Review of the XGIMI MoGo 2 Pro projector: comfort both day and night

Can a projector replace a TV? Yes, but there are nuances.

How do you consume content? Smartphones are an obvious choice, but I’m more interested in larger screens. Most people have a TV or a monitor at home, but what about projectors?

Nowadays, there are projectors for every taste and need. Stationary, portable, compact and not so compact, with built-in batteries and speakers, even with operating systems. I haven’t had any experience with modern projectors (school ones don’t count), so I decided to test one of the latest models on the Russian market — the XGIMI MoGo 2 Pro.

Package and Design

There’s not much to say about the projector’s package — the box contains everything you need. In addition to the projector itself, there’s a 65-watt USB-C power adapter and a remote control with batteries included — it’s nice that you don’t have to buy those separately.

As for the remote: it is powered by two AAA (mini) batteries. The remote features all the necessary buttons. The build quality is solid, earning a firm 4 out of 5. Some buttons wobble slightly, but it’s not a major issue. Using the remote, you can activate Google Assistant, switch input sources, adjust the volume, and configure distortion correction.

I liked the design of the projector. Most of the XGIMI MoGo 2 Pro’s body is made of copper-brown aluminum — stylish and tasteful. The plastic parts include the back panel with the ports and the top panel. The front and sides are perforated — these openings are used for the speakers. On the back, there is a radiator grille for the projector’s active cooling system and four ports: a USB-C power input, a USB-A port for flash drives and hard drives, an HDMI 2.0 port for external devices, and a 3.5 mm jack for headphones or speakers. Through a transparent window, you can see the movement of the passive radiator when music is playing.

By the way, the projector can also run on a portable power bank, provided it delivers the required 65 watts. I tested this, and it works, but with any non-native power adapter, the projector switches to eco mode. This can easily be turned off.

On the top, in addition to the projection lamp, there is a ToF sensor and a camera for automatic focus adjustment. On the lower part of the front panel, there is a sensor for keystone correction. The bottom of the projector is rubberized to ensure it stands securely on surfaces without slipping. It also features a standard mount for attaching it to a tripod. The top panel includes an LED indicator, a power button, and the brand name.

The projector is considered compact, weighing only 1.1 kg. Its dimensions are 161×119×108 mm. In size, the XGIMI MoGo 2 Pro is comparable to a HomePod.

Unfortunately, there is no built-in battery, but adding one would have significantly increased the price. Let’s move to a dimly lit room to test it.

System and Features

The XGIMI MoGo 2 Pro runs on stock Android TV version 11 — users of Android-based TVs or streaming boxes will feel right at home, as all the menus are in their usual places. This is a plus, as a custom interface would likely consume part of the limited resources — after all, this device isn’t designed for gaming.

Inside, there’s an unspecified quad-core chip — a Cortex-A55 clocked at 1.9 GHz, with a Mali-G31 GPU. The projector comes with 2 GB of RAM and 16 GB of internal storage. This hardware is sufficient for streaming movies from online platforms or playing content over a local network.

The image displays technical specifications of the system, specifically focusing on the CPU and other related features. Here’s a breakdown:

CPU:

• Architecture: 4x ARM Cortex-A55 @ 1908 MHz
• Instruction Set: 64-bit ARMv8-A (operating in 32-bit mode)
• Revision: r1p0
• Core Count: 4
• Frequency Range: 100 – 1908 MHz
• Core Frequencies:
• Core 1: 1404 MHz
• Core 2: 1404 MHz
• Core 3: 1404 MHz
• Core 4: 1404 MHz

Android Support:

• Supported ABIs: armeabi-v7a, armeabi
• 32-bit ABI: armeabi-v7a, armeabi

Hardware Features:

• AES: Supported
• ASIMD/NEON: Supported
• PMULL: Supported
• SHA1: Supported
• SHA2: Supported

This confirms that the system is based on a Cortex-A55 quad-core CPU, capable of handling everyday tasks efficiently within the given performance range.

The system runs smoothly, albeit at a measured pace. You can’t say the projector is “blazing fast,” but it doesn’t lag or frustrate either. It simply performs tasks at its own speed. Most likely, your interaction with the projector during a viewing session will be limited to about ten clicks (while searching for a video or movie), so there’s nothing to complain about.

What impressed me the most was the automatic keystone correction feature. To be honest, I never had to adjust the image manually, not even once. Here’s how it works: you place the projector, aim it at the wall, and it automatically adjusts the picture so that from your viewing angle, it appears as a perfectly aligned rectangle.

If something goes wrong and the image “shifts” somewhere, you just need to gently move the projector, and it will recalibrate itself — it works flawlessly. Along with keystone correction, the focus is also adjusted automatically — the days of manually turning a focus wheel are long gone. This is exactly what all those sensors are for.

