XGIMI Horizon Ultra

RTINGS praises the XGIMI HORIZON Ultra as a bright and color-accurate 4K projector that excels in living-room environments with ambient light, thanks to its hybrid LED-laser light source and excellent brightness uniformity. The projector’s advanced image correction features, including autofocus and object-aware keystone correction, simplify setup and enhance usability. Its Android TV 11 smart platform and integrated Harman/Kardon speakers add to its appeal as an all-in-one entertainment device. However, the review highlights significant drawbacks in contrast performance, with blacks appearing grayish and lacking depth in dark scenes, which diminishes its suitability for dedicated home theater use. Gaming capabilities are adequate for casual or single-player titles but limited by the absence of high refresh rates and only average input lag. While the Ultra offers a modern feature set and solid brightness, competitors like the Epson Home Cinema 3800 and Hisense C2 Ultra provide deeper contrast and better calibration options, making the XGIMI a balanced but not top-tier choice.

Geoffrey Morrison from CNET highlights the Xgimi Horizon Ultra as a stylish and exceptionally bright 4K projector that aims to replace a traditional TV with its built-in Google TV and Harman Kardon–tuned audio. Praising its impressive brightness—measured at over 2,300 lumens in high power mode—and quiet operation, Morrison notes it outshines comparable BenQ models in vividness and color accuracy, especially in bright scenes. However, he points out significant drawbacks, including a mediocre native contrast ratio (316:1) that results in flat, washed-out blacks and poor performance in dark scenes. Software quirks, such as sluggish Google TV responsiveness and a problematic eye-detection feature that can blank the image unexpectedly, also detract from the experience. The remote’s lack of an input button and a bulky power brick further complicate usability. Ultimately, Morrison offers a qualified recommendation: the Horizon Ultra excels in brightness and design but is expensive and flawed, making it a worthwhile but cautious buy for those prioritizing vivid, bright viewing.

Michael Hamilton from Sound&Vision highlights the XGIMI Horizon Ultra as a well-rounded, consumer-friendly projector that impresses with accurate color reproduction, user-friendly auto-geometry, and a unique hybrid laser/LED light engine. While the unit delivers vibrant HDR and Dolby Vision content and performs admirably for live sports and general media consumption, it falls short in achieving deep blacks and cinematic contrast, limiting its appeal for cinephiles seeking immersive dark-scene fidelity. Hamilton notes several ergonomic drawbacks, including a cumbersome menu system, a mediocre remote lacking backlighting, and a misleading “long-throw” designation that better fits a mid-throw profile. The projector’s brightness claims are somewhat overstated, and some image adjustments can introduce noise, but the out-of-the-box High Color Accuracy preset offers satisfying results. Overall, the Horizon Ultra is recommended for casual viewers prioritizing broadcast and sports, though those demanding top-tier cinematic depth might find better alternatives. The review balances enthusiasm for its strengths with measured critique of its limitations, providing nuanced insights into real-world use.

Mark from Tom’s Guide highlights the Xgimi Horizon Ultra as a stylish and well-built projector that delivers bright, colorful images with quick setup and useful automatic framing features. However, despite its attractive design and strong color performance—thanks to its combined LED and laser light sources and Dolby Vision support—the projector struggles significantly with poor black levels, low contrast, and inconsistent HDR processing. These issues lead to loss of shadow detail and a fussy viewing experience, especially in darker scenes. The operating system is also criticized for sluggishness and confusing menus, detracting from overall usability. While the audio is adequate for small rooms, a dedicated sound system is recommended. Gaming latency is low in Game Mode, but the projector’s high price of $1,699 is hard to justify given its performance shortcomings and better alternatives like the JMGO N1 Ultra. Ultimately, Mark advises potential buyers to pass on the Horizon Ultra despite its visual promise and elegant design.

What Hi-Fi? highlights the XGIMI Horizon Ultra as a strikingly innovative projector that blends unique design with advanced Dual Light technology, combining laser and LED lighting to deliver exceptionally bright, vivid, and richly saturated images. Praising its near-cubic leather-clad form and powerful Harman Kardon-tuned audio, the review appreciates its ability to perform well even in ambient light and its low input lag for gaming. However, the reviewer tempers enthusiasm with measured criticism: the integrated Android TV smart system is patchy and unreliable, and the projector struggles with black levels, producing greyish, milky dark scenes that detract from HDR’s impact. The Horizon Ultra’s tendency to push colors too far occasionally feels like overcompensation, though adjustable settings help mitigate this. Overall, What Hi-Fi? sees the Horizon Ultra as a promising and welcome addition to the home cinema market, especially for those valuing brightness and color vibrancy, but notes that future iterations should refine black level performance and tone down the showy color effects to fully realize the potential of its novel lighting system.

