The Horizon S Max is the flagship model of the Horizon series of projectors. Although new to the Horizon lineup, the S models—which include the Pro and the Max, the focus of this review—now feature an integrated gimbal stand, a feature not previously available in the standard or ultra models.

The Max boasts the highest lumen output in the series, delivering 3,100 ISO lumens, along with an upgraded version of the Dual Light triple-laser light source, aptly named Dual Light 2.0. With excellent color gamut coverage and built-in smart features, the Horizon S Max offers strong value at its current street price of $1,899.00, making it an attractive option for those in the market for a lifestyle projector.

Features

The XGIMI Horizon S Max is a new addition to the Horizon line of projectors. Released in October 2024, the Horizon S Max introduces a fresh design approach with its integrated gimbal stand, a feature not previously found in the Horizon Ultra and standard Horizon models. The S line includes two models—the Pro and the Max—both offering similar performance, with the Max standing out due to its 64GB of onboard storage and significantly higher brightness rating of 3,100 lumens. Both models retain a motorized front panel, which lowers to reveal the lens when powered on.

The Horizon S Max's menu system remains consistent with that of the Horizon Ultra, which is a welcome feature, ensuring familiarity for users while delivering a much brighter picture.

Utilizing Texas Instruments' native 1080p 0.47-inch DMD DLP chip, the Horizon S Max employs four-phase pixel shifting to achieve a full UHD 4K resolution of 3840x2160 pixels, delivering impressive clarity and sharp detail. However, during my time with the Horizon S Max, I did notice the presence of the rainbow effect (RBE) in certain content. While mild, it was particularly noticeable in scenes with subtitles, where the effect appeared most frequently. Users who are highly sensitive to RBE should take this into consideration.

The Horizon S Max features XGIMI's Dual Light 2.0 light source, a hybrid system combining RGB triple-laser and LED technology. This system enhances brightness and is quite impressive in its functionality. Users can choose between the Dual Light 2.0 mode or the Tri-Color Laser mode. Opting for Dual Light 2.0 provides a noticeable brightness boost with minimal drawbacks. However, while the Dual Light 2.0 mode delivers a significantly brighter image without visible laser speckle, it does so at the cost of reduced color gamut coverage. In contrast, using the tri-color laser alone results in a wider color gamut but sacrifices brightness and introduces the potential for laser speckle. When utilizing the Tri-Color Laser light source by itself the Horizon S Max was able to achieve 93.27% xy and 92.1% uv of the BT.2020 color space and 98.92% xy and 99.4% uv of the P3 gamut. This is an impressive jump from the 68.85% xy and 75.81% uv coverage of the BT.2020 coverage when using the Dual Light 2.0 option.

The Dual Light 2.0 system also plays a crucial role in helping the Horizon S Max achieve its specified brightness of 3,100 ISO lumens. In our testing, we measured the projector at 3,166 ANSI lumens—2.08% higher than XGIMI's published specification. However, this output was only attainable in High Power picture mode, which exhibited a strong green bias and significantly increased internal fan noise, making it unsuitable for regular content viewing. When using a more standard picture mode with Brightness Boost enabled in Custom mode, the Horizon S Max measured 2,061 ANSI lumens. The Horizon S Max produced a native full on, full off (FOFO) contrast ratio of 1,890:1.

Another notable change in the Horizon S Max is its integrated gimbal stand. This stand allows for highly flexible positioning, thanks to its rotatable base, which offers 135 degrees of vertical and 360 degrees of horizontal movement. This even enables the projector to be aimed straight up onto the ceiling. Additionally, the base includes a mounting hole for placement on a tripod or ceiling mount. However, the stand itself cannot be removed, as it houses the barrel plug required to connect the unit to its external power supply.

The combination of this flexibility, compact size, and lightweight design makes the Horizon S Max highly portable. Weighing only 10.6 lbs. and measuring 10.74 inches x 9.21 inches x 6.85 inches (WHD), it can be placed in a wide variety of locations with ease.

Given its versatility, users may find themselves projecting onto various surfaces, such as walls or ceilings. Fortunately, the Horizon S Max includes manual 4-point and auto keystone correction, object avoidance, screen rotation, and screen shift when digitally zooming in. However, it lacks an optical zoom and instead features a fixed lens with a 1.20:1 throw ratio. As a result, precise placement is necessary when projecting onto a screen, as horizontal and vertical lens shift are not available. To preserve image integrity, it is recommended to minimize the use of keystone correction whenever possible, though these options remain useful for quick and temporary setups. For optimal placement and to calculate the throw distance for your desired screen size, you can use the ProjectorCentral XGIMI Horizon S Max projection calculator.

