As a device that can project variable and ultra-large-size images through small-volume hardware, projectors have always been favored by consumers.

With the development of science and technology and the improvement of user needs, the light source technology of projectors is also constantly improving, from traditional light sources such as lamps, to single solid-state light sources such as LED, monochrome laser and three-color laser, to the mixed light technology newly launched by XGIMI this year, the image quality, brightness, color gamut and other aspects of projectors have been significantly improved. In the domestic projection market, XGIMI is undoubtedly the leader, and its products are loved by consumers for their high appearance, high performance and high quality.

According to data from the China Business Industry Research Institute, the current Chinese projector market is dominated by home projectors, accounting for 74%. In 2021, the shipment of home projectors was 3.48 million units, a year-on-year increase of 16%; in 2021, the shipment of commercial projectors was 1.22 million units, a year-on-year increase of 4%. Sales were nearly 9 billion yuan, a year-on-year increase of 12%.

This shows that Chinese consumers have an increasing demand for and recognition of home projectors, and home projectors have become an important member of the pan-TV equipment.

According to data from RUNTO, the global home projector market share exceeded 80% in 2022, with shipments of 14.53 million units, a year-on-year increase of 21%. This means that home projectors are not only popular in the domestic market, but also have broad development space and potential in the global market.

So, in such a hot market, which home projector can meet users' high requirements for picture quality and sound effects?

Recently, XGIMI launched its latest 4K laser projector - XGIMI RS Pro 3, which adopts the industry's first Dual Light super mixing technology, which can achieve high brightness of 2000 CCB color lumens, high color gamut of 95% DCI-P3, high image quality of Dolby Vision, etc. Because of its various excellent qualities, it has attracted widespread attention from the market as soon as it appeared.

So, what is the XGIMI RS Pro 3 like, and can it subvert the projection market? We will conduct a comprehensive evaluation of it from the aspects of appearance, light source, picture quality, sound effect, system, etc., to provide a reference for friends who are interested in this device or pay attention to the current development of projection technology.

Appearance: Mist gold color, NAPPA leather and fabric wrapping the same as luxury cars

The appearance design of RS Pro 3 continues XGIMI's consistent minimalist style, adopts a misty gold color scheme, draws on home aesthetics, and uses soft rounded corners, giving it a gentle and calm atmosphere.

In terms of materials, unlike many other projectors made of metal or hard plastic, the XGIMI RS Pro 3 is wrapped in NAPPA leather and fabric, which is the same as the more expensive luxury cars, and has a natural and comfortable texture. Abandoning the unchanging black appearance, the charging cable, power adapter, and remote control of the XGIMI RS Pro 3 are all in the same color as the host, and use braided mesh cables, which fully demonstrates the high-end feeling in the details.

The dimensions of the XGIMI RS Pro 3 are 38.5x27.5x12.5cm and the weight is 5.15kg. Compared with the previous generation XGIMI RS Pro 2, the size and weight have increased, but it is also within a reasonable range. After all, this is a telephoto hybrid projector, not a portable micro projector. The XGIMI RS Pro 3 supports desktop placement, wall mounting and ceiling mounting, and users can flexibly choose according to different home environments.

There is an electric lens cover on the front of the XGIMI RS Pro 3, which opens automatically when the power is turned on and closes automatically when the power is turned off. It is dust-proof, light-proof and moisture-proof. While protecting the precious lens, it is also a ritual to turn it on when watching a movie. Next to the lens is an infrared receiver and an Hawkeye hardware-level computational optical module.

The Eagle Eye module can realize functions such as automatic focus, automatic keystone correction, automatic brightness adjustment, and automatic screen alignment, making the projection more intelligent while also being as seamless to use as a regular TV. It greatly reduces the cost of learning and use, making people more willing to try using it in various scenarios without having to worry about the complicated adjustment process after each move.

In addition, the adjustment and alignment of the XGIMI RS Pro 3 will make maximum use of its own optical zoom module, which means that the final image will minimize the loss of brightness and resolution.

The back of the XGIMI RS Pro 3 has a main heat dissipation port and multiple interfaces. Including USB 3.0*1, USB 2.0*1, optical audio port, 100M Ethernet port, HDMI 2.1, HDMI 2.0, 3.5 audio port. Supports HDMI CEC and HDMI eARC audio return. The universal screw port in the center of the bottom can be used for hoisting and bracket installation.

There is a touch switch on the back of the XGIMI RS Pro 3, which can be turned on and off by pressing it. There is also a Harman Kardon co-branded audio + 2X12W speakers on the top, supporting dual Bluetooth + audio mode.

