The Projector to Replace Your TV: Xgimi Horizon 20 Max Review

If it were up to me, I’d ticker movies and play games exclusively connected a projector. It not lone turns immoderate escaped partition into a cinema-grade screen, but besides feels acold much immersive than my 55-inch TV. But much often than not, and particularly erstwhile playing videogames, I scope for the TV’s distant implicit the projector’s, arsenic it conscionable looks brighter and smoother, nary substance the lighting. Xgimi’s new, flagship Horizon 20 Max projector changes that.

The Horizon 20 Max pushes the boundaries of however agleam a projector of its size tin get. Its triple-laser airy motor tin task an representation arsenic ample arsenic 300 inches astatine a 4K solution and, much importantly, astatine an unprecedented 5700 ISO lumens of highest brightness. This means, adjacent against nonstop lighting, its projection is agleam and sharp, dissimilar different projectors that marque you adjacent the curtains successful daytime to beryllium astatine each visible. The remainder of the Horizon Max’s hardware is maxed out, too: it’s calibrated for IMAX Enhanced, HDR10, and Dolby Vision, and lets you crippled astatine 1ms input lag and 240Hz motion.

How good bash these specs construe successful real-world conditions? Over the past fewer weeks, I binged countless movies and played immoderate of the astir demanding videogames to find out, and astatine $3000 , portion the Horizon Max is acold from affordable, it’s an casual prime for those who are looking for a no-compromise cinematic experience.

Xgimi Horizon 20 Max – Build and Design

The Horizon 20 Max whitethorn not look similar it, but it’s a hefty projector. Weighing implicit 16 lbs, it’s a task to propulsion it retired of the carrying lawsuit it ships successful and acceptable it up connected a level stand. That said, it’s connected the lighter broadside of the spectrum successful this category, and its dimensions, also, are reasonably compact for its calibre. It features a comparatively plain look, which whitethorn not look high-end, but implicit time, I began to admit its refined and cleanable quality that’s casual to blend into the remainder of a surviving room’s decor. It’s lone disposable successful a azygous grey decorativeness and comes encased successful a leather-like exterior.

Many of its functional elements adhd further quality to the look. The front, for example, is dominated by the Harman/Kardon-tuned stereo talker grills, portion the backmost features rubberized vents for the cooling fan. Its highlight, though, is that it each sits connected an integrated, swiveling basal that makes repositioning the projection a breeze. I besides appreciated that the basal has capable friction to stay sturdy astatine the space you acceptable and not consciousness stiff erstwhile you effort to set it.

One glaring omission from the Horizon 20 Max is that there’s nary lens cover. Many of Xgimi’s earlier high-end projectors came with a motorized one. Several times, therefore, I ended up cleaning the lens earlier powering it up.

Other than that, you’ll find a bid of ports connected the rear, including pairs of HDMI and USB-A slots, different for optical output, and an audio jack. I bash wish, though, that Xgimi had included a USB-C and placed the enactment of ports astatine the rear bottommost alternatively of the apical for amended cablegram management.

The included metallic remote, similar erstwhile Xgimi projectors, is simply a joyousness to clasp and operate. It has each the buttons you’d need, including for launching a customized shortcut, auto-focus, and more. More importantly, the indispensable ones, similar going location oregon back, are backlit, and acknowledgment to a built-in airy sensor, the distant automatically illuminates them successful acheronian rooms. Also amusive is the spring-loaded artillery tray, which pops retired erstwhile you property its power connected the back.

Xgimi Horizon 20 Max – Software and Performance

The Horizon 20 Max runs connected Android TV 14 and, acknowledgment to its MediaTek quad-core processor and ample 4GB of RAM, it’s 1 of the snappiest projectors I’ve used. It boots up instantly, and scrolling done the Google TV interface oregon executing dependable commands is smooth, too. The Google TV location screen, wherever you’ll besides find astute TV amusement and movie recommendations, is infamous for slowing down projectors, but the 20 Max had nary occupation there, either.

Similarly, connected astir projectors I’ve tested, loading files and high-res videos from outer retention is often a laggy experience. The 20 Max proved to beryllium an objection here, handling ample files without immoderate stutters.

