XGIMI Horizon, Floor Stand Review: You Haven’t Seen A Projector Like This Before
There may not be a massive following for XGIMI in India, but it enjoys premium projectors overseas. It launched recently its Horizon series of projectors that offer a 4K viewing experience with an in-built Harmon Kardon sound system. Moreover, both regular Horizon projectors and Horizon Pro projectors run on Android 10 TV out of the box, giving you the benefits of a smart TV that you wouldn’t be able to get from a regular TV.
The XGIMI Horizon entry-level projector and its proprietary floor stand were tested for nearly a month. Both products are created for niche markets and are by no means affordable. There is a separate Floor Stand costing Rs 11,999, and The XGIMI Horizon is priced at Rs 125,000.
Design
XGIMI Horizon is the best projector available for home and office use. The speakers have a square design with a mesh-like finish around the corners. You will find the power button and volume rockers at the top, as well as a power adapter; The packaging includes a sleek remote for controlling the projector. You’ll find vents to dissipate heat and all connectivity ports in the back. A single optical port and two HDMI and USB 2.0 ports are located on the XGIMI Horizon.
Along with a power or DC jack, there is an audio jack for headphones or external speakers. With a black finish, the projector looks much more premium. We see the lens at the front, but the lens is unfortunately not covered. The projector measures 208.4*218.4*136.2m, so it’s not the sexiest projector on the market. It also requires power, so users need to choose the best viewing spot ahead of time.
Performance & Features
In terms of performance, the XGIMI Horizon includes intuitive and, more importantly, easy to use. A smart TV powered by Android TV 10 runs the Horizon project natively. Google-owned apps like YouTube, Gmail, and even Google Maps, will be available to users. The Play Store also offers all the popular OTT platforms. There is 32GB of internal storage as well as 2GB of RAM behind the projector. The smart-projector supports the Google Assistant virtual assistant, which we found to be a handy addition.
Thus, the XGIMI Horizon ticks all the boxes and is very easy to use. While we did not experience any problems with its auto-focus even when projecting pictures on a flat wall, the remote has a dedicated button for auto-focus. The auto-keystone option fits the screen to the frame based on its keystone. There is also the option of manual keystone correction if you are still not satisfied. Additionally, the projector boots quickly and takes a minute barely to start. It is not necessary to set up a LAN connection or a dual-band Wi-Fi connection. The XGIMI Horizon performed well overall, and the addition of Wi-Fi 6 support may have been sufficient at this price point.
Display & Sound
XGIMI Horizon, which offers Full-HD video viewing quality, was tested. A 4K version of the XGIMI Horizon Pro is also available for Rs 1,87,500, but it provides a higher resolution. A vivid and crisp viewing experience is guaranteed with XGIMI Horizon. Analyzing the corners of the projector is an excellent way to check whether it produces high-quality images. When a corner is too faded or lacks in colours, inconsistencies are apparent. No matter how many features you have, if the projector’s display quality doesn’t match your standards, the projector is useless.
There, XGIMI Horizon provided rich colours and accurate black levels with uniform picture quality across corners. It also supports HDR 10 and HLG formats, reaching a peak brightness of 2200 lumens. In addition, the XGIMI Horizon can display a resolution of up to 4096 * 2160 pixels at 60Hz. One year of warranty is provided with 25,000-hour lamp life, according to the company. Depending on the throw distance, the XGIMI Horizon can project a screen size up to 300 inches.
A 70-inch screen (diagonally) was used to view most of the content, and the image quality was excellent. If you’re watching live sports such as football, the projector still stumbled a bit. During a live streaming match via Disney+ Hotstar, the tiny football on the vast screen flickered. The XGIMI Horizon is still limited to dimly lit rooms (at least) or, at best, to dark spaces.
We weren’t able to test the game mode. Although the sound system of the XGIMI Horizon is not one of its best features, it does add to its vivid display. DTS and Dolby Audio are supported by the dual 8W (each) Harman Kardon speaker system. Despite the excellent sound quality, the lack of punchy bass affects the whole viewing experience. The inbuilt speakers in a roughly 420 square foot bedroom were loud enough.
Remote & XGIMI Floor Stand
One of my favourite remotes that I’ve tested came pre-bundled with the XGIMI Horizon. Bluetooth-enabled remote has a metal finish and a minimal design. While the overall balance may seem heavy at first, you will soon get used to it. We can quickly access the slot for dual triple-A batteries at the back of the device via a button. The remote has dedicated buttons for autofocus and Google Assistant. Like the XGIMI Floor Stand, the XGIMI Floor Stand allows users to adjust viewing angles and solve problems associated with dangling wires. Users can place the power adaptor in a dedicated compartment at the base and run its wire through the hollow rods inside the base.
With its full height of 89cm, the XGIMI Projector Floor Stand can reach a height of 49cm on each rod. XGIMI Horizon’s power adapter has yet to be fitted with a base, but you can mount the projector at the top and adjust the angle of view. You can also use it to project images from cameras. The addition elevates the overall look and feel of the room, so it’s a great addition if you have the budget. There is no English manual guide in the Floor Stand, so that a few YouTube tutorials might suffice.
The XGIMI Horizon and Floor Stand appear to be well-thought-out products in terms of both looks and functionality. The projector is particularly well-suited for modern home theatre settings. However, its picture quality has limitations in bright environments, so it can’t replace your regular TV or monitor. Though XGIMI has not yet impacted the Indian market, ViewSonic and BenQ are bound to feel the heat a little sooner than later with products like these.
Article Proofread and Edited by Shreedatri Banerjee
