JMGO’s N3 Ultimate projector is the new 4K competitor

Sorry Anker: JMGO now makes my favorite portable project.

The N3 Ultimate is an excellent 4K projector that overcomes ambient light at very high angles and can compete with the most expensive indoor installations at night. After a few weeks of testing, I think the raw conversion shown is JMGO’s N3 Ultimate it justifies its current price of $2,399 ($500 off the $2,999 list).

Today’s single-player projectors built around Google TV are already the best when it comes to installation. Set one on a living room table or rock campsite and it will begin searching for a blank canvas or wall while avoiding obstacles to create a focused, color-corrected image that fits perfectly. But these methods often rely on digital optimizations that reduce image brightness, resolution, and response. To avoid this, it is always a good idea to put the projector in front of the projector.

JMGO’s N3 Ultimate projector promises “lossless placement” by mounting it on a motorized gimbal that rotates horizontally and vertically. This, combined with the optical properties and generous lens adjustment, increases the flexibility of the scene without the use of digital manipulation. You can drag the Wiimote icon to the desired location using the remote control. Helpful!

The N3 Ultimate doesn’t do everything it advertises, however. It is rated as a 5800 ISO lumen projector which I found to be very poor for reasons I will explain later. In usable range, you’re getting around 4,600 ISO lumens, which goes down to 3,000 ISO lumens if you want more accurate colors – it’s much brighter than Anker’s Nebula X1 flagship Portable 4K is moving in similar directions.

Although the N3 Ultimate misses the advertising ceiling, its class-leading brightness and impressive picture may make this a worthy replacement for others.

The first thing I look for in portable projectors is the lumen output. If the number is listed as anything other than ANSI or ISO, I assume they are lying. JMGO doesn’t exactly lie with the 5800 ISO lumen spec, but it’s not obvious, either.

The N3 Ultimate barely hits the brightest mark (I tested it at around 5,200 ISO lumens) when running in Dynamic mode, which distorts green colors too much and makes the cooling fans roar. The colors produced by the RGB DLP projector with three lasers are very accurate in terms of Video quality, but only about half of the advertised brightness.

Out of the box, I found the N3 Ultimate’s factory-built colors and tones to be more realistic than most projectors in this class. Usually, I choose Vivid during the day and switch to Movie mode in dark rooms. Sometimes I forgot because the difference was not obvious. The brightness of this projector allows its Dolby Vision support to be excellent in both dark and non-dark rooms.

I tested the N3 Ultimate for unhealthy hours on displays as large as 110 inches and as small as 32 inches; on painted walls, on a glossy table, a white matte screen that enhances the size, and a gray Ambient Light Rejecting (ALR) screen that enhances contrast. It was amazingly compatible with every situation without the slightest intervention.

Most of the time the project was a whisper – I had to strain to hear it. In warm and well-lit rooms, I could hear the fans going up to about 30dB from their usual 26dB, at a distance of one meter. At maximum brightness, the fans peaked at a disturbing 50dB.

Managing image placement can be difficult at first because of all the options and descriptions that aren’t consumer friendly. Fortunately, there’s an optimization button on the remote that removes the guesswork. Hold down and you can drag the image around the room to center it where you want. Double-click the button and you’ll be presented with four menus that guide you through image editing options for Lossless Lens Shift, Gimbal Motion, Zoom, and Rotate. It is very well done and makes the projector quick and easy to install in a new location.

The sound is perfect for an all-in-one of this size. It really is Anchor Nebula X1 turned on its side, but it lacks the satellite speakers that make Anker’s portable projector sound-proof. Without satellites, however, Anker and JMGO sound the same. The N3 Ultimate produced clear, crisp, room-filling sound with respectable bass. So, it’s a shame that JMGO doesn’t make it easy to switch the projector into Bluetooth speaker mode from the lock screen like most portables – instead, you have to manually activate it through the options.

The N3 Ultimate runs Netflix out of the box and menu navigation is a breeze – two things you can’t take for granted with portable Google TV projectors. One thing missing is the integrated handle, which makes this a two-handed carry. Fortunately, JMGO ships the N3 Ultimate inside a reusable carrier that came in handy for transporting in the car.

I also found the projector’s eye protection to be wonky. Even in the case of permanent involvement, it can be triggered without reason. Worse, it is slow to respond when the eyes are vulnerable to laser optics. And besides the on/off button, the N3 Ultimate has no controls on the device – don’t lose the remote!

“Ultimate” is a terrible bar to set when naming your processor, but JMGO comes close to the mark. If sound quality is important to you, Bulkier Anker Nebula X1 speaker bulk it remains a test method – even if it costs you a lot of money. But if you’re looking for class-leading brightness and unmatched visual flexibility from a 4K all-in-one projector, JMGO N3 Ultimate for $2,399 that’s the way to go.

Photography by Thomas Ricker/The Verge