Projectors Tests Reviews

XGIMI Horizon S Pro : test / review

Published on: 26-02-2025 / Modified: 26-02-2025

XGIMI's Horizon family was launched over 3 years ago with the Horizon FHD and Horizon Pro. The family then expanded with the XGIMI Horizon Ultra, and until then, the differences between the models were quite clear. With the introduction of the XGIMI Horizon S Max and S Pro, comparison has become more difficult, as the two projectors are as similar as two drops of water. I tested the XGIMI Horizon S Max 3 months ago and the result of my test was very positive. I'm now going to take a closer look at the S Pro, using the same test protocol to help you make the right choice between these two projectors

Manufacturer web site:
https://www.xgimi.com
Site where I have bought or received the XGIMI Horizon S Pro: https://www.xgimi.co...

Price XGIMI Horizon S Pro

Not yet available / tested

Timeline

March 26, 2025: the projector is received and the test can begin. It will probably take me a week to publish all my measurements.

Why this projector?

Not yet available / tested

Unpacking

The XGIMI Horizon S Pro box is quite imposing for the size of the projector. It's mainly the protective layer that adds bulk. The projector comes with a remote control, two AAA batteries, a manual in several languages, a huge power pack and a power cable.

The main box also contains an HDMI stick running Android TV. This HDMI stick will enable you to use Netflix natively, and is included free of charge in the price. If you don't need Netflix, this stick won't do you any good, but you can still use it on any other device with an HDMI port

I also received an XGIMI tripod specially designed for the Horizon range. This tripod consists of a heavy circular base to ensure the projector's stability. Then there's a metal rod, about 70 cm long, which you screw into the base. The projector is then mounted on a specially adapted bracket, which is attached to the upper part of the rod. I've tested this tripod and it works very well, being stable enough to keep the projector in place. You just have to be aware that you have to lift it by its base otherwise you'll detach the projector.

If you need a higher support, you'll have to opt for a standard camera tripod (on three legs)

Operating system

This projector runs on Android TV, so the experience is the same as all other projectors using Android TV. XGIMI's other recent projectors use Google TV, which offers better integration with applications and the search engine.

This in itself isn't a big problem, because Android TV is a good operating system for projectors. What it lacks in this version is native Netflix compatibility.

To overcome this problem, XGIMI is offering a free HDMI stick running Google TV. With this stick, you'll have access to a more up-to-date interface and greater compatibility with streaming applications like Netflix.

Finish

The XGIMI Horizon S Pro uses the same chassis as the Horizon S Max. They have exactly the same dimensions, the S Max is just a few grams heavier

This resemblance obviously causes a little confusion. The resemblance isn't just aesthetic, because from a technical point of view, these two projectors are very similar too

The front panel is motorized and lowers automatically when you switch the projector on. The lens is therefore protected when the projector is switched off. It doesn't have much effect on dust. On the other hand, if you have children, they won't be able to leave fingerprints on the lens.

Sound diffusion is also via the front. The same speakers are used as in the S Max, with 2 x 12 watts from Harman Kardon

These two projectors use a tilting format that allows the projector to be oriented vertically for ceiling projection. Despite its massive appearance, this projector is quite agile

The stand is also mounted on a rotating disc that will allow you to orientate it 360°.

This flexibility will allow you to project an image in almost any position. I must warn you, however, that this flexibility has an impact on image quality. If your screen isn't perfectly perpendicular to the projection cone, you'll have to use trapezoidal correction. If the correction is slight, this is not a problem. On the other hand, you'll see a large grey frame around your image if you use a heavy correction.

Below, you'll find a standard screw thread. You can easily use the projector with a photo tripod, as the screw thread is perfectly stable.

XGIMI sells a tripod with this projector. The tripod is around 70 cm high and weighted at the base. Assembly is ultra-simple, with the main rod screwed onto the base. The projector is installed on a rotating support. Just be careful when moving it, as the top part detaches easily. This is handy for setting up the projector, but can be surprising if you lift the stand from the projector

Rear connectivity is fairly limited, and is also the same as on the S Max. There's a single HDMI eARC port and two USB 2.0 ports.

