Between the Home Cinema 3800 and Horizon S Max, the Home Cinema 3800 comes out ahead in several specs, while the Horizon S Max wins on brightness and light source. Overall, the Home Cinema 3800 scores 80.1 and the Horizon S Max scores 81.6 on our Mars Score.
Which should you buy?
These two are nearly even on the Mars Score (80.1 vs 81.6). The decision isn't about overall quality — both clear the bar — it's about which specific trade-offs fit your use.
The Home Cinema 3800 doesn't pull ahead on any single popular-comparison spec — its strengths sit in the spec table groups rather than the headline advantages.
Pick the Horizon S Max if you care most about brightness and light source. Its strongest claims are brightness, light source.
Both ship with comparable resolution, short-throw, so those specs don't separate the two — focus on the differences below.
Bottom line: there is no wrong answer here — match the spec advantages to how you actually use the product. The Mars Score parity tells you both are well-rounded; the differences are about trade-offs, not quality.
Why Epson - Home Cinema 3800 wins
- No decisive advantages.
Why XGIMI - Horizon S Max wins
- ▲Brightness — 3.33% more. 3100 lm vs 3000 lm.
- ▲Light source: Laser (vs Lamp).
Spec comparison
Image
| Spec | Epson - Home Cinema 3800 | XGIMI - Horizon S Max |
|---|---|---|
| Resolutionⓘ | 4K | 4K |
| Brightness | 3000 lm | 3100 lmlead |
| Contrast | 100000:1 | 2800:1 |
| Light source | Lamp | Laserlead |
| Short-throw | false | false |
Smart & Connectivity
| Spec | Epson - Home Cinema 3800 | XGIMI - Horizon S Max |
|---|---|---|
| Smart OS | None | Android TV |
| HDMI inputs | 2 | 2 |
| Built-in speakers | true | true |
Frequently asked
Spec-level deep dives
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