The sound effects of the XGIMI RS Pro 3 have been certified by Dolby Audio and DTS Audio decoding. The sound is clear and rich, and the bass is steady and powerful. Even when used as an independent speaker, it can stand on its own.

The remote control of the XGIMI RS Pro 3 is also in mist gold color, with a minimalist design. The buttons have even force and there is a slight rebound sound when pressed. The main control area is arranged in the upper part, and the lower part has a metal texture, which brings a slight coolness when held in the summer. The remote control supports Bluetooth voice control, and projection operations and content search can be performed through voice commands.

It is worth mentioning that the remote control adopts a unique pull-out battery compartment design, which greatly ensures the integrity of its metal body and makes it extremely textured.

However, during use, I also found that the power, settings, and voice buttons arranged side by side on the top are not easy to distinguish when blindly operating. Basically, every time I use it, I need to deliberately distinguish which button it is. The same is true for the return, home, and volume up and down buttons at the bottom. Pressing the home button when turning up the volume is a relatively destructive thing to the immersive feeling of watching movies.

Of course, XGIMI is also aware of this problem, and has made different protruding and recessed designs for adjacent buttons. For example, the power button is recessed, the setting button is flat, and the voice button is protruding. My problem of accidentally pressing buttons may just be due to my lack of proficiency.

In general, the appearance design of the XGIMI RS Pro 3 is very refined and elegant. Whether it is the color, material, or details, it all reflects XGIMI's care and taste.

Light source: Dual Light super mixed light technology, redefining light and shadow

The biggest highlight of the XGIMI RS Pro 3 is the industry-first Dual Light super mixing technology, which is a new light source solution that combines the advantages of full-color LED light source and red laser light source to achieve higher color brightness, wider color gamut and richer detail performance.

Currently, common light source solutions on the market include light bulbs, full-color LEDs, monochrome lasers, and three-color lasers.

The advantages of full-color LED light sources are high color reproduction, natural and comfortable images, and long life. The disadvantages are low brightness and not suitable for use in daytime or strong light environments.

The advantage of monochromatic laser light source is high brightness but poor color performance;

The three-color laser light source has improved in brightness and color, but there are still problems such as speckle and color fringing, which will make the eyes feel uncomfortable after watching for a long time.

So, how does the Dual Light super mixing technology of XGIMI RS Pro 3 come about?

In simple terms, a red laser is added to the full-color LED light source (4 LEDs), and the two light sources are mixed and dimmed through XGIMI's self-developed optical machine and optical lens, thereby improving the overall brightness, color accuracy and color gamut coverage. Among them, the red laser is the key factor in improving color accuracy. Most of the projections with poor colors are due to the low proportion of red light sources.

The Dual Light super mixing technology of the XGIMI RS Pro 3 has 2 types of light sources, 6 wavelengths, and 278 patented technologies, which can ultimately achieve a brightness breakthrough of 2000 CCB color lumens, which is 2500 CVIA lumens according to the CVIA standard.

At the same time, the XGIMI RS Pro 3 also retains the excellent color adjustment genes and natural spectrum advantages of the full-color LED light source, making the picture more natural and comfortable, without flicker, rainbow, speckle, or color fringing.

The most likely to expose the three-color laser speckle and color edge problems is the animation content with large pure color scenes. As you can see, these problems do not exist on the XGIMI RS Pro 3. Its picture is pure, the color is accurate, and the line edges are very clear, which perfectly solves a series of problems existing in the three-color laser.

Another important feature of the Dual Light super-mixing technology of the XGIMI RS Pro 3 is that it can be intelligently adjusted according to different scenes and content. For example, in strong light during the day, it can automatically increase the brightness and make the picture clearer and brighter; in dim conditions at night, it can automatically reduce the brightness and increase the color saturation to make the picture softer and more gorgeous. This can avoid overbrightness or overdarkness and protect the user's eye health.

The picture below shows the projection effect of the XGIMI RS Pro 3 in a bright room without curtains at noon. You can see that the contrast has indeed decreased, but it can still guarantee a relatively good viewing effect. It may be difficult to watch some dimly-lit movies, but it is still no problem to watch TV programs, animations, TV series, and variety shows with bright pictures. It can be said that this is the best product in the current projection industry that performs well during the day.

In bright scenes during the day, the contrast of the XGIMI RS Pro 3 may not be very good, but at night, or when the curtains are drawn in the room, the XGIMI RS Pro 3 immediately becomes powerful, the contrast is improved, and high-contrast scenes can also be easily handled.

The depth of the universe and the splendor of the stars bloom under the projection.