The Horizon S Max 4K runs on the Google TV operating system, specifically Android TV OS 11, which is one of the more common platforms found in modern lifestyle projectors. As a result, users will likely find its functionality familiar. However, there are some quirks in how the smart platform operates. For instance, picture settings are not shared between HDMI inputs and the built-in smart platform. Additionally, the projector does not correctly detect and apply the appropriate color space based on the content being viewed, which can lead to under- or oversaturation depending on the setup.

That said, the platform is well-developed and performs smoothly with quick, responsive operation. Since it runs on Google TV, users have access to the Google Play Store and its extensive library of apps. However, Netflix is not available, as the device is not officially authorized for Netflix streaming. Still, other popular apps, such as Prime Video and Disney+, are supported.

The Horizon S Max also features IMAX Enhanced support for HDR playback, along with Dolby Vision compatibility, enhancing the viewing experience for high-quality content.

The Horizon S Max also delivers decent gaming performance, with XGIMI specifying its latency to be 20ms or less. Our testing measured the Horizon S Max at 36ms in Low Latency mode for 1080p and 4K at 60Hz, while 1080p at 120Hz measured 53ms. When using the Ultra Low Latency setting, these numbers dropped to 19ms for 60Hz and 36ms for 1080p at 120Hz. This allows the Horizon S Max to provide a comfortable gaming experience for casual sessions. However, while the latency is on the lower side, it remains too high for serious competitive gaming.

The Horizon S Max features two 12W stereo speakers by Harman/Kardon. Given its compact form factor, the sound it produces is surprisingly substantial. With support for both Dolby Audio and DTS Virtual:X, the audio is rich and avoids sounding too thin. While the built-in speakers are suitable for temporary setups, users will likely want to connect the Horizon S Max to a dedicated audio system, such as a soundbar or an AVR/AVP. Fortunately, eARC is supported, allowing users to take full advantage of the internal streaming apps available on the unit.

The I/O on the Horizon S Max 4K is quite basic, offering less connectivity than the Horizon Ultra. It includes a single HDMI 2.1 input with eARC support and two USB 2.0 Type-A ports for media reading. However, the HDMI port on the Horizon S Max has a bandwidth of only 18Gbps, as it utilizes TMDS, whereas true HDMI 2.1 devices support FRL (Fixed Rate Link) for bandwidths up to 48Gbps. That said, since the device supports eARC, the input can technically be classified as HDMI 2.1.

The Horizon S Max 4K comes with a simple yet highly responsive remote, allowing for quick navigation and easy access to the projector's settings, Google TV home page, Google Assistant, volume

controls, and focus adjustments. The only drawback is the absence of a dedicated button for quick access to the HDMI input.

Despite this, the remote functions well, as it uses Bluetooth, enabling users to control the projector without needing to aim at a small IR sensor. Additionally, the well-placed buttons allow for intuitive navigation by touch, eliminating the need to look at the remote while using it.

Performance

Color Modes. The Horizon S Max offers a total of 18 picture modes—seven for SDR, eight for HDR, and three for Dolby Vision. The SDR and HDR modes share the same naming convention: Standard, Movie, Sport, Brilliant, Soft, Custom, and High Power. The only customizable picture mode is Custom; all other modes use predefined color temperature and color space settings that cannot be adjusted.

Among these modes, High Power is the least usable, as it introduces a strong green bias to the image and forces the fans to run at maximum speed for cooling. The HDR picture mode, IMAX Enhanced, also cannot be edited or selected manually. Instead, users must set the IMAX Enhanced mode to "Auto," allowing the projector to automatically switch to IMAX Enhanced when it detects HDR content. For Dolby Vision, users can choose from Dolby Vision Bright, Dolby Vision Dark, and Custom, with only the Custom mode being configurable.

Unfortunately, the Custom picture mode does not store separate settings for SDR and HDR, meaning users can only properly calibrate for one dynamic range at a time. On the plus side, IMAX Enhanced mode is somewhat close to accurate, though it's a little too warm. Users should also note that if they calibrate a custom color temperature, the settings for custom color temperature will reset to default when the projector switches to IMAX Enhanced mode. Additionally, when using the Custom color temperature, the laser power is locked at 9, though the displayed value may vary. For example, after switching from IMAX Enhanced to non-HDR content, it may briefly show 10 until an HDMI handshake occurs.

