XGIMI Horizon Ultra review: 4K projector is impossibly fancy, sharp, expensive

I have probably never guarded anything that's come into my house for testing as vigilantly as the XGIMI Horizon Ultra. And thanks to the many upscale laptops and other equipment I have the privilege of reviewing, it wasn't even the most expensive loan tech in my house for most of its time here.

But oh lordy, did it feel fancy.

Now, if you take a look at the best projectors on the market today, you'll immediately notice that most of them look... not great. Designed more as a classroom or projection-space utility, even our top choices so far look about as sexy as a geography teacher's elbow-patched '70s jacket, but without the personality of one.

But as soon as I saw the striking white box containing the XGIMI Horizon Ultra delivered to my house for what turned out to be a few glorious, anxiety-laden weeks of testing (due to the presence of a child and a cat), I knew that was about to change. And as for what was inside...

XGIMI Horizon Ultra review: Key specifications

XGIMI Horizon Ultra review: Design and build

Let's face it, most projectors don't look too attractive. That's why we're happy to conceal them at the back of a projection room, or strap them up against the ceiling, covered in a tangle of wires (ah, school memories). What matters is what they project, not themselves, after all, isn't it?

Well, the XGIMI Horizon Ultra has other plans, as it looks absolutely gorgeous. So pretty is it, in fact, that it demands a showcase spot of its own wherever you decide to set it up.

Covered in a mixture of PU leather and soft flow cover fabric, the rectangular box is coloured in a 'gold mist' colour that gives it an instant air of refinement. The XGIMI logo is emblazoned on the top, and a 'Sound by harman/kardon' badge is stuck to the corner of the front-facing fabric panel. In fact, the lens can't even be seen as you unbox the machine.

That only comes into view as you switch the machine on, and the front panel slides down to reveal a black bar that contains the 4K F=1.55 auto-zooming, auto-framing, auto-keystone-correcting long-throw lens. Magic.

Even the backside looks refined with vertical slats covering the fan opening on the back and the ports neatly laid out alongside the bottom panel. And there are plenty of those on offer: A DC-in power outlet, an Ethernet port, two USB-A 2.0 ports, two HDMI ports, one of which pulls double duty as an eARC port, an Optical port, and an Audio jack next to the power button.

The thing weighs a fair bit, 5.2kg, so choosing where you want to put it is advisable before you pick it up.

The Horizon Ultra feels extremely sturdy and well assembled, with none of the cheap plasticky feel of some other projectors. But then, at almost £1,800, you wouldn't expect that here anyway.

So it looks pretty. But what about the image it produces? That's what we're here for, you know.

XGIMI Horizon Ultra review: Features

The XGIMI Horizon Ultra comes with plenty of connectivity options, as detailed above, and the long-throw lens (throw ratio 1.2-1.5:1) promises 4K resolution with smart features such as auto-framing, autofocus, automatic keystone correction and even some proper advanced stuff like Intelligent Obstacle Avoidance, Intelligent Wall Colour Adaptation (which claims to correct the image's white balance to account for the wall colour, in case you don't have a white screen to project onto) and Intelligent Eye Protection (in case someone walks into the projector's path).

The lens itself is a Dolby Vision-certified, dual-light (LED+laser) DLP contraption that reaches up to 2,300 ISO lumens (that's very bright) and XGIMI quotes an up to 200-inch image size, although it qualifies that with a recommended image size of between 60 and 120 inches for the best viewing experience.

The resolution is 3840x2160, and the projector offers a 'game mode' with latency under 18ms, although that switches off the automatic keystone correction.

Wireless connectivity includes Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2, and there's software on board too, including Chromecast and Android TV 11, so you won't need to plug anything external in to watch any of the major streaming services on this machine.#

As for audio, there are dual 12W Harman/Kardon speakers on board here, which is a little smaller than the speakers on my 4K TV, but then those aren't made by a prestigious audio brand like these...

XGIMI Horizon Ultra review: Performance

With specs like that, I expected a good image, but even with my bar of expectation raised quite high, it managed to impress me.

I don't have any accessible white walls in my house, and don't have a projector screen either, so the beige/cream one I selected for testing would give the projector's automatic colour correction something to work with. Having to place the Horizon Ultra at a vertical and horizontal angle would also test the keystone and framing tech from the start, so those limitations were turned into scientific assets.

Whirring into life, revealing the lens panel with the front cover sliding down, the projector did most of this work automatically, with some prompting and confirming needed by me and the included remote, but soon it was all set up and ready to go.

And boy, was it bright. Most projectors I've used have been of the cheaper sort, so considerable darkening efforts have been needed to make the image even remotely watchable, but here there was no such effort needed. My first test was done in evening conditions, so the image looked incredibly bright and sharp (and in great white balance) on my wall in the slightly darkened room I was using it in, but even turning the overhead light on kept the image clearly visible and detailed on the wall.

A further daytime test the day after confirmed that yep, you can easily use this projector in non-ideal lighting settings, with environmental light coming in from outside, harsh overhead lighting and lamps having little adverse effect on the image quality or sharpness.

To test the Intelligent Obstacle Avoidance, I placed a picture frame on the wall, partly within the XGIMI's projection area, and what happened is that within a few seconds, it had shifted the image slightly to the side and reduced the size ever-so-slightly to make sure it was hitting an unobstructed part of the wall. Moving the projector closer to or further away from the wall while switched on triggered the autofocus process, and it adjusted accurately within a few seconds.

The sound is also surprisingly decent. If you're a very picky audiophile, you will prefer a soundbar or external speakers, as the range or depth isn't quite as profound as you'd achieve with outside help, but they're a whole lot better than most projector speakers I've used.

XGIMI Horizon Ultra review: Price

And now for the bad news. It costs £1,749 to buy in the UK and $1,699 in the US. That's a lot of money. Yes, it offers the same level of brightness as projectors that will set you back over £/$5,000, which is amazing, but it's still a lot of money. In its defence, it's wayyyy better than cheaper projectors and on par with projectors twice or three times its price, so it offers excellent, professional quality for a good comparative price, but you still need a healthy bank balance to plump for one.

Should I buy the XGIMI Horizon Ultra?

If you are looking for a projector fit for your bespoke home cinema room, or if you want one for your art exhibition space that will be as classy as the artworks around it, and if you can afford it, I see absolutely no reason to not get it. It's stacked with features, the image is bright and sharp (and the on-board tech is refreshingly clever), the connectivity options are plentiful and there's even on-board software included for instant streaming and watching. But even though, yes, it's on par with much more expensive projectors in terms of specs and brightness, it's still not exactly cheap. But for that (considerable) amount of money, you're getting something that beats rivals many times its price. Plus, have I mentioned it looks gorgeous?