In short, the Dual Light super-mixing technology of XGIMI RS Pro 3 is an innovative light source solution that breaks through the brightness bottleneck of LED light sources while maintaining the image quality advantage of LED light sources, bringing users a better viewing experience. This is also the technical strength and innovative spirit demonstrated by XGIMI as the only domestic projection brand that has the ability to develop and manufacture its own light engines and optical lenses.

Image quality: 4K resolution, Dolby Vision, 95% DCI-P3 high color gamut

In addition to the Dual Light super-mixing technology, the XGIMI RS Pro 3 also has many highlights in terms of picture quality. The first is 4K resolution. The XGIMI RS Pro 3 uses the latest 0.47-inch DMD chip and supports 4K resolution projection. This means that the XGIMI RS Pro 3 can project 8.39 million pixels, which is 4 times clearer than ordinary 1080P projectors. Whether watching movies, TV series, games or presentations, you can enjoy delicate and realistic picture effects.

The classic 4K resolution test chart is a piece of cake for the XGIMI RS Pro 3, with clear image details and distinct lines.

The second is Dolby Vision. Dolby Vision is an HDR technology that requires the color gamut of the display device to reach BT.2020. The color gamut value of the XGIMI RS Pro 3 is 95% DCI-P3, which is equivalent to 80% BT.2020. This means that the XGIMI RS Pro 3 can display more colors, closer to the colors of the real world. At the same time, Dolby Vision can also dynamically adjust the brightness and contrast according to the content of each frame, making the picture more delicate and three-dimensional.

The XGIMI RS Pro 3 file browser can directly recognize Dolby Vision videos and play them correctly. With the support of high brightness and wide color gamut, the delicate picture is full of sunshine.

Finally, the color gamut of XGIMI RS Pro 3 reaches 95% DCI-P3, which is the standard color gamut in the current film industry. This means that XGIMI RS Pro 3 can restore the color effects that the film director wants to express, allowing users to experience richer and more vivid pictures.

The XGIMI RS Pro 3 also has a mass production color accuracy of △≈1, which is an indicator of color reproduction, the closer to 0 the better. The color accuracy of the XGIMI RS Pro 3 has reached the level of professional monitors, which can meet users' stringent requirements for image quality. Its color accuracy performance also allowed TUV Südde to issue it the first professional color accuracy China Mark certification mark for projector products.

Speaking of color accuracy, XGIMI said at the press conference that the color calibration of XGIMI RS Pro 3 has reached Apple standards. So naturally I have to make a good comparison.

On the right is the automatic mode of the XGIMI RS Pro 3, and on the left is Apple's iPad Pro. When the same video is played simultaneously, you can see that the color adjustment is indeed very close, and the visual effect of the sea and sky is also highlighted.

In sports scenes, you can see that the colors of the two are still very similar. It should be pointed out here that the projection captured by the lens will have a certain color cast, but in fact, the actual perception is closer.

The green color of this photo of the XGIMI RS Pro 3 appears a bit oversaturated, but the skin tone of the person is more rosy and transparent than that of the iPad Pro.

Of course, when talking about cinemas, we can't forget 3D technology. Now TV manufacturers have almost given up supporting 3D, but 3D movies are still being shown in cinemas. Currently, the price of 3D Blu-ray players is not expensive, and it is not difficult to find 3D video resources on the Internet.

XGIMI RS Pro 3 supports the playback of 3D videos, and also supports left-right, top-bottom and other formats on the Internet. If you are a 3D movie lover, XGIMI RS Pro 3 is also a good choice.

In summary, the XGIMI RS Pro 3 has an excellent performance in terms of picture quality, whether it is resolution, HDR, color gamut or color accuracy, it has reached a very high level. The XGIMI RS Pro 3 allows users to enjoy a visual feast of 4K large screen, Dolby Vision, and high color gamut.

Sound effects: Harman Kardon co-branded audio, Dolby sound effects, DTS sound effect decoding certification

In addition to picture quality, sound effects are also an important factor affecting the viewing experience. XGIMI RS Pro 3 also has many highlights in terms of sound effects.

First of all, there is the Harman Kardon co-branded audio system. The XGIMI RS Pro 3 is equipped with Harman Kardon customized audio system + 2X12W speakers and supports dual Bluetooth + audio mode.

Harman Kardon is an internationally renowned audio brand, and its products are known for their clear and rich sound and steady and powerful bass. XGIMI chose it to bring users a better sound experience. XGIMI RS Pro 3 can not only be used as a projector, but also as an independent speaker, connecting to a mobile phone or other devices via Bluetooth to play music.

Secondly, the XGIMI RS Pro 3 has both Dolby audio and DTS audio decoding certifications. These two technologies are standard technologies in the current film and television industry, which can make the sound more realistic and three-dimensional. At the same time, the XGIMI RS Pro 3 also supports the HDMI eARC audio return function, which can connect the projector to external speakers or TVs to achieve high-definition lossless sound output.

