The XGIMI HORIZON is a 1080p HDR10/HLG projector. The projector comes with a full suite of image correction technologies, including autofocus, intelligent screen adjustment, and auto keystone correction with object avoidance, so it compensates for any geometry errors in the image automatically and adjusts itself when it detects objects in the frame. It has Android TV with Chromecast and AirScreen built-in and supports Bluetooth 5.0/BLE and Wi-Fi. It has two HDMI ports and can passthrough advanced audio formats from DTS and Dolby through eARC. Finally, it has two integrated 8W Harman/Kardon speakers.
Our Verdict
The XGIMI HORIZON projector is alright for watching movies. It has decent peak brightness with passable contrast, so it performs adequately in a variety of contexts. Unfortunately, this projector's pre-calibration accuracy is poor. You can greatly improve the projector's accuracy with its limited calibration options, but it's still not very accurate afterward. It has a wide color gamut, but sadly, the projector isn't bright enough to make its colors truly pop.
-
Full suite of smart features and wireless connectivity options.
-
Poor pre-calibration color accuracy, and its limited calibration options aren't enough to make it truly accurate.
- 6.5 Movies
- Updated Aug 01, 2024: Updated text throughout the review according to Test Bench 0.9, mainly in the Verdict, Compared To Other Projectors and Contrast sections.
- Updated Jul 31, 2024: We've converted this review to Test Bench 0.9. We've overhauled our Contrast tests, as we now measure contrast at various average pixel levels (APL). You can see the full changelog here.
- Updated Feb 23, 2024: Review published.
- Updated Feb 17, 2024: Early access published.
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the XGIMI HORIZON. It is the basic model in XGIMI's HORIZON line of projectors, which also includes the higher-tier XGIMI HORIZON Pro and XGIMI HORIZON Ultra. The HORIZON Ultra is the only one of the three to use a hybrid Laser-LED Dual Light, with the other two projectors using a more traditional DLP lamp.
| Model | Light Source | Resolution | Speakers |
|---|---|---|---|
| HORIZON Ultra | Hybrid Laser-LED | 4k (with pixel shift) | 2 x 12W Harman/Kardon |
| HORIZON Pro | DLP lamp | 4k (with pixel shift) | 2 x 8W Harman/Kardon |
| HORIZON | DLP lamp | 1080p | 2 x 8W Harman/Kardon |
Compared To Other Projectors
The XGIMI HORIZON is alright for watching movies, with an adequate mix of image quality and smart features. It's a decent choice at its price point as it's significantly cheaper than the barely better XGIMI HORIZON Pro. Some projectors in its price range have advantages over the HORIZON; the XGIMI Halo+ and XGIMI Elfin are smaller and cheaper. However, they have slightly worse image quality with much lower peak brightness than the HORIZON. The ViewSonic PX701-4K is a better value for gamers as it has similar image quality but with 1080p @ 240Hz support with low input lag.
Check out our recommendations for the best cheap projectors and, if you're looking for something more general, the list of best projectors. If you'd prefer to shop for a projector with a sharper image, look up the best 4k projectors instead.
The XGIMI HORIZON and XGIMI Halo+ serve different purposes, with the Halo+ being much more portable due to its size, weight, and integrated battery, although the HORIZON can also be moved around easily if needed. The HORIZON is much brighter, so it can handle a few lights in the room, but the Halo+ has slightly better contrast, so it looks a bit better in dark rooms.
The XGIMI HORIZON Pro is slightly better than the XGIMI HORIZON. The HORIZON Pro projects a sharper image due to its 4k pixel-shifting technology, although the HORIZON is brighter than the Pro. Both projectors are very inaccurate, but the Pro is more accurate pre-calibration than the HORIZON, and the Pro is also more accurate post-calibration.
The XGIMI HORIZON is a bit better than the Epson EpiqVision Mini EF12, but they have different use cases. The XGIMI HORIZON is a slightly bigger and heavier projector than the Epson, but it is also brighter, making it easier to place in various lighting conditions. The XGIMI has eARC support, while the Epson is limited to ARC, so the XGIMI supports advanced audio formats. The Epson, however, is vastly more accurate than the XGIMI, so it's the better option for image accuracy purists.
The XGIMI HORIZON and XGIMI Elfin serve different purposes, with the Elfin being much more portable due to its size and weight, although the HORIZON can also be moved around easily if need be. The HORIZON is much brighter, so it can handle a few lights in the room. Unfortunately, the HORIZON is also wildly inaccurate out-of-the-box and doesn't have the required calibration options to make its image accurate.
The XGIMI HORIZON Ultra is much better than the XGIMI HORIZON. The HORIZON Ultra projects a sharper image due to its 4k pixel-shifting technology and is significantly brighter than the HORIZON. The Ultra is also much more accurate than its lower-tier sibling, and it also has more modern smart features with Android TV 11, Wi-Fi 6, and Bluetooth 5.2.
The BenQ X3000i is much better than the XGIMI HORIZON. The BenQ is brighter and has better contrast, and it also projects a sharper image due to its 4k pixel-shifting technology. The BenQ has a 1.3x optical zoom, so you can adjust the projection's size without moving the projector. The BenQ is also vastly more accurate than the XGIMI before and after calibration. Finally, the BenQ has advanced gaming features, as it can play games at either 4k @ 60Hz or 1080p @ 240Hz with low input lag.
The ViewSonic PX701-4K is slightly better than the XGIMI HORIZON for watching movies due to its superior contrast, and is also much better for gaming due to its 1080p @ 240Hz capabilities. Both projectors are wildly inaccurate before calibration, and while you can't improve the XGIMI enough with calibration to make it truly accurate, the ViewSonic, for its part, can barely be improved at all, so it's still very inaccurate post-calibration.
Test Results
The projector isn't designed to be portable, but it's still somewhat lightweight. This unit does have full auto keystone correction with intelligent screen alignment and obstacle avoidance, so it detects if there are objects in the frame and adjusts it correspondingly. It also has autofocus, so you don't need to do manual image corrections on this projector, making it easy to set up. It has two 8W Harmon/Kardon speakers, so you won't need to worry about connecting it to a soundbar if you move it.
This 1080p DLP projector uses an LED bulb as its light source, and it's rated for up to 30,000 hours by the manufacturer, so you likely won't ever have to worry about replacing it.
The projector's peak brightness is decent. It's bright enough to look good in a dark room and also looks fine when a few dim lights are present. It has great brightness uniformity, so the sides of the projection don't show any noticeable differences in brightness when compared to the center. If you're not satisfied with this level of brightness, this projector's more expensive higher-tier model, the XGIMI HORIZON Ultra, is significantly brighter.
The projector has a mediocre contrast ratio. Blacks are noticeably raised in every scene, no matter how bright the scene is.
This projector has poor pre-calibration color accuracy. All colors show some accuracy errors, but cyans, blues, and whites are extremely inaccurate. The white balance is terrible, with reds and blues being overrepresented in all shades of gray, more so in the whites. Thankfully, the projector's color temperature is fantastic and is almost right on target out of the box.
The projector only has 1-point white balance calibration, but it's enough to significantly improve the projector's color accuracy. Still, even after calibration, the projector's accuracy is just decent; colors show many accuracy errors, especially with blues, purples, and cyans. Still, the white balance is excellent after calibration, and the color temperature is almost right on target.
The projector has a very good color gamut. It covers most of the Rec. 709 color space used with SDR content and does an adequate job with the wider Rec. 2020 color space.
