XGIMI Horizon Ultra 4K Hybrid LED/Laser Projector Review

While the Horizon Ultra is feature-packed, it is surprisingly compact. It measures approximately 9” high x 7” wide x 10 ½” deep and weighs 11.5 pounds. While the projector is small, be advised that it ships with a large external power supply. Since the power supply must be located within five feet of the projector, it must be considered when determining placement. 

The projector’s Intelligent Screen Adaption camera is next to the projector lens. A motorized lens cover slides up to protect the lens when the projector is powered off.  The Harman/Kardon speakers and air intake vent are also located on the front of the unit. 

All the connections are also located on the back of the chassis below the air outlet vent. The unit includes two 18 Gbps HDMI 2.0b inputs, and one of the inputs supports eARC (enhanced Audio Return Channel).

The unit has no control panel, so you need the remote to operate the projector. The XGIMI Horizon Ultra remote is made of aluminum and feels great. The remote has the buttons needed for most everyday operations, including power on/off, settings shortcut, Google Assistant voice control, D-Pad, select, back, menu, home, and volume. The Google Assistant button is the only colored button on the remote. It is used for voice control of the projector and compatible 3rd party Internet of Things (IoT) devices via the Android TV and Google Assistant.

The optical system utilized in the Horizon Ultra is quite advanced for a projector that retails just $1699. It is also one on the reason why the unit delivers class-leading install flexibility and picture quality. 

The Horizon Ultra includes Android TV 11, so you have access to a wide range of streaming apps and games. While the projector supports Netflix, it needs to be side loaded because it is not visible in the App Store. XGIMI provides simple and easy to follow installation instructions in the box and only took 5 minutes to get Netflix up and running.

However, the internal streaming version only supported 1080P SDR. If you desire to watch content in 4K or HDR probably need to resort to an external streaming player like at Apple TV. I will note that the apps for other popular services like Disney+ and Amazon Video support 4K, HDR as well as Dolby Vision.

Unlike several Android TV based projectors, the XGIMI includes several calibration adjustments including RGB balance, CMS and Gamma. However, these picture settings are only available when the Horizon Ultra is set to its CUSTOM preset picture mode.

Delta E measurement of 3 or less is considered ‘Excellent’ and imperceptible by the human eye.  Before calibration, the Horizon Ultra average grayscale dE measured just 1.7, so there really isn't any need to utilize the projector's RGB Balance adjustments. The average pre-calibration Color Tracking dE was just 3.3, which is also very good. After CMS adjustment, the average Color Tracking dE dropped to just 0.67, which is outstanding.

The projector offers several HDR preset picture modes, and like SDR, the most accurate is MOVIE. When set to the CUSTOM picture mode, there are several picture adjustment settings available but many of them are shared between SDR and HDR. I measured the HDR Grayscale in HDR CUSTOM mode with out making any additional adjustments. 

When viewing Dolby Vision, the two preset modes (DOLBY BRIGHT, DOLBY DARK) cannot be modified but there is a DOLBLY VISION CUSTOM picture mode that offers a single-point RGB grayscale adjustment. When I switched the Horizon Ultra to DOLBY VISION CUSTOM and made some minor adjustments to the RGB balance. I was able to achieve excellent white balance as well.

The Horizon Ultra’s native contrast and black levels are comparable to other 4K DLP projectors that utilize a 0.47-inch DMD. However, the Horizon Ultra cannot match the native contrast and deep black levels of more expensive 3LCD & LCOS-based projectors. 

The Horizon Ultra is equipped with a Dynamic iris. Normally, a Dynamic Iris opens and closes based on the scene's brightness. However, the iris in this Horizon Ultra automatically adjusts based on the ambient light in the room. While closing the iris reduces the projector's light output, it improves black levels when viewed in a dark environment. Opening the IRS fully maximizes the projector's light output in rooms with ambient light where deep black levels are not as important.

The iris basically shifts the projector's contrast ratio up and down maximizing the projector's image quality in both bright and dark rooms. When the Environmental Adaption is engaged, the iris will adjust automatically, however, the iris can also be adjusted manually.

Above are screenshots of a variety of videos and movies. Like all our photos, they remain unadjusted for color, so they do not look as good as what the projector actually produced. All of the HD and 4K images were taken with the Horizon. It is CUSTOM mode with High Color Accuracy setting engaged.

Since most live broadcasted content and TV shows will continue to be produced in HD for years to come, good 4K upscaling is still critical. The Horizon Ultra did a good job upscaling 720p or 1080p content to 4K.

The Horizon Ultra is equipped with MEMC frame interpolation technology.  During motion testing I saw motion artifacts any time the Horizon Ultra's Motion Compensation was set to MEDIUM or STRONG. However, leaving the Motion Compensation in OFF or WEAK allowed for a flutter-free image.

I did not have a pair of XGIMI's 3D glasses to test the unit's 3D performance. The Horizon Pro utilizes the DLP cinema-grade (active shutter 3D imaging) technology which should deliver a good with XGIMI's active shutter 3D glasses.

When I first received the Horizon Ultra, I was incredibly impressed with its picture quality. While after the firmware update, the image still looked good, most of the picture modes were nowhere near as accurate.

I know that consumer research shows that the warm look of an accurate image (6500K) does not appeal to average consumers who often prefer cooler (blueish) looking images. However, one of the main selling features of the Horizon Ultra is that the Dual Light source can deliver amazing color accuracy.

The Dual Light source can deliver equal Red/Green and Blue light which is difficult/impossible to achieve with other RGB LED or RGB Laser projectors. However due to the firmware update, this picture quality benefit is no longer visible right out of the box.

You now must go into the menu and make a setting change (engage High Color Accuracy) to achieve the amazing picture quality that the Horizon Ultra is capable of. While is only take a few second, it is a hassle.

To satisfy video enthusiasts and reviewers, it would be great if XGIMI included one preset picture mode that delivers maximum color accuracy (CUSTOM with High Color Accuracy defaulted ON).

While the Horizon Ultra offers outstanding picture quality for its price point, there are some reasons why you may step up and spend a little bit more money. More expensive home theater projectors offer dynamic tone mapping, which improves the picture quality of HDR content.

The Horizon Ultra is equipped with an automatic iris that improves the unit's black level when viewed in a darker environment while maximizing the projector’s brightness in rooms with ambient light when the black level is not as important. However, the Horizon Ultra cannot match the native contrast and deep black levels of more expensive 3LCD & LCOS-based projectors.

The Horizon Ultra is the best projector I have reviewed from XGIMI. It is feature-packed (optical zoom, Iris, Hybrid Laser-LED light source) so it is an amazing value. I believe that the Horizon Ultra is arguably the best sub-$2000 projector on the market today.