Like other XGIMI projectors, this projector uses a DMD 0.47 chip as a laser source. This chip has a reputation for being a little weak in terms of contrast, but we'll see if this is the case later on in this test.

If I consult this projector's datasheet, I see that it uses the same CPU and GPU as the S Max. So they're almost 100% identical. I say almost identical because there are a few minor differences.

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

The last XGMIs I tested were pretty good when it came to power consumption. This is once again the case with this one, where I measured a consumption of 43 watts with brightness at 1, 93 watts with brightness at 10 and finally over 120 watts with high power mode

If you're using the projector in the dark, you could even use automatic brightness. This automatically adjusts the brightness to a lower level, bringing consumption well below 100 watts

Operating noise

XGIMI projectors are generally quite quiet, this one generates less than 40 decibels at close range and if I move a meter away, the noise emitted by the projector is inaudible.

The only scenario in which this projector is noisy is when you switch it to "high power" mode, and then it switches to hairdryer mode.

In principle, it doesn't matter, as this ultra-bright configuration is absolutely unusable: the white becomes greenish

Image quality

This video illustrates the difference in image quality between standard mode and calibration. Calibration gives the image more warmth, because the white temperature is too cold with the basic configuration. It also gives a better color balance.

To achieve this level of image quality, I performed a calibration on a white screen and on a gray screen. I'll share my settings with you below

Here are the calibration settings for my Wupro ALR screen:

Screens of this type tend to accentuate the blue, so start by reducing it. My screen accentuates the blue, so you'll have to play with these values to find the right balance with yours

Color temperature:

Red 10

Green 10

Blue 7

Next:

Red gain 70

Green gain 46

Red hue 44

Green hue 54

Cyan hue 56

Magenta hue 40

Yellow hue 54

Green brightness 80

Cyan brightness 70

Magenta brightness 30

Red offset 73

Blue offset 42

And those for my white screen:

Red 10

Green 10

Blue 9

Red gain 60

Green gain 46

Red hue 44

Green hue 54

Cyan hue 56

Magenta hue 40

Yellow hue 54

Green brightness 70

Brightness cyan 60

Brightness magenta 30

Offset red 73

Offset blue 42

I haven't made the settings for HDR because I'm waiting for feedback from my spectroradiometer

You just have to be aware that it's not an exact science, because every situation is different. My settings work for my screens, so the result will be a little different with another screen, but it gives you a decent starting point

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.

Triple laser or LED hybrid?

This projector uses a triple laser light source that can be used alone or in combination with an LED source

You can choose the light source in the settings.

I'll show you a comparison of the two sources. The triple laser image will have a strong red tint, but this is not the case in reality. Filming a laser source always results in a rendering of this type.

What you need to remember is that the LED source has more luminosity, more accurate colorimetry and no noise interfering with the image. The triple laser source is therefore darker, with slightly better contrast, but the image could be noisy. I didn't notice any noise on either my ALR or my white screen. I can't rule out the possibility of noise appearing on certain types of screen, but at home, I have nothing at all, as you can see from this video

The rest of my test will be based on the LED source, with occasional references to the triple laser source

White balance

I'm starting my image quality test with the white measurement, because white will determine the overall hue of the image.

White should have a temperature of 6500 degrees Kelvin. Below this value, it will tend towards red, above it will tend towards blue.

The video you see illustrates these differences. Don't pay too much attention to the red tint, the image isn't actually like that. This projector has an extended color space and I don't have a camera capable of faithfully reproducing this kind of image

All projector configurations produce a white that's too cold. It's almost always the same thing, except that here, measuring the color temperature at the lens exit, I obtained a temperature of 6798 degrees Kelvin in "film" mode.

It's still not perfect, but it's definitely better than what I'm used to measuring. The screen still has to play a role. If you're using a gray screen, this temperature will deviate from the norm to produce a cooler image

If you don't want to get bogged down with the settings, then you should choose film mode. White fidelity will be much better.

