The XGIMI Horizon Pro is a versatile 4K UHD projector that's perfect for serious streaming and casual gaming. Since it runs Android TV, comes with a built-in audio system, and supports Chromecast, it can serve multiple purposes, whether it's watching movies outdoors, casting content to the big screen from your phone, or simply enjoying its super easy setup for instant entertainment.

Key Features
  • Android TV 10.0
  • Chromecast built-in
  • Harman / Kardon speakers
  • 3D content support
Specifications
  • Brand: XGIMI
  • Native Resolution: 3840 x 2160
  • ANSI Lumens: 2,200
  • Projection Technology: DLP
  • Connectivity: Dual-band Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, LAN
  • Throw Ratio: 1.2:1
  • HDR: HDR 10
  • Audio: Dual 8W Harman / Kardon speakers, analog and optical output
  • OS: Android TV 10.0
  • Lamp Life: 25,000 hours
  • Noise Level : <30dB
  • Wattage: 16W
  • Mounting Type: Front, rear, floor, table, tripod, wall, ceiling
  • Image Size: 30" to 300" (76.2cm to 7.62m)
  • Display Chip: 0.47" DMD
  • Maximum Supported Resolution: 4096 x 2160 at 60Hz
  • Lamp Type: LED
  • Ports: HDMI 2.0 x 2, USB 2.0 x 2, headphone jack, optical
  • Size: 8.21 x 8.59 x 5.36 inches (20.84 x 21.84 x 13.62cm)
  • Weight: 6.39 pounds (2.9kg)
  • RAM: 2GB
  • Storage: 32GB
Pros
  • LED lamp with a lifespan of 25,000 hours
  • Great brightness at 2,200 ANSI lumens
  • Portable, boots fast, easy to set up
  • Excellent and auto focus auto keystone with up to 40° angles
  • Excellent built-in sound system that supports DTS and Dolby Audio
  • Comes with Android TV and Chromecast built-in
Cons
  • Mild DLP rainbow effect
  • Lamp light leak when using extreme keystone
  • Contrast could be better
Buy This Product
XGIMI Horizon Pro Projector

The XGIMI Horizon Pro is a 4K LED projector with a built-in sound system and Android TV. It's also portable and easy to set up. You'll appreciate its automatic keystone and focus. Most of all, you'll love its brightness, vivid colors, and great sound.

But is it worth its four-digit price tag? Let's find out!

How to Set up the Horizon Pro

XGIMI Horizon Pro Box Contents
Photo Credit: Tina Sieber

The XGIMI Horizon Pro comes in a square box with a few essential accessories, including the power brick, power cable, and remote. You will have to supply two AAA batteries for the remote. Since the projector runs Android TV, you can use it without an input device.

XGIMI Horizon Pro Top
Photo Credit: Tina Sieber

The projector itself is a compact square unit that weighs only 6.4 pounds (2.9kg). It has an aluminum mesh side to protect the speakers, and black matte plastic top and bottom.

XGIMI Horizon Pro Ports
Photo Credit: Tina Sieber

On the back, you'll find a number of ports, including a DC power socket, two USB ports, two HDMI ports, Ethernet, 3.5mm audio jack, and a S/PDIF optical port. You can use the buttons on the top to turn the projector on or off and control the playback and volume. In most cases, you'll want to use the remote, though.

XGIMI Horizon Pro Remote Scene
Photo Credit: Tina Sieber

The aluminum shell remote feels premium. In addition to the standard controls, you have buttons to jump straight into the projector's settings, call your Google Assistant, and trigger autofocus.

Setting the Horizon Pro up is a breeze. You can mount it on a tripod or the ceiling using its 1/4 inch mount at the bottom. Under Projector Settings, you'll find an option called Projector Placement, which lets you switch between projection modes. That way, the projector can automatically switch the image based on its physical placement, whether it's mounted upside down, projecting from the rear, or facing the screen head-on.

Also read: How to Set Up a Video Projector in Your Home Theater

Android TV

The XGIMI Horizon Pro comes pre-installed with Android TV 10.0. Right out of the box, you'll want to install any pending updates to get it up to speed.

