Xgimi is expanding its lineup of powerful RS30 series long-throw projectors with the addition of a fifth model, called the RS30 Pro High Brightness Edition. It’s on sale now in China, joining the rest of the family that went on sale in April.
If Xgimi’s RS30 series projectors look familiar, that’s probably because you’ve come across the company’s popular, high-performance Horizon 30 home cinema models, which were refreshed earlier this month, introducing some eye-popping specifications at extremely competitive price points.
The RS30 branding is what’s used for the Horizon 30 models in the company’s home market, so they’re basically the same projectors, just named differently. In China, Xgimi released the full RS30 slate earlier this year, comprising the RS30 Pro, RS30 Pro Max, RS30 Ultra and RS30 Ultra Max. As such, the RS30 Pro High Brightness Edition slots into the lower-end of that range, as a brighter version of the standard model.
The original RS30 Pro delivered 3,200 CVIA lumens of brightness, which equates to around 3,600 if you use the alternative ISO specification. With the RS30 Pro High Brightness Edition, the company says it’s bumping that up to 4,500 CVIA lumens – which is also above the RS30 Pro Max, which maxes out at 4,100 CVIA lumens.
As with the existing RS30 (and Horizon 30) models, the Xgimi RS30 Pro High Brightness Edition projector uses the company’s QuaLas42 laser light system, which consists of 26 laser chips and a single 0.47-inch DLP DMD chip to deliver images at 4K resolution, or 3,840x2,160 pixels. The device features a variable iris that can adjust the aperture from F/2.0 to F/5.0 to accommodate changes in the ambient light level and the on-screen content. It has a native contrast ratio of 4,000:1, which is the same as the standard RS30 Pro model, while dynamic contrast has been cranked up to 60,000:1, compared to 50,000:1 on the older device.
Other features include 98% coverage of the BT.2020 colour gamut, support for Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HDR Vivid and IMAX Enhanced, and an integrated gimbal stand that enables 360-degree horizontal movement and 135-degrees of vertical tilt. The lens has a 1.2 to 1.5:1 optical zoom and supports vertical and horizontal lens shift, and there’s also Xgimi’s Eagle-Eye 5.0 technology on board, which provides autofocus, auto keystone correction, auto obstacle avoidance and auto screen alignment.
The device should be great for big-screen gaming, too. According to Xgimi, it outputs pictures with 120Hz refresh rates and supports Variable Refresh Rate and Auto Low-Latency Mode, plus AMD FreeSync Premium.
Finally, we need to talk about sound. And once again, it all sounds very impressive, with a pair of onboard Harman Kardon speakers integrated into the unit. These deliver a combined audio output of 24 watts and support both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X surround sound formats.
As to why Xgimi felt the need to add a fifth variant to the RS30 lineup, that isn’t really clear, considering that the four existing options appeared to provide something for everyone who has a mid-to-large sized budget available for buying a projector. But still, if the company wants to provide more options to buyers, that should be seen as a good thing.
Xgimi said the RS30 Pro High Brightness Edition is on sale in China now from its website and JD.com, priced at CN¥8,587, which works out at around £965 at the current exchange rate. That compares to CN¥7,499 for the standard RS30 Pro model.
Eagle-eyed readers may not that Xgimi’s RS30 models are considerably cheaper than the Horizon 30 equivalents. The Horizon 30 Pro, for instance, is priced at €1,999, which works out at about £1,439. So if Xgimi decides to launch a Horizon 30 Pro High Brightness Edition globally, it’s reasonable to assume it will also be more expensive outside of China, too.
