Until fairly recently, if you wanted to get a projector close to the wall or screen, the ultra-short-throw model you'd need would be something of a beast. China's JMGO changed that in January with its compact O2S Ultra – and now the next in line has launched.
At the time of its CES 2025 debut, the O2S Ultra was being billed as the world's smallest Laser TV – a term used to describe projector that can snuggle real close to a vertical surface such as a wall or screen while also throwing huge imagery up and out.
The O3 looks to have even more compact dimensions – at 250 x 219 x 107 mm (9.8 x 8.5 x 4.2 in) – but will still have a larger footprint than LG's CineBeam S picture box, though that model is a bit taller. JMGO's new addition also weighs in heavier than the LG unit, at 2.4 kg (5.3 lb) versus 1.9 kg. However, the O3 and CineBeam go head-to-head on visual quality, both offering 1080p imagery.
The still available O2S Ultra is capable of 4K UHD resolution, so this new flavor is unlikely a replacement but more a new series member to offer consumers more choice. As such, the O3 is going to be a more budget-friendly UST solution for your smart entertainment needs – though at this stage it's only available in China for CN¥3,749 (which converts to around US$530, but that may rise upon international release).
So what's on offer for that kind of money? The throw ratio is just 0.18:1, which means that the unit can produce 100-diagonal-inch visuals when positioned around 8 inches from the screen. The DLPC8424 projector is home to JMGO's MALC 3.0 (Microstructure Adaptive Laser Control) triple-laser light source technology that puts out 1,400 ISO lumens.
The promo visuals clearly show the projector doing its thing in bright daylight scenarios. Though we can't verify such performance without testing this unit ourselves, our experience with other laser projectors does suggest that the shadows will more likely be your friend here. The setup is reported to cover 110% of the BT.2020 color gamut while also being accurate to a Delta E value of less than one (the lower the value the better). Contrast shapes up at 10,000:1, and there's motion compensation cooked in for sharper action scenes and gameplay.
AI is available to enhance black levels, and wall color adaptation should make it easier to set up in most spaces without breaking out the white emulsion and roller. Autofocus, keystone correction, fit-to-screen and resize for obstacle avoidance are on hand for ease of use too. DeepSeek AI is ready to assist with voice searches, wireless screen sharing is possible, and this model is said to be ready for integration into the Xiaomi smart home system.
Gamers will appreciate the HDMI 2.1 ports and variable refresh rates up to 120 Hz, and streamers get Wi-Fi 6 for what will probably be Google TV when released globally but currently runs Bonfire OS on the company's home turf.
Rounding out the key specs is a 20-watt sound system with JMGO Master Sound tuning, support for Dolby Audio and DTS:X decoding, and a healthy low-end response down to 40 Hz.
As mentioned, the JMGO O3 is currently available in China only for CN¥3,749, but there's a good chance we'll learn of release to wider markets in the coming months.
Product page: JMGO O3
