes than a laser source by itself. But as someone who stares at laser-based projector images for hours at a time on a regular basis for testing, I have to point out that I've never felt the images were tiring to look at. The rated life for the hybrid light source is 25,000 hours.
The projector's autofocus feature is nothing short of magic. It saves me the hassle of manual adjustments and ensures that every image is razor-sharp and perfectly aligned. It's a small but invaluable convenience that enhances the overall viewing experience. Android TV means support for Google Assistant, which you can use via the voice remote. You can search for or launch apps, find new content and ask general questions, such as what the weather is like. Love this review. I am a pretty firm believer that XGimi is leading the way with their LED projectors and others are playing a bit of catch up. They are using LED modules that are delivering what was unheard of in terms of brightness just a few years ago. Even if it can't reach 2,200 lumens, a decently calibrated 1,100 lumens is plenty for a 120" or larger screen in a dark room. Maybe even a 150"+ screen after dark if you are okay with normal movie theater brightness. Every image mode out of the box is very blue, which causes magenta to be more of a purple. The closest to the target 6500K white point that the Horizon Pro gets (without adjusting the white balance) is in Custom image mode with color temperature set to warm, and it's still slightly blue at around 7000K. With my Calman calibration software from Portrait Displays, an X-rite i1 Pro 3 spectrophotometer, and a Murideo Six-G pattern generator, I was able to get the white balance to 6500K by using the RGB sliders that are available with a custom color temperature. My settings were Red 49, Blue 21, and Green 30, but only use those as a starting point and don't expect them to get the exact same results as product samples vary. The color temperature adjustment also fixed the magenta color point that, under all the other image settings, was far too purple (although it was still a little oversaturated, as was blue and red). Generally, the 2200 lumens brightness is good enough to watch during the day, where you can get around a 60-inch picture (you need to put the projector around 5ft away). This also means you can watch outside when the full sun has gone, starting at around a 30-inch picture. When it gets fully dark, you can go as big as the projector will allow (300 inches).The XGIMI HORIZON projector's versatility extends to its connectivity options. Hooking up devices via HDMI is a breeze, allowing me to pair it with my Apple HomePod for even greater convenience when using my iPhone and Plex. It's a testament to the projector's adaptability and compatibility. There’s no projector stand built in, so you’ll either need to prop up the projector to get the right angle, or you can use the thread-mount on its underside to attach it to a tripod. The latter is a good option, giving you an easy way to move and position the projector. There are four manual controls along the top of the projector: on/off, play/pause, volume up, and volume down. Featuring twin HDMI connections, two USBs and more, it’s easy to get all your components connected to the Horizon Pro. Dual-band wi-fi and Bluetooth are on hand for wireless casting and music streaming. You can even plug in your headphones or connect to your home cinema, using the 3.5mm and optical digital outputs. Although the 0.47-inch DMD has a native resolution of 1920 x 1080, the XGIMI Horizon can take a full 4K picture at 60Hz. It also supports HDR10 and HLG for HDR pictures.
Brightness. The brightest light mode on the XGIMI Horizon Pro is Performance, which I measured at 1,521 ANSI lumens in Movie image mode. It adds a distinctive green tint to the image. The Bright brightness setting is 78.8% that of Performance at 1,199 ANSI lumens. Standard, Eye Protection, and Custom all measured basically the same—around 74.5% of the brightness of Performance, or 1,133 ANSI lumens. Color and white brightness were virtually equal with color brightness only off by 1.45%. There are only four buttons on the top of the projector—power, volume up, volume down, and play—and aside from the power button their functionality isn't mentioned anywhere in the documentation that comes with the projector or found online. This reinforces the fact that the remote is an absolute necessity to control the Horizon. For the best viewing experience. we recommend using a projection size of 60-120 inches. Exceeding this range may affect the quality of your projected content. The display quality may vary based on product usage habits and environmental conditions. XGIMI has added two USB ports on the rear, which can be used for external storage, allowing you to watch films without the need for an internet connection.
