Pros and Cons of the Projector
Pros
- Compact and easy setup
- Great auto keystone and focus features
- Excellent image in the dark
- Decent sound, doubles as a Bluetooth speaker
- Can be powered by USB-C power bank
Cons
- Image fades in bright rooms
- Android TV can be laggy
- Not very loud
One thing that never gets old, even after two decades of writing about consumer technology, is turning up at an event like a family get-together or a weekend camping trip with some hip new device that makes the occasion more pleasurable for everyone. See Managing Editor Nick Mokey's super-nerd camping tale for a great example. Although I've never been brave enough to bring a microwave with me on a canoe trip, using a portable projector to display a 120-inch picture of Captain Marvel or Din Djarin across a trailer wall is a certain way to get plenty of laughs and admiration from other campers.
Xgimi MoGo 2 Pro smart projector
In light of this, I'm pleased to announce that the $599 Xgimi MoGo 2 Pro smart projector can and will cause a great deal of joy. The MoGo 2 Pro is a lightweight, portable DLP projector that looks like a scaled-down version of the Sonos Play:1 speaker. It operates on the well-known Android TV platform, is really easy to use, and gives you access to all of your streaming services and a ton of Google Play Store apps.
For the past few weeks, I've been carrying the MoGo 2 Pro about with me. When projecting a movie or program on a variety of surfaces, its sophisticated automatic focus and keystone adjustment functions seem almost magical. It is also very easy to set up. The MoGo 2 Pro may not perform well in brighter environments, but it looks great in low light and can capture a clear, large 1080p image. Additionally, the MoGo 2 Pro functions as a respectable tiny Bluetooth speaker for post-movie music as the credits roll. The entire gadget can be charged with a portable power pack, which makes it a fantastic all-in-one travel companion for entertainment or even a perfect choice for students looking to live in dorm rooms. Let's investigate it.
Setup and features
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| Derek Malcolm. / Digital Trends |
Don't worry if you're new to projectors and are anxious about setting one up. Unpack the MoGo 2 Pro, place it on a somewhat level surface or, if you have one, a tripod (it has a threaded hole for that purpose on the bottom), connect it into a power outlet using the 65-watt battery pack or the supplied USB-C power brick, switch it on, and aim it toward a wall or screen. The projector starts up fast, and even during the first setup, auto focus and keystone correction fix the picture so you can carry on with the setup.
Setting up an Android TV is as simple, especially if you already own an Android phone. The most difficult aspect of the setup for me was really not using an Android smartphone, but the Android Quick Start function takes your Google account and Wi-Fi credentials from the device and even simplifies the login procedure with all your streaming services. Rather of using the built-in Bluetooth remote, I had to complete the procedure by hand-keylogging into Google and all of my streaming services (which I had already downloaded from the Play Store) using the annoying on-screen keyboard. That took some time, and I had to download a desktop management tool before I could install Netflix for some reason.It may sound like a lot, but setting up Android TV doesn't take any longer than setting up other streaming devices like a Roku or Fire TV. Speaking of which, if you'd rather forego Android TV entirely, you could simply connect to the MoGo 2 Pro's HDMI connection and avoid most of this setup.
After aligning and adjusting the image to fit the surface you are projecting onto, auto keystone sharpens the focus.Once finished, the MoGo 2 Pro may be powered on from standby mode in a matter of seconds, at which point the projector's clever auto adjustments begin to function. The auto keystone function activates, aligns the picture to the surface you are projecting onto, and sharpens the focus every time you move the projector, even a small amount. The focus and form of the picture corrects itself every time, making things much simpler when moving the projector up, down, side to side, and back and forth to find the ideal size, angle, and location in any scenario. Additionally, Xgimi offers you the opportunity to manually alter the picture, but it might be a little tricky.
Other automated features include an automatic obstacle recognition function that can rescale the picture around objects on the wall, such hanging art or light switches, and a safety for children and dogs that senses movement in front of the projector and dims the bulb to protect delicate eyes. To be honest, I disabled the eye protection feature as it was activating whenever someone walked by (down in front! ), and at one time the object avoidance seemed to have overlooked a light switch.
Dimensions and quality of the image
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| Derek Malcolm / Digital Trends |
I could test almost any surface as a possible screen because of the MoGo 2 Pro's small size (6.33 by 4.68 by 4.25 inches), light weight (2.42 pounds), and ease of mobility. Xgimi suggests a range of between 60 inches and 120 inches for optimal results. The MoGo 2 Pro's modest 400 ISO lumen DLP lamp (or about 500 ANSI lumens, if you're comparing it to that more common standard) allows you to project a 1920 x 1080 pixel image from 40 inches to 200 inches in size.
I experimented with the MoGo 2 Pro on a variety of surfaces, including projector screens, bed linens, shiplap walls, white and dark walls, ceilings, doors, and floors. The highest picture quality and color accuracy were created by the projector screens' uniform surfaces and white color, which is to be expected given their purpose. This was especially true at smaller sizes, between 40 and 60 inches, where the light could be more focused. All things considered, the MoGo 2 Pro performed rather well. Although I primarily chose a size of around 100 inches, I could easily scale up to about 120 inches before observing any loss of the image or the brightness beginning to wash out.
Xgimi MoGo 2 Pro smart projector
The most crucial aspect, though, is this: the MoGo 2 Pro performs best in low light. Better yet, the darker. You may easily remove the MoGo's picture by closing the doors, drawing the blinds, going to the basement, or just watching at night. Give it the necessary darkness, though, and you'll get a vivid, colorful, and sharp image that, I was surprised to see, came from such a little container. You may select from a few different brightness levels on the MoGo 2 Pro, including Vivid, Cinema, and Bright.You can distinguish a few modest changes between them in a dark room: Bright, which is the brightest, is colder in temperature, Cinema has a hint of yellow, and Vivid has a little more contrast. However, these distinctions are so little as to be negligible. However, if you're very picky, you may play about with the Custom mode and adjust it manually.
When you give it the necessary darkness, it produces a vivid, colorful, and crisp image that, I was surprised to see, came from such a little box.On the MoGo 2 Pro, I spent several hours watching YouTube videos, Netflix series, and Marvel films. You want the ambiance to seem like a movie theater, so the projection can become enormous, look amazing, and do a wonderful job at that, right? Although the black levels aren't really black—more like dark gray—you can't really go wrong at this price given the features, portability, and ready-out-of-the-box performance.
Sound
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| The venerable Sonos Play:1 (left) next to the Xgimi MoGo 2 Pro. Derek Malcolm / Digital Trends |
The MoGo 2 Pro has decent sound quality for a portable projector, especially in smaller spaces. It would be preferable to pair a pair of Bluetooth speakers, and you can certainly do so. However, once again, this projector performs well given its pack-in-a-bag mobility. While viewing TV or movies, the four available sound modes provide a fairly broad soundstage, which is boosted by two 8-watt side-firing speakers and a passive rear-firing woofer. News, Music, Sports, and Movies. To be honest, though? I just kept it on "Movie" as it sounds better than any other setting, even while using the MoGo 2 Pro as a Bluetooth speaker to listen to music (spoiler warning!).
With its built-in Chromecast or Bluetooth 5.0 connection, you can easily link the projector with a phone or computer and switch off the projector light by just pressing the remote control's power button while the music is playing from your preferred streaming app. With a 3.5 mm AUX input, you may also connect any music source to the MoGo 2 Pro. Though it doesn't get very loud and isn't intended for parties, the sound is sufficient to play music by the fire after the kids have gone to sleep.
In summary
When I first started writing this review, there was a level of familiarity with the Xgimi MoGo 2 Pro that I couldn't quite place. I felt like the guy who shows up with the Bluetooth speaker and starts the party when it was all set up and customized with my apps and preferences. Turn it on, point it at something reasonably tidy and flat, and it was movie time. It turned any space into a mini theater with sound.
The projection looks amazing, can become quite large, and does an excellent job of transforming any space into a movie theater.Additionally, there isn't anything to be unhappy about. Although it's not the brightest projector available (400 ISO lumens), the sound quality won't rock your backyard, and the Android TV operating system can be a bit sluggish at times, for $600 it's a great deal and competitively rivals other portable projectors in the market, like the well-liked Nebula Capsule II ($500) from Anker and even Samsung's $800 The Freestyle.
The auto setup and keystone/focus adjustment features alone on the MoGo 2 Pro are worth the price of admission. It’s portable, lightweight, doubles as a Bluetooth speaker, and its Android TV 11 operating system is well-established, easy to use, and offers a world of apps and services you can take anywhere. I’m looking forward to reviewing more projectors from Xgimi