XGIMI Horizon Pro 4K Smart LED Projector Review-Performance

XGIMI Horizon Pro 4K Android TV Projector Review – Performance: Color Reproduction, Brightness, Video Quality, Sound Quality, Audible Noise

The color reproduction of Horizon Pro was good out of the box. The Brightness tab under Projector Settings has five presets that can significantly alter the on-screen image with adjustability to brightness, red, green, and blue.

The images above give a general idea of the color accuracy for each of the picture modes. However, when viewing in person, the colors will look much better than how the photos look on the display of the device you are using to read this review.

• Standard - This mode provides a balance between brightness and accuracy with nominal video settings.
• Bright - One of the brightest modes with a blueish tint. This mode would be most suitable for content in a room with a large amount of ambient light.
• Eye Protection – Reduces blue light composition; safeguards image quality from different perspectives so users can enjoy watching longer, without suffering visual discomfort, including eye fatigue.
• Performance - One of the brightest modes but the least accurate with a greenish tint.
• Custom - This mode allows the user complete customizability to brightness, red, green, and blue.

The XGIMI Horizon Pro Shortcut Settings has an additional five presets under Image Mode. Brightness, contrast, saturation, sharpness, noise reduction, and color temperature can also be manually adjusted in Image Mode under Custom.

• Movie - Optimized for projecting vivid movies in a dark room.
• Football - Designed to precisely render fast-paced action.
• Office - Suited for presentations in high ambient light office environments.
• Game - This mode optimizes the settings to minimize lag for gameplay. I had a pre-production model, and when I clicked on Game mode, the entire instruction screen was in a non-English language.
• Custom - Allows the end-user complete customizability to brightness, contrast, saturation, sharpness, noise reduction, and color temperature.

I spent almost 30 minutes trying to use Google Translate on the Game mode screen to figure out what it said without success. However, while at Phil's residence, he was able to use his cell phone to translate the Game mode instructions on the screen to English in a matter of seconds. Phil was then able to run the signal input lag test.

Below are a variety of screenshots showing color reproduction.

The XGIMI Horizon Pro has a rated brightness of 2200 ANSI lumens. I set the projector's Brightness mode to BRIGHT and its Image mode to MOVIE. I then took 3-4 readings about 15-20% out from the center of the lens.

XGIMI Horizon Brightness (MOVIE mode, BRIGHT LED Output): 1990 Lumens

The Horizon Pro measured 1990 lumens which is close to XGMI's rated brightness of 2200 lumens. Regardless, the projector more than bright enough for viewing SDR content on a 100" screen in a dark room.

All the picture modes of the picture modes measured within a couple of hundred lumens of each other.

Below are images of a variety of video and photo resolutions. Like all our photos, they remain unadjusted for color, so they do not look as good as what the projector actually produced. All of the HD and 4K images were taken with Brightness settings on the Horizon Pro Projector Settings set to either Standard or Custom.

XGIMI states the "Horizon Pro delivers a super low latency with the least amount of image blur using MEMC frame interpolation technology. XGIMI's proprietary 60Hz motion compensation technology uses a specialized algorithm to prevent image flutter and tailing when projecting dynamic images. Sports, movies, and all of your favorite games will stay sharp and clear, even in the heat of action." During motion testing in Phil's projector lab, we saw image flutter any time the Horizon Pro's Motion Compensation was set to MEDIUM or STRONG. However, leaving the Motion Compensation in OFF or WEAK allowed for a flutter-free image.

Since most live broadcasted content and TV shows will continue to be produced in HD for years to come, good 4K upscaling will continue to be required. The Horizon Pro's upscaling was good whether I was watching 720p videos or 1080p videos. Some movies, however, like Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker, had intermittent digital noise in them. Not enough to make me switch or turn off the movie, but enough that I noticed it at times.

I did not have a pair of XGIMI's 3D glasses to test the unit 3D performance. The Horizon Pro utilizes the DLP cinema-grade (active shutter 3D imaging) technology which should deliver a good with XGIMI's active shutter 3D glasses.

Input lag on 4K and 1080P was 35-36ms in Game mode. It was tested using Phil's Leo Bodnar Signal Input Lag Tester and his Murideo SEVEN Generator.

The Horizon Pro supports DTS Studio and Dolby. The projector has dual 8W Harmon/Kardon speakers built in. The premium speakers are located on the sides of the unit. The speakers provide fantastic sound for such a small projector. The speakers are more than loud enough for an average-sized household room. When you use the included remote control to change the volume, the volume level is conveniently displayed on-screen.

Like the XGIMI Halo demo model I traveled with, I also traveled with the XGIMI Horizon Pro. I traveled for one week with the Horizon Pro and found it to be perfect as a portable Bluetooth speaker. If I had a dedicated high-end portable Bluetooth speaker, it could possibly have better sound quality than the Horizon Pro, but a standalone Bluetooth speaker definitely could not project a movie onto my hotel room wall like the Horizon Pro did during my travel.

We do not measure audible noise, but the fan noise produced by the Horizon Pro is specified at 28dB, 30dB, and 35dB, depending on the brightness mode you are using. Standard mode was the quietest, and Performance mode was the loudest. The Horizon Pro is a quiet projector. Even with the projector set to its brightness light level, I could not hear the Horizon Pro fan from my seated position.