The Android TV interface is straightforward. You'll find all crucial options in the top navigation bar, including Android TV's Search, Home, Discover, and Apps interface. Via the options in the top right corner, you can manage the input source, Wi-Fi, settings, and you can see the current time. Note that you can access additional settings options, such as Image Mode if you use the remote's Settings button. An icon with a number shows up when you have new notifications or updates pending.

Supported Streaming Services

Android TV is optimized for streaming content. It comes pre-installed with a number of supported services, including YouTube and Prime Video.

One drawback of the Horizon Pro is that it's not certified to run Netflix. While you can install the app, you won't get very far before you run into an error. You'll have to use a workaround.

Here's what XGIMI told us:

Netflix is not supported on all Android TV OS powered devices, unless the brand is approved separately by the streaming service. This is due to the proprietary Open Connect delivery network Netflix uses to exchange traffic directly with ISPs to optimize the distribution of video content.

Netflix hasn't certified XGIMI, meaning you won't find any XGIMI projector that can stream Netflix natively. However, you can use several workarounds. One is to connect your laptop or a TV stick with Netflix installed. Another is to use an app called Desktop Manager.

The Desktop Manager lets you install the Kodi version of Netflix. It works, but it's not the same. The Netflix interface is different, and it's not as easy to get back to shows you've recently watched. More importantly, this setup has been buggy for us. Occasionally, Netflix doesn't launch, producing a code 14 error. Restarting usually fixes that, and once your show is running, you're good, but it may take some patience which ruins the overall experience.

Meanwhile, XGIMI is working on obtaining the certification, so you might be able to use the native Netflix app on Horizon Pro in the future.

Image Quality

XGIMI Horizon Pro Front
Photo Credit: Tina Sieber

XGIMI equipped the Horizon Pro with a 0.47" DMD chip and a 2,200 ANSI lumens LED lamp.

2,200 ANSI lumens is verifiably bright, and it's by far the brightest projectors we've used at our house so far. It means that you'll experience better image quality in brighter settings, such as using the projector for an outdoor movie night. It's not quite bright enough for viewing in daylight, as the image will look washed out.

XGIMI promotes the Horizon Pro as a 4K projector. That's true, but with caveats. The 0.47" DMD chip has a physical resolution of only 1,920 x 1,080 pixels. You can find projectors with 0.66" DMD chips that achieve a resolution of 2,716 x 1,528 pixels, but that's still a far cry from 4K. So technically, the Horizon Pro won't give you real 4K. But then how can it reproduce 4K content?

The DMD chip uses XPR fast pixel-switching technology. ProjectorJunkies has an incredibly detailed piece explaining exactly how that works and what the hardware looks like. Basically, the DMD chip can only handle 2 million pixels at a time. But, it can increase its frequency from 60Hz to 240Hz, meaning it can quadruple the amount of information it projects per second. At the same time, the chip also shifts between positions, which in the end yields the 4K UHD resolution of 3,840 x 2,160 pixels. Your eyes will hardly notice the difference.

We loved the crisp images and vivid colors. We hardly noticed the slight rainbow effect other reviewers mentioned, but your mileage will vary, depending on your setup. The Horizon Pro uses MEMC (motion estimation and motion compensation) technology, which is an algorithmic technique that smoothes the video, making it suitable for casual gaming and watching sports or action movies.

Via the Settings button on the remote, you can switch between different image modes: Movie, Football, Office, Game, and Custom mode. Each mode comes with different options. Game mode reduces the input lag from 118.1ms to 34.6ms, but it's only available with HDMI-sourced content. You can access the Image Mode selection by pressing the Settings button on the remote.

Related: BenQ V7050i 4K HDR Laser Projector

Sound Quality

XGIMI Horizon Pro Side

The Horizon Pro's sound is powered by two 8-watt Harman / Kardon speakers. In our medium-sized living room, the sound quality was excellent. This is remarkable, considering the projector's compact size.

