Technology is constantly evolving and with it comes amazing new possibilities. XGIMI’s MoGo Pro portable projector is a testament to that by showing how things aren’t the same as they used to be. Back when I was younger projectors were big, bulky, and you had to use the AV cables to plug into them in order to watch anything. That’s a thing of the past as the MoGo Pro is a truly portable projector with the capabilities of your HD TV built right in.

What’s in The Box

The MoGo Pro comes with a couple of things that you’ll need to get started. You have the device itself, a sleek controller, its power cable, and a couple of pieces of instructional materials. It’s a really premium experience when it comes to unboxing everything as even the box has a sleek minimalistic look to it. It also shows off some of the device’s main features. I was extremely taken back by how everything fits into the box until I actually saw how trimmed down everything is compared to projectors I remember.

Aesthetics and Build Quality

The MoGo Pro is an extremely versatile device as it packs all of the great features that you’d find in a modern HD TV into something that you could easily toss into a purse or small backpack. I’m really pleased with the visual presence that the MoGo Pro gives off. Its white plastic top and bottom really mesh together well with its metal wrap-around speaker setup. It has some great weight to it that makes it feel really sturdy. The power button on the back is really responsive as well as the play/pause and volume up/down touch buttons. One thing that I noticed is that the metal speaker housing dents pretty easily. It’s soft and as a portable item, it doesn’t stand up too well against falls or being bumped into things.

As for the remote, it has an identity of its own as well as some cool functions. It has the various buttons you’d come to expect on modern remotes with some cool additions such as Google Assistant and the ability to focus the video yourself. It’s a black, white, and gray color scheme that works really well with the projector’s look. The up, down, left, and right buttons are pretty cool and remind me of a vinyl record. There’s a switch on the bottom of the remote that allows you to change it from volume mode to focus mode. This changes the plus and minus buttons to reflect whatever setting you have it set on.

I’m pretty happy with the build quality overall. Even with the soft spots on the speaker area, everything feels very durable. It’s sturdy that aside and even the remote feels pretty good. The plastics used in the build are really firm to the touch and definitely make it feel portable. I could definitely see someone bringing this to a barbeque, the beach, or even on a camping trip without having to worry about it falling apart on them.

Specs and Audio/Video Quality

Specs:

True cinematic projection with 100+ inches display
True 1080P resolution, support 4K
300 ANSI Lumens
Official Android TV system with 5000+ apps
Premium sound by Harman-Kardon
Keystone Correction Projection
Mirroring from your phone via Chromecast
Voice control with Google Assistant

I have never seen or heard a projector that is as great as the MoGo Pro. The video quality is phenomenal and has become my way of watching tv at night. My phone camera does not do this thing justice. The colors that it puts onto the screen/wall are always extremely poppy. I never had issues seeing anything even when there was a little bit of light in the room which was actually pretty surprising. It’s definitely a beautiful 1080 HD video quality. I hooked up my Xbox One X to it and played some Fortnite to see how it looked with a game running. It looked really awesome. There’s nothing quite as cool as playing a game on a full wall in your bedroom. It’s sick.

Another surprising thing to me was just how clear and loud the speakers can be. I would place the MoGo Pro decently distant from where I’d sit and watch but it would sound perfect. I didn’t have to worry about plugging in external speakers or moving it closer to me. I’m not very familiar with Harman Kardon’s audio but after this, consider me a fan. It’s kind of remarkable that this projector has everything you need inside of it to have a fun night. With my old projector, I always had to plug in external speakers and it made it really difficult to get things going. With this, all you have to do is turn it on, let it auto-focus, and you’re good to go.

Functionality

The MoGo Pro is pretty nimble when it comes to jumping around its screens and apps. I thought that surely this would’ve been the part that lacked but it was very snappy. Casting is easy and making adjustments to how the screen is oriented can be set in a minute or two. I wasn’t able to leave this out every night so when I’d take it out I’d have to set it back up again. I never got tired of fixing the image though because of how easy it is.

There’s a spot underneath it for a tripod or mount so screwing one in is as easy as if you were to put one on a camera. This combined with the fact that you don’t have to keep the power supply connected at all times is pretty awesome for the portability aspect. The battery lasts for about a movie or so on its own but I keep it plugged in at all times when I’m watching at home. There is an led indicator on top to show the battery’s level of power left as well.

Something that I wasn’t expecting at all was the fact that you could actually play Android games on this. I tried playing the pre-installed Odd World games but I can’t really say I was impressed. The games chug incredibly and the remote really isn’t the best for playing a game anyway. It’s nice that you can play games but I don’t see anyone really doing this. Maybe kids will get a kick out of it? It’s nice to have regardless and maybe there are some that run better.

One thing that I found odd was the fact that even though the Netflix app comes pre-installed, you can’t play it. All you get is an error code that says that the device can’t run it. Apparently, there’s an issue with Netflix not approving XGIMI to use their app yet. There is a workaround through a third-party app called “XTV Manager” which downloads a different version of the Netflix app that works like it should. Although there’s a big warning on the screen that pops up about using third-party apps, I have been assured by a representative of XGIMI that it is safe to use. Here’s a link to the how-to video for reference as well.

What It Could Have Done Better

So, besides the issues I brought up such as the soft metal over the speakers, and the fact that it can’t play downloaded games well, there’s a couple of other small caveats. One is that there is a very slight audio delay between the projector itself and what’s being projected. I didn’t see it as terribly off and if you aren’t paying attention to it, you won’t notice it. It’s just barely off and while I didn’t mind it all too much, others may feel differently.

I also noticed that when I played Fortnite on the projector that there was a noticeable lag in the response time between my controller commands and how quick it was to see it happen. To me, it’s worse than the audio match-up because of the fact that playing a game can be extremely difficult when making timing decisions if your video source isn’t quick enough. I know that this wasn’t developed or marketed as being for gamers but it is worth bringing up. I wouldn’t game on this every day but it’s cool to have for a LAN party or to bring games with you on a trip.

Verdict

I believe that the MoGo Pro is an extremely useful and innovative piece of technology that accomplishes more than I thought it would. You can’t deny just how cool this tiny projector really is and the versatility it brings to the table. XGIMI has done a great job with the portability, quality, and versatility of the MoGo Pro and I cannot wait to see what other cool products they bring to the fold. I’m extremely impressed.