The JMGO N1S Ultimate ($2,799) is one of the brightest 4K room-to-room portable projectors we’ve seen and a substantial step up from the already-capable N1 Ultra, which it replaced as JMGO’s flagship model. Two key improvements are higher brightness and out-of-the-box settings that deliver good image quality. However, it’s missing support for Dolby Vision, Filmmaker mode, and other leading-edge features that can improve quality further, which we expect to see today in any model with this high of a list price. The Hisense C2 Ultra, for example, is our high-end Editors’ Choice pick for the category partly because it supports those features. However, the C2 Ultra is bigger and heavier enough to give the N1S Ultimate the edge on portability and keep it in the running.
Design: A Gimbal Worth Copying
When I reviewed the N1 Ultra, it stood out for its innovative gimbal mount, which was such a good idea that it’s become all but standard for room-to-room portable projectors. However, JMGO’s implementation remains one of the best. As is now typical, it allows 360-degree horizontal rotation and tilts vertically by 135 degrees—from a few degrees down to past the point of straight up to project on the ceiling. It’s also easy to aim with one hand and to stop precisely where you want it to.
With the projector pointed straight ahead, it measures 9.3 by 9.5 by 8 inches (HWD), and it weighs 9.9 pounds. That’s 4 pounds lighter than the C2 Ultra. And note that you can use the carrying case it comes packed in to take it anywhere, not just from room to room.
(Credit: M. David Stone)
As with all current 4K room-to-room projectors, the N1S Ultimate delivers its 3,840-by-2,160-pixel image to the screen courtesy of a 1,920-by-1,080-pixel DLP chip and TI’s fast-switch pixel shifting. As with many, it pairs the chip with a tri-color laser engine, which offers a color gamut of 110% of BT.2020 (aka Rec.2020), the standard for ultra-high-definition (UHD, or 4K) TVs. The rated life for the light source is 30,000 hours.
Initial setup is standard for a Google TV-based projector that’s limited to Wi-Fi for connecting to your network. You’ll also find two HDMI ports on the back for video sources, and a USB port for reading files from a USB key.
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The automatic setup features include automated focus and keystone correction on startup and on any movement of the projector. Both features are on by default but can be turned off. Other options include smart object avoidance and screen fit, plus manual keystone adjustment and digital zoom. As is typical for the category, this projector has no optical zoom.
For my viewing tests, I turned off all the automatic features except autofocus because digital adjustments affect brightness and can introduce artifacts in some images. However, it’s hard to avoid them if you’re taking advantage of the gimbal mount to tilt or swivel the projector to point at the screen. You probably won’t want to take the time to position the projector just so each time you move it, and the automatic features can let you set up much more quickly. Another feature you might want to take advantage of if you’re using a wall painted in some random color instead of a screen is the automatic adaptive wall-color calibration.
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The audio system is built around two 10-watt speakers. In my tests it delivered high enough volume to fill a family room at high enough quality so you can easily do without an external sound system. If you want to add one, however, you can connect it using Bluetooth, the 3.5mm stereo audio-out port, or the HDMI port that supports eARC. This projector offers no Bluetooth speaker mode, but JMGO says it will add that in a future firmware update.
Testing the JMGO N1S Ultimate: Don’t Blind Yourself!
JMGO rates the N1S Ultimate at 3,300 ISO lumens. Based on the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE) recommendations, that should make it bright enough to light up a 225-to-395-inch, 16:9, 1.0-gain screen in a dark room. However, you won’t want to use the brightest setting in most cases. The power setting, labeled Light Brightness, has settings from 1 to 10. If you want even higher brightness, you can switch on the separate Ultra Brightness toggle, but it degrades color accuracy significantly. The good news is that the N1S Ultimate delivers a bright enough picture without turning Ultra Brightness on that you probably won’t feel any need for it.
In my tests in a dark room, even the lowest setting for Light Brightness delivered a suitably bright picture for the 90-inch screen I normally use for testing. On my 130-inch screen, a setting of 8 was easily enough to make both SDR and HDR material bright enough for comfortable viewing in both a dark room and in a low-to-moderate level of ambient light. For brighter rooms, you can raise the level to 10 or move the projector closer to the wall or screen to raise the image brightness and still have a satisfactorily large picture without ever using the Ultra Brightness setting.
