The first instrumented reviews of XGIMI’s AURA 3 Max ultra short throw projector were published in France this weekend, and they put real numbers on a machine that so far has been sold almost entirely on spec sheets and Kickstarter momentum. Les Numériques posted its lab test on November 9, a day after Clubic ran a ten-day hands-on review. The short version: it beat its direct UST rivals in Les Numériques’ brightness test, the mechanical iris does what XGIMI says it does, and HDR tone mapping is the one area that clearly isn’t finished.
The timing matters for anyone sitting on the fence. The AURA 3 Pro and Max are still only available through XGIMI’s Kickstarter campaign, which closes on December 4. Backer prices are $2,199 for the Pro and $2,399 for the Max, and XGIMI has said the projectors ship in December. Les Numériques reports the campaign is now close to €20 million in pledges and says regular retail sales are planned for early 2027, at a higher price than the crowdfunding tier.
Les Numériques’ measurements were taken by Raphaël Bentéo, a PVA-certified calibrator, using a Jeti Specbos 2501 spectroradiometer, a Klein K10-A colorimeter and CalMAN. The headline figures:
| Test | AURA 3 Max result |
|---|---|
| Peak brightness, 10% window, iris at f/2 | 320 cd/m² |
| Contrast, iris at f/2 | 1,780:1 |
| Contrast, iris at f/4 | 4,770:1 (brightness falls to 170 cd/m²) |
| SDR color accuracy, Filmmaker mode | Average Delta E 1.7, 6,350K, gamma 2.3 |
| HDR color accuracy | Average Delta E 8.2 |
| Gamut coverage | 99.8% DCI-P3, 98.5% Rec.2020 |
| Input lag, 1080p/60 | 13.2 ms |
| Fan noise at 1 m | 31.5 dB |
| Average power draw | 199.5 W |
The brightness number is the one competitors will notice. In the same test, the JMGO O2S Ultra peaked at 196 cd/m² and AWOL Vision’s Aetherion Max at 230 cd/m². Les Numériques notes that the best long-throw projectors it has tested reach about 370 cd/m², so the AURA 3 Max is closing most of the gap that has always separated UST models from conventional ones. XGIMI rates the Max at 5,700 ISO lumens and the Pro at 4,100. Clubic did not publish meter readings; its reviewers found the Vivid mode bright but oversaturated and preferred Movie mode for films.
Gamut coverage is close to complete for both color spaces, which is what an RGB triple-laser engine should deliver. Les Numériques adds that projectors built this way now cover more color than any TV on the market.
Most UST projectors are stuck with whatever contrast the DLP chip and the light engine give them. The AURA 3 Max adds what XGIMI calls Dual Iris, a mechanical aperture that physically restricts the light path. Les Numériques’ numbers show why that matters. Wide open at f/2, contrast measured 1,780:1, which the reviewers called acceptable but unremarkable, with blacks that are not especially deep. Closed to f/4, contrast rose to 4,770:1, while peak brightness fell from roughly 320 to 170 cd/m². Closing it all the way dropped brightness to 48 cd/m², which the reviewers said is too dim to be useful.
That makes the iris a room-by-room choice: open for a living room with lamps on, closed down for a dark room at night. XGIMI’s own spec claims native contrast of up to 8,000:1. Clubic could not verify that figure with instruments, but its reviewers wrote that the iris adjustments and XGIMI’s dynamic black-level processing stayed discreet even during cuts between bright and dark scenes, with no visible pumping.
HDR is the weak spot, and both reviews point to it. Les Numériques found that the PQ (EOTF) curve was poorly tracked on its sample: near-black and dark gray levels were too bright, then the curve dropped sharply in the lighter grays. Average color error in HDR rose to a Delta E of 8.2, against 1.7 in SDR, and the reviewers could not fix the main problems through calibration, including in the ISF Day and Night modes. They also found the SDR gamma uneven in the light grays, even though the 2.3 average looks right on paper.
Clubic’s complaints were about hardware. The projector weighs 9.4 kg and measures about 59 cm wide, so it needs a solid media console. There is no optical zoom or lens shift, so image size and position depend on where the unit sits. Clubic also warns that the image sits higher than on some older UST models, so owners upgrading from an older projector may have to rehang a fixed screen. Two pairs of 3D glasses come in the box, but they charge over micro-USB, and the projector itself has no USB-C port. The rest of the I/O is generous: three HDMI inputs including eARC, three USB-A ports, Ethernet, optical out and a 3.5 mm jack, with Google TV for apps.
Both outlets praised the 80 W Harman Kardon sound system. Les Numériques called it one of the best built-in audio systems available on a projector, with better bass than both the HORIZON 20 Max and the Aetherion Max. The cost of that brightness shows up in the power reading: 199.5 W average, compared with 140 W for the Aetherion Max and 143.1 W for the O2S Ultra.
On price, the crowdfunding tier undercuts most of the competition. Les Numériques lists the European Kickstarter price as about €2,140, or roughly €2,550 with tax, against about €2,800 for the O2S Ultra at launch, €3,000 for the Aetherion Max and €3,500 for Hisense’s PX4 Pro. Its reviewers still give AWOL the edge on black depth, but they rate the XGIMI ahead on brightness and sound and call it one of the best UST projectors available. The site’s scoring gives it full marks for picture quality and audio and half marks for power consumption.
For US backers, the question now is software. A $2,399 projector that measures this well in SDR but struggles with HDR tone mapping is a strong candidate for a firmware fix, and Les Numériques says as much. XGIMI has until the December shipping window, and then the 2027 retail launch, to show whether the HDR curve can be corrected. We covered the AURA 3 Max’s 4K/120 specs and the Kickstarter screen bundles earlier. These French tests are the first independent numbers to support the 4K/120 gaming pitch, and the first to flag HDR as a problem.