TechRadar praises the XGIMI Horizon Ultra as a stylish and technologically advanced 4K long-throw projector that delivers exceptional picture quality and smart image adaptation. The reviewer is genuinely impressed by its sharp, vibrant visuals, deep blacks, and effective HDR performance, even in well-lit environments, highlighting its unique dual LED and laser light technology. The projector’s Intelligent Screen Adaption 3.0 system, which auto-corrects image geometry and adapts to wall colors, is singled out as a standout feature that enhances ease of use and flexibility. While the design is elegant and portable, some practical drawbacks include the lack of adjustable feet and a somewhat clunky Android TV interface, notably missing native Netflix support and a play/pause button on the remote. Despite these minor issues, the Horizon Ultra is seen as a remarkable value compared to pricier competitors, making it a compelling choice for users seeking a premium, plug-and-play Dolby Vision projector with versatile connectivity and excellent audio.

Phil Jones from Projector Reviews highlights the XGIMI Horizon Ultra as a feature-packed, compact 4K DLP projector that impresses with its innovative Dual Light source technology, combining RGBB LED and red laser for exceptional color accuracy and brightness at a competitive $1699 price point. He praises its class-leading color reproduction, intelligent screen adaptation features, and first-in-class Dolby Vision support for a standard throw projector. The Horizon Ultra’s advanced optics, dynamic iris, and low input lag gaming mode further enhance its versatility. While the reviewer notes some drawbacks, such as the side-loaded Netflix app limited to 1080p SDR and a non-backlit remote, these are minor compared to its strengths. A firmware update slightly reduced out-of-the-box color accuracy, requiring manual activation of the High Color Accuracy mode for optimal performance, which the reviewer finds a small inconvenience. Overall, Jones regards the Horizon Ultra as arguably the best sub-$2000 projector available, delivering outstanding value and engineering innovation.

Eric Walasek from HomeTheaterReview highlights the Xgimi Horizon Ultra as a compelling 4K projector that impresses with its vibrant colors, excellent brightness uniformity, and user-friendly automated setup. The unique Dual Light laser-LED system delivers vivid, accurate HDR images, including Dolby Vision support, making visuals truly pop. Its long 25,000-hour lamp life and stylish, furniture-like design add to its appeal. While the native contrast and black levels don’t match pricier 3LCD or LCOS projectors, the dynamic iris helps optimize performance across lighting conditions. The built-in Android TV offers convenience despite some app limitations and initial interface lag, which improved after firmware updates. The Harman Kardon speakers provide solid audio, though a subwoofer is recommended for deeper bass. Some drawbacks include fan noise in high brightness mode, lack of remote backlighting, and a bulky power brick. Overall, the Horizon Ultra balances strong image quality, ease of use, and design, earning a “Highly Recommended” status for home theater enthusiasts seeking a bright, colorful, and versatile 4K projector at a competitive price.

Dave James from PC Gamer praises the XGIMI Horizon Ultra as a superb 4K HDR projector that excels in brightness, image quality, and gaming performance, delivering visuals that rival much more expensive models. He highlights its standout features such as the impressive 2300 ISO lumens brightness, Dolby Vision support, excellent auto-calibration for wall colors, and upgraded Harman Kardon speakers that provide surprisingly rich audio for a built-in system. The design and thoughtful details like the mesh front cover add to its appeal. However, James expresses clear frustration with the projector’s Android TV 11 platform, citing inconsistent streaming app support and casting issues that limit its smart capabilities. He recommends treating it primarily as a “dumb” projector paired with external streaming devices. Despite its $1,700 price tag, he considers the Horizon Ultra a compelling choice for gamers and home theater enthusiasts seeking a bright, vibrant, and versatile projector, while cautioning those expecting flawless streaming experiences.

Harish Jonnalagadda from Android Central highlights the XGIMI Horizon Ultra as a standout 4K home projector that impresses with its combination of advanced hardware and intelligent software. Praising its gorgeous, upmarket design featuring PU leather and fabric, he emphasizes the projector’s ease of setup, robust connectivity, and innovative Intelligent Screen Adaption tech that dynamically adjusts brightness and color based on ambient light and projection surface. The Horizon Ultra’s hybrid LED and laser light source delivers vibrant, bright images with excellent Dolby Vision HDR support, making it ideal for both SDR and HDR content. Gaming enthusiasts benefit from a low-latency mode, while the Harman/Kardon-tuned speakers provide solid onboard audio. However, the lack of native Netflix support for Dolby Vision content is a notable drawback. Despite this, Jonnalagadda considers the Horizon Ultra a significant upgrade over its predecessor and one of the best 4K projectors available at its $1,699 price point, offering exceptional picture quality and user-friendly features.