Like many, you dream of a television with XXL images. Problem, your budget does not allow you this type of fantasy. Alternative, a small projector which will offer you, as with the new MoGo 2 Pro from XGIMI, the possibility of viewing your programs in large, even very large, for a few hundred euros. 20 minutes was able to test this new projector full of resources, launched on April 25th.
But where is Netflix?
It is a projector “for people who have never had a projector” we are told at XGIMI. Since 2013, the Chinese firm has made a name for itself in the world of picoprojectors, these small “image boxes” which take up no more space on a table than a Bluetooth speaker, and which can project, in large, on a white wall. The MoGo 2 Pro also resembles, in its shape and finish, a Sonos One speaker…
Weighing only 1.1 kg and measuring 16.1 x 11.9 x 10.8 cm, the device is a DLP projector (for Digital Light Processing, a display technology developed by Texas Instrument). It runs on Android TV (version 11). The advantage here is to have a simple, accessible and customizable platform thanks to the Google Play Store.
Observation, however: among the applications offered, there is one (and not the least) that is absent subscribers: Netflix! XGIMI is not in question. It is the famous video streaming platform that for years has always refused its graces to certain types of devices and manufacturers. There is, however, a trick to install it on the MoGo 2 Pro, via Desktop Launcher, an app found on the PlayStore. But Netflix will only be in low definition… Too bad to come to this.
400 lumens, 16 watts
Full HD, the MoGo 2 Pro offers a brightness of 400 lumens. This is a notable improvement over the 300 lumens of the MoGo Pro launched more than two years ago. But it remains insufficient to be able to use the device in a room with daylight (where at least 2,000 lumens would be necessary). Especially if you want to project large: the more you move the projector away from your screen, the more the image will see its quality degraded. The latter remains however of very good quality up to 3 meters diagonally. Not bad, though! But only if we draw the curtains. Only under these conditions will the projector deliver a bright, high-contrast, and well-defined image. As a result, you shouldn’t hope too much to use it outdoors, on a terrace for a summer movie night…
The sound is quite pleasant. Incorporating two stereo speakers on the sides (2 x 8 watts), the device also combines a diaphragm on the back to expand its bass. It is rather successful for a product of such a small size.
As for the supplied remote control, it is simple and ergonomic. Having to project in the dark, we would however have preferred it backlit.
Children’s eyes protected
Appreciable: in addition to autofocus, the MoGo 2 Pro projector also incorporates dynamic keystone correction. As on other projectors, it is thus possible to project an image at perfectly right angles, by placing the device off-axis in relation to its screen. Here, in addition, the projector will adapt its trapezium on its own if it were to be moved. This can be very practical when you start a series in the living room and finish it in the bedroom: there is nothing to do, the image is always in an impeccable format.
Little more significant if you have children: at the slightest obstacle detected, the projector instantly interrupts its diffusion. Purpose: possibly protect the sight of a toddler who would look at the objective. This same obstacle detector will also adapt its projection if, for example, a frame, or a corner of a door, were to come into its projection field: the MoGo 2 Pro will automatically shift its projection to the side, always preserving a full image, well framed and of good quality.
Without battery to last longer
Another significant difference, finally, with its predecessor: the MoGo 2 Pro does not include a battery. Ouch? We can see an advantage… and a disadvantage. The advantage lies in the fact that the device will not see its lifespan started by that of its battery which will necessarily decline through recharging, as and when used. Certainly, its LED lamp is announced with 25,000 hours of longevity (the equivalent, all the same, of 12,500 feature films), but the MoGo 2 Pro will not suffer the ravages of time in the same way. Especially since it is possible to add a power bank to its USB-C socket (75 W required). The disadvantage is, of course, its lack of relative mobility if one does not have this additional battery.
This abandonment of the battery also allows XGIMI the possibility of offering a projector at