Key Features
Input Lag. With a 1080p/60 Hz Leo Bodnar lag tester, the input lag in Game image mode on the Horizon Pro measured 34.6ms. This is a bit high for any sort of competitive gaming (things like Overwatch), but is fine for solo games like Spider-Man: Miles Morales. In all other image modes the input lag measured 118.1ms at 1080p/60Hz, which is far too high for gaming of any sort. The same is true for connection with a Bluetooth speaker as a sound output. Once paired, the projector remembers the most recent output setting (internal speakers vs Bluetooth external speaker) and automatically connects on startup. Finally, I haven’t yet gotten a solution from Xgimi about the issue I’ve mentioned. A representative replied saying they’d need some time. It does seem Xgimi is working on things. They released a FW update yesterday adding 3D functionality and bug fixes. Always nice to see active development. While we would appreciate a slightly greater spread of sound, the speakers themselves are reasonably loud and clear, with enough punch and weight behind them to provide an adequately cinematic-sounding experience. Plugging a soundbar using the eARC port does enhance the audio experience, but for occasional use, the built-in speakers are acceptable. Outputting at a super-bright 2200 ANSI, the Horizon Pro is one of the brightest projectors in its class. This means that rather than just being a night-time only projector, the Horizon Pro is just as happy with daytime viewing. Delivering consistently bright colours and sharp images, the Horizon Pro matches a TV for anytime viewing pleasure.
As with XGIMI’s other projectors, the Horizon runs Android TV natively, rather than a modified version of mobile Android. The benefit of this is a smoother interface that’s designed for use with the remote control, rather than a base OS that was built for touch use. I hope that XGimi follows suit with LG and adds eARC to one of those HDMI connections so that people can just use a speakerbar or a surround system and get ease of use (more or less) with high quality surround sound on a single cable connection. This should really be standard on all projectors at this point.
Performance
hours is the theoretical lifespan of the light source. The actual lifespan may vary due to differences in environmental conditions, product usage, and the mode selected. There’s a brightness strobing issue with certain movies. I’m seeing this on Criterion Channel and for now assuming it’s an interpolation issue. But it makes these movies unwatchable. Reached out to Xgimi, and will update when they reply. Much the same held true for the 4K HDR viewing tests when using HDR10 versions of the same movies on discs. However, the image didn't hold shadow detail as well with HDR10. Streamed material using Dolby Vision delivered what seemed to be much better shadow detail in challenging dark scenes. But because I didn't have the same movie to look at using Dolby Vision as I used for the SDR and HDR10 tests, I couldn't make a direct comparison. (Credit: Xgimi) Finally, while I love these Bluetooth remotes, my understanding is that XGimi doesn't offer any infrared options for control which can make using a universal remote control darn near impossible. They don't offer IP control either. So, you can't tie it into any existing remote controller that you may already own and MUST use the XGimi remote, which is really a sad oversight I think on their part.
The measured weight may vary based on configuration, manufacturing process, and measurement method. With a throw ratio of 1.2:1, you can achieve quite a big picture without having to place the Horizon too far from your display surface. Compatible with HDR10 and HLG formats, the Horizon Pro is the ideal projector for getting the best out of your movies, games and TV broadcasts. HDR10 and HLG deliver greater brightness and contrast, for a truly life-like picture. These technologies work seamlessly to deliver a more natural picture on the big screen. It is a bit glossed over in the review, but it is amazing how many people ask how they hook their projector up to a speaker bar. This simple setup to improve sound quality is almost always asked first: "I want to use Bluetooth" - So, it would be good to know if you can make a connection between a lifestyle projector and a BT receiver and if audio quality is decent and if there are lip sync issues as there often are. But, the fact this has digital optical audio output is something that should be standard on all home theater projectors. BenQ, Epson, and others are releasing variants with 'SMART' functionality, then not giving us any surround sound outputs from the projector. That seems crazy to me.This small cube of a projector is a magic box that makes the Epson look old fashioned. In a dark environment the projector works out it's position digitally zooms the picture in/out, focus and applies keystone. The resulting picture is the sharpest I have seen on a projector. It looks like you are looking at a glass pane in front of a 4k TV. For crisp, dynamic sound, built in, who better than audio experts Harman Kardon to deliver. Bespoke stereo speakers produce punchy and spacious sound. Combined with DTS Studio Sound Technology, you get an immersive surround sound effect for enveloping sound. The Autofocus has been flawless (when I trigger it manually, the automaticity triggered autofocus on startup was not great and I turned it off). I don’t use the keystone corrections or digital zoom, so no comment. XGIMI has used a non-replaceable LED lamp in the Horizon. Offering a lamp life of 25,000 hours, it means that even if you used this projector for eight hours per day, the unit will last for around eight and a half years. That’s not bad going. Conclusion
Great Deal 
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