HORIZON S Max
XGIMI Horizon S Max improves home projection with brighter images and IMAX Enhanced certification without sacrificing design and sound quality.
Pros
- Superb image and sound qualities
- Beautiful design
- Adjustable gimbal system to improved setup
Cons
- Lacks key features of its predecessor (such as optical zoom)
- Still runs Android TV
- No Netflix app support
Built on the foundation of the HORIZON Ultra 4K, XGIMI has expanded its premium long-throw home projector offerings with the new HORIZON S Pro and S Max models. With these products, the company offers an improved design with more high-end features but the same Android TV experience.
After extensively testing the XGIMI HORIZON S Max projector for over a month, here’s the good, the bad, and the in-between for one of XGIMI’s top home projectors of 2024.
XGIMI HORIZON S Max specs
| Specification | Details |
|---|---|
| Product Classification | Home Projector |
| Light Source | Dual Light 2.0 |
| Expected Lamp Life | 20,000 Hours |
| Display Technique | DLP |
| 3D Support | Yes, Frame Packing & Side by Side |
| Supported Formats | HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision, IMAX Enhanced |
| Latency | Game Mode ≤ 20ms (AK off) |
| MEMC | Yes |
| Brightness | 3100 ISO Lumens |
| Standard Resolution | 3840 x 2160 pixels |
| Color Gamut | BT.2020 110% |
| Contrast Ratio | Dynamic 1000000:1 |
| Lens | High Light Transmission Coated Lens |
| Eye Protection | Yes |
| Setup | Auto Keystone Correction |
| Focus | ISA 5.0 Auto Focus |
| Intelligent Screen Alignment | Yes |
| Intelligent Obstacle Avoidance | Yes |
| Optical Zoom | / |
| Digital Zoom | Yes |
| Throw Ratio | 1.2:1 |
| Aspect Ratio | 16:9/4:3 |
| Projection Method | Front, Rear, Front Ceiling, Rear Ceiling |
| Image Size | 40” – 200” |
| CPU | Cortex-A55 |
| GPU | Mali-G52 |
| RAM | 2GB |
| Storage | 64GB |
| System | Android TV™ 11.0 |
| Mirroring Display | DLNA/GoogleCast |
| Speaker | 2 x 12W Harman/Kardon |
| DTS-Virtual | Yes |
| DTS-HD | Yes |
| Dolby Audio | Yes |
| Dolby Digital (DD) | Yes |
| Dolby Digital Plus (DD+) | Yes |
| WiFi | Wi-Fi |
| Bluetooth | Bluetooth 5.1 |
| Input Ports | DC x 1, HDMI (eARC Supported) x 1, USB x 2 |
| Output Ports | / |
| Noise Level | <28dB @ 1m |
| Power Dissipation | <300W |
| Power | AC 100-240V, 50/60Hz |
| Product Size (H x W x D) | 234 x 273 x 174 mm |
| Product Weight | 4.81 kg |
| Package Size (H x W x D) | 245 x 393 x 310 mm |
Design, connectivity, and where to put it
It’s only been six months since I reviewed the XGIMI HORIZON Ultra 4K projector. Still, the new HORIZON S Max feels like a natural upgrade over its predecessor. The design is similar to the HORIZON Ultra, which mixes eco-friendly PU leather and flow cover fabric. It looks like a beautiful piece of furniture and blends well with the environment.
XGIMI was able to make this device half the size of its predecessor while adding an adjustable stand. This change was important to help users find a good place for the projector.
However, while reviewing the XGIMI HORIZON S Max, I discovered that XGIMI removed the optical zoom feature, which was great for making the image fit my wall without losing quality. Therefore, I can only use this projector with Digital Zoom now, which cuts off the perfect optical image I used to love (more on that later).
The company explained that it removed the optical zoom to make the projector smaller. It believes the adjustable stand gives more flexibility and possibilities for home users, so the trade-off was worth it.
It’s important to note that XGIMI also made some other compromises on the connectivity side. Wi-Fi supports Wi-Fi 5 instead of 6, and the Bluetooth standard is 5.1 instead of 5.2. To be honest, these compromises didn’t disturb my experience with the projector, but it’s weird to see XGIMI improving some areas but downgrading others.
Image quality
Despite the lack of optical zoom, I can’t say I had a worse experience. With a 4K projection with HDR10 and Dolby Vision support, XGIMI also added iMAX Enhanced certification for the HORIZON S Max, a first for projectors.
What I think made the most difference during the XGIMI HORIZON S Max review was the new Dual Light 2.0 technology, which combines a tri-color laser and LED for a brighter, more accurate image. This new tech also increases the ISO lumens to 3,100, 30% more than the previous generation.
This change is important to make images stand out even with some ambient light. While this home projector works best in full darkness or at night, closing the windows or even having a bit of ambient light didn’t interrupt a cinematic-like experience.
The XGIMI HORIZON S Max offers the brightest home projection I have ever experienced, and I still think this is one of the best options for those who want a giant image projected on their walls. The IMAX Enhanced certification feels like a cherry on top of this well-crafted product.
Sound quality
The XGIMI HORIZON S Max keeps the same combo of two 12W Harman/Kardon speakers as its predecessor. In this review, I feel this home projector’s sound quality is as good as its image quality. Watching Queen Rock Montreal at Disney+ in iMAX Enhanced was a beautiful experience.
It was also amazing to check out my favorite music clips on YouTube. While I’d previously preferred the Apple TV + HomePod mini combo in my bedroom, I often switch to XGIMI’s built-in speakers because they’re impressive. Even with the projector being smaller than before, XGIMI still delivers superb sound quality.
Keeping Android TV was a big letdown
In my XGIMI HORIZON Ultra 4K review, as the Android TV experience. It was clunky, the remote wouldn’t respond as quickly, and I’d often rely on the Apple TV 4K.
When XGIMI held an event last September, the company announced that some projectors would get Google TV and Netflix support. However, the new system and this app’s support were only available for some entry-level projectors, such as the great MoGo 3 Pro.
And guess what? Even though the MoGo My only letdown inPro is one of the company’s budget projectors, it was so nice using Google TV. Setting up and finding my favorite apps was a piece of cake. Unfortunately, I can’t say the same about the Android TV 11 experience with the XGIMI HORIZON S Max in this review.
Even though the company upgraded the projector with a better processor and 64GB of storage, it maintains 2GB of RAM, which feels like the bare minimum for Android TV to run. While the HORIZON S Max offers impressive image and sound quality, the navigation is just bad.
Still, I often find myself switching from my first-gen Apple TV 4K (to watch Netflix) to XGIMI’s Android TV experience to get the best image quality on Disney+, Max, and Apple TV+.
XGIMI is a very respected brand that offers premium products. It’s unacceptable that it couldn’t upgrade one of its high-end projectors to Google TV. This missing operating system also means you need to find a workaround to have built-in Netflix support. A premium product shouldn’t work like this. Even though the company says it kept Android TV for better intelligent projector features, such as smart obstacle avoidance, eye protection, auto-focus, and so on, I don’t think that was worth it for customers.
Price and conclusion
To conclude this review, the XGIMI HORIZON S Max projector has a suggested price of $1,899, the same price as a high-end TV. If you like watching your favorite shows in the dark and want the biggest display possible, you should definitely get it.
However, if you usually watch TV in bright environments and don’t have a perfect spot for the projector, you’ll save yourself time by buying a television instead. I would still recommend a connected Apple TV for both of your choices.
That said, don’t get intimidated by the fear of not making the projector work. As long as you have a white wall, some space, and time to set everything up, you’ll have a far superior experience watching your favorite movies, shows, and music clips. While I still think XGIMI needs to offer better software with the next iteration, I can’t complain about what it aims to do, which is to offer the best image and sound experience available at this home projection category and price point.