If you do want to hook up an external audio system, you can do so using either the 3.5mm analog or the S/PDIF optical output. The Horizon Pro supports both Dolby and DTS Audio.

The projector itself is whisper-quiet, producing less than 30dB when the cooling fan is running.

Automatic Focus

XGIMI Horizon Pro Automatic Focus Mode
Photo Credit: Tina Sieber

The Horizon Pro's automatic focus is outstanding. We've used a few different projectors and the sharpness was always patchy. We assumed it was because the projection surface, an IKEA roller shade, is uneven. The Horizon Pro, however, produces an image with perfect sharpness across the entire screen.

The Horizon Pro uses an autofocus camera located next to the projector lens. Every time you turn on the project or move it, the Horizon Pro will jump into its automatic focus mode and project an orientation image. You can turn this feature off in the projector's settings, though we don't see a reason to do that. You can also use the remote to trigger automatic focus.

Automatic Keystone

A well-functioning keystone mode is indispensable when you're frequently moving the projector. Otherwise, all that matters is that you can get a satisfying result once and be done with it. With the Horizon Pro, you can have both.

XGIMI Horizon Pro Precise Keystone Correction
Photo Credit: Tina Sieber

The AI-powered keystone is smooth and works even at difficult angles of up to 40° vertically or horizontally. It even detects obstacles and adjusts its projection area accordingly. Once the projector has run through the automatic setup, it drops you off in manual mode, so you can fine-tune the edges.

Like the automatic focus mode, you can toggle the automatic keystone mode in the projector's settings. We recommend leaving it turned off (default setting), unless you want to reset your keystone settings every time you start or move the Horizon Pro.

XGIMI Horizon Pro Light Leak 2

One downside of using keystone is that, especially at more extreme angles, you'll notice a bright rectangle surrounding the projected image, as demonstrated in the photo above. The image was taken while playing a 100% dark YouTube video, and the long exposure means that it looks slightly brighter in the photo than in reality.

The light bleed might also show up as a small border of light. It's particularly visible when viewing low light content in a perfectly dark room. We didn't notice any significant light leak when the projector faced the screen, rather than projecting from a corner of the room, so this is a matter of positioning it correctly.

Consider this: Why You Should Buy a Video Projector

Should You Buy the XGIMI Horizon Pro?

XGIMI Horizon Pro Front Scene Zoomed
Photo Credit: Tina Sieber

The XGIMI Horizon Pro is a versatile 4K UHD projector that's perfect for serious streaming and casual gaming. Since it runs Android TV, comes with a built-in audio system, and supports Chromecast, it can serve multiple purposes, whether it's watching movies outdoors, casting content to the big screen from your phone, or simply enjoying its super easy setup for instant entertainment.

If you're an audiophile, you'll appreciate its great sound, but you'll love that it can hook up to your DTS or Dolby Audio setup. Home theater enthusiasts with giant projection surfaces and real 4K ambitions will quickly uncover all the weaknesses of this projector. Users upgrading from weaker projectors, however, will be blown away by the image brightness and crispness. On the downside, you'll also struggle to come to terms with the Horizon Pro's price tag.

If you're looking for a more affordable projector, consider the XGIMI Horizon. It's identical to the Horizon Pro, but the resolution is only 1,920 x 1,080 pixels. If you rarely watch 4K content or don't have a 200-inch or bigger projection surface, that's more than good enough, and it will save you about 600 bucks.

FAQ

Q: What Is the Life Expectancy of the XGIMI Horizon Pro's LED lamp?

The Horizon Pro's LED lamp can last up to 25,000 hours, depending on brightness settings. This means that if you stream content for six hours per day, every day, the lens should last you for over 10 years. Note, however, that the quality degrades over time, which means you'll notice a loss of brightness as the LED lamp approaches its half life, i.e. after 12,500 hours in the case of the Horizon Pro. According to Projector Ninja, standard halide lamps have an approximate life expectancy of 1,500 to 5,000 hours, meaning you might have to replace them more frequently. Keep this in mind before settling on a cheaper lamp-based projector.