Color fidelity

XGIMI states on its website that this projector has very good basic colorimetry with a delta E of less than 1. I had the same thing with the Horizon S Max and didn't get such a result.

What you see on the screen is the difference between standard mode and calibration. As I explained in the next chapter, the red tint is linked to the color space and the laser.

XGIMI had explained to me that this was a laboratory measurement that didn't take the screen into account. So I thought I'd do the same thing by testing color fidelity from the lens

Well, the good news is that XGIMI isn't too far off the mark. I obtained a delta E for colors of 1.75 in "film" mode. That means that's about what you'll get on a neutral screen too. If, on the other hand, your screen isn't as neutral as a gray screen, you'll need to make a few modifications.

With my gray screen, the delta E rose to 2.56, which is still very correct. However, if you compare the result with my measurements at lens level, you can clearly see the differences. The white becomes too cold and needs to be corrected

If you want a result that will work in all situations, you need to calibrate. I've done one for a white screen and a gray screen.

I obtained a delta E of 1.73 with my white screen. The white is therefore better than the reference measurement, but the red has increased. My white screen tends to reinforce the reds, it's not quite neutral.

With my grey screen I got a delta E of 1.37 with a much better balance between the different colors.

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 XGIMI Horizon S Pro has a theoretical luminosity of 1800 ISO lumens, which is the main difference with the Horizon S Max. The photo illustrates the difference between a dark and a bright room. The image is still quite watchable, but there is a significant loss of contrast and saturation

As usual, these are theoretical values and in reality, I obtained the following results with brightness at maximum:

Standard: 1344 lumens

Film: 1235 lumens

Sport: 1352 lumens

Brilliant: 1303 lumens

Soft: 932 lumens

"High Power": 1476 lumens

So the "high power" mode is pretty close to what was promised, but this configuration is absolutely unusable because the projector literally spits out its lungs and the white turns greenish.

Sharpness

XGIMI tends to overdo the sharpness settings, but it's an adjustable parameter, so you can adapt it to suit your tastes

There's no scientific rule for finding the right level of sharpness. Some prefer a sharp image, others a softer one

You can choose the sharpness level yourself. Between 0 and 20, I don't see any noise. It's up to you to decide what suits you best.

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.

Contrast is one of the arguments used by XGIMI to extol the virtues of this projector.

In fact, XGIMI sets the bar very high by claiming a contrast of 1000000:1, but the reality is quite different

With this static image from the Batman trailer, you can see that the contrast doesn't look too bad. There aren't really any areas that are too dark or too light.

The difference with the S Max doesn't really stand out.

I'll now show you the usual video.

I measured the native contrast in all configurations and in the best case, I obtained a contrast of around 1000:1 in dual light mode. I obtained 1200:1 with triple laser mode. I obtained this result with dynamic contrast activated. The contrast is therefore a little lower than what I obtained with the XGIMI Horizon S Max

The dynamic contrast is probably a little higher in reality because it acts according to what is displayed. If I test the difference between black and white, it doesn't work the same way on film. I've sometimes measured a black half as bright as a totally black screen

The triple laser mode does a little better here than the dual light mode. Black brightness plays a big part in depth perception. I measured a black at 0.08 cd/m² with my gray screen and 0.6 cd/m² on my white screen. These values show just how much a screen can influence black. You could even get better contrast on a white screen, but at the cost of too much overall illumination.

I obtained the 0.08 with a Fresnel screen designed for short focal lengths, so it's not ideal. The result will undoubtedly be better with a screen adapted to this type of projector, but I don't have one at the time of this test

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.

This projector has a projection ratio of 1.2, which means that for every meter of distance between the projector and the screen, you get an image approximately 83 cm wide (with a small gray border).

With an actual brightness level of around 1200 lumens in "film" mode, you can aim for an image size of around 130 inches in total darkness and with a neutral screen (no gain). If you're using a gray screen with a gain of 0.6, for example, you'd be better off aiming for 100 inches. With a 130-inch screen, you need a distance of almost 3.5 meters. With 100 inches, the distance drops to 2.66 meters.

