Projectors Tests Reviews

Formovie Edge / Cinema 3: test / review

Published on: 14-11-2025 / Modified: 14-11-2025

Formovie isn't yet a household name in Europe, but it does have a few successes to its credit, notably the Formovie Theater Premium, which is still one of the best projectors on the market more than a year after its release. Formovie is active in both the entry-level and high-end segments, and I hadn't yet had the opportunity to test one of their mid-range products. The Formovie Edge (also known as the Formovie Cinema 3 in China) has many qualities on paper, but its price positioning was too high until the end of 2025. With a first price drop below €1,500 in November 2025, it could be in your sights. It remains to be seen whether it lives up to its promises, and that's what I propose to find out with this test

Where to buy?

The price of the Formovie Edge will depend on your location. Unfortunately, Formovie's pricing policy is not always easy to follow, so I'm going to have to offer several prices. I got the best price with Wupro Cinema. I've been working with Wupro for a little over a year, tested a few of their screens and the results were pretty good

Price for Belgium and the Netherlands: 1499€

Price for France: 1599€ with free mechanical drawer

For the rest of Europe: 1599€

To find out more:

Formovie Edge / Wupro Cinema

Site where I have bought or received the Formovie Edge: https://www.wuprobuy...

Price Formovie Edge

Not yet available / tested

Timeline

November 13, 2025: we receive the Formovie Edge, and testing can begin. I expect to complete all measurements by November 20. Video testing will follow.

Why this projector?

Ultra-short-throw projectors are generally quite expensive high-end projectors, less often found between €1,000 and €1,500. The Formovie Edge has just crossed this price threshold. With a native contrast of 3000:1, it has a pretty solid argument against many other projectors, and the appeal doesn't stop there. With 2100 lumens (in theory), it's also bright enough to be used on a large screen. It may not have the color coverage of a Formovie Theater, but it costs considerably less. What we have here is a kind of lightened version of a top-of-the-range model that falls into a price zone where it should be taken into consideration.

Unpacking

The Formovie Edge is quite imposing, measuring just over 40 cm by 30.5 and 9 in height, so the box is quite large. The projector weighs 7 kg. The box contains the projector, a power cable, a remote control without batteries and a manual. All very carefully packed and well protected

Operating system

Not yet available / tested

Finish

The Formovie Edge has a very classic format, very angular and sober, but with an impeccable level of finish. The format may not be very original, but it's not what you'd expect from such a projector

The front panel is covered by a "pixelated" grille that covers the speakers. There's also a grid on the side for heat assessment. There's also a small wheel for adjusting the height of the feet, in case the projector's orientation needs adjusting. If you're using a Shore RolaTV-type cabinet, you'll just have to make sure that the feet can be placed on a part of the mechanical drawer without holes

At the rear, you'll find classic but generous connectivity with 3 HDMI ports, 1 of which is eARC, two USB 2.0 ports, a jack output, an S/PDIF digital audio output and an RJ45 connector. This means you can easily connect another source, such as a Blu-ray player with an amp or speaker system.

On the underside, there are anchoring points for attaching the projector to a tray. Given the projector's weight, ceiling projection is probably not the most recommended use case, and I don't know if it has an image-reversal system that would allow it to be placed like that. I'll look into this further on in the test

The laser is accompanied by obstacle sensors which will have the effect of reducing brightness if the projector detects an obstacle. The aim is to protect the eyes of users who decide to put their heads above the beam. The laser is a blue phosphor monolaser, which means it will be less powerful than the Formovie Theater's triple laser, with inferior color coverage

Projection room

My projection room is rectangular, 4.6m by 2.9m (height 2.2m). I have two projection walls, one white wall 2.9m wide with just white paint with a possible 4m setback. I then have a 133 inch ALR screen on another wall with a possible setback of 2.8m. I mainly use the ALR screen except when the layout or type of projector is not suitable for this situation.

