XGIMI Horizon 20 Max Review: The Best 4K Home Projector To Date

For the third year in a row, I'm reviewing XGIMI's latest and greatest home projector. Before trying XGIMI's Horizon Ultra 4K model in 2024, I never considered trading my reliable 4K TV for a projector. However, its brightness, sound quality, and display size made me an instant fan.

A year later, the company released the Horizon S Max model, which brought IMAX support for home projection. Even though the projector featured a few drawbacks, such as optical zoom, lack of important ports, and an aging Android TV OS, it was another step forward. Then, at IFA 2025, the company introduced its Horizon 20 Max home projector, offering more fixes and improvements. Over the past few months, I've been using this projector, and the experience has been familiar but also exciting.

XGIMI has been an interesting brand to cover in recent years, and as it breaks new ground with trendy products like smart glasses, which BGR already reviewed. I still think home projectors are where the brand shines the brightest, and the Horizon 20 Max might be the option that could make people ditch traditional screens in their home entertainment setups.

Not every company understands what XGIMI does: you don't need to fix what's not broken. With the Horizon 20 Max, the company continued to rely on and improve the design of its old models. Larger than the Horizon S Max, which focused on looks over functionality, this model has more space for the internal optics and engines, but it still doesn't feel as bulky as the Horizon Ultra 4K option from a few years ago. It mixes eco-friendly PU leather and aluminum for its finish, resulting in beautiful hardware that suits any environment.

The adjustable stand can tilt the projector nearly 180 degrees — helpful for projecting on the ceiling or the wall in front of you. XGIMI also sells a rotating floor stand that lets you to rotate the projector 360 degrees. No matter what your room looks like, there are ways to ensure you have a stable, clear image anywhere in your home.

XGIMI also listened to customers and added several ports and the latest connectivity technologies. The Horizon 20 Max features a DC port, two HDMI ports (one with eARC support), a USB 3.0 port, a USB 2.0 port, and optical and audio output ports. Plus, it supports Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2.

XGIMI checks all the boxes for future-proofed image quality. This projector features Dolby Vision, HDR10+, a Filmmaker Mode, IMAX Enhanced, and lens shifting with optical zoom, which was not available on the previous model. The 4K projector features a low-latency gaming mode, 240Hz refresh rate, and VRR. The Horizon 20 Max also delivers 5,700 ISO lumens of brightness (by comparison, the previous model offered up to 3,100 ISO). It's bright enough to necessity the included eye protection feature for when you walk in front of the projector.

The XGIMI Horizon 20 Max can project a display stretching diagonally from 80 inches to 300 inches, depending on distance, which can be from 2.1 meters to up to 10 meters away from the projector screen or wall. It features uninterrupted Auto Keystone Correction, Auto Focus, obstacle avoidance, and intelligence screen alignment. All those fancy technologies, in practice, offer a very cinematic experience while watching anything from the World Cup to the extended versions of "The Lord of the Rings" to the new season of "Silo" on Apple TV.

While I do occasionally need to tilt the projector to ensure the Auto Keystone Correction is displaying an image in the optimal format, it's impressive how I can still watch content with some ambient light. That said, the more you can ensure the environment is dark, the better the image will look. Still, the new level of brightness is very impressive.

XGIMI continues its partnership with Harman Kardon and offers two built-in 12W speakers that deliver 360-degree surround sound, 55Hz bass, and a 630cc acoustic chamber. With the HDMI eARC port, you can connect an Apple TV 4K paired with a combo of HomePod 2 speakers to enjoy even better sound quality. Those with a full home theater can do the same.

In my current setup, I've been using the XGIMI Horizon 20 Max projector in a smaller environment, which means it doesn't have enough space for proper surround sound. In previous years, I've always been amazed by the built-in audio quality from XGIMI projectors, which are way above average when it comes to projectors. However, it's important to note that if you are in a small room, the sound on the Horizon 20 Max won't be much more than "good enough," which is not the experience the company is known for delivering. Still, it can get very loud, and even with the volume turned down low, you can easily differentiate between voices, background music, special effects, and more.

That said, as good as the projector can sound, I highly recommend owners set up a home theater or other speakers by connecting them via the eARC port. After all, you're going to want high-quality audio to match the high-quality image.

I can't express how desperately I was hoping XGIMI would ditch Android TV on its high-end models. At first, the company claimed it used Android TV because it gave high-end users more ways to customize image quality, which is something Google TV doesn't offer. Still, I'm glad that the company opted for a new strategy, as it provides a more straightforward experience with Google TV, leaving high-end users with the option of upgrading to the Titan Noir Max projector, which is double the price and ditches the smart operating systems altogether.

Google TV delivers an experience almost as usable as Apple's tvOS. With a MediaTek 9679 processor, 4GB of RAM, and 128GB of storage, the software runs smoothly, and I never had issues when switching from Netflix to HBO Max, YouTube, and more. XGIMI also promises smooth gameplay, as the processor can handle low latency gaming.

Google's software delivers all the major streaming services via Google Play, it learns from my usage, and it suggests recommendations based on the services I subscribe to. While I do miss Apple perks like Apple Music, Apple Podcasts, and Apple Fitness+, I could just connect the Apple TV via HDMI cable if I wanted them back. The big-picture takeaway here is that XGIMI finally offers hardware AND software powerful enough to run everything smoothly.

Although the XGIMI Horizon 20 Max retails for $2,999, XGIMI often runs deals on the projector — for instance, it's available for $2,599 at the time of writing. Nonetheless, this is a very expensive device that costs the same or more than many of the best OLED TVs on the market. With that in mind, should you buy XGIMI's high-end projector or a TV? Ultimately, it depends on what you need. If you want a big display with an IMAX-capable image, then there's nothing like XGIMI's Horizon 20 Max. If you don't want to set up a projector, don't have an empty wall to project on, or the only wall available is near a large window, then a TV might be the best bet.

For me, XGIMI has been the most reliable option for the bedroom, as it offers a cinematic experience for everything I might want to watch or play: a random YouTube video, a season finale, a movie, or a game on my Nintendo Switch 2. The company just does a remarkable job with its projector, and it continues to improve the experience year over year, this time with Google TV, brighter projection, and optical zoom.

With that in mind, you need to remember that this projector needs room to breathe. All this power can make the fans spin loudly, especially during heatwaves or if it's too close to a wall. Still, even with those potential issues, the image continues to be flawless. XGIMI truly outdid itself with this release, and I highly recommend this projector.