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The menus offer five predefined picture modes plus a User mode, with the same modes showing for both SDR and HDR input. User mode is the only one with settings for Contrast, Saturation, Hue, Sharpness, and Brightness (using the traditional meaning for brightness, namely: to set black level) as well as an Advanced Settings submenu that adds options for Local Contrast, Gamma, a Color Tuner, and more. All but Office mode let you adjust frame interpolation (listed on the menu as MEMC).
My preliminary tests with both SDR and HDR input showed that Vivid, Standard, and User modes were the only three that handled shadow detail well. For SDR input, I chose Standard mode for viewing, which offered the best color accuracy of the three and which most people should find more than acceptable straight out of the box. For HDR input, all three modes offered reasonably good color accuracy. I chose User mode primarily to have the settings options available, though it turned out I didn’t need to change any of those settings from the defaults.
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The one setting I changed for both SDR and HDR input was for frame interpolation, which I turned off. Even at the lowest setting, it added an obvious digital video effect (making filmed material look like live video).
The image quality overall was easily good enough by most people’s standards. Both SDR and HDR input scored well on color accuracy and contrast in both our formal tests with movies on disc and in our informal tests with streaming movies and video. With SDR versions of the darkest scenes in our tests, I had to look closely to see some details. Still, the N1S Ultimate lived up to its promise of improving shadow detail for HDR versions of the same movies without significant darkening of scenes dominated by midtones.
(Credit: M. David Stone)
The N1S doesn’t automatically switch to 3D mode but handled it well otherwise, supporting DLP-Link glasses. I didn’t see any crosstalk in my tests, and 3D-related motion artifacts were less obvious than typical.
As with any triple-laser, single-chip DLP projector, laser speckle and rainbow artifacts (red/green/blue flashes) are potential issues. I didn’t see any speckle, but I tend not to see it unless it’s extreme. However I see rainbow artifacts fairly easily and saw them more often with the N1S Ultimate than with many projectors. If you’re sensitive to either issue, you’ll want to judge any projector you get for yourself. Be sure to buy from a retailer that allows easy returns without a restocking fee.
(Credit: M. David Stone)
Input lag results are a mixed bag. For both 4K and 1080p at 60Hz, my Bodnar 4K Lag Tester measured an 18.3 milliseconds (ms) lag figure, a touch more than 1ms longer than the current state of the art for a 60Hz refresh rate. However, the lag at 1080p 120Hz and 240Hz was longer, rather than shorter. So, while the lag is easily short enough for casual gaming, more serious gamers may not consider it adequate.
Verdict: Exceptional Brightness, Easy Portability
The JMGO N1S Ultimate is a solid choice and more portable than much of its competition, thanks to the included carrying case. However, we’d like it better if, in addition to HDR10 and HLG, it included support for HDR10+, Dolby Vision, Filmmaker mode, and IMAX Enhanced modes, which would let it take the best advantage of whatever modes are available for each streaming source you use.
If you’re considering the N1S Ultimate, be sure to compare it with the Hisense C2 Ultra, our top pick in the category. The Hisense model supports all of those additional modes, and when using my preferred settings for each projector, it was brighter in a side-by-side comparison, as well—despite the N1S having a 10% higher rating.
If you’d rather shop in a lower price range, consider the Anker Nebula Cosmos 4K SE. It isn’t as bright as either of the other two models, but its list price is far lower, and it’s our top pick for a low-cost 4K room-to-room portable.
That said, the JMGO N1S Ultimate can easily be the right choice. If you want its high brightness at its lower weight compared with the C2 Ultra, plus the convenience of the carrying case, it offers an attractive combination of brightness, picture quality, and portability.
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The Bottom Line
The JMGO N1S Ultimate’s unusually high brightness makes it a good choice for rooms with bright lighting, though it’s pricey for a room-to-room portable projector.
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About M. David Stone
Contributing Editor
