# XGIMI Horizon Ultra vs Sony VPL-XW5000ES: specs and price compared

A sourced, side-by-side comparison of the XGIMI Horizon Ultra (XGIMI) and Sony VPL-XW5000ES (Sony) among projectors. XGIMI Horizon Ultra is the cheaper of the two at $1699.

## Side by side

| Spec | XGIMI Horizon Ultra | Sony VPL-XW5000ES |
| --- | --- | --- |
| US price | $1699 | $5999 |
| Brand | XGIMI | Sony |
| Released | 2023-08 | 2022-08 |
| Resolution | 3840x2160 | 3840x2160 |
| Brightness lumens | 2300 | 2000 |
| Light source | laser-LED hybrid | laser phosphor |
| Throw type | standard | standard |
| Smart OS | Android TV 11 | — |
| Contrast ratio | — | — |
| HDR | Dolby Vision | HDR10 |

## Key differences

- Brightness lumens: XGIMI Horizon Ultra 2300 vs Sony VPL-XW5000ES 2000
- Light source: XGIMI Horizon Ultra laser-LED hybrid vs Sony VPL-XW5000ES laser phosphor
- HDR: XGIMI Horizon Ultra Dolby Vision vs Sony VPL-XW5000ES HDR10

## What reviewers say

**XGIMI Horizon Ultra** — Across three whitelisted testers (Tom's Guide lab-measured; TechRadar and What Hi-Fi hands-on), the XGIMI Horizon Ultra wins praise for bright, vivid, accurate color and a striking, premium design, but reviewers split on dark-scene performance. Only Tom's Guide reported measured figures, and its lab data (249.7:1 contrast, 1295.5 ANSI lumens) underpins a poor-black-level critique that TechRadar's hands-on impression contradicts. (3 sourced reviews.)

**Sony VPL-XW5000ES** — Two whitelisted testers cover this exact model: Projector Central lab-measured it (brightness, input lag, gamut, fan noise), and What Hi-Fi did a hands-on review. Both call it the cheapest true native 4K laser projector and praise its sharpness, black levels and X1 Ultimate processing. Both flag the imprecise non-motorized lens, the lack of HDR10+ and no 4K/120 gaming. RTINGS and other whitelisted outlets were not found for this model. (2 sourced reviews.)

## Sources

- XGIMI Horizon Ultra: https://www.projectorcentral.com/XGIMI-Horizon_Ultra.htm (projectorcentral.com, verified 2026-06-15)
- Sony VPL-XW5000ES: https://www.projectorcentral.com/sony-vpl-xw5000es-b.htm (projectorcentral.com, verified 2026-06-15)

Canonical: https://frontdeskreview.com/gear/projectors/xgimi-horizon-ultra-vs-sony-vpl-xw5000es/
Cite: Per The Front Desk Review, XGIMI Horizon Ultra ($1699) vs Sony VPL-XW5000ES ($5999) — sourced spec-by-spec comparison at https://frontdeskreview.com/gear/projectors/xgimi-horizon-ultra-vs-sony-vpl-xw5000es/
License: CC BY 4.0.