JMGO IRIS Ultra: 4K 120Hz Projector for Less

When JMGO announced the IRIS Ultra Max at IFA 2026, most of the attention went to its headline claim — the first all-in-one projector with native 4K resolution at a full 120Hz refresh rate. But the Ultra Max isn’t the only way into that platform. Its quieter sibling, the JMGO IRIS Ultra, carries the same core 4K/120Hz engine at a noticeably lower price, and it’s worth a closer look on its own terms rather than as a footnote to the flagship.

Here’s everything confirmed about the IRIS Ultra: what you get, what you give up compared to the Ultra Max, and who it actually makes sense for.

Quick Answer

The IRIS Ultra is JMGO’s budget-friendlier route to genuine 4K/120Hz gaming and home theater performance. It keeps the full refresh-rate and HDR capability of the Ultra Max but drops the motorized AI gimbal, trims brightness from 6,500 to 4,500 ISO lumens, and lands at $1,899 instead of $2,999. If you don’t need to move the projector between rooms on the fly, it’s the more sensible buy for most people.

What the IRIS Ultra Shares With the Ultra Max

Both models in the IRIS Series run on the same underlying platform, which is the whole reason the Ultra is worth taking seriously rather than treating as a stripped-down afterthought:

• Native 4K resolution at a full 120Hz refresh rate, delivered over HDMI 2.1 — not a lower-resolution gaming mode that sacrifices detail for frame rate
• MALC 6.0 Triple-Laser Engine, using separate red, green, and blue lasers for color rather than a single laser diode and phosphor wheel
• VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) and ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode) for console and PC gaming
• Dolby Vision at full 4K/120Hz, plus Dolby Audio and 3D playback support
• Google TV built in, with native Netflix and Prime Video access
• Optical zoom (0.88–1.7:1) and four-way lens shift, so the image can be resized and repositioned without the softness digital keystone correction introduces
• Hardware-level Anti-RBE (Anti-Rainbow Effect) processing
• A quiet 26dB noise rating

What’s Different: Brightness, Contrast, and the Gimbal

The gap between the two models comes down to three things:

Spec	JMGO IRIS Ultra	JMGO IRIS Ultra Max
Brightness	4,500 ISO lumens	6,500 ISO lumens
Native contrast	7,000:1	10,000:1
Placement system	Optical zoom + four-way lens shift	Optical zoom + lens shift + 360°/150° AI gimbal
Price	$1,899 (early-bird)	$2,999 (early-bird)

Brightness and contrast: 4,500 ISO lumens is still bright enough for most living rooms with some ambient light — it’s only in genuinely sun-lit or multi-window rooms that the Ultra Max’s extra headroom becomes meaningfully noticeable. The contrast gap (7,000:1 versus 10,000:1) follows a similar pattern: both numbers are strong for this projector category, and the difference will matter most to viewers doing side-by-side comparisons rather than everyday viewing.

The gimbal: This is the bigger practical trade-off. The Ultra Max’s motorized 360°/150° AI gimbal can automatically re-aim itself at a wall, ceiling, or screen when the projector is picked up and moved to a new spot — useful if you genuinely plan to carry it between rooms regularly. The Ultra keeps the optical zoom and four-way lens shift (so you can still resize and nudge the image without losing sharpness), but you’ll need to physically point it in the right direction yourself. For a projector that’s going to live in one spot most of the time, that’s a minor inconvenience rather than a real limitation.

Why 4K/120Hz Matters Here

It’s worth explaining why this spec is the headline rather than just a number on a sheet. Most single-chip DLP projectors — the Ultra’s underlying display technology — have had to choose between full 4K detail and a 120Hz refresh rate, because generating a 4K image by rapidly cycling red, green, and blue through one chip (a technique called XPR, or pixel-shifting) gets harder to do quickly as resolution goes up. JMGO’s dual-DLPC-controller design, paired with what it calls a HyperPulse Actuator shifting the micromirror array 480 times per second, is what allows the IRIS Series to hit both at once. That’s the same underlying engineering the Ultra Max uses — the Ultra just runs it at a lower peak brightness.

Gaming Performance

For anyone buying this specifically to game on, the relevant features are all present on the Ultra, not just the Max:

• VRR syncs the projector’s refresh rate to your console or GPU’s output, cutting down on screen tearing during fast motion.
• ALLM automatically drops into a low-latency picture mode the moment it detects a game console.
• Dolby Vision Gaming support means HDR doesn’t have to be sacrificed for smooth, high-frame-rate play — a combination that’s still rare even outside the projector world.