The Horizon S Max 4K allows users to change the color gamut manually in Custom mode but none of the options are an Auto option, and it only allows for Default Color, BT.2020, DCI-P3, or Rec.709. Because of this limitation, users can only properly calibrate for one dynamic range at a time—SDR would use Rec.709, while HDR would use BT.2020. This is in addition to not having separate memories available for SDR and HDR.

For optimal results, users should calibrate for Rec.709 and use IMAX Enhanced for improved performance. Another approach is to calibrate for DCI-P3 and let the projector map Rec.709 within P3, which results in less oversaturation. However, for ease of use, I recommend calibrating Rec.709 and enabling IMAX Enhanced for a more seamless experience.

The Horizon S Max provides users with the necessary controls in Custom picture mode to fine-tune an accurate image. Standard global controls include Brightness, Contrast, Saturation, Sharpness, and Gamma, which tracks accurately based on the menu options (e.g., 2.2, 2.4, etc.). The only missing global adjustment is Hue/Tint. The projector also offers predefined color temperatures as well as a Custom color temperature setting. Additionally, it includes 2-point white balance controls and a full CMS (color management system) for precise color adjustments.

Out-of-the-box (OOTB) viewing performance was good but none of the picture modes were particularly accurate as they were all either too warm or too cool. I found the most pleasing to be either Movie or Soft picture modes for SDR and IMAX Enhanced for HDR. DolbyVision Dark was my preferred way to watch DolbyVision content when I tested it. Though if a user opts to calibrate to avoid issues with the custom color temperature resetting to default values when IMAX Enhanced engages, I suggest using Standard color temperature.

I calibrated the Horizon S Max 4K with Calman Ultimate calibration software from Portrait Displays, a 1nm Qalif Spectro, Colorimetry Research CR-250 Spectroradiometer, a Colorimetry Research CR-100 Colorimeter, and a Murideo 8K Seven Generator. The projector was placed 8 feet 10 inches away to project a 100-inch 16:9 image on a reference 1.3 gain 135-inch 2.35:1 Stewart Filmscreen.

Picture modes had larger dE (DeltaE) errors, which is the metric used to determine the visible error. It has been determined that anything over a dE of 3 is visible, anything over 2.3 is a just noticeable difference for trained eyes and anything below 2.3 won't likely be seen to the eye. Pre-calibration measurements of Custom picture mode had dE errors averaging 8.2dE for grayscale with a 11.2 max. A small color checker measured an average of 8dE with a max of 11.7dE. 20% saturation sweeps averaged 8.3dE to 13.1dE max. Please note this was OOTB without engaging Professional-grade Color Accuracy.

The reason the errors measured so high is because by default the unit uses the DCI-P3 selected as its color space, which resulted in pushing all color out and oversaturating everything in addition to being too warm due to the excess of red in the grayscale. It is important to note, however, that if a user engages Professional-grade Color Accuracy the unit will switch to Rec.709 mode and it will track accurately with low errors to a near calibrated state.

Using IMAX Enhanced picture mode for HDR exhibited an excess of red in the grayscale, however color tracked much closer to being on target since IMAX Enhanced tracks toward P3 and places color in roughly the right locations.

Using the provided 2-point color temperature adjustment control, I targeted the production industry standard D65 neutral gray white point by adjusting the Gain controls. Afterwards, a full CMS (color management system) calibration for the RGBCMY primaries and secondary colors was performed as well. Results for post calibration did help improve the level of accuracy. Grayscale average measured 0.6dE with a 1.1dE max. large Color Checker average measured 1.4dE with a 5dE max, while 5% saturation sweeps averaged a 1.4dE with a 3.4dE max. Unfortunately, IMAX Enhanced does not allow for calibration, though if a user opts to calibrate Custom picture mode for HDR the grayscale can be extremely tight with errors averaging 0.9dE with a max of 1.2dE when not factoring in luminance, with color tracking accurately and only some over-saturation in red.

The device I used for reviewing content post-calibration was a R_Volution Player One 8K Media Player and AppleTV 4K.

1080p/SDR Viewing. The first movie I chose to watch was Tron: Legacy in SDR using the R_Volution Player One 8K Media Player. Overall, the image looked sharp and detailed. The film's color palette was well-represented, from the opening scene where Sam drives through the streets to ENCOM, to his movements inside the building before releasing the new OS online and parachuting off the ENCOM tower. During Sam and Alan's discussion, skin tones appeared natural and well-balanced.

After Sam is transported to the Grid from the arcade, the various colors stood out beautifully. As he ascends onto the Grid for the disc battle, the subtle differences in white, cyan, and blue were displayed as expected. The movie looked excellent in Dual Light 2.0 mode, which added a noticeable boost in brightness to the overall image. The Horizon S Max handled SDR content exceptionally well.

