JMGO is a Shenzhen-based company founded in 2011 by Eric Hu. This leading high-tech manufacturer specializes in intelligent projection equipment with advanced optical technology. Today, it holds over 400 patents and innovations, including the MALC triple-laser optical engine, Bonfire OS, and more.
Like other innovative industry leaders, the company expands its product line every year, and 2025 is no exception. At CES 2025, JMGO announced the mid-focal N3 Ultra Max and the compact ultra-short-throw (UST) O2S Ultra projectors.
They use a 0.47″ DMD chipset with support for pixel-shifting Texas Instrument’s XPR technology to play 4K (3,840 x 2,160) content. The projectors also feature a triple-laser MALC 3.0 optical engine, covering 110% of the BT.2020 color space. Claimed brightness and contrast are 4,600 CVIA/4,300 ANSI lumens and 5000:1 for the Ultra Max, and 3,500 ISO lumens and 3500:1 for the O2S Ultra.
In September at IFA 2025, the company demonstrated the O2S Ultra again. They are now available in the Americas and Europe. The O2S Ultra is priced at $ 2,799 on the company’s website. The N3 Ultra Max retails in China for CNY 11,999 (~$ 1,639). However, given the previous flagship N1S Ultimate’s price of $ 2,199, it’s unlikely to be cheaper than $ 2,000.
UST projectors
The popularity of ultra-short-throw (UST) projectors is largely due to their use as a relatively inexpensive alternative to a large living room TV. As known, they form an image using a complex optical system and aspherical mirrors, providing a huge projection size from 100″ diagonally from a distance of only a few inches.
In turn, placing them next to the screen on the wall radically eliminates the problem of mid-focus projectors with a power cable on the floor in the living room. Today, it’s solved only with ceiling mounting, which, unfortunately, significantly limits their mobility.
Of course, the projector’s size and weight are of secondary importance when using it as a TV. At the same time, sufficiently powerful and bright projectors heat up during operation and require effective heat dissipation. This problem is solved with powerful cooling fans and a sufficiently large internal volume for heat dissipation. As a result, modern, bright UST projectors are usually quite bulky. For example, the size and weight of the best new models, including Epson QS100B, Samsung LPU9D and Hisense L9Q, are (16 x 70 x 34 cm)@12.0 kg, (14 x 55 x 38 cm)@11.6 kg, and (17 x 62 x 32 cm)@12.9 kg, respectively.
However, LG and Philips have introduced two relatively inexpensive, low-power compact UST models, including:
– LG CineBeam S – $ 1,300, October 2025, 500 ANSI lumens, 4K, RGB Laser, (16 x 11 x 16 cm)@1.9 kg;
– Philips Screeneo UL5 – $ 830, August 2024, 550 ISO lumens, Full HD, RGB Laser, (9 x 9 x 21 cm)@1.0 kg.
Perhaps they will pave the way for a new trend, and the list of compact UST models will expand.
MALC and key features
The proprietary MALC (Microstructure Adaptive Laser Control) triple-laser optical engine by JMGO is rightfully considered one of the best in the industry.
Pros:
– compact;
– wide color gamut up to 110% of BT.2020 color space;
– decreased laser speckles up to 97% with a patented Light Speckle Reducer (LSR) technology;
– improved efficiency with modularized laser stacking;
– better brightness uniformity with a diffuser system;
– high color accuracy (delta E<1 'out of the box');
– high 1,600:1 FOFO contrast ratio.
Compact design is one of the O2S Ultra’s features. The dimensions and weight of the JMGO O2S Ultra are (32 x 29 x 14 cm)/(12.3″ x 11.4″ x 5.5″)@4.6 kg/10.1lbs, which can be positioned as a compromise between compact and full-size models.
The model has one of the best throw ratios among modern UST models, at just 0.16:1, providing 100″@16.8cm/6.6″.
Typically, this ratio varies between 0.2:1 and 0.22:1 in most models. But frankly, a few centimeters are unlikely to be critical when projector installing in the living room.
The supported focusing range ranges from 80″ to 150″ diagonally.
Google TV with Netflix built in and instant access to all popular streaming platform, including Disney +, YouTube 4K, Hulu and Prime Video expands the model’s list of bonuses.
The O2S Ultra features a 20W sound system co-developed with Dynaudio, supporting Dolby Audio and DTS-HD.
Adaptive ambient light, automatic real-time keystone, and focus correction make image adjustments as easy as possible.
O2S Ultra contrast
Traditionally, projector contrast data is confusing and ambiguous. For reference, it affects detail in dark areas and the color palette between light and dark tones.
Depending on the measurement technique, companies indicate several types of contrast:
– the most objective, native ANSI contrast (the averaged ratio of maximum white to minimum black with the help of a checkerboard pattern of 16 rectangles, including eight white and eight black; 300-1,000:1 for DLP projector);
– FOFO (full on/off) – does not take into account re-reflecting in the optical module (from 1,000:1 to several thousand to one);
– Auto Dynamic Iris – optimizes light output depending on the average illumination level in the frame. It’s available even in some mid-budget modern models and formally can reach several millins to one due to the dividing almost by ‘0’;
– AI-based ‘Viewing Contrast’ – enhancing contrast using brightness control algorithms (to a certain extent, similar to ‘local dimming’ in TVs).
Today, its most successful implementations include the Enhanced Black Level (EBL) feature in the Valerion VisionMaster projectors and Dynamic Black Level Enhancement (DBLE) in the newest XGIMI Horizon 20 Series.
As known, the native contrast of the 0.47″ DMD chipset is ~1,000:1 or 1,600:1 for FOFO. Perhaps the claimed 4,000:1 represents ‘Viewing Contrast’, although the company lists it as FOFO contrast. But in In any case, the previous flagship N1S Ultimate demonstrates excellent contrast for DLP technology, which barely drops even with increased brightness. Its measured FOFO contrast is 1,420:1, and it’s unlikely to be any lower in the JMGO O2S Ultra.
Conclusion
Of course, the JMGO O2S Ultra’s superb price-to-quality ratio is its biggest bonus. Offering a compact design, up to 3500 ISO lumens of light output, a wide color gamut and excellent contrast with the proprietary MALC (Microstructure Adaptive Laser Control) 3.0 optical engine, it costs just $ 2,800.
For comparison, prices and brightness of the best UST projectors:
– Hisense L9Q ~ $ 6,000, 5,000 ANSI lumens;
– Samsung The Premiere 9 LPU9D ~ $ 5,765, 3,200 ANSI lumens;
– Epson QS100B ~ $ 5,000, 4,500 ISO lumens.
Previously, such a significant difference was perceived as dumping. But one of the industry’s innovative leaders is unlikely to need such marketing technologies. To be fair, Hisense introduced the PT1 UST 4K in September for $ 2,850, but its brightness is significantly lower and reaches only 2,500 ANSI lumens. Japanese giant Epson also introduced the Lifestudio Grand W/B, priced at around $ 2,700, with a max light output of 3,600 ISO lumens. However, it only supports Full HD resolution (1,920 x 1,080).
Comparisons with the compact LG CineBeam S and Philips Screeneo UL5 are unfair due to their very low brightness.
Thus, today the JMGO O2S rightfully claims dominance in the lower end of the premium 4K UST laser projector segment. As know, they are mainly positioned as a relatively cheap alternative to a huge TV in the living room.
The video demonstrates the installation of the 100-inch Fresnel fixed frame screen for JMGO O2S Ultra UST projector.
