XGIMI – A Potent Portable

Even as TVs grow ever-larger, the projector category continues to be an active one, with more recent designs like ultra-short throw models giving viewers an alternative to room-dominating hangfrom-ceiling setups.

- By Al Griffin

And while we here at Sound & Vision typically advocate for high-performance, and accordingly high-priced, options, the reality is that much of the action in the global projector scene involves affordable lower-end models, many from brands you may have not heard of before.

XGIMI (pronounced “X-Jimmy”) is a leading maker of home entertainment projectors in its native China. The bulk of the company’s offerings are compact, portable HD-resolution models designed for quick-and-easy setup outdoors or in an interior space where you want a temporarily project a big-screen image, usually on a wall. While you can find tons of similar products on Amazon.com, many at ridiculously low prices (and with highly suspect specifications), XGIMI products stand out from the crowd owing to their sleek industrial design and Harman Kardon-developed built-in audio systems.

The new Horizon Pro ($1,699) is the first 4K projector to emerge from XGIMI and, while still compact enough to be portable, it’s being pitched as an option for more serious home theater viewing. Brightness for the projector’s LED light source is spec’d at 2,200 ANSI lumens and lamp life at 25,000 hours. A 0.47-inch Texas Instruments DLP chip with XPR tech achieves 4K resolution via pixel-shifting and HDR10 and HLG high dynamic range are supported. The Horizon Pro uses a fixed lens with a 1.2:1 throw ratio, and it can beam images from 30 inches all the way up to 300 inches.