When I watched a movie with the XGIMI RS Pro 3, I immediately felt the three-dimensional and dynamic sound. The sound was sometimes gentle and sometimes powerful, making me feel like I was in a movie scene. Whether it was big scenes such as explosions, gunfights, airplanes, cars, or details such as dialogues, songs, and ambient sounds, they were all clearly presented without any distortion or noise. The bass part was also very powerful and thick, without any cracking or hoarseness. The treble part was bright and clear, without any harshness or sharpness.

When I play music with the XGIMI RS Pro 3, I can feel the richness and fullness of the sound. The sound flows out of the projector, immersing me in the beauty of the music. Whether it is rock, pop, classical, folk or other different styles of music, it can be accurately restored. The vocal part is also very natural and moving, not fuzzy or dry. The instrument part is also very delicate and real, and there is almost no frivolous or thin feeling.

However, it should be pointed out that because the sound comes from the projector itself, when you are between the projector and the picture, you will feel that the sound is coming from behind you rather than from the picture. This may have a certain impact on the sense of immersion, which is also a common problem with home projectors.

Of course, the solution is very simple. You can just buy another speaker, such as the XGIMI SOUND released together with RS Pro 3.

In addition to its advantages in hardware such as appearance, light source, picture quality, and sound effects, the XGIMI RS Pro 3 also has many highlights in terms of the system.

First of all, there is the MT 9679 high-end and high-refresh chip, which is a chip customized for 4K projectors. It has a quad-core A55 CPU, a quad-core Mali-G52 GPU, 2GB DDR4 memory and 16GB eMMC flash memory. It supports 4K@60Hz video decoding and output, supports HDR10+, HLG and other HDR formats, and supports Dolby Vision, Dolby Sound, DTS Sound and other technologies.

The performance and functions of this chip are very powerful, which can make the XGIMI RS Pro 3 run more smoothly and stably. In daily use, whether it is UI operation, software installation, or video playback, there will be almost no lag problems.

The second is Wi-Fi 6. XGIMI RS Pro 3 supports Wi-Fi 6 wireless network, which is the latest wireless network standard. Compared with Wi-Fi 5, it has the advantages of higher speed, lower latency, better stability, etc. Wi-Fi 6 can make XGIMI RS Pro 3 have better performance in wireless screen projection, online video, online games, etc.

Finally, there is the self-developed system UI of Xgimi, which has a simple and beautiful interface and is easy and efficient to operate. It not only integrates rich content resources, including various video content such as movies, TV series, variety shows, animation, games, etc., but also various application content such as music, live broadcast, education, etc., which is enough to meet the different needs and preferences of users.

Summarize

Through the above evaluation, we can see that the XGIMI RS Pro 3 is a product that is enough to subvert the existing industry order. For XGIMI, which has already stood at the top of the industry, this is a moat-level super weapon that consolidates its position in the industry and further distances itself from its competitors. It has outstanding performance in appearance, light source, picture quality, sound effects, system, etc. and provides an unprecedented viewing experience.

The XGIMI RS Pro 3 adopts the industry's first Dual Light super mixing technology, breaking through the brightness bottleneck of LED light sources while maintaining the picture quality advantages of LED light sources; it supports 4K resolution, Dolby Vision, 95% DCI-P3 high color gamut and other picture quality features; it is equipped with Harman Kardon custom speakers, Dolby sound effects, DTS sound decoding certification and other sound effects features; it adopts MT 9679 high-end high-refresh chip, Wi-Fi 6, XGIMI self-developed system UI and other system features. As a home projector, it has no shortcomings in configuration and experience.

If you are a user who has high requirements for picture quality and sound effects, if you want to enjoy the visual feast of 4K ultra-large screen, Dolby Vision, and high color gamut at home, if you want to experience the auditory feast of Harman Kardon audio, Dolby sound effects, and DTS sound effects, if you want to have an intelligent, good-looking, high-quality projector, then the XGIMI RS Pro 3 is your best choice.

As a winner of Toutiao's Qingyun Plan and Baijiahao's Bai+ Plan, the 2019 Baidu Digital Author of the Year, the Baijiahao's Most Popular Author in the Technology Field, the 2019 Sogou Technology and Culture Author, and the 2021 Baijiahao Quarterly Influential Creator, he has won many awards, including the 2013 Sohu Best Industry Media Person, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Beijing Third Place, the 2015 Guangmang Experience Award, the 2015 China New Media Entrepreneurship Competition Finals Third Place, and the 2018 Baidu Dynamic Annual Powerful Celebrity.