The announcement at Xgimi's booth is of the stealthy kind, which makes sense, since the star of the moment is the ultra-short-throw Aura 3 model, but the Xgimi Horizon 30, Xgimi Horizon 30 Pro and Xgimi Horizon 30 Max “back-of-the-room” projectors are on the way. Their release is scheduled for the end of 2026. On the menu are notable and welcome improvements, including a [abc]2 160p[/abc]/120 Hz display or the Dynamic Dual Iris function (by combining a dynamic iris that adjusts in real time to scene brightness with a second physical aperture, Xgimi promises deeper blacks and greater detail in low light).
Xgimi Horizon 30: familiar design and ISA features
For the rest, Xgimi's new Horizon 30 references have a look very similar to that of the previous Horizon 20 range, if not identical. The design still features a cubic shape and a tilting, swiveling cradle for positioning the projector as desired. Beyond the shape, the Horizon 30s will retain all the features of the Horizon 20s: the ability to calibrate all Picture modes as desired, with separate saving of settings for each of them. Likewise, the calibrated D65 triple-laser mode should normally be carried over in order to eliminate the Greenish Tint (based on the AWP, Alternative White Point, calibration principle for White Oled screens that we use in our test benches).
Like its predecessors, the Xgimi Horizon 30 integrates advanced ergonomics presented under the ISA label (Intelligent Screen Adaption). This provides automatic keystone correction and focusing, in addition to automatic optimal horizontal alignment and automatic screen-size adjustment in the event of a stray obstacle in the image (to perfectly fit the image to the screen size, for example, or avoid a wall light fixture). It should also be noted that projection stops automatically if a person (typically a child) passes in front of the projector lens, in order to protect the eyes. The integrated stand allows vertical adjustment up to 135° and horizontal rotation of 360 degrees.
Xgimi Horizon 30, QuaLas42 engine and main specifications
The Xgimi Horizon models feature a new in-house optical engine called QuaLas42, a triple RGB laser made up of twenty laser diodes. The multiplication of these chips, for each of the colors of the triple laser, is intended to control (read: reduce as much as possible) Speckle phenomena (display of bright sparkles) and Fringing (chromatic aberrations that appear in contrasting areas of the image or on the edges of objects) inherent to laser technology.
The Xgimi Horizon 30s are built around a 0.47" SST [abc]DMD[/abc] chip (1,920 x 1,080 pixels) with XPR4 algorithm to display [abc]Ultra HD[/abc] [abc]4K[/abc] resolution. The triple [abc]RVB[/abc] laser light source (25,000-hour lifespan) generates a stated brightness of between 3,600 and 6,800 lumens depending on the model. Native contrast rises to 7,000:1 on the Max version (10,000:1 via the DBLE process for Dynamic Black Level Enhancement and 1,000,000:1 dynamic contrast) and color coverage of 98% of the BT.2020 spectrum. Note that Xgimi guarantees a careful out-of-the-box calibration for its Horizon 30 with a Delta E < 0.8 in Adobe RGB, Rec.709, DCI-P3 or even Rec.2020.
Also noteworthy are [abc]HDR Dolby Vision[/abc], HDR10+/HDR10 compatibility, 3D support (Frame Packing, Side by Side and Top & Bottom), [abc]ISF[/abc], Imax Enhanced and Filmmaker certifications, a Dynamic Tone Mapping process, vertical/horizontal [abc]Lens Shift[/abc] (±120/±45%) and a projection ratio of 1.2-1.5:1 (1.25x optical zoom). The maximum image size is stated at 300" (762 cm) maximum.
Xgimi Horizon 30: connectivity, connections and audio section
On the connectivity side, among other things, there is an [abc]HDMI[/abc] 2.1 input ([abc]eARC[/abc]) and an HDMI 2.0, an [abc]optical[/abc] output and two [abc]USB[/abc]-A ports (including one 3.0) and a 3.5 mm headphone output. [abc]ALLM[/abc] and [abc]VRR[/abc] functions are also included. On the connectivity front, [abc]Wi-Fi[/abc] 6, [abc]Bluetooth[/abc] 5.2 and [abc]Chromecast (intégré)[/abc] compatibility are part of the package.