UHD/HDR Viewing. The next movie I chose to watch was The Super Mario Bros. Movie via Apple TV 4K. The image was vibrant and rich. Fortunately, during my viewing I did not experience any laser speckle while using the RGB tri-laser portion of the Dual Light 2.0 system. The colors were beautifully saturated, from the red Nintendo logo at the start of the film to the glowing lava on Bowser's floating castle.

However, in certain scenes—such as the first reveal of the Mushroom Kingdom castle—some clipping was noticeable in the clouds. Similar issues appeared in other scenes, including when Peach, Mario, and Toad were traveling to the Kongs. That said, it did not significantly detract from the overall image quality.

The visuals were impressive throughout, with the Rainbow Road scene standing out in particular. The deeply saturated colors made the image truly pop, enhancing the viewing experience.

UHD/HDR Viewing. Next, I watched Fallout Season 1, Episode 6 on the Apple TV 4K. The image quality was good overall, though the IMAX Enhanced mode exhibited a slight excess of red in skin tones. This was particularly noticeable during the opening scene when Cooper was filming the Vault-Tec commercial and later at his party. While this didn't look bad, it was evident that the color balance wasn't entirely accurate.

I also watched the episode with subtitles on and noticed a very minimal rainbow effect on the text when shifting my eyes across the screen. This effect was also present in the vault, particularly on the lights when Lucy and Maximus were there.

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That said, the vault environment was well-rendered, with good color reproduction on the blue uniforms of the vault dwellers and the gray lead interior. Overall, the image was sharp and detailed, providing a visually impressive presentation.

UHD/HDR Viewing. The last movie I watched was Inside Out using the R_Volution Player One 8K media player. A particular scene that stood out was when Joy and Sadness enter the cave to rescue Bing Bong. Upon entering, they encounter broccoli, which was depicted with a richly saturated green that rendered well, thanks to the Horizon S Max's impressive Rec. 2020 coverage and RGB tri-laser technology.

Following this, the scene shifts to a red-illuminated door, which also displayed deep saturation. Shortly after, Joy and Sadness find Bing Bong trapped in a balloon prison, sitting on Jangles' stomach. The entire sequence looked good, with the vibrant and rich colors showcasing the Horizon S Max's strong performance with its RGB laser.

Conclusion

The XGIMI Horizon S Max performs well overall but has a few quirks in its functionality. For instance, when IMAX Enhanced is engaged, it resets the Custom Color temperature settings, and IMAX Enhanced itself is not a standard picture mode that can simply be selected. Additionally, I feel it has taken a slight step backward in terms of functionality compared to its predecessor, the Horizon Ultra. Some notable omissions include only one HDMI output, no SPDIF optical output, no 3.5mm audio output, and no optical zoom. While these limitations reduce its overall functionality, they do not prevent it from delivering an overall great image.

The Horizon S Max is capable of projecting a sharp and detailed image with excellent gamut coverage, thanks to its tri-color laser light source, which produces minimal laser speckle. The Dual Light 2.0 system is also quite effective, offering users flexibility, particularly those who are sensitive to or notice effects like laser speckle.

Like many projectors that use the Google TV OS, the smart platform is mature and familiar, providing a range of features that many users will appreciate. However, there is still room for improvement, particularly in properly implementing color space handling.

The Horizon S Max offers good value at its price point, making it an excellent option for users interested in projection without making a significant investment. Its integrated gimbal design allows it to be used in various settings, from outdoor parties to quick setups for a playroom or sleepover. A more dedicated home theater setup could also utilize the Horizon S Max, provided the user can accommodate its specific placement requirements due to its short throw.

For accuracy-focused users, the Horizon S Max can be calibrated very well. However, its handling of picture settings may not meet the needs of some users due to how the Horizon S Max handles color spaces and ultimately makes it so the settings are for either SDR or HDR. Improving this aspect would significantly enhance the overall viewing experience.

Despite its shortcomings, the Horizon S Max remains a capable projector. When properly set up, it delivers a great image. With its competitive price point and solid performance, it is likely to attract many potential buyers. While it may not be the best-performing lifestyle projector available, it is a strong contender and worth considering.

Measurements

Brightness. The Horizon S Max is rated for 3,100 ISO lumens. The brightest picture mode is the High Power picture mode. This picture mode measured 3,166 ANSI lumens, which is 2.08% higher than its rated specification. When not utilizing High Power picture mode the Custom Picture is the brightest picture mode measuring 2,061 ANSI Lumens, which is 33.5% lower than its rated specification. Utilizing the RGB Laser only light source resulted in a 29.3% loss in light output.

