A projector hidden in a ceiling lamp is one of those deceptively simple ideas that makes us envious for not thinking of it first. I guess we’ll just have to try harder in future. For now though, we’re very excited to check out Xgimi’s Aladdin projector lamp at CES 2024 in Las Vegas.
In essence, it’s a projector/Bluetooth speaker that’s cleverly hidden within a white puck-shaped ceiling light, which can easily be installed in most existing light sockets. It seems like the ultimate solution for those who want all the big-screen benefits of a projector and/or wireless speaker, minus office meeting room vibes a regular ceiling-mounted projector gives off.
Sadly the Xgimi Aladdin projector is a 1080P rather than 4K affair, and appears, according to The Verge, to be based on Japanese company Popin’s existing Aladdin 2 Plus ceiling lamp projector. Given that Xgimi purchased the aforementioned company, it all makes sense. And yes, while we’d have loved to have seen more pixels on offer, there’s no denying the appeal of such a neat, hidden-in-plain-sight solution. If you want to keep the clean lines of your living room without any ugly equipment or dominating black screens, this looks like one of the best items we’ve seen.
There’s no price or release date information at the time of writing, but the similar ceiling lamp projector from Popin currently retails for ¥129,800, which is around $899/£708. That’s not too bad given its unique form factor, and the fact that it doubles up as a 360-degree Harman Karmon-powered speaker doesn’t hurt either. This is all assuming a similar price in both the US and UK though, so we’ll have to wait and see.
For those that require more oomph and less hidden design, Xgimi has also revealed the Horizon Max — its brightest ever 4K smart projector, with a rating of 3000 ISO lumens, courtesy of its Dual Light 2.0 laser and LED hybrid setup. Other key specs include DTS audio support, a 2000:1 contrast ratio, and IMAX Enhanced certification. The latter means it’ll play nicely with IMAX Enhanced content from the likes of Disney+ and other supporting streaming services.
Xgimi has also equipped the Horizon Max with its latest Intelligent Screen Adaptation 5.0 tech, which means it should be even better at automatically adjusting everything for the perfect picture regardless of what surface you choose to project on. It’s also clever enough to remember the best settings for multiple locations — handy if you find yourself moving your projectors in between rooms.
There’s no set price or release date for the Horizon Max either, although Xgimi has stated that it’ll cost less than $3000 and will ship in late 2024.
