No need for a screen: XGIMI HORIZON Pro 4K Projector review

Visit any online tech retailer, search for a 4K projector, and you’ll face dozens of options, with prices ranging from just under £800 to well over £4,000. That is quite the spread, and it can leave you thinking, which projector is worth the money, and can something towards the more affordable end deliver its advertised quality?

One example that could fall into this bracket is the XGIMI HORIZON Pro 4K – a name that doesn’t have instant brand recognition outside of tech circles but carries a price and spec sheet that anyone can recognise as bold. Here at What’s The Best, we've put it to the test.

Sound and vision

The visual quality of the XGIMI HORIZON Pro is just that: quality. The resolution is pin sharp, the contrast deep and dramatic, and the brightness hits just right. The support for 4K UHD combines with the XGIMI’s HDR10 to enhance pretty much everything you’re watching. But for me, it was the Xbox Series S that was particularly sweet.

The realistic, neon-lit streets of Kamurochō looked incredibly enticing in Yakuza Zero, while the arid plains giving way to the verdant jungle of Forza Horizon 5 was a visceral joy to behold projected large upon the wall. Smooth like silk and crisp as a frosty morning, the image quality is immense.

Playing through Ori and the Blind Forest was an equal joy, the bold and deep colours popping beautifully against the pure white of the player-controlled Ori, whose platforming acrobatics flowed like water via the projector’s visual prowess. I did need to turn the brightness down when playing Ori however, as moments of intense white were occasionally indecipherable – something likely avoidable for those projecting onto a black screen.

There’s an advertised 35ms latency, which might sound like a fair chunk compared to the usual 2ms ballpark on gaming monitors and TVs. However, I did not find it a jarring experience or notice any delay.

The 2200 lumens at the XGIMI’s disposal allow it to punch through morning sunshine. The HORIZON Pro found it less than a challenge to show me the crisp minimalism of a vinyl session from YouTube user mindspray. My enjoyment of this video was also positively impacted by the audio performance.

The speakers, a dual 8W setup, are from Harman Kardon and carry across audio with great aplomb. The speakers get plenty loud, and the clarity present means you don't miss any details in the game, TV, or movie audio. While the bass response is nothing as you’ll get from external speakers, it's plenty for most cases. If you’re adding the XGIMI to a home cinema, you’ll likely have the speakers ready to reach cinematic levels. But for in most front rooms, watching the latest episode of Physical: 100 or completing season challenges on Forza Horizon 5, the speakers do what you need.

Behind the scenes

Looking at the smart platform and general user features carried by the XGIMI HORIZON Pro, I find that everything works as it should. It’s a pleasure. Navigated by the provided remote, the Android TV 10.0 smart system is a doddle to use. If you’ve used a smart TV, you’ll feel right at home here.

A real benefit of the XGIMI is that it’s pretty much plug-and-play. If you’re a Google TV user, you can log into your account and access your usual fare. If you’re new to the system, it's super easy to sign up from the device. The dual-band Wi-Fi makes short work of downloading a new app onto the 32GB internal memory, but plenty of apps are preinstalled, like Amazon Prime and YouTube. There is one notable exception - Netflix - which I’ll address in the downsides.

The projection control settings are very easy to navigate via the smart platform, letting you switch up the brightness, colour hues, keystone correction and similar. In my test, other than dimming the brightness and adjusting the digital zoom – hyper-huge Doom II was blowing my fragile mind – the automatic Intelligent Screen Adaption Technology took care of the rest without fault.

The Intelligent Screen Adaption Technology uses a little sensor to sort autofocus and alignment and dodge obstacles like picture frames. It isn’t just good – it’s excellent, making the XGIMI have a consistently square, strong, and sharp image – even when projecting from an angle. It’s also handy as it means if you do need to move the projector around, you don’t have to faff with these settings – you plug in, it scans and corrects, and you are away.

I do have a minor gripe with the manual projector settings menu. The few times I wanted to manually tweak brightness or some such feature while playing Xbox, the menu would black out the screen, leaving just the menu. This is counterintuitive, as you want to be able to see the output to ensure your adjustments are doing what you need. A strange choice, but very infrequently encountered.

Connections are ample, allowing the HORIZON to handle enough inputs to suit a home cinema. A Dual-band Wi-Fi connection takes care of how you get streamed content and the like. On the rear, you’ll find two HDMI ports (one with eARC support), two USB ports, Bluetooth 5.0 and a headphone output. Like to stay wired to the world wide web? Good news, LAN is supported.

Any downsides?

There are only two issues with the XGIMI – one physical and one software.

The physical issue is that there are no adjustable feet to help even the projector out on uneven surfaces or tilt the projection upwards. A small feature, but one that I missed during testing. I had to resort to the reliable and timeless old wobble hack – a folded bit of paper.

The software issue is that XGIMI projectors are not easily compatible with Netflix. You can download the app from Google Play, but it won’t stream any content. This isn’t the worst thing in the world – it’s a known issue that is fixable. You need to do a few tricks to circumvent the block and download the Kodi version of Netflix - there are plenty of guides online. You can then use Netflix and all is well – but it’s a fiddly process that makes setting up the XGIMI more of a chore than I would have otherwise liked.

Alternatively, you can stream via a connected device, like a game console or Roku streaming stick. You could also cast from your smartphone, but that’s not always the best way to binge the latest TV.

Price and competition

With a retail of £1,899, the XGIMI HORIZON Pro is not a purchase to make for the faint-hearted. It’s a fair investment that breaks clear of any budget projector list and is firmly in the realm of anyone serious about setting up a home cinema. It also brings the relatively new name into competition with the brands of the established projector order – namely Epson, HP and BenQ.

The XGIMI is also in direct competition with the Anker NEBULA range, a regular contender for the highest titles in portable and mid-range projectors.

From my experience with the XGIMI HORIZON Pro, I would happily put it up against likewise products from better-known brands. The feature set and ease of use, crisp image and decent audio make it a very valid preference. However, some prefer the comfort of better-known names.

Verdict

The XGIM HORIZON Pro’s spec sheet makes some big promises, and it delivers on them from the get-go.

The Intelligent Screen Adaption Technology kicks in early doors to get the image looking sharp, no matter what’s in the way. From there, it’s just about loading up your content of choice, sitting back and enjoying. The colour representation is accurate and deep contrast stops the image quality from looking washed out or bleached. The Harman Kardon speakers perform well for living rooms and are more than enough for TV shows and video games, while the additional connection promise room to expand for extra home cinema goodies.

More items to consider:

How we tested it

The XGIMI HORIZON Pro was set up to project onto a blank white wall. There were some obstacles for it to dodge – a radiator and some stored exercise equipment – and in a position which is well lit by the morning light until around noon.

Most of the time, the projector was used to play Xbox Series S. Games included Forza Horizon 5, Yakuza Zero, Doom II and Ori and the Blind Forest. It was also used for listening to YouTube music streams and watching Netflix shows, both animated and live-action, using the Kodi workaround method.

William Lobley is the Deputy Tech & Fitness Editor and reviewer for What's The Best, specialising in technology, gaming, and outdoors.

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