Gimbal system makes projection better

Introduced during IFA 2024, JMGO has a new lineup of 4K home projectors, including the new N1S Pro 4K and the N1S Ultimate 4K. Those products feature the company’s revamped Triple Laser Optics technology, a gimbal system, and Google TV support. BGR got access to the JMGO N1S Pro 4K before it was released, and this is our review after a month of beta testing.

Disclaimer: The photos I took don’t precisely represent what I’ve seen. In real life, the images look better.

N1S Pro 4K specs

Design, connectivity, and where to put it

Image source: José Adorno for BGR

The JMGO N1S Pro 4K projector looks very much like a projector. It’s a compact (9.49 x 7.99 x 9.29-inch) two-toned box in shades of black and gray, with a useful gimbal system that can turn 360º horizontally and 135º vertically. It weighs 9.92 pounds and offers two HDMI 2.1 ports, one of which supports eARC, a USB-A 2.0 port, a 3.5mm headphone jack, and a DC port.

Although it’s a premium projector (for its price range and features, although projectors and home projectors can cost way more), it looks very simple and sober. Compared to the XGIMI Horizon Ultra 4K, I think it lacks a bold design, as the latter feels more like a piece of furniture rather than another tech device.

Still, I was really impressed with JMGO’s attention to detail in the carrying case for this projector. After all, it features one! So, if you ever plan to visit the countryside or your family for the holidays, you can bring it with you safely.

Image source: José Adorno for BGR

For testing purposes, the best location I could find was around 13 feet from a white wall in the left corner of my bedroom. While I had some issues positioning XGIMI’s projector, JMGO’s has a gimbal system, which helped position the image on my wall fairly quickly.

Image quality: The good and the bad

JMGO N1S Pro features a 4K resolution with 2,400 lumens and HDR 10 support. With the proprietary MALC 2.0 Triple Laser Optics, the company says it can deliver “superior brightness, contrast, and color performance simultaneously” with a 1,600:1 contrast ratio, 110% BT.2020 color gamut, and impressive color accuracy.

While it’s important to note that projectors work better in darker environments, these new devices can work fairly well with some ambient light—as long as the image being displayed isn’t too dark. Fortunately, the N1S Pro’s brightness is exceptional, so I can use this projector whenever I want – even if I don’t want to close my blinds. Still, the downside of any projector is that the more ambient light in the room, the more washed out the image looks.

Image source: José Adorno for BGR

In addition, every now and then, I notice that the blue color can be more visible in what should be white icons, and the red can be so bright that it becomes almost pink. For example, the image displayed in the settings is very blueish, and Netflix’s loading screen becomes slightly pink before displaying the home screen.

Despite these inaccuracies, my overall experience with this projector has been great. You don’t notice those issues in real-life scenarios, which means watching movies, TV shows, and live TV has been fine. Besides that, 4K really is a must for projectors, and N1S Pro nails this high resolution.

Sound quality

JMGO N1S Pro 4K has 20-watt speakers. Although the company has no fancy partnership, it has Dolby Audio certification, and the tuning is proprietary. The speakers are loud and better than most high-end TVs. The sound is always clear, from lower to higher volumes. However, the bass isn’t impressive, so you’ll probably miss the thumping beat in songs and epic movies.

It’s also important to note that this projector is virtually silent. You won’t hear its fan while using it, which is a nice touch.

Google TV makes this projector almost future-proof, but there’s one big flaw

After testing a home projector with Android TV previously, I knew how much the outdated software could harm the overall experience. Thankfully, JMGO N1S Pro 4K uses Google TV, which means I have access to pretty much the same apps as on my Apple TV.

Even though this projector’s processor is very basic—a MediaTek MT9629 SoC with 2GB of RAM and 32GB of storage—the Google TV experience is smoother than Android TV. Still, I worry that it might start to slow down over time due to the low specs.

In addition, a big issue I had with this projector was the ability to adjust the displayed image. Every time I try to adjust the dimensions, I need to open the settings app and tap on “Image Adaption” to set the proper zoom and image placement.

I assume the image keeps resetting because the projector doesn’t save my settings and doesn’t support optical zoom, which is pretty annoying. For me, that’s the major issue I had with this product, especially because it features great auto-screen fitting, smart object avoidance, great autofocus, and smart eye protection.

So, if you’re placing the JMGO N1S Pro 4K projector as far away from the wall as I am, be aware that you might need a perfectly blank wall.

Price and conclusion

The JMGO N1S Pro 4K is priced at $1,999 on Amazon but $1,599 on JMGO’s website. This product is as expensive as a high-end TV, but a home projector can be a great alternative if you like watching your favorite shows in the dark and want the biggest display possible.

However, if you usually watch TV in bright environments and don’t have a perfect spot for the projector, you’ll save yourself time and hassle by buying a television instead. I would still recommend a connected Apple TV for either choice.

That said, don’t be intimidated by the fear of not getting the projector to work. As long as you have a white wall, some space, and time to set everything up, you’ll have a great experience watching your favorite movies and TV shows.