Co-owned by Xiaomi, Formovie specialises in designing projectors for an immersive home theatre experience. Its flagship model, the Formovie Theatre Premium, was recently launched in India. This 4K Ultra HD ultra-short throw laser projector promises impressive performance—at least on paper. It runs Google TV and boasts a 150-inch screen size with 2,200 ISO lumens brightness and 107 percent BT.2020 colour accuracy, among other things.
For audio, it comes with built-in Bowers & Wilkins speakers, fine-tuned by Dolby Atmos and DTS:X, rated to deliver an immersive sound experience. As impressive as these details may sound, is the Formovie Theatre Premium worth its high price tag? Read this review to find out.
Table of Contents
Unboxing & in-box contents
The Formovie Theatre Premium review unit came in a black briefcase, roughly the size of a travel suitcase. Designed for maximum protection, the briefcase is heavily reinforced both inside and out to keep the projector safe. However, the retail unit will not come with the briefcase.
As for the in-box contents, here’s a rundown:
- Projector
- Bluetooth remote
- Power cord
- Microfiber cleaning cloth
- Warranty documents
Design
The Formovie Theatre Premium stays true to its name and looks quite premium with its boxy design and sleek matte finish. Its standout features begin at the front, where a contrasting fabric surface prominently displays the Formovie and Bowers & Wilkins branding. The side edges incorporate air vents to ensure efficient cooling, while discreet speaker outlets are concealed behind small circular fabric covers. At the back, which has diagonal lines all the way through, all wired connectivity options are neatly arranged, including a power inlet, three HDMI ports with eArc support on port 1, two USB 2.0 Type-A ports, an AUX port, a LAN port, and an optical audio output.
At the base, the Formovie Theatre Premium features two circular rubber stoppers at the front corners, each with adjustable height via scrollers on the bottom edges. A pill-shaped stopper at the back further enhances stability, preventing the projector from sliding on a surface. On the top, a power button is conveniently positioned alongside a large slit, through which the projector casts content onto a wall or screen.
Unlike traditional projectors that require a minimum distance of 5 metres, the Formovie Theatre Premium can be placed much closer to the projection surface, minimising interference issues common with long-throw setups. This is thanks to its ultra-short 0.21:1 throw ratio, compared to the standard 2:1. The projector beams content at an upward angle, allowing it to be positioned on any flat surface or even mounted upside down from the ceiling, for which you will have to purchase a stand separately.
The Formovie Theatre Premium leans on the heavier side, weighing 9.8kg. However, its weight distribution is uneven, with the rear being heavier than the front.
Performance and software
At the heart of the Formovie Theatre Premium is MediaTek’s quad-core MT9629 chipset, paired with 2GB of RAM. This setup appears sufficient for most projector needs, with no significant app freezes or crashes. Navigation through the interface felt smooth, with fluid animations and no noticeable lag. Additionally, the projector boasts Automatic Extreme Low Latency mode; however, to enable this, the Picture Mode must be set to ‘Game,’ and 3D Mode must be turned off. While this ensures smooth gameplay, it comes with a trade-off—any keystone correction applied during setup is disabled, which may affect image alignment.
Be that as it may, even with the ‘Standard’ picture mode, the Formovie Theatre Premium delivered a lag-free experience when hooked to my PS5. The projector supported a 60Hz refresh rate at UHD resolution with the console, making gameplay highly enjoyable. However, when connected to a MacBook, the refresh rate gets dropped down to 30Hz, which might result in some lags with high-res videos or fast-paced content such as gaming.
The projector also offers wireless connectivity options, including Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth v5. While I appreciate the variety of connectivity features, I wish it also included a Type-C port and support for external SSDs, which would enhance its versatility even further.
Another highlight of this projector is its OS. The projector boots globally recognised Google TV out of the box, unlike several other projectors which require you to purchase a Fire TV Stick or other streaming sticks for ease of usage. The Formovie Theatre Premium provides seamless access to a host of Google services, including Play Store with a catalogue of 10,000+ apps, Chromecast for wireless screen mirroring from compatible Android devices, and Google Assistant for hands-free control. The projector offers native support for YouTube, Netflix, and Prime Videos.
Moreover, the software is fairly intuitive, with card-like tabs and unified search engines. Once logged in to your Google ID, you will be presented with four tabs, namely For You, Movies, Shows, Apps, and Library. These tabs offer personalised recommendations based on your viewing habits, with the For You tab allowing you to seamlessly continue watching from where you left off.
The Formovie Theatre Premium’s Google TV is also optimised for effortless control over projector setup, picture, and sound settings. All of these can be managed via the bundled Bluetooth remote, which remains responsive even from a distance or when obstructed.
Picture quality
Getting to the heart of the matter, the Formovie Theatre Premium is packed with all the bells and whistles that deliver an outstanding viewing experience. It utilises Advanced Laser Phosphor Display (ALPD) 4.0 technology with three RGB lasers and ultra-wide lenses, ensuring vivid and precise image projection even from short angles. The projector supports display sizes ranging from 80 to 150 inches – whether on a pre-installed screen or a wall. It also offers omnidirectional manual keystone correction (8-point) and 4-point keystone correction, both of which are intuitive and easy to use, to align the image. Additionally, adjusting the focus is a straightforward process via the remote through the Settings menu.
HDR is supported across all streaming platforms with compatible content, delivering deeper blacks and brighter highlights. Disney+ Hotstar’s series Shōgun, which features a mix of dark, muted, bright, and dimly lit scenes, appeared more mesmerising on the projector than on other devices, bringing scenes to life by revealing intricate details (almost), even in shadowy areas. The sunrise towards the end of Episode 3 of the series felt almost lifelike, adding to the immersive experience.
For this review, the projection was tested on a white wall, and the picture quality appeared sharp and vibrant, even in mid-lighting conditions. This could be attributed to the device’s 2,200 lumens peak brightness. Needless to say, the picture quality appears crisp in pitch-dark environments. The projector supports up to 4K resolution with 107 percent BT.2020 colour accuracy, a 10-bit colour depth, HDR10+, Dolby Vision, and all the other bells and whistles that would make for an optimum viewing experience.
While the colours are vivid, they appear slightly oversaturated in the default profile. Compared to the MacBook Air’s display—one of the most colour-accurate screens available—the Formovie Theatre Premium leans towards cooler tones. This boosts vibrancy and enhances visual impact but also reduces detail in darker areas, slightly limiting the dynamic range.
The good thing though is that the colour profile can be customised using the preset: Vivid, Sport, Movie, and Game modes. Furthermore, users can optimise the brightness, contrast, saturation, and other parameters of these modes to suit their preferences.
Audio quality
The Formovie Theatre Premium features 30W Bowers & Wilkins speakers, consisting of dual woofers and tweeters, with support for Dolby Atmos and DTS:X. The projector doesn’t get too loud, but the speakers deliver a wide soundstage with deep bass and clear vocals. While the speakers are powerful enough to fill a bedroom or a medium-sized living room, you will need an external speaker to enjoy the same immersive listening experience in larger spaces, as some loss in crispness is palpable at maximum volume.
Verdict
All this experience comes at a cost, and that cost is a bank-breaking Rs 4,75,000. However, you can purchase the projector from Amazon at a discounted price of Rs 3,55,000. For that amount, you could buy a high-end OLED TV from top brands like LG, Sony, or Samsung and still have some money left over for other investments.
That said, an OLED TV won’t match the Formovie Theatre Premium’s massive 150-inch cinematic display. The projector delivers excellent picture quality, immersive audio, and a seamless Google TV experience. Furthermore, tts 4K resolution, HDR10+, Dolby Vision support, and ALPD 4.0 laser technology make it a compelling choice for home theatre enthusiasts. The built-in Bowers & Wilkins speakers provide decent sound, though an external speaker setup is recommended for larger spaces.
While the projector has a few drawbacks—such as its weight, a 30Hz refresh rate on MacBooks, and slightly oversaturated colours (which can be adjusted)—it largely justifies its premium price with its impressive feature set and performance. However, its true value depends on whether you prioritise the convenience of an ultra-short throw design and built-in smart features over more budget-friendly options that may require additional accessories.
Editor’s rating: 8/10
Pros
- Ultra short-throw convenience
- Impressive picture quality
- Seamless Google TV integration
- Premium audio
Cons
- Pricey
- Hefty and not portable