Battery autonomy

Not yet available / tested

Power consumption

I measured the power consumption of the three brightness settings of this projector and found that it consumed between 145 and 253 watts. If you're using the projector in the dark, you can easily use the night mode and bring consumption down to 145 watts. Formovie projectors aren't very energy-efficient, so you need to tame them a little to keep them from blowing up your electricity bill. At 145 watts, it's still reasonable, but if you use the desktop mode, power consumption will rise sharply, and some settings will no longer be accessible

Operating noise

Ultra-short-throw projectors often emit a slight hum (except at the top of the range). Here, I measured almost 50 dB at the projector's output, which is above average, so the hum is quite noticeable. If, on the other hand, I move a little further away, the hum drops below 40 db, and is still perceptible, but only when the projector is not emitting sound

Image quality

Not yet available / tested

Colorimetry

More explanations on colorimetry

Measuring color fidelity (colorimetry) is not a subjective question, it is something completely measurable. This measurement is carried out with a device (colorimeter, spectrometer, ...) which measures the difference between the real color and the displayed color. This difference is expressed in delta E (abbreviation: dE). A dE greater than 3 indicates a deviation perceptible to the human eye.

The dE must therefore be as low as possible but projectors rarely have a dE lower than 3 out of the box. They are often between 5 and 10, only a calibration can correctly adjust the colors.

For a perfect calibration, you must call a professional. I give you my parameters which correspond to my situation. These settings might work for your situation but it is not a guarantee, so take them as an indication of the direction to follow.

I measured color fidelity in all configurations and share some of the results below. The Formovie Edge is very badly adjusted by default, producing an image that's too cold. Unfortunately, this is often the case with Formovie and I find it very limiting for the price. Fortunately, their projectors are capable of producing a better image, but you have to play with the settings. I took these measurements on an ALR screen, which tends to make the coldness of the image even worse, but in principle, this type of projector is designed to be used with this type of screen, so it's even less forgivable. That said, don't go running off, I've got a few settings that should help you find your way around and I'll be adding a specific chapter to my YouTube test which will arrive a little after I've finished the written test

Standard

dE Color 16.67

dE Gray 13.56

Contrast 3480:1

Here's a visual overview of the colorimetric deviations of the standard mode:

White is bluish, red too dark and turns brown, green too dark, blue turns purple, yellow turns green, cyan turns blue and magenta turns purple. The dEs are far too high to be ignored

For greys it's even more telling:

Here too the delta E is too high and all greys turn blue

Movie

dE colors 12.4

dE grays: 13.52

Contrast 3001:1

The same applies to movie mode:

Calibrated (+/-)

dE colors 7.7

dE grays 2.94

Contrast 2560:1

I added +/- next to calibrated because I didn't get the result I wanted, but I still got a very clear overall improvement that makes the image much more interesting

I still have deviations on some colors, but they're much less noticeable than in the default configuration. The image is now warmer, with colors closer to reality

For grays it's the same:

During my tests, I even managed to obtain an average gray close to 1

Formovie has developed a bad habit of supplying poorly adjusted projectors, and this was also the case for the Formovie Theater Premium, which represents the top of the line in their catalog. So that you can still enjoy this projector, I'm sharing my settings with you, but please note that, as usual, these settings were obtained on my screen and in my projection room. They will undoubtedly improve your situation, but with probably a few differences

Image Settings
As usual, I'm sharing my calibration parameters with you. I obtained these measurements with a spectroradiometer, so the readings are reliable but adapted to my screen.

The following parameters are to be applied in the projector settings "image section", they are in principle in the same order as below. The projector emits too much blue and green, so whatever your situation, start by reducing the proportion of blue (strongly) and green (moderately). Then, depending on how you feel, you may need to adjust the red a little

Global

Brightness 47

Contrast 52

Saturation 54

Color temperature

R+5

g-19

b-53

Teinte

R42

G58

B28

C40

M59

Y36

Saturation

R100

G100

B50

C50

M65

Y38

Luminance

R65

G56

B89

C57

M100

Y61

Biais

R50

G60

B50

Gain

R90

G50

B70

Brightness

More explanations on brightness

The brightness for a projector is absolutely crucial. The brightness is measured in ANSI lumens and the values provided by the manufacturer are very often higher than reality.

I measure the brightness with a lux meter and I convert my measurements into ANSI lumens in relation to the projection surface. You thus obtain a real value.