Screen choice

The image you see here was taken on a 100-inch ALR Fresnel screen with and without light. This screen is not designed for projectors of this type, but this way you can see the effect it can have on the image.

Here's a comparison between a white screen (Vevor) and a gray screen (Wupro ALR):

With an actual luminosity of around 1200 lumens, you can use any type of screen, provided you use it in total darkness. With a gray screen, you're going to lose a lot of light, which means you won't be able to use the projector in daylight without a big loss of contrast.

With a white screen (gain 1 or more), you can aim for a larger image (130 inches) in total darkness, or a smaller screen in semi-darkness. The image will still be visible in a bright room, but white screens don't redirect light towards the viewer, so you'll have a more consequential loss of contrast.

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.

I put together a 3-minute soundtrack to test my projectors and made it from royalty-free tracks.

I used to use Spotify but my videos always ended up being blocked by YouTube.

With these tracks, that shouldn't happen anymore. I tried varying the styles to see how the projector copes with these different musical styles.

XGIMI equips most of its projectors with Harman Kardon speakers, and this is once again the case with this projector, which is equipped with 2 x 12-watt speakers. It's the same with the XGIMI Horizon S Max

The sound produced by this projector is of excellent quality, at ease in all registers.

The sound is quite similar to that of the XGIMI Aura 2, with less power and less depth in the lower registers

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

The Horizon range is made up of 3 models: the Horizon Ultra, the Horizon S Max and this Horizon S Pro

As I've tested all three models, I can now take a step back and compare them better, but before I do that, I'm going to focus on the S Pro

There weren't many surprises in testing this projector, as its performance is very similar to that of the S Max, which I tested a few months ago.

The S Pro is less bright, but still offers good brightness for use with a 100-inch gray screen. Measured contrast is a little low, but the dynamic contrast makes up for a few shortcomings. This projector won't be able to do as well as a Formovie UST, but the price point isn't the same either.

For colors, XGIMI comes close to a scenario where nothing more needs to be done to achieve good color fidelity. If you have a neutral screen, you won't need to change much.
Sound is excellent, with the same equipment as the Horizon S Max. You'll also be able to play in good conditions, as latency drops to 18 ms with game mode activated

Looking at my other criteria, I can also add that this projector is rather discreet and doesn't consume a lot of power

Its tilting format gives it great placement flexibility, but you have to be aware of the consequence on image quality. If the projection is not perpendicular to the screen, you're going to cause excessive image correction.
I also tested the tripod, which is perfectly suited to this projector, provided it is used for low projection. The tripod positions the projector about 70 cm off the ground, so ideally you'd want to match it to the bottom of your screen

If I had to look for flaws, I'd start with XGIMI's eternal weakness with native Netflix compatibility. This weakness is circumvented on this model because XGIMI offers a free HDMI stick with a version of Android that allows you to use Netflix natively. You can also use this stick with any other projector. This will allow you to keep all your services like Netflix on the same device and, for example, take the stick on vacation and plug it into any TV

Then there's that big power supply unit that's as big and heavy as a brick. I find some of the locks in the settings a bit annoying for those who want to play with the parameters. For example, you can no longer change brightness if you're in custom mode. Connectivity is also a little tight, with only one HDMI and 2 USB inputs

I didn't notice any speckle in the image, but I can't rule it out for some screens

The big difference with the S Max is therefore unsurprisingly brightness, but I also measured a slightly lower contrast. The rest is the same. This S Pro may therefore represent a credible and less expensive alternative to the S Max.

Strengths

Color fidelity

Well-set "movie" configuration

Motion compensation

Low latency for gaming

Operating noise

Power consumption

Placement flexibility

Sound quality

Free Google TV HDMI stick

Weaknesses

Contrast lower than S Max

Large power pack

Need HDMI stick for Netflix

Limited connectivity

Basic sharpness setting too aggressive (but easy to correct)

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.