XGIMI HORIZON S MAX ANSI Lumens

SDR/HDR	ANSI Lumens
Standard	2,045
Movie	2,007
Sport	2,055
Brilliant	2,010
Soft	1,247
Custom	2,061
High Power	3,166
HDR	ANSI Lumens
IMAX Enhanced	2,055

Zoom Lens Light Loss. The Horizon S Max is a fixed lens projector. Optical zoom is not supported.

Brightness Uniformity. The Horizon S Max projecting a 100-inch diagonal image resulted in measured brightness uniformity of 85%. The brightest portion of the screen was the middle top sector, and the dimmest the left bottom. The difference in brightness on a full white screen was not noticeable.

Fan Noise. Xgimi rates the fan noise for the Horizon S Max at less than 28dB at 1m. Using Room EQ Wizard software and a Umik-1 microphone, my theater room ambient noise floor is 33.3 dBA. Measuring the Horizon S Max at approximately 3 feet away from multiple locations the Horizon S Max measured between 34.1-34.3 dBA in normal operation at laser level 10.

Laser 10
Front - 34.1 dBA
Left - 34.1 dBA
Right - 34.3 dBA
Rear - 32.2 dBA

High Power
Front - 59.3 dBA
Left - 59.7 dBA
Right - 59.7 dBA
Rear - 61.2 dBA

Input Lag. Input lag measurements were taken using a Murideo 8K Seven Generator using both the Low Latency and Ultra Low Latency options in the Horizon S Max.

Low Latency

1080p/60Hz = 36Hz

1080p/120Hz = 53Hz

4K/60Hz = 36Hz

Ultra-Low Latency

1080p/60Hz = 19Hz

1080p/120Hz = 36Hz

4K/60Hz = 19Hz

Connections

• HDMI 2.1 (x1; HDCP 2.2, eARC)
• USB 2.0 Type A (x2; media playback)
• Wi-Fi 5
• Bluetooth 5.1

Final Settings

Calibrated image settings from any third-party do not account for the significant potential for sample-to-sample variation, nor the different screen sizes and materials, lighting, lamp usage, or other environmental factors that can affect image quality. Projectors should always be calibrated in the user's own space and tuned for the expected viewing conditions. However, the settings provided here may be a helpful starting point for some. Always record your current settings before making adjustments so you can return to them as desired. Refer to the Performance section for some context for each calibration.

SDR Settings

Light Source Mode: Dual Light 2.0

Contrast Enhancement: On

Picture Mode: Custom

Brightness: 49
Contrast: 50
Saturation: 44
Sharpness: 0
Gamma: 2.4

Color Temperature: Custom
Red: 9
Green: 9
Blue: 6

Picture Color Temperature: Custom

R-Gain: 46
G-Gain: 50
B-Gain: 48
R-Offset: 50
G-Offset: 50
B-Offset: 50

Color Space: Rec.709

Motion Compensation: Off
HDR: Auto
Local Contrast: Low
Noise Reduction: Off
Dynamic Contrast: On
Color Optimization: Off

Color Correction

Color	Hue	Saturation	Lightness
Red	48	48	55
Green	48	46	58
Blue	50	47	63
Cyan	50	43	61
Magenta	49	46	53
Yellow	50	46	52
Skin	50	50	50

HDR Settings

Light Source Mode: Tri-color laser

Contrast Enhancement: On

Picture Mode: Custom

Brightness: 50
Contrast: 50
Saturation: 50
Sharpness: 0
Gamma: 2.4

Color Temperature: Standard

Picture Color Temperature: Custom

R-Gain: 48
G-Gain: 49
B-Gain: 35
R-Offset: 50
G-Offset: 50
B-Offset: 50

Color Space: BT.2020

Motion Compensation: Off
HDR: Auto
Local Contrast: Low
Noise Reduction: Off
Dynamic Contrast: On
Color Optimization: Off

Color Correction

Color	Hue	Saturation	Lightness
Red	46	49	50
Green	41	43	50
Blue	50	47	50
Cyan	49	43	50
Magenta	45	51	50
Yellow	49	48	50
Skin	50	50	50

For more detailed specifications and connections, check out our XGIMI HORIZON S Max projector page.

To buy this projector, use Where to Buy online, or get a price quote by email direct from Projector Central authorized dealers using our E-Z Quote tool.

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