Another interesting feature is the eye protection mode. If the ToF sensor detects someone passing between the projector and the wall, the lamp dims to a minimum and displays a message indicating that the eye protection mode is activated. It’s a small detail, but a thoughtful one.

Naturally, you can install apps not only from Google Play but also directly from a USB drive. Keep in mind, though, that if an app is not adapted for Android TV, it won’t appear in the list of installed programs and will only open once — immediately after installation. Unfortunately, the AirMusic app didn’t work, which would have been useful for streaming sound from Android TV to a HomePod.

Picture and Sound

Let’s start with the projected image. Remember, this is a projector — it won’t deliver the brightness of a TV at a similar price point. Projectors will always be dimmer, especially when it comes to home models. Plus, for full use of a projector, you’ll need both a tripod and a white projection screen. I’ve got a tripod, but I don’t have a screen. So, we’ll be testing it on a white wall with a tripod.

Another nuance to keep in mind: the closer the projector is to the wall, the brighter the image, and vice versa. It’s just physics. This means you can enjoy a bright picture on a smaller screen even during the day, but for a larger screen, you’ll need to watch at night.

The projector is based on DLP technology with a spinning color wheel. This ensures high contrast and image clarity, though there can sometimes be minor issues with color reproduction. However, with the XGIMI MoGo 2 Pro, I didn’t notice any problems with colors. The only thing you might spot is that if you quickly move your eyes from one corner of the image to the other, you’ll see rainbow-like colors — this is normal and a characteristic of the technology. The lamp’s lifespan is 25,000 hours — nearly three years of continuous operation. Unfortunately, the lamp isn’t replaceable, as the projector is non-serviceable.

The image brightness is 400 lumens—not a record-breaking figure, but also not at the bottom of the market. In a dimly lit room, the brightness is sufficient, and if you have a projection screen, you’ll be delighted. However, during the day, the brightness is still lacking—but again, as I mentioned at the very beginning, this isn’t a TV.

The resolution is Full HD (1920×1080), so watching 4K videos is almost pointless. That said, this resolution is more than enough for both small projections and screens up to three meters wide. The maximum diagonal is 200″, but I couldn’t test this as I don’t have enough space at home.

As for the settings, you can adjust brightness, contrast, saturation, HDR, and other parameters. I didn’t tweak anything manually and was satisfied with the built-in “Movie” profile. If you plan to position the projector differently, there are plenty of options for that too, including settings for rear projection (the image will be mirrored). There’s also a ceiling mount mode, which is a nice touch—great flexibility overall.

There are also several brightness modes, including a custom option: “Bright,” “Movie,” “Vivid,” and “Performance.” In the “Performance” mode, the fan runs at full speed, and the image gets a noticeable green tint—this is meant to make the picture visible even during the day, though at the cost of color accuracy. I recommend choosing “Vivid” (the third option)—it’s cooler than “Bright,” and the colors look more pleasant.

I also tried gaming on the PlayStation 5. Important: make sure to enable Game Mode. In this mode, input lag is barely noticeable, but the keystone correction feature is disabled, meaning you’ll need to position the projector perfectly straight. On the plus side, FPS and responsiveness are visually improved. Interestingly, the PS5 even offers to output the image in 4K, which is surprising, and the projector accepts this resolution.

I really liked the sound. Inside, there are two speakers, each with 8 watts of power. Dolby Audio certification is claimed. The voices are very clear, making it comfortable to watch YouTube videos without any additional audio equipment.

As for music — surprisingly, it’s also quite good. I’d say the sound quality is somewhere between the Yandex Station Mini 2 and the HomePod Mini. There’s bass, but it’s shallow and high-pitched, which is expected given the size of the body — there’s simply no room for a larger woofer. What really impressed me was the crystal-clear high frequencies, with no “graininess,” and the sense of spaciousness — I even tried to capture this in a video.

In any case, nothing stops you from connecting external speakers via the 3.5 mm jack or Bluetooth. You can also pair wireless headphones to ensure you won’t disturb anyone at night.

Conclusion

The XGIMI MoGo 2 Pro is my first experience testing portable (or any) projectors. Honestly, I expected the worst, but it turned out that technology has come a long way — the brightness is sufficient for almost any lighting conditions. The sound was also a pleasant surprise. For gaming, I’d recommend using headphones, but for watching a Rozetked video over dinner, the built-in speakers work just fine.

The biggest advantage of this type of device is its portability. Moving with a projector and a PlayStation, for example, is much easier than with a TV. Plus, you can take it to a friend’s place and enjoy a movie on a big screen.

Conclusion: a portable projector is a great alternative to a TV, but it comes with its own nuances. A 200-inch TV is hard to come by, but you also won’t find a projector as bright as a TV. The XGIMI MoGo 2 Pro will definitely find its audience — I’m completely satisfied with it.