A video projector, even if it is bright, cannot compete with a television. The contribution of light (natural or artificial) will have the effect of drastically reducing the contrast of your image. With a brightness lower than 1000 ANSI lumens, the projector must be used in total darkness.

The Formovie Edge has three brightness modes: office, standard, night. I measured the brightness in these 3 modes to obtain the following results:

Standard / Office: 1627 lumens

Standard / standard: 1194 lumens

Standard / night: 1040 lumens

The other configurations deliver more or less the same result

What can you expect with this type of brightness? I'll use the results below to give you an idea of the screen size you can envisage with each configuration

1626 lumens with a white screen gain 1: 140 inches

1626 lumens with an alr screen gain 0.6: 115 inches

1194 lumens with a white screen gain 1: 120 inches

1194 lumens with an alr screen gain 0.6: 100 inches

1040 lumens with a white screen gain 1: 115 inches

1040 lumens with an alr screen gain 0.6: 92 inches

That's for complete darkness, very comfortable results. Will you be able to use it in daylight? I'll show you what it looks like here:

The image is clearly visible in daylight, but at the expense of a huge loss of contrast, so unless you're watching a soccer match or cartoons, this projector, like many others, is not designed for use in daylight.

Sharpness

Not yet available / tested

Contrast

More explanations on contrast

Contrast (on/off) is used to measure the difference between white and black. This measurement gives an indication of the ability of a projector to produce a good rendering in dark scenes.

A contrast lower than 500:1 should be considered as a very low contrast and the consequence will be especially visible in dark scenes where you will lose details. This is less of a problem for sports, bright films or even cartoons.

A low contrast ratio does not mean that a projector is not usable, you just have to be aware that for films like Aliens, dark scenes will no longer allow you to distinguish details.

This chapter should be surrounded by prominent colors to draw your attention, because contrast is this projector's greatest strength - it's a real war machine. The native contrast is absolutely excellent. I obtained a contrast ratio of 3580:1 in standard mode (maximum brightness) and the lowest contrast I observed was 2988:1 with maximum brightness. Contrast is the weak point of most projectors, but not this one. In this price range, I think this Formovie Edge must be at the top end of the table

Here's an image capture from the Batman movie:

The high contrast ratio makes it possible to unblock all the dark scenes like this one without using tricks like dynamic contrast.

If I compare this same image to daylight, you'll see for yourself that, as I wrote in the chapter on brightness, this projector is not designed to be used in daylight.

I measured a black level of between 0.03 and 0.04 cd/m², so it's a very good black level that will ensure a nice depth to the image.

Motion compensation

Image size and projection distance

More explanations on the projection distance

The projection distance determines the size of the image and the size of the image is determined by the projector's throw ratio. If a projector has a throw ratio of 1.2, it will have an image width of 83 cm with possibly a gray border.

The distance also plays a role in the brightness because the brightness decreases with the square of the distance. A projector placed at 4 meters will therefore lose 4 times more brightness than a projector placed at 2 meters.

Keystone image correction does not modify the projection cone, it resizes the image inside the projection cone. This means that in the event of a significant correction, you will see a large gray border appear around your image.

The Formovie Edge has a projection ratio of 0.23, which means that if you position the projector's optical compartment 50 cm from the screen, you'll get an image 217 cm wide, corresponding more or less to a 100-inch diagonal. This is a fairly standard projection ratio, and is the same on many projectors of this type.

Screen choice

The purchase of an ultra-short-throw projector like this one has a direct impact on the projection surface. Unless you have a perfectly smooth, flat wall, you're going to have to buy a screen. Projectors of this type are very demanding when it comes to screens, as the slightest irregularity in the projection surface will immediately be visible due to the bottom projection. Ideally, therefore, you should use a screen designed for this type of projector - ALR screens with slats that reflect the light back towards you rather than the ceiling.

The choice of screen size will depend on your choice of brightness configuration (see chapter on brightness).

If you use a standard white screen, you'll benefit from a uniform image unlike a wall, but you'll lose a large amount of light that will be lost on your ceiling. The angle of incidence and reflection are the same, so if the projector sends your image at 45° towards the screen, a large part of the light will be reflected at 45° towards the ceiling.

I've tested many screens that are suitable for this projector, sometimes with a budget of less than 500€. I invite you to have a look at my comparison available from this article.

