Finishing my video review of the XGIMI Horizon S Max made one thing clear: we’re entering a new era of “Lifestyle Pro” projectors.
The term “Lifestyle projector” has been around for a while now. When companies started adding streaming apps to small, portable projectors, people started taking them camping, or into their backyards for movie night.
Today, there’s a gap that’s rapidly closing between two types of customers. The plug-and-play, lifestyle crowd wants the novelty of a movie night. But in the era of 4K and Dolby Vision, their expectations are high.
Then, there are the home theater enthusiasts. They want superior image quality and expect options to customize color grading and contrast when they buy a 4K projector.
The XGIMI Horizon S Max, their latest 4K lifestyle projector, aims to bridge that gap. This “Lifestyle Pro” era is about projectors that appeal to both the casual crowd, who have high expectations, and the enthusiasts who don’t want to spend thousands more on a professional-grade home theater projector.
Given its price point and overall value, the S Max largely succeeds. It supports HDR10, Dolby Vision, and IMAX Enhanced.
I was already thinking about this Lifestyle Pro concept when I reviewed the Valerion VisionMaster Pro 2 a month ago. The S Max just solidifies it.
Features & Overview of the Horizon S Max
The S Max has a very bright image. The company rates it at 3,100 ISO lumens, putting it on par with the brightest projectors on the market.
I’ve used it on a white matte screen in my family room and on an ambient light-rejecting screen in my office. I’ve watched various 4K videos from Prime Video, YouTube, and Max.
On Fubo, I caught some of a college football game streaming in 4K on FOX Sports. Even with an overhead light on, the image remained bright on the ambient light-rejecting screen.
The S Max comes with a built-in gimbal stand on a turntable disc, allowing it to rotate 360° horizontally and 135° vertically. This stand is handy for ceiling setups or awkward angles.
Beyond the gimbal, picture settings help get your angle just right. One of these is called “uninterrupted auto keystone correction” — if you move the projector to a wall or ceiling, it automatically aligns the picture.
The S Max supports a screen size from 40 to 200 inches with a throw ratio of 1.2:1.
The remote resembles those of streaming devices, with buttons for power, settings, and Google Assistant at the top. At the bottom, there’s a button for autofocus — a very handy feature. The remote is sleek and easy to use, connecting via Bluetooth, so you don’t need to point directly at the projector.
Setup: Out of the Box
The S Max comes with a large power bank and a remote control. The power cord plugs into the bottom of the stand. If you have Google Home on your smartphone, you can sync your Google account to import apps from another smart TV or streaming device.
The lens and sensors are protected by an electric sliding cover. The S Max runs on Android TV 11. While I would have preferred Google TV, Android TV still supports most major streaming apps, including Prime Video, Max, and Hulu. However, you will need an external streaming device for Netflix.
The projector has autofocus and auto keystone correction. I found a couple of manual screen settings that were particularly useful: “Screen Rotation,” which allows diagonal adjustments, and “Screen Shift,” which lets you move the screen horizontally or vertically. These two options make it easier to align your picture.
For instance, I set up the S Max on a bookcase in my office, about 10 feet from the light-rejecting screen. The image size was slightly larger than the screen, but with these settings, I could dial it in perfectly. I wish more projectors had these features. The S Max also has display zoom, which lets you reduce the screen size for setups across a large room.
Color & Contrast Settings
Under picture settings, you can choose between two light sources. You can use the tri-color laser, which provides a more vivid display, or the Dual Light 2.0 technology, which combines a tri-color laser and an LED light source. This combination gives a bright, natural-looking picture.
I preferred the tri-color laser for a punchy image. It added vivid color without oversaturation. Another useful setting is contrast enhancement, which makes darker details easier to see. It does darken the overall picture, but that can be a good thing for nighttime scenes or shadowy details.
The projector is powered by a Cortex-A55 processor with a Mali-G52 GPU, 2GB of RAM, and 64GB of storage. It handles 4K streaming and IMAX Enhanced content smoothly.
Settings I Like
The preset picture modes look great out of the box, which is something I value in a high-end lifestyle projector. Each preset, including standard, movie, and sport, allows you to adjust motion compensation and local contrast. I used the “Brilliant” preset the most.
The IMAX Enhanced setting is automatically turned on initially. I recommend going into settings to turn it off, saving it for when you’re actually watching IMAX Enhanced content.
The “wall color adaptation” feature is also quite innovative — it adjusts the color temperature to match your wall. It takes about a minute to process, and I found the results more accurate on my white matte screen than on the light-rejecting one.
The S Max also has IMAX Enhanced mode, which can deliver a larger aspect ratio and better audio. I wanted to show some footage from an IMAX Enhanced movie on Disney Plus.
Color
When I evaluate color, I look for a lifelike, immersive picture, especially with Dolby Vision or HDR10 content. The colors on the S Max are true to life, and I didn’t need much customization. It supports 110% of the BT.2020 color gamut and has a dynamic contrast ratio of 1,000,000:1. Dark scenes felt rich and deep, delivering a theater-like experience that goes beyond a high-end Smart TV.
Audio
The S Max has two Harman/Kardon 12-watt speakers. They won’t replace a home theater system, but the sound quality is adequate for casual viewing. It also supports Dolby Audio and DTS.
There are two USB ports and a single HDMI/eARC connection on the back. I wish there was more than one HDMI port. These days, I want the option to connect multiple devices like a streaming device, gaming console, and perhaps a mini PC or external speakers.
Conclusion
Overall, I think the S Max offers a lot of value for its price point. I wish it had Google TV instead of Android TV, and an additional HDMI port and backlit remote would have been nice. But the ease of use and image quality win the day.
The S Max is at the price point of a high-end lifestyle projector, meeting the picture quality standards that home theater enthusiasts expect. With streaming services offering Dolby Vision and IMAX Enhanced versions of movies, it’s getting easier and more affordable to have a theater-like experience at home.
If you want a high-end movie experience without tweaking picture settings, the S Max is a great option. At the same time, if you love diving into color grading, contrast, and image adjustments, there’s plenty here to explore.
What I Liked
- Bright Display: The 3,100 ISO lumens make it easy to watch in various lighting conditions.
- Picture Adjustability: Screen Rotation and Shift features allow precise alignment.
- Vivid Colors: The tri-color laser provides bright, vivid colors without oversaturation.
- User-Friendly Setup: Easy integration with Google Home and intuitive controls.
- Electric Sliding Cover: Protects the lens and sensors when not in use.
What I Didn’t Like
- Only One HDMI Port: Limits connectivity for multiple devices.
- Android TV 11 Instead of Google TV: Android TV works, but Google TV would have been better.
- Remote Lacks Backlight: Makes it difficult to use in dark settings.
Ratings
- Overall Rating: 8.5/10
- Design: 9/10 — Sleek design with practical features like the electric lens cover.
- Performance: 9/10 — Excellent picture quality and brightness.
- Ease of Use: 8/10 — Simple setup, but the lack of Netflix integration is a drawback.
- Value for Money: 8/10 — Pricey, but the features justify the cost.
Where to Buy
The XGIMI Horizon S Max is available on the XGIMI website and Amazon.
Disclosure
XGIMI provided this projector for review. The opinions expressed are my own based on hands-on testing. Affiliate links are used, which help support my work if you make a purchase.
