The JMGO N1S Ultimate is a 4k DLP projector that uses JMGO’s MALC 2.0 triple-laser light engine and a built-in gimbal mount for quick, flexible setup. It has a full suite of image correction features, and can project a 40-inch image from roughly ~3.5 ft from the screen, up to a massive 300-inch image from ~26.2 ft. It runs certified Google TV with native Netflix and Chromecast built in, and includes Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2. I/O consists of two HDMI 2.1 ports (one with eARC) and a USB-A port. Audio is handled by an internal 20W system, and the projector can pass multichannel audio over eARC; HDR playback supports HDR10.
Our Verdict
The JMGO N1S Ultimate is a great projector for home theater use, especially if you value its versatile rotating gimbal stand. The unit is extremely bright, enough for a moderately lit room. Its contrast is no slouch; its blacks are more noticeably raised in very bright scenes, but overall, it's very good. It does have an annoyance: in order to display the Rec. 2020 color space that is sometimes used in HDR content, the unit needs to be put in the 'Vivid' Picture Mode. It's also not very accurate right out of the box; purists will definitely want to calibrate it to get an accurate image.
Bright enough for moderately lit rooms.
Very good contrast for deep blacks in most scenes.
Very colorful unit.
Versatile gimbal stand with a full suite of image correction features.
Not very accurate out-of-the-box.
Needs to be in the 'Vivid' Picture Mode to display Rec. 2020.
Limited to HDR10; No Dolby Vision or HDR10+ support.
The JMGO N1S Ultimate is a solid casual-gaming projector at 60Hz. It accepts 4K @ 60Hz and 1080p @ 60Hz with decently low input lag in Game Mode, so action games feel responsive. However, 120Hz and 240Hz aren't truly supported: the projector handshakes those modes but still outputs 60Hz, so you don't get higher frame-rate motion. This means that the unit is better suited for single-player 60Hz games. It also projects a good-looking image, as it's very bright, colorful, and has solid contrast.
Bright enough for moderately lit rooms.
Very good contrast for deep blacks in most scenes.
Very colorful unit.
Versatile gimbal stand with a full suite of image correction features.
Low enough input lag for single player games.
Not very accurate out-of-the-box.
No 120Hz mode to make the unit even more responsive.
Changelog
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Updated Oct 15, 2025:
We've added Imaging, Optics, Noise, Supported Resolutions, HDR Format Support, 3D, Input Lag, and Audio Passthrough boxes as a result of our latest test bench. We've also added a Gaming usage in the Verdict section.
- Updated Oct 03, 2025: We've converted the review to Test Bench 0.10, which updates our Design tests, and adds a whole new suite of Inputs tests. We also added new gaming-oriented usage scores in Our Verdict. See the 0.10 changelog.
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Updated Sep 10, 2025:
We fixed a minor data error. We initially said that the projector had an LED light source in the Projector Technology results, but it's a laser light source.
- Updated Sep 02, 2025: Review published.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The N1S family shares a 1.2:1 throw, gimbal stand (≈135° vertical/360° horizontal), Google TV with native Netflix, and tri-laser engines. The main differences are brightness (ISO/ANSI claims), price tier, and small connectivity/audio tweaks.
| Model | Brightness (ISO) | Image Size | Speakers | Ports | Wireless |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JMGO N1S Ultimate | 3300 lm | 40–300" | 20W | 2× HDMI 2.1 (1× eARC), USB-A 2.0, 3.5 mm | Wi-Fi 6, BT 5.2 |
| JMGO N1S Ultra | 2800 lm | 40–300" | 20W | 2× HDMI 2.1 (1× eARC), USB-A 2.0, 3.5 mm | Wi-Fi 6, BT 5.2 |
| JMGO N1S Pro 4K | 2250 lm | 40–300" | 20W | 2× HDMI 2.1 (1× eARC), USB-A 2.0, 3.5 mm | Wi-Fi 6, BT 5.1 |
| JMGO N1S 4K | 1100 lm | 40–200" | 2× 5W | 2× HDMI 2.1 (1× eARC), USB-A 2.0 | Wi-Fi 6, BT 5.1 |
You can see a photo of our unit's label here.
Popular Projector Comparisons
The JMGO N1S Ultimate is a versatile home theater unit with a fully rotating gimbal stand. It has very solid image quality, anchored by its top-notch brightness. Still, it has a few weaknesses: it's inaccurate out of the box, is limited to HDR10 support, and can only display proper Rec. 2020 when in the 'Vivid' Picture Mode. Overall, even though it's a solid unit, there are better options. The Hisense C2 Ultra and the XGIMI Horizon S Max are very similar projectors, as both also have a rotating stand. Still, the Hisense has better image quality overall, and the XGIMI is generally sold for a cheaper price. They also both support Dolby Vision, and the Hisense model also has HDR10+. However, the JMGO can be worth it if you find it on a huge sale, and it's better than the Hisense for gaming due to its lower input lag.
For more, check out our recommendations for the best 4k projectors, the best projectors for home theater, and the best portable projectors. If you're really looking for a product to use outside, consider the best outdoor projectors as well.
The XGIMI HORIZON 20 Max is generally better than the JMGO N1S Ultimate, although the JMGO has some advantages. The XGIMI is brighter, has better contrast, and is far more accurate out of the box. Still, the JMGO isn't as noisy under load, and its input lag at 4k @ 60Hz is noticeably lower than the XGIMI, which is helpful if you like to play single-player games at 4k. Still, the JMGO is limited to 60Hz, while the XGIMI offers 120Hz and 240Hz support at 1080p, giving it the edge for competitive gaming.
The Hisense C2 Ultra is better than the JMGO N1S Ultimate, mainly due to it being more accurate right out-of-the-box. The Hisense also supports Dolby Vision and HDR10+, while the JMGO is limited to HDR10. Otherwise, the two units are neck and neck in terms of image quality. The JMGO is a bit smaller, making it easy to carry around with you, but the Hisense has a 1.67x optical zoom, making it easier to get the image you want when setting it up.
Choosing between the XGIMI Horizon S Max or the JMGO N1S Ultimate depends on what you value most: brightness or accuracy? The XGIMI is the more accurate of the two units and is also easier to calibrate. In turn, the JMGO is noticeably brighter than the XGIMI, but it's not accurate out-of-the-box. The kicker, however, is the XGIMI's Dolby Vision support; the JMGO is limited to just HDR10. Overall, the XGIMI is a bit better, but you should probably just get the cheapest one you can find.
The Valerion VisionMaster Pro 2 is a bit better than the JMGO N1S Ultimate, but they're different. The Valerion is bigger and heavier, and doesn't have the JMGO's versatile gimbal stand. The Valerion still has a suite of image correction features and has a 1.67x optical zoom, which the JMGO lacks. That said, the JMGO is a bit brighter and has slightly deeper blacks. The Valerion, however, is more accurate out-of-the-box. What really pushes the Valerion ahead is its Dolby Vision and HDR10+ support; the JMGO is limited to HDR10.
We've independently bought and tested over 60 projectors, and we've published all the detailed results for each so you can decide which one to buy. These have all been tested under the same standardized methodology, allowing you to compare them side by side. We still have all these projects in our lab so we can continually go back and compare them to ensure our reviews are still accurate. All our test methodology is also public on our website, so you can validate the results yourself.
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Test Results
The JMGO N1S Ultimate 4k is very bright. It's bright enough for moderately lit rooms, so you don't need to always worry about turning off all the lights to see the image. It's also incredibly uniform, so you won't notice any dark spots on the image.
As for colors, the unit is bright enough to project colorful images without any washing out.
The JMGO N1S Ultimate Triple Laser 4k projector has very good contrast. It's a bit worse in extremely bright scenes, but it's hard to notice. Overall, this unit delivers very solid contrast and will please almost anyone when watched in dark rooms.
The JMGO N1S Ultimate's pre-calibration SDR accuracy is disappointing. Its reds are noticeably underrepresented in every shade of gray, which makes the projector's color temperature very cold out-of-the-box. Thankfully, its color accuracy is decent; most of them deviate slightly from what they should be, and the unit struggles more with desaturated colors, but overall, they're satisfactory. As for gamma, all scenes are brighter than they should be, and this is worse in very bright scenes.
The JMGO N1S Ultimate's accuracy after calibration is excellent. It has full 11-point white balance and color calibration, so it gives you the tools to meaningfully improve its accuracy. While the unit isn't perfect afterwards, its white balance is vastly improved, bringing its color temperature very close to the 6,500K target. Gamma is now very close to target, and so are most colors outside of whites.
The projector's color gamut is extremely wide. It displays the entirety of the Rec. 709 color space, with most colors being exactly as they should, with one notable exception: whites, as they lean cyan. Still, overall, it's accurate.
As for Rec. 2020, the unit has some quirks. While we would normally use the 'Movie' Picture Mode, on this projector, that mode clamps the Rec. 2020 signal to Rec. 709, thus undersaturating almost every color. To render proper Rec. 2020, we had to use the 'Vivid' Picture Mode. In Vivid, the projector displays almost the entirety of the Rec. 2020 color space, and most colors are close to what they should be, although whites and especially grays do noticeably diverge from their target.
This is a single-chip DLP projector using JMGO's MALC 2.0 triple-color (RGB) laser light engine to produce a 4k image. The 4k is delivered via TI XPR pixel-shifting, so it's not native 4k, but decidedly sharper than regular 1080p. JMGO rates the N1S Ultimate's triple-laser light source for up to ~30,000 hours. There's no user-replaceable lamp; laser modules are sealed, so end-of-life is handled by servicing or replacing the projector. Still, it lasts long enough that you won't ever have to worry about changing it.
This projector doesn't have optical zoom or lens shift, but it does have Auto Focus and Auto Keystone, making it easy to set up. However, remember that keystoning does impact image quality to some degree.
Here are some typical throw distances:
- 40″ image: ~3.5 ft from the screen
- 80″ image: ~7 ft
- 100″ image: ~8.7 ft
- 150″ image: ~13 ft
- 200″ image: ~17.4 ft
The JMGO N1S Ultimate is easy to place and aim thanks to its integrated gimbal base. It's not the smallest projector around, but it's light enough to be portable around the house, though there's no built-in battery, so you'll need to run it on AC power. It pans 360° and tilts up to 135° vertically, so you can quickly point it at a wall, screen, or even the ceiling without propping it up on books. Setup is fast: JMGO's auto-adjustment handles autofocus and auto keystone in real time (the company's "Auto Adaptation/FlexiSmart 2.0").
Fan noise is smooth without an audible whistle sound, and it tends to blend into the room ambience quite well, so you won't hear it unless you mute your audio.
Ports include two HDMI 2.1 (one with eARC), USB-A 2.0, and a 3.5 mm headphone jack; wireless is Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.2. The unit supports HDR10. The model also supports 3D playback with compatible glasses.
The projector reports 1080p@120/240, but both are actually sent out at 60Hz (confirmed via frame-skip and input-lag readings). The HDMI EDID setting (Standard/Ultra High Speed) doesn't change this, so true 120/240Hz output isn't supported.
With Ultra High Speed and Low Latency Mode both enabled, the projector's input lag is decently low at 60Hz; fast enough for single-player titles, especially if you're not trying to chase trophies. Unfortunately, there's no high-refresh mode to lower the input lag further.