Audio quality

More explanations on audio quality

I use several types of music tracks to illustrate the sound quality of the projector but the rendering will always be limited by the recording device. Since I always use the same device, you will be able to compare the difference on the same basis.

I regularly use well-known songs protected by copyright to illustrate the sound quality of a video projector. It therefore sometimes happens that YouTube decides to block my videos for these reasons. In this case, you can listen to the soundtracks directly on YouTube and hope that YouTube has not completely blocked my channel.

The top-of-the-range Formovie is equipped with Bower and Wilkins speakers that deliver very good sound quality. The Formovie Edge isn't equipped with the same speakers, but I was positively surprised by the sound quality. I found the sound to be well rendered across the spectrum, with good depth in the bass and finesse in the treble. The quality is a little lower than with the Bower and Wilkins speakers, but I expected the difference to be greater.

I'll be adding my usual 3-minute sound sample to my YouTube video when it's ready.

Video games

Encoutered bugs

Not yet available / tested

ALR/CLR Projection screen

Are you looking for a good ALR/CLR screen for your projector? I may have what you need:
ALR/CLR NothingProjector Screen

Test / Review conclusion

I wasn't the quickest to test this projector, mainly because at the time of its release, its price level was far too high for its qualities/weaknesses. Now that the price has dropped below €1,500, it has become much more attractive. You just have to be aware of its strengths and weaknesses, and your choice will depend on your priorities.
The great strength of this projector is its contrast ratio. It's a real contrast war machine, and in this price range, that's pretty rare. Unlike color settings, contrast is something you can't significantly improve, so having good contrast right from the start is an important point. The black level is very low, which will allow you to have a black that's close to true black, unlike many projectors that diffuse gray

I was also positively surprised by the sound. The projector is fitted with 2 x 15-watt speakers, the same power as the Formovie Theater, which is equipped with Bower and Wilkins speakers. The quality is a little poorer, but frankly, for the difference in price, the Formovie Edge does very well

Brightness is once again lower than advertised, but this isn't a big problem - quite the contrary. You can envisage a screen size of between 92 and 140 inches, depending on the type of screen and the light configuration, so it's very comfortable for an immersive experience

The level of finish is excellent, which has no impact on image quality, but if the projector is going to be visible in a living room, the level of finish may play a role in your choice

This projector runs on Google TV with native Netflix compatibility, so you have the best operating system for projectors.

This projector has a few weaknesses that you should be aware of. The most important for me is color fidelity, which is simply poor in all configurations. This is unfortunately a bad habit with Formovie; I've had the same problem with all their projectors. It's all the more frustrating because Formovie is capable of making good projectors. You can either call in a professional to calibrate the image for your situation, which will greatly improve the situation. I'm sharing with you my settings which should enable you to alleviate this problem, but the result will never be as good as with a dedicated setting on your projector. To judge whether it's worth it, I invite you to watch the examples in my video (when it's published)

The other two weaknesses I wanted to point out were firstly the operating noise. Although not a cause for divorce, the projector is not totally silent. It's not distracting when you're watching a movie, but in moments of silence, you might hear a little whirring if you're sitting close to the projector. My seats are set up very close to my screen for an immersive experience, my feet almost touching the projector. At this distance, the noise is audible.

The final point is power consumption. Most Formovie projectors have the same problem, but you can reduce the impact by lowering the brightness. If you're using the projector in the dark, you can use the night mode, which will cut power consumption almost in half. It's a problem that might not be a problem if you don't need maximum brightness.

Of the 3 weaknesses I've mentioned, you can reduce 2 by choosing a lower brightness level and modifying the settings (yourself or by a professional).

Strengths

Not yet available / tested

Weaknesses

Not yet available / tested

LAURENT WILLEN
Head of myself on this blog

I share my passions on my blog in my free time since 2006, I prefer that to watching nonsense on TV or on social networks. I work alone, I am undoubtedly one of the last survivors of the world of blogs and personal sites.

My speciality? Digital in all its forms. I have spent the last 25 years working for multinationals where I managed digital teams and generated revenues of over €500 million per year. I have expertise in telecoms, media, aviation, travel and tourism.