It's been a year since XGIMI launched the Horizon Pro, a home projector that's notable for its high brightness, auto-framing capabilities, and casual form factor. But XGIMI is ready to take the next step. It just revealed the Horizon Ultra, a $1,700 projector that uses new "Dual Light" technology to achieve a 77% greater brightness than its predecessor. It's also one of the few projectors with Dolby Vision support. The Horizon Ultra is absolutely bursting with innovation, and to my surprise, its big price tag is matched by equally impressive specs.

XGIMI Horizon Ultra boasts a 4K resolution with 2,300 ISO lumens of brightness, plus a 95% coverage of the DCI-P3 color gamut. It supports HDR with Dolby Vision enhancement, and in gaming mode, you get 4K 60Hz quality with only 18ms of latency. These are some impressive specs, and in my review, I found that the Horizon Ultra's picture quality rivals that of some movie theaters (though since this is a home projector, its maximum screen size is 200 inches). Maximum image quality is easy to achieve because of XGIMI's advanced auto-focus, auto-framing, and auto-keystone technology (these functions may be especially useful when using the Horizon Ultra for outdoor viewings, film classes, summer camps, and such).

And, unlike previous XGIMI projectors, the Horizon Ultra offers optical zoom. This gives you a flexible 1.2-1.5:1 throw ratio and allows you to fine-tune the projected image without a loss in quality. If you need to install the Horizon Ultra at a distance that's too far from your projection screen, for example, you can use optical zoom to correctly fit the image.

I attended the Horizon Ultra launch event, where words like "spouse-approval factor" were thrown around quite freely. XGIMI is proud of the projector's futuristic design, integrated Android TV experience, and impressively loud Harmon/Kardon speakers. While Horizon Ultra is obviously an enthusiast-level projector, it doesn't need to be wired up with speakers and other messy accessories, which makes it an interesting option for minimalist setups or activities away from home.

The projector is also fitted for permanent installations, of course. And its port selection reflects this fact — you get an HDMI input, an HDMI eARC port, wired Ethernet, two USB ports, an optical audio output, and a 3.5mm headphone jack. The only oddity is Horizon Ultra's shallow 1/4" tripod mounting screw. This projector doesn't have a typical mounting system, so you may need to buy one of XGIMI's purpose-made tripods or ceiling mounts (although you could just set it on a coffee table).

You can buy the XGIMI Horizon Ultra today for $1,700. I've spent about three weeks testing the projector, so be sure to check out my detailed review for additional information and insight.

XGIMI Horizon Ultra

The Horizon Ultra is XGIMI's flagship home projector. It features an impressive 2,300 lumens ISO brightness, plus a 4K 60Hz resolution with a minimum 18ms input latency. Not to mention, Horizon Ultra makes ample use of XGIMI's excellent auto-framing technology, and it offers optical zoom for fine-tuning your image without a loss in quality.  This is an enthusiast projector, though its large footprint and weight are best suited for placement on a coffee table, a strong tripod, or a bookshelf.

$1700 at XGIMI