Projector maker XGIMI sets its sights on European market

XGIMI, China's largest intelligent projector manufacturer in terms of shipments last year, is looking to gain a lead in the European market by unveiling a new product toward the end of this year.

The fresh product will be in partnership with tech giant Google Inc and will be embedded with brand new functionalities that are designed specifically for European users, said Zhong Bo, CEO of XGIMI.

"Through beefing up global efforts, we aim to become the largest intelligent projector firm in the world over two to three years," Zhong said in an interview with China Daily.

Industry insiders noted that the move is part of its broader effort to tap the rising demand for smart projectors in foreign markets and boost sales to gain a lead globally.

"China is about three to four years ahead of developed economies including the United States and Europe in terms of intelligent projectors, giving us much confidence to develop abroad," he said.

XGIMI, founded in 2013, ranked first in the projector market in China last year, according to IDC. It has sold its products in more than 127 markets including the United States, Singapore and India.

In Japan, one of its major products, PopIn Aladdin, has already gained great popularity. The product topped other domestic projectors in Japan with a market share of 25 percent.

PopIn Aladdin is a dome light with a built-in projector that the company specifically designed for the Japanese market, where many apartments have limited living space.

"Such as in Japan, we tailor our products according to different characteristics in different countries to make them really localized," Zhong said.

Recent years have witnessed increasing number of people jumping onto the bandwagon of screenless televisions in the form of high-end projectors that are capable of providing very high-resolution pictures.

In China, more than 2.6 million intelligent projectors were sold last year, up 102 percent year-on-year, according to smart home data provider All View Cloud. The figure is expected to reach 4.2 million this year.

The rising demand also led to a fierce competition in the home market where around 30 projector manufacturers are trying to grab a slice of the cake.

Facing cutthroat competition, Zhong said that the firm has made major efforts in research and development of core technologies.

His statement came soon after the Chengdu, Sichuan-based company launched its three latest products in China earlier this week. The RS Pro, one of the products it unveiled, can project at true 4K resolution.

"XGIMI hopes to gain more users through offering a high-end tech experience instead of simply lowering prices to attract more customers," he said.

Zhu Yuanyuan, head of consumer electronics at AVC, said: "Manufacturers in the field should make more breakthroughs to improve brightness and sharpness. Also, more products that can be used outside should be explored."