Let’s be honest, “Titan Noir Max” sounds less like a piece of home theater equipment and more like the star of a gritty graphic novel adaptation. You can almost picture him now: a hulking silhouette perched on a gargoyle, rain dripping from his ridiculously oversized collar, muttering about how the city is a cesspool that needs cleansing. The “Max” suffix implies he’s the even darker, even moodier version of the original Titan Noir, who was probably already too grim for the Saturday morning cartoon lineup. He’s the hero you call when the regular Titan just isn’t feeling angsty enough to solve the case.
As it turns out, that wonderfully over-the-top name is surprisingly appropriate, because Xgimi’s latest creation is a hero in the fight against one of home cinema’s greatest villains: the washed-out, milky gray that so many projectors try to pass off as “black.” Unveiled at CES 2026, the Titan Noir Max is a 4K laser projector built with a singular mission to deliver truly deep, dark black levels. It accomplishes this with a dual iris system, a piece of hardware usually found in much more expensive equipment, allowing it to hit an impressive 10,000:1 native contrast ratio. So while it might not fight crime on rain-slicked streets, it is engineered to bring that perfect, cinematic darkness right into your living room.
Designer: Xgimi
That dual iris is perhaps the most crucial key to why this small projector performs so much better than its larger sibling, the Titan from last year. For years, the projector market has been locked in a pointless arms race for brightness, with manufacturers bragging about lumens while completely ignoring the other side of the equation. Xgimi is making a statement by building a machine around contrast. A 10,000:1 native ratio, with a dynamic contrast that reaches 100,000:1, means this projector can modulate its light output with incredible precision. This allows it to render deep shadows in a dark scene without crushing all the detail, and then immediately pivot to a bright scene without blowing out the highlights. It’s the kind of performance that separates a good image from a truly cinematic one.
The physical design also signals that this isn’t just another lifestyle gadget meant to blend in. The Titan Noir Max has a taller, squared-off profile with a refined industrial grille that looks purposeful. It stands on four metal legs, giving it a strange, almost creature-like stance that some have compared to a robot dog. This is a confident piece of hardware that doesn’t apologize for being a machine. It’s a welcome departure from the endless parade of rounded white boxes, suggesting that its performance is just as serious as its appearance. The metal finish and multiple colorways give it a premium feel that matches its professional ambitions.
Of course, none of that contrast matters if the optics can’t keep up. Xgimi is using a new Single Springtip Torsional, or SST, DMD chip inside, which is engineered to handle a higher density of light without losing sharpness or creating artifacts. This is crucial when you’re working with a laser light source and a dynamic iris that are constantly adjusting the image. While the company hasn’t confirmed if it’s using the same large 0.78-inch DMD from the original Titan, the new optical system is clearly designed for precision. It’s a complex dance between the light source, the iris, and the chip, and it seems Xgimi has choreographed it to maintain 4K clarity from corner to corner.
Projector placement is the bane of many home theater setups, but the Titan Noir Max offers a massive range of adjustment. You get a vertical lens shift of plus or minus 130 percent and a horizontal shift of plus or minus 50 percent. Those are numbers you typically see on dedicated installation projectors, and it means you can place the unit well off-center without resorting to digital keystone correction that degrades the image. Paired with a 1.0 to 2.0:1 throw ratio, this projector gives you an enormous amount of freedom to get the perfect picture in almost any room.
Internally, it’s running on an MT9681 SoC with 4GB of RAM and 64GB of storage, which is more than enough to handle its smart features and interface smoothly. The support for up to 240Hz output is also a nice touch, opening the door for high-refresh-rate gaming if the input lag is low enough. Add in the built-in Harman Kardon speakers and IMAX Enhanced certification, and you have a complete package that doesn’t demand a separate audio system for a great experience. It’s a well-rounded machine that understands its audience wants both performance and convenience. The big question remains the price, which Xgimi is keeping quiet about until pre-orders open later this quarter, but this feels like a genuine contender for the best high-end projector of the year.
The post Forget Brightness Wars, XGIMI’s Titan Noir Max at CES 2026 is starting the ‘Projector Contrast War’ first appeared on Yanko Design.