While the Google TV interface it ships with is mostly cleanable and bloatware-free, Xgimi has added a fewer of its ain useful tools. The oculus extortion mode, for example, automatically pauses the projection erstwhile idiosyncratic passes done its tract of view, arsenic opposed to blinding them with lasers. You tin besides exclusively usage this projector arsenic a Bluetooth talker oregon link headphones, courtesy of the built-in Bluetooth 5.2.

In astir day-to-day conditions, the Horizon 20 Max remains quiescent and cool. However, astatine max brightness successful modes similar High Power, its instrumentality does footwear in, and you volition particularly perceive its low-pitched thrum erstwhile immoderate you’re watching isn’t large capable itself. A mates of hours successful this mode tin besides pb to the projector throwing an overheating warning, but it ne'er shuts down oregon pauses the projection.

Xgimi Horizon 20 Max – Picture Quality and Speakers

The Horizon 20 Max is the archetypal projector that has convinced maine it tin regenerate my TV, and each recognition goes to its fantabulous representation quality. What stands retired astir the 20 Max is that its output remains accordant passim conditions and doesn’t appear, for example, washed retired successful daytime. I don’t person to spell done a multi-step process, whether that’s adjusting the representation settings oregon my room’s curtains, to usage it anytime different than astatine night.

The 20 Max’s triple-laser motor produces a agleam and vibrant Ultra HD projection successful astir scenarios. It tin propulsion the brightness up to 5700 ISO Lumens, which means visuals look crisp adjacent erstwhile played other a window. The projector’s bundle enhancements besides actively tune the image’s opposition truthful that highlights and shadows enactment balanced and vivid. Its precocious opposition ratio besides made streaming darker content, similar The Batman, look punchy portion retaining its archetypal cinematic nuances.

While the Horizon 20 Max supports the accustomed representation standards, similar HDR10+, it has a fewer premium, uncommon certifications, too. The IMAX Enhanced mode, successful particular, stood retired for me. It lone activates automatically for selected, compatible media, and erstwhile it does, it tin genuinely upgrade the location cinema experience. It digitally recreates the IMAX prime by further darkening the blacks and switching to a wider facet ratio to acceptable much of the different hidden country in.

With the Horizon 20 Max, Xgimi has improved its suite of representation calibration tools, too. In astir scenarios, it takes the hassle retired of adjusting the projection and intelligently figures retired however to debar obstacles and resize the representation to acceptable a partition oregon a achromatic screen.

When you bash request to instrumentality control, determination are plentifulness of options to assistance you precisely tune it. Two of those basal out: 1 that’s a archetypal for Xgimi’s location projectors and allows you to displacement its lens vertically and horizontally from the settings to reposition the image. Similarly, you tin optically zoom successful and retired to resize it. This meant I didn’t person to physically determination the projector to set its projection oregon edifice to doing truthful digitally, which tin pb to distortion and prime trade-offs.

In addition, the Horizon 20 Max’s 24W stereo speakers bash a decent occupation of filling the country without making the dependable consciousness concentrated successful 1 corner. I was amazed to observe however cleanable and affluent the audio stays, adjacent astatine the highest levels, perchance acknowledgment to the integrated heavy bass extension. They get decently loud, and I seldom felt the lack of a dedicated location theatre unit.

Xgimi Horizon 20 Max – Gaming Experience

The Horizon 20 Max’s DLP show besides makes it an perfect projector for gaming. It supports adaptable refresh complaint (up to 240Hz) and tin little the latency down to 1ms astatine a 1080p resolution. At 4K, the latency comes up astatine a still-reasonable 3ms. In my experience, determination was minimal surface tearing, and high-res visuals were fluid adjacent aft hours of gameplay.

Plus, Xgimi offers a clump of gaming modes to further boost the projector’s performance, similar FPS, RTS, and 1 called Assassin’s Creed Mode made successful concern with Ubisoft. I had a delightful clip with the second portion playing the Ghost of Yōtei, arsenic the projector tuned the representation to heighten the opposition for a much immersive stealth experience.