GamesRadar+ VerdictThe XGIMI Horizon Ultra is a fantastic 4K projector with a whole host of extra features up its sleeve. Crisp visuals, excellent color reproduction, and an easy setup make this a must-see for any home cinema enthusiasts.TODAY’S BEST DEALS$1,444at AmazonPros+Subtle design+Bright, reliable picture+Versatile setup options+Nice color accuracy+Excellent HDR support+Powerful speakersCons-Less detailing in darker scenes
GamesRadar+ Verdict
GamesRadar+ Verdict
The XGIMI Horizon Ultra is a fantastic 4K projector with a whole host of extra features up its sleeve. Crisp visuals, excellent color reproduction, and an easy setup make this a must-see for any home cinema enthusiasts.TODAY’S BEST DEALS$1,444at Amazon
The XGIMI Horizon Ultra is a fantastic 4K projector with a whole host of extra features up its sleeve. Crisp visuals, excellent color reproduction, and an easy setup make this a must-see for any home cinema enthusiasts.
TODAY’S BEST DEALS$1,444at Amazon
TODAY’S BEST DEALS$1,444at Amazon
TODAY’S BEST DEALS$1,444at Amazon
TODAY’S BEST DEALS
$1,444at Amazon
$1,444at Amazon
$1,444at Amazon
Pros+Subtle design+Bright, reliable picture+Versatile setup options+Nice color accuracy+Excellent HDR support+Powerful speakers
Subtle design
Bright, reliable picture
Versatile setup options
Nice color accuracy
Excellent HDR support
Powerful speakers
Cons-Less detailing in darker scenes
Less detailing in darker scenes
Why you can trust GamesRadar+Our experts review games, movies and tech over countless hours, so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about our reviews policy.
Why you can trust GamesRadar+Our experts review games, movies and tech over countless hours, so you can choose the best for you.Find out more about our reviews policy.
XGIMI has a number of home cinema projectors in its arsenal these days, ranging from budget three-figure options all the way up to the super luxury Aura. Straight down the middle, we have the XGIMI Horizon Ultra, a 4K device with a number of handy additional features, easy setup, and a novel dual light system. It’s listed as a long throw device, though its throw ratio sits right on the cusp of that assessment, eeking out to a 1.5 at its top end. That essentially means you’re covered for a wide range of viewing spaces straight off the bat, and with handy additional light features and auto-settings this is a particularly easy projector to get on with.
I spent the last three weeks running the XGIMI Horizon Ultra across both movies and, while it’s not technically aprojector for gaming, PS5 to see just what your $1,699 / £1,649 gets you.
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Design
Its soft corners, cream aesthetic, and gold accents make the Ultra a go-to if you’re after a projector that will accent your living room and its long throw capabilities mean it won’t need to sit front and center anyway. The top and sides are covered in a thin layer of leather finish, leaving the bottom and rear free for ventilation and ports. It’s also nicely bereft of any major branding nods, aside from a glossy XGIMI logo on the top, and a Harman / Kardon badge placed neatly on the lower left corner of the main grill.
(Image credit: Future)
Controls are completely relegated to the included remote, which is handsomely outfitted with all the major settings, app, and menu buttons you’ll need. This is, again, a sophisticated looking device with a heavy feel and soft-touch finish. There’s no backlighting to these buttons, and that’s generally par for the course, but it would have been nice not to have to wave it around to see which button to press.
Features
(Image credit: Future)
Setup is quick and easy thanks to a multitude of auto settings. The Horizon Ultra can automatically set your focus, keystoning (vertically and horizontally) and screen fit, but it’s also got another trick up its sleeve. Automatic obstacle avoidance came in particularly handy when moving to a different room without a screen, it essentially places your image so as to not project onto anything in its way like light switches. That, plus the fact that the Ultra can detect the color of an un-screened wall and adjust its own color profile accordingly and even take ambient light conditions into account when adjusting its own brightness makes this a particularly versatile projector.
Performance
I relied on the auto settings fully for my initial setup and was pleased with the result. In a dark room at night, I didn’t notice too much of the telltale distortions that these auto-configurations often conjure and brightness was impressive. Those dual lighting systems worked well to create a particularly uniform level of brightness, whether I was watching with casual ambient light or more moderate darkness. Shrinking the size of the image also maintained this level of brightness well while watching in a lighter environment as well.
(Image credit: Future)
Day to day viewing offers up fantastic color accuracy, with a rich, warm tone to it that I personally preferred to the colder aesthetic of cheaper options. Bold, bright pops of color in Spaceman were a sight to behold, but the system also boasted a particularly sympathetic handling of skin tones and more shadow-defined characteristics of Adam Sandler’s ship. All of that is combined with the crisp detailing of that upscaled 4K resolution.
Gaming is fine. The 60Hz refresh rate cap means this is never going to truly be thebest projector for PS5 or Xbox Series X, but the bright HDR levels and rich colors make for a solid experience should you need to plug in your console every now and then. I wouldn’t recommend it for more fast-paced ventures as, even in the dedicated game mode, you’re not getting the low latency connection available elsewhere. However, I was more than happy to explore Skyrim at wall-size dimensions.
Should you buy the XGIMI Horizon Ultra?
(Image credit: Future)
If you’re upgrading to 4K for the first time, or simply swapping from an older non-HDR system, the XGIMI Horizon Ultra is going to be a must-see. It’s not quite got the premium chops of high-end native UHD projectors, and its gaming features block it out of the enthusiast console market, but it’s an incredibly powerful thrower with fantastic brightness and a suite of smart features for additional versatility as well. Like all 4K projectors, it’s got the weight of a hefty price tag behind it, but considering it’s at the lower end of this particular spectrum there’s still solid value to be found.
Today’s best XGIMI Horizon Ultra deals$1,699.99$1,444ViewWe check over 250 million products every day for the best prices
Today’s best XGIMI Horizon Ultra deals$1,699.99$1,444ViewWe check over 250 million products every day for the best prices
Today’s best XGIMI Horizon Ultra deals
$1,699.99$1,444View
$1,699.99$1,444View
$1,699.99$1,444View
$1,699.99$1,444View
$1,699.99$1,444
$1,444
We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices
We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices
How we tested the XGIMI Horizon Ultra
I used the XGIMI Horizon Ultra for three weeks during my testing, while also running the projector alongside the BenQ X300G. I made good use of Netflix andDisneyPlus’s 4K catalogs, streaming Damsel, Spaceman and Guardians of the Galaxy for direct testing and making my way through Griselda, Carol & the End of the World, and plenty of Survivor in more casual viewing. I also tested the Ultra with PS5 and Nintendo Switch, running Skyrim and Super Mario RPG. For more information onhow we test projectors, check out the fullGamesRadar+ Hardware Policy.
We’re also bringing you all thebest outdoor projectorsand thebest portable projectorson the market. If you’re kitting out a setup, though, check out thebest projector screensavailable.
XGIMI Horizon Ultra: Price Comparison
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$1,699.99$1,444View
$1,699.99$1,444View
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$1,444
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1Nemesis review: “A magical sense of tension”
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2
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5
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