XGIMI Horizon Pro 4K LED Smart Projector

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I talk a lot about projectors because they usually offer an incredible alternative large-format display. Another aspect that makes them appealing is environment versatility; depending on the wall and purpose, you can have an experience that more closely replicates the visual feeling of a movie theater than even the biggest 4K screens could hope to do, albeit one that’s outdoor where your friends or family can freely gather.

This brings us to XGIMI and their Horizon Pro 4K LED Smart Projector. It’s a compact powerhouse that excels as a backyard showpiece and a well-featured Android TV hub, a fantastic all-in-one for any movie night or binging whatever happens to be new on your favorite streaming service. And these days, that’s a lot of whatever.

Design: Aluminum Cube

First thing to note after unboxing the Horizon Pro is how petite and tidy it is style-wise. The projector itself is a squarish 6.4lb box with rounded edges, and plenty of openings with aluminum mesh sides for the Harman Kardon powered speakers and pronounced rear venting for airflow exhaust. It’s probably the most understated design I’ve seen out of any projector I’ve reviewed, even the control panel on the top uses touch-sensitive buttons to further emphasize its minimalist appearance.

Around back, there are enough ports for easy and quick connections including a DC power socket, two USB ports, two HDMI ports, Ethernet, 3.5mm audio jack, and a S/PDIF optical port. The only thing that takes away from the sleek aesthetic of the Horizon Pro is the huge power brick, it’s about as heavy as the projector itself and appears to have a non-standard DC socket.

The remote control also sports a premium touch, with a tall aluminum shell and only the necessary menu, navigation, volume, autofocus and Google Assistant buttons adorning the front. The sparse array of buttons assumes that you’ll be using Android TV almost exclusively, otherwise this clicker will be more than suitable for casual viewers who don’t jump from app to app. This also takes two AAA batteries and are housed in a spring-loaded mechanism that can be ejected from the bottom.

Outdoor Lifestyle

When doing this review, I was told by XGIMI that they optimized the Horizon Pro to be enjoyed primarily outside the house or apartment when the sun goes down. There are a couple of things to note here: the light source from the 2200 ANSI lumen LED lamp is excellent for nighttime viewing, with roughly 25,000 hours of life (5000 hours/5 years) before needing replacement. The overall image quality is great thanks to its improved brightness, although not bright enough to use during the daytime.

Additional standout features are the autofocus and automatic keystone correction options that eliminate the tedious adjustments and guesswork when setting up the initial picture. This process happens every time you turn on the Horizon Pro and generally works as intended by way of a camera located next to the projector lens, which will scan and orientate the proper image on the screen or empty wall. This is one of the better autofocusing methods I’ve seen on a projector with only two occasions of it needing readjustment, possibly due to a foreign object or unwanted light obscuring the camera.

Even the AI-powered keystone that works in conjunction is smooth and manages at difficult angles of up to 40° vertically or horizontally, with you being able to manually fine-tune the edges afterwards—excellent for getting the correct outside picture with little frustration.

Android TV

Like many other smart projectors available, XGIMI has gone with the Android TV platform as their pre-installed smart hub for instant familiarity. The interface is basic with the essential navigation tools on top, including Android TV’s Search, Home, Discover, and Apps. Functional and source options can also be found up top like the notifications, Wi-Fi, and expanded settings. It’s adequate and apparent that this hub is intended to serve as a one-stop for most of your content access. During my testing, most of the popular streaming services (Disney+, Prime Video, Hulu, HBO Max, Paramount+) were either pre-installed or could be downloaded via the app.

Typically, you can expect there to be some gaps due to app certification and/or licensing issues, and you’d be right as Netflix isn’t natively supported here. While you can install the app, you’ll run into an playback error the moment to try to watch something. There are workarounds but they’re too convoluted to even mention in this review.

Backyard Performance

Much of my testing was done outdoors while watching a few movies, and mainly just enjoying the grandeur of a gigantic 160-inch screen on the size of my house. Because the general calibration is so dialed-in for straightforward usage, I found myself not adjusting much of anything besides local contrast, HDR, and motion compensation presets. The color range is fairly accurate for casual viewers to appreciate—however, because the Horizon Pro is DLP-based the typical issues such as lighter black levels remain mediocre even with contrast enhancements enabled. Regardless of its inherent faults, watching films like One Night in Miami, Summer of Soul, and The Mule felt similar to being at an open-space theater without the unnecessary crowds.

Even the audio through the two 8-watt Harman Kardon speakers is surprisingly good. Where I’d normally expect flat and frayed distorted at the high-end, the output is well-controlled with a acceptable amount of depth at medium volume. I normally have nothing nice to say about onboard projector speakers, always opting to either hook them up to a surround sound system or even some 3.5mm satellites, but XGIMI properly equipped the Horizon Pro with competent drivers, along with DTS-HD and Dolby to keep audiophiles happy.

OK for Indoors

If you plan on spending most of your time indoors or prefer gaming, then the Horizon Pro can do that with some noticeable compromises. Thanks to that autofocusing camera sensor, you’ll get the same ease of placement when positioning this in a living room, but also the same limitations such as poor daytime picture.

Gaming is doable but it’s not the Horizon Pro’s best trait, especially since Game Mode can only be enabled through a HDMI-connected device. Input lag is reduced from 118.1ms to 34.6ms, and the 60Hz MEMC options can be tweaked but should probably be used on a lower setting. The effect has more of a impact when I played Gran Turismo 7 and Horizon: Forbidden West on PlayStation 5.

Conclusion: Ideal for Outdoors

The Horizon Pro 4K LED Smart Projector is what’s known as a ‘Lifestyle Display’. In projector terms, these provide a great looking picture but are uniquely suited to get the party started in different environments – inside and out. XGIMI is one of the latest among choices like the Samsung Freestyle, LG HF85LA CineBeam and the Philips Screeno, but the Horizon Pro looks and feels like the next evolution with all its features. There are minor limitations, but the overall package offers flexibility and a quick approach to streaming apps on huge backdrops.