I used the said XGIMI Horizon Pro—the world’s first Android WiFi smart projector—for just a couple of weeks, and I was hooked. I was hooked to the massive scale of screen it brought into my living room, and the intuitive ease of use.
It’s just a projector, you say, what’s the big deal? XGIMI Horizon Pro is plug-n-play! You don’t need any other supporting device to cast content—no phones, no Firestick, no DTH. You plug it in and hit the power button; in 6 secs, you’ll have a homescreen on your wall, calibrated to perfection. On my late evenings, tech specs didn’t matter much; I was thankful that to continue streaming my K-Drama, all I needed to do was plug-n-play.
Why I Love Horizon Pro
I placed the projector on the side table next to the far end of my couch, and sat on it. (Edit: The couch, not the projector.) According to laws of physics (don’t ask me which one), the projected image should transform itself from a rectangle into a trapezium. But according to the laws of the tech used in XGIMI Horizon Pro (the automatic keystone correction technology), the picture custom-fit itself on my wall, to a perfect aspect ratio. So I wasn’t forced to place the projector right above me, as was my worry. And as a complement, the cutting-edge autofocus kept the image vivid and clear.
XGIMI enjoys a fair goodwill among projectors due to several factors. Its professional sound design provided by Harman Kardon, smooth-switching and sync between multiple paired Bluetooth devices, ultra HD screen resolution which doesn’t need you to draw curtains every time you use it—all of these make the XGIMI Horizon Pro a stellar gadget. It also has Chromecast integration for gaming and other content from different smart devices.
What I’m Not A Fan Of
The remote has definitely received a stepmotherly treatment from the makers. It’s ultra, ultra sleek, feeding into my paranoia—what if it slips from my hand and falls? And, it has no mute button! I need the mute button when I’m scrolling on the app home-screens faster than the speed of sound. Unless SonyLiv does away with the hideous ads ruining Shark Tank India, I need the mute button every 10 mins. Also not the biggest fan of the integrated Google Voice Assistant; it could rarely get my search terms right.
THE VERDICT
To put it accurately, it’s a compact little tyke of a home theatre system with supreme user-friendliness. You need it.
Price: INR 1,87,500; Available at the XGIMI India website and on Amazon India
Images via XGIMI