For the Harman Kardon sound section, the Xgimi Horizon 30 delivers a total output of 2 x 12 W and supports Dolby Audio and [abc]DTS:X[/abc] formats.
Xgimi Horizon 30, Google TV
The Xgimi Horizon 20 projector features Google TV Smart TV for easy access to all (!) [abc]streaming[/abc] platforms (Netflix, Prime Video, YouTube...). Logically enough, the Google Assistant voice assistant is available. The whole thing is powered by a MediaTek MT9618 processor, backed by 4 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage.
Xgimi Horizon 30, ideal for video games
Last but not least, video game fans are not forgotten, with a dedicated gaming processor compatible with AMD FreeSync offering an Input Lag of 3 ms in [abc]2 160p[/abc]/60, 2.2 ms in 1,080p/120 Hz and 1 ms in 1,080p/240 hertz. A Black Equalizer mode is offered to brighten dark game scenes and spot hidden enemies or objects. The same goes for Virtual Crosshair mode (on-screen aiming reticle), very useful with FPS games, for example. Finally, there are Sport, FPS, RTS, RPG and standard modes of course. Plus an Assassin's Creed mode to accompany the partnership between Xgimi and Ubisoft on the Assassin's Creed Shadows game.
Availability announced by the end of the year. Indicative prices: around €2,000 for the Horizon 30, €2,500 for the Horizon 30 Pro and €3,000 for the Horizon 30 Max.
Reminder of the key features of the XGimi Horizon 30 Max:
• Mono-[abc]DLP[/abc] type
• [abc]Ultra HD[/abc] [abc]4K[/abc] resolution
• Native resolution: 1,920 x 1,080 pixels (3,840 x 2,160 with Texas Instrument XPR4 wobulation technology)
• DMD chip: TI 0.47'' SST
• Contrast: 7,000:1 native, 10,000:1 with DBLE mode (Dynamic Black Level Enhancement); 1,000,000:1 dynamic contrast
• Light source: triple [abc]RVB[/abc] laser, QuaLas42 engine (20 laser diodes)
• Brightness: 6,800 lumens
• Input Lag: 3 ms in [abc]2 160p[/abc]/60, 2.2 ms in 1,080p/120 Hz, 1 ms in 1,080p/240 hertz
• Google Assistant functions
• MEMC motion compensation functions
• [abc]Chromecast (intégré)[/abc] functions
• Autofocus functions
• Automatic keystone correction functions
• Automatic image alignment to screen size functions
• Google TV functions
• [abc]VRR[/abc] functions
• FreeSync functions
• [abc]HDR10[/abc] compatibility
• [abc]HDR10+[/abc] compatibility
• [abc]3D Ready[/abc] compatibility
• [abc]eARC[/abc] compatibility
• [abc]HDR Dolby Vision[/abc] compatibility
• [abc]Bluetooth[/abc] 5.2 compatibility
• [abc]Wi-Fi[/abc] 6 Dual Band compatibility
• Sound section: [abc]2.0[/abc]
• Power: 2 x 12 W
• Dolby Audio compatibility
• [abc]DTS:X[/abc] compatibility
• 3D compatibility: yes (Frame Packing, Side by Side and Top & Bottom)
• Connections: 1 [abc]HDMI[/abc] 2.1 input ([abc]eARC[/abc]) and 1 HDMI 2.0, 1 [abc]optical[/abc] output and 2 [abc]USB[/abc]-A ports (including one 3.0) and 1 3.5 mm headphone output
• Zoom: 1.2-1.5:1 (1.25x optical zoom)
• Certification: [abc]ISF[/abc], [abc]Imax Enhanced[/abc], Filmmaker
• Lamp life: 25,000 h
• Lens Shift: vertical/horizontal: ±120%/±45%
• Delta E < 0.8 in Adobe RGB, Rec.709, DCI-P3 or Rec.2020
To find our detailed news on the technologies, trends or references mentioned in this report from the 2026 Berlin IFA show, click the following link: IFA 2026, discover all the new products live from Berlin