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Summary
TheXGIMI MoGo 2 Pro Projectorcan turn virtually any room into a theater, delivering a brighter image and bolder audio than its predecessor. But when sized up against the slightly larger Halo+, the MoGo 2 Pro can’t hide some of its pitfalls. Still, for its size, there is plenty to marvel at.
Today’s TVs can do practically anything. So, why would one concern themselves with a projector and have to find the perfect spot in their home for it? It’s a question I asked myself before I got my hands onXGIMI’s Halo+ portable projector. It gave me an answer reinforced by the MoGo 2 Pro—because it’s anentirely different experience. I still break out my Halo+ every so often when I want to do something quirky, like game the latest survival horror against my house or project spooky imagery on my garage for Halloween.
The MoGo 2 Pro can do the same things, though maybe not entirely as well. It’s a more compact portable projector, but the lack of an internal battery and some issues with its inner mechanics produce a slightly less enjoyable experience than the Halo+.
With that said, its size and features do make for a worthy contender in the portable projector space. It stands above competitors like the WeMax Dice smart projector, particularly in how it handles Android TV and more vibrant visuals.
Portability At Its Max
At only 2.4lbs and 4.7 x 6.3 x 4.3in, the XGIMI MoGo 2 Pro hones in on portability. It’s designed to be taken virtually anywhere, though you will want to buy a carrying case to ensure the very fragile mechanics travel well. Despite its size, the tiny portable projector doesn’t come across as small.
The lens has a throw distance of up to just under 9 feet (approximately 2.7m) and a ratio of 1.2:1, and the image clarity doesn’t take a hit. There are some concerns regarding how the MoGo 2 Pro handles color, but I’ll touch on that later.
Related:XGIMI Halo+ Portable Projector Review: A Home Theater You Can Take With You
One thing that you will sacrifice for the smaller size is a rechargeable battery. Though the MoGo 2 Pro was the perfect opportunity for afully portable projectorthat runs for several hours on an internal battery, this unit must be plugged in. In a way, that negates some of the portability, unless you’re either always traveling with a power source or only using the device in spaces with outlets.
In this instance, a little more heft and girth for the sake of a rechargeable battery may have been better suited. It’s part of what made theHalo+ portable projectorso versatile.
Powered by Android TV
One of the best features of XGIMI’s line of portable projectors is their use of Android TV. The operating system is clean and easy to navigate, and there were rare moments of slowdown when searching through available apps, movies, and TV shows. This isn’t some watered-down version of Android TV either, as you’ll have access to over 5,000 apps on the Google Play Store that stream seamlessly through the projector and onto your screen. You do have to be mindful of the 16GB internal storage that can’t be upgraded, but it’s unlikely you’ll fill it all.
I encountered one significant issue while updating the OS to the latest version. Upon restart, the projector crashed, and Android TV failed to load. I factory reset everything back to normal, but it was a concerning moment that, thankfully, didn’t repeat itself.
With Android TV, the MoGo 2 Pro feels like a little entertainment center, especially when you use its one HDMI port.
Taking Gaming on the Go
The MoGo 2 Pro makes portable gaming possible and quite easy to achieve—again, so long as you have access to a power source. I routed my Xbox Series S through the projector and had a blast playing “Evil Dead the Game” and revisiting “Alan Wake” in my backyard at night. There are virtually no latency issues, and everything works just as if I were playing on my standard TV.
Coupled with a generator or sizable power adaptor, the MoGo 2 Pro and your gaming console can really make some memories. Imagine playing “Resident Evil” in a dilapidated building or something brutally atmospheric in the deserts of Las Vegas. These are all dream scenarios for me, and the projector is small enough and of a high-enough quality that they could all happen.
A Vibrant Display With Mildly Muted Visuals
I didn’t realize how spoiled I was by the Halo+ and its 900 lumens until I started playing with the MoGo 2 Pro. It’s important to note that there is nothing inherently wrong with the image the MoGo 2 Pro produces. It uses all 400 lumens surprisingly well to come very close to its bigger brother, but the dimmer light produces more muted colors.
Of course, when not compared to a more luminous alternative, the MoGo 2 Pro is a brilliant projector. Nothing is noticeably lost in the visuals, and you can still enjoy whatever you decide to stream through the device. Darker scenes may be harder to see at times, but the projector does feature various display presets, and there was always an option for what I was playing or watching.
Audio: A Booming Presence
One of the projector’s shining features is its dual 8W speakers. Compatible with Dolby Audio, Dolby Digital Plus, and Dolby Digital, the MoGo 2 Pro has some truly astounding sound. While gaming outside, the small device filled the quiet of the night so well that I thought the neighbors would complain.
You can use the 3.5mm audio output, but you’ll miss out on what XGIMI accomplished here. Even just below max volume, you’ll still hear every line of dialogue perfectly clear, and your room will shake with every explosion.
Aggressive Keystone With a Hitch
Keystone correction is a big dealwhen it comes to portable projectors. If a projector is stationary, you likely will rarely use the correction tool. However, if the portable projector is moved even an inch in any direction, it can distort the image. That’s where keystone correction comes into play.
The MoGo 2 Pro follows in Halo+’s footsteps with auto-vertical and auto-horizontal keystone correction. It’s a little aggressive and not quite as intuitive as the larger model, sometimes kicking into correction mode when unnecessary.
What confused me most is that the MoGo 2 Pro is supposed to make a very welcome enhancement to the correction process with a new version of XGIMI’s Intelligent Screen Adaptation (ISA). In older XGIMI projectors, when auto-correcting, ISA kicks in and interrupts the projection. The new ISA was supposed to auto-correct without disrupting the image, but I couldn’t get that specific feature to trigger. Every time I moved the projector, the correction screen popped up no matter how many times I adjusted the very few available settings.
It’s not a major hindrance, though it would have been nice to have access to an advertised feature. My inquiries to tech support were addressed, but the fix I was given (to update the system) actually led to the OS crash. And even when I did get the update to work, the uninterrupted correction still wasn’t working.
Should You Buy the XGIMI MoGo 2 Pro Projector?
XGIMI packs a lot into a small body, and, for the most part, it does so quite well. Out of the box, theXGIMI MoGo 2 Pro Projectoris a perfect size, compact enough to be taken virtually anywhere but not so small that it’s forced to be featureless. In fact, it’s quite the opposite. Sure, there’s no rechargeable battery, but the portable projector sports functional auto-focus and eye dimming should you need to stand in front of the running lens for any reason.
The projector suffers in very few areas, and one may just be an isolated incident. The uninterrupted image correction didn’t work for me, no matter how hard I tried. I saw it in action during the 2023 Consumer Electronics Show, and it was quite seamless. It just didn’t want to work for me, and every correction interrupted the image likeother XGIMI projectors.
While the MoGo 2 Pro won’t win a side-by-side comparison against the Halo+, on its own, it projects a brilliant image and even excelled against other brands. The audio is shocking, considering it’s only two 8W speakers pulling all the weight, but they work quite a bit of technical magic to fill the room (and outdoor space) with crystal clear, high-quality audio.
Using Android TV has always been a positive point for XGIMI projectors, and it’s no different with the MoGo 2 Pro. Having Chromecast built-in and being able to access the Google Play Store directly from the projector make it a one-stop shop for all your entertainment needs.
Don’t let the projector’s size fool you. There’s a lot packed in there, and it all comes together for a brilliant viewing experience.