Combined with the same HDMI 2.1 signal path as the Ultra Max, a PS5, Xbox Series X, or gaming PC will get the full 4K/120 experience on the Ultra without paying for brightness headroom you may not need.

Connectivity and Audio

JMGO hasn’t published separate connectivity or audio specs for the Ultra distinct from the Ultra Max’s disclosed figures, and both models share the same chassis platform. Expect the same two HDMI 2.1 ports (one with eARC for passing audio to a soundbar or AV receiver), USB 3.0, and built-in Google TV networking. Built-in audio across the IRIS Series is modest — roughly 25 watts of stereo output — so buyers planning serious home theater use will likely want to route sound out to external speakers via eARC either way.

Price and Availability

• Early-bird price: $1,899 (down from a $2,399 MSRP)
• Pre-orders opened: September 4, 2026, at JMGO’s official global and EU webstores
• Shipping begins: October 19, 2026
• Pre-order bundles include a floor stand or ceiling mount, two pairs of 3D glasses, an 8K-rated HDMI cable, and a 30% discount on JMGO’s optional Photon Anti-Speckle Screen

Who Should Buy the IRIS Ultra

• Buyers who want genuine 4K/120Hz gaming and HDR without paying Ultra Max pricing
• Anyone setting the projector up in one fixed spot, where the AI gimbal’s mobility isn’t a priority
• Rooms with moderate (not intense) ambient light, where 4,500 ISO lumens is plenty
• Buyers comparing this against fixed UST projectors like the XGIMI AURA 3 Max or AWOL Vision LuxVision who want a lower entry price into the same 4K/120Hz spec race

Who Should Consider the Ultra Max Instead

• Buyers who genuinely plan to move the projector between rooms and want automatic re-aiming
• Brighter rooms that need the extra 2,000 lumens of headroom
• Anyone who wants the highest contrast figure available in the IRIS Series

Pros and Cons

Pros:

• Same native 4K/120Hz engine as the flagship Ultra Max, not a cut-down version
• Full VRR, ALLM, and Dolby Vision Gaming support
• $1,100 cheaper than the Ultra Max at early-bird pricing
• Optical zoom and four-way lens shift retained despite the lower price
• Quiet 26dB operation

Cons:

• No motorized AI gimbal — repositioning requires manually pointing the unit
• Lower brightness (4,500 vs. 6,500 ISO lumens) may show in very bright rooms
• Modest built-in audio, like the rest of the IRIS Series
• Contrast, color accuracy, and Dolby Vision 4K/120Hz claims are manufacturer-supplied and not yet independently verified

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the JMGO IRIS Ultra support 4K at 120Hz like the Ultra Max?

Yes. Both models use the same underlying dual-DLPC-controller platform and support native 4K resolution at a full 120Hz refresh rate over HDMI 2.1 — the Ultra isn’t a downgraded version of that core spec.

What’s missing on the IRIS Ultra compared to the Ultra Max?

Mainly the motorized 360°/150° AI gimbal, plus lower brightness (4,500 vs. 6,500 ISO lumens) and contrast (7,000:1 vs. 10,000:1). Optical zoom and four-way lens shift are retained on both models.

How much does the JMGO IRIS Ultra cost?

Early-bird pricing is $1,899, down from a $2,399 MSRP. Pre-orders opened September 4, 2026, with shipping beginning October 19, 2026.

Is the IRIS Ultra good for gaming?

Yes — it includes VRR, ALLM, and Dolby Vision Gaming support alongside the same 4K/120Hz engine as the Ultra Max, so console and PC gamers get the full performance package at a lower price.

Final Verdict

The JMGO IRIS Ultra is the more sensible buy for most people shopping this platform. It carries over everything that actually matters for day-to-day use — the native 4K/120Hz engine, full gaming feature set, and Dolby Vision support — while trimming the two things (peak brightness and the motorized gimbal) that only matter in specific situations. Unless you know you need extra lumens for a bright room or genuinely plan to carry the projector between spaces, the $1,100 saved by skipping the Ultra Max is hard to argue with. For the complete picture of how it stacks up against fixed UST alternatives, see our XGIMI AURA 3 Max vs AWOL Vision LuxVision comparison and our roundup of every confirmed 4K/120Hz projector.