Not many of us will have heard of XGIMI, leave alone their products - a range of projectors. We take a look at one of their products for a review: it’s the XGIMI Horizon Pro.
The Horizon Pro is impressive - right from the sleek, compact design to the performance. Calling it a projector is an understatement. It is a smart TV without a physical screen.
Setup
The Horizon Pro is a single unit that includes Android TV, a 2200 ANSI lumens lamp and a dual 8W Harmon Kardon sound system. All we need beyond that is a good roomy clean wall and we’re ready to have a great cinematic experience. The compact form factor makes it a breeze to move the Horizon Pro around.
The front of the Horizon Pro houses the lens. All the controls (power, volume up and down and play) are on the top and they seamlessly blend into the design. There are two HDMI 2.0 and USB 2.0 ports each and an Ethernet port.
We were expecting some complications during the setup and were prepared, but we were surprised to find that the only “complications” were the passwords for our Google account and the streaming services!
Everything about the Horizon Pro projector is automatic, including keystone correction. We were concerned over the presence of a couple of plug points on the wall, but the in-built obstacle avoidance system took care of them — automatically.
The 2200 ANSI Lumens projection in the Horizon Pro, combined with the X-VUE 2.0 image engine, 60 HZ MEMC (Motion Estimation, Motion Compensation), the auto focus and Harmon Kardon sound system simply transforms us to another world and makes us wonder what we are still doing with that huge physical TV in the living room! We can even project the screen on the ceiling and watch movies lying down.
The Horizon Pro is supposed to take up just six seconds to boot up, but it takes a few more to complete the second stage of the setup that includes keystone correction and obstacle avoidance system. If you are the impatient kind, just head to the settings and disable the automatic corrections. Though they may take a few seconds extra, they are worth it and removes all the hassles of aligning and ensures the viewing is perfect.
Sound
Though the sound is good enough for a medium-sized room, there isn’t much difference among the three sound modes - Movies, Music, and Sports. But this doesn’t mean that it is bad. The dual 8W Harmon Kardon sound system in the Horizon Pro ensures the viewing experience is not limited just to the picture. We also have the option of plugging in a speaker or soundbar if you feel it is not enough.
The Horizon Pro is a 4K projector and has superior brightness the 2200 ANSI lumens lamp ensures we don’t miss out on the experience. It does well with sunlight in the room too. One big miss is that it should have a lens cover, seeing it’s such an expensive product.
Last but not least, the Horizon Pro comes with a sleek remote control that connects to Google and Android TV. The effort that has gone into the design of the Horizon Pro and even the remote has to be appreciated.
The only drawback could be the price, at least for a market like India. Consumers may compare it with Android TVs and smart TVs. But if you leave that out, the Horizon Pro gives an out of the world experience. The Horizon Pro costs Rs 1,87,500
The XGIMI Horizon Pro is available on the XGMI website here: https://xgimiindia.com/xgimi-horizon-pro/