Xgimi MoGo 2 Pro review: a mighty, mini Android TV projector

Xgimi MoGo 2 Professional assessment: a mini, however mighty Android TV projector

MSRP $599.00

“The MoGo 2 Professional’s dimension, auto-adjustment options, and picture high quality make it a no brainer for anybody on the go.”

Professionals

• Compact and simple setup
• Nice auto keystone and focus options
• Glorious picture at nighttime
• First rate sound, doubles as a Bluetooth speaker
• Will be powered by USB-C energy financial institution

Cons

• Picture fades in vibrant rooms
• Android TV could be laggy
• Not very loud

After 20 years of writing about client tech, one factor that also by no means will get outdated is exhibiting up someplace, like a household gathering or a weekend tenting journey, with some cool new gadget that makes the expertise extra enjoyable or extra satisfying for everybody. For a wonderful living proof, see Managing Editor Nick Mokey’s super-nerd camping story. And whereas I’ve by no means been so daring as to pack a microwave in a canoe, throwing a 120-inch picture of Captain Marvel or Din Djarin up towards the facet of a trailer wall with a portable projector is a surefire path to oohs and ahs on the campground.

On that be aware, I’m pleased to report that the $599 Xgimi MoGo 2 Professional good projector can and can elicit such sounds of enjoyment after which some. A light-weight and compact DLP projector that resembles a barely smaller Sonos Play:1 speaker, the MoGo 2 Professional runs on the acquainted Android TV platform, is lifeless easy to make use of, and offers entry to all of your streaming providers and a great deal of apps from the Google Play Retailer.

I’ve been toting the MoGo 2 Professional round with me for a few weeks. It’s a snap to arrange and has some clever computerized focus and keystone adjustment options which are nearly magic-like when projecting a film or present on a variety of surfaces. Whereas it does wrestle in brighter areas, the MoGo 2 Professional excels at nighttime and might produce an enormous and crisp 1080p picture. And when the top credit roll, the MoGo 2 Professional doubles as an honest little Bluetooth speaker for post-movie music. The entire machine could be powered by a portable power pack, making it a wonderful all-in-one highway journey leisure buddy or perhaps a nice dorm room possibility for college kids. Let’s test it out.

Setup and options

In case you’re new to projectors and are frightened about setting one up, don’t be. Open the field, prop the MoGo 2 Professional on a flat(ish) floor or tripod if in case you have one (it has a threaded gap for simply that on the underside), plug it into an influence outlet with the included USB-C energy brick (or a 65-watt energy pack), flip it on, and level it at a wall or display. The projector boots up rapidly and even on the preliminary setup, the auto keystone correction and focus kick in and modify the picture so you possibly can proceed the setup course of.

Android TV setup is simply as simple, particularly if in case you have an Android phone. The Android Fast Begin characteristic pulls your Google account and Wi-Fi credentials from the machine and even streamlines the login course of with all of your streaming providers, which was truly probably the most painful a part of the setup for me as I don’t use an Android machine. As a substitute, I needed to perform the method with the included Bluetooth distant, which meant signing in to Google and all my streaming providers (after downloading all of them from the Play Retailer) manually with the on-screen (ugh!) keyboard. That took some time, and for some cause, Netflix needed to be put in utilizing a desktop supervisor app I wanted to obtain first. It appears like quite a bit, however the course of doesn’t take any longer than establishing different streaming devices like a Roku or Fireplace TV, both of which, it’s value mentioning, you could possibly simply hook up with the MoGo 2 Professional’s HDMI port and skip a lot of this setup should you’d quite bypass Android TV altogether.

As soon as full, the MoGo 2 Professional is able to go in seconds from standby mode, at which period the projector’s nifty auto changes kick in. Every time you progress the projector, even barely, the auto keystone prompts and adjusts and aligns the picture to no matter floor you’re projecting on, after which sharpens the main focus. It tremendously simplifies issues whereas jockeying the projector back-and-forth, facet to facet, and up or down to seek out the right dimension, angle, and place in any scenario — the main focus and form of the picture corrects itself each time. And whereas it may be a bit finicky, Xgimi additionally provides you the choice to manually modify the picture, too.

Further computerized options embrace a safeguard for youths and pets that detects motion in entrance of the projector and dims the bulb to guard fragile eyes, and an computerized impediment detection characteristic that may rescale the picture round issues on the wall reminiscent of hanging artwork or mild switches. Admittedly, I turned the attention safety characteristic off as a result of it was triggering when anybody handed by (down in entrance!), and the item avoidance didn’t appear to note a light-weight change at one level.

Picture dimension and high quality

The diminutive dimension (6.33 by 4.68 by 4.25 inches) and weight (2.42 kilos) of the MoGo 2 Professional and the benefit at which it may be moved round meant that I may strive nearly any floor as a possible display. The MoGo 2 Professional’s modest 400 ISO lumen DLP lamp (equal to round 500 ANSI lumens, should you’re evaluating it to that extra frequent normal) permits you to undertaking a 1920 x 1080 pixel picture from 40 inches to 200 inches in dimension, though Xgimi recommends a variety of between 60 inches and 120 inches for finest outcomes.

I attempted the MoGo 2 Professional with all types of sizes on all types of surfaces, together with projector screens, mattress sheets, white partitions, darkish partitions, shiplap partitions, ceilings, doorways, and flooring. As you’d count on, the projector screens’ uniform surfaces and white coloration are made for the job, so this produced the most effective picture readability and coloration accuracy, particularly at smaller sizes within the 40- to 60-inch vary when the sunshine could be extra centered. However the MoGo 2 Professional did a reasonably good job throughout the board, and whereas I primarily opted for a dimension of round 100 inches, I may simply scale as much as round 120 inches earlier than noticing any degradation of the picture or the brightness beginning to wash out.

However right here’s crucial half: The MoGo 2 Professional is at its finest at nighttime. The darker, the higher. Draw the blinds, shut the doorways, head to the basement, or simply do your viewing at night time because it doesn’t take a lot ambient mild to clean out the MoGo’s picture. However give it the darkness it wants and what you get is a vibrant, colourful, and clear picture that I used to be shocked got here from such a small bundle. The MoGo 2 Professional has a handful of brightness settings you possibly can select from, reminiscent of Vivid, Cinema, and Vibrant. In a darkish room, you possibly can discover minor variations between them — Vivid has a bit of extra distinction, Cinema has a little bit of a yellow tinge, and Vibrant (the brightest, go determine) is cooler in temperature — however they’re so delicate, it’s inconsequential. In case you’re actually finicky, although, you possibly can go nuts with the Customized mode and fine-tune it your self.

I watched a number of hours of content material on the MoGo 2 Professional, from Marvel films to Netflix collection to YouTube movies. The projection can get large, seems incredible, and does an excellent job making the ambiance really feel like a movie show, which is what you need, proper? Black ranges aren’t nice — they’re extra darkish grey than black — however for the options, out-of-the-box readiness, and portability at this worth, you possibly can’t actually go improper.

Sound

So far as moveable projectors go, the sound from the MoGo 2 Professional is fairly good, particularly when in a small room. Pairing a set of Bluetooth audio system could be higher, and you may completely do this. However, once more, for the throw-it-in-a-bag-and-go portability you get from this projector, it does the job fairly properly. Two 8-watt, side-firing audio system and a passive rear-firing woofer pump out a decently extensive soundstage when watching films and TV, and there are 4 sound modes you possibly can select from: Film, Sports activities, Music, and Information. Actually, although? “Film” sounds higher than all of them, so I simply left it on that, even when (segue alert!) listening to music utilizing the MoGo 2 Professional as a Bluetooth speaker.

Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity makes pairing with a telephone or pc simple, and as soon as the music is enjoying out of your chosen streaming app (or over its built-in Chromecast) you possibly can hit the ability button on the distant and switch the projector mild off. You may also join any audio supply to the MoGo 2 Professional with a 3.5 mm AUX enter. It’s not a party speaker, although, and it doesn’t get very loud, however as soon as the children are asleep, the sound is sufficient to present tunes across the hearth.

The underside line

There was a familiarity with utilizing the Xgimi MoGo 2 Professional that I couldn’t fairly put my finger on once I began this assessment. As soon as it was all arrange and personalised with my apps and preferences, turning any house right into a mini theater, full with sound, made me really feel just like the man who reveals up with the Bluetooth speaker and will get the celebration began: flip it on, level it at one thing fairly clear and flat, and it’s film time.

There’s not a lot to complain about both. With 400 ISO lumens, it’s not the brightest projector on the market, the sound isn’t going to rumble your yard, and the Android TV working system is a bit of sluggish at instances, However for its $600 worth, it’s a wonderful worth and handily competes with different moveable projectors within the class reminiscent of Anker’s standard Nebula Capsule II ($500) and even Samsung’s $800 The Freestyle.

The auto setup and keystone/focus adjustment options alone on the MoGo 2 Professional are well worth the worth of admission. It’s moveable, light-weight, doubles as a Bluetooth speaker, and its Android TV 11 working system is well-established, simple to make use of, and affords a world of apps and providers you possibly can take anyplace. I’m trying ahead to reviewing extra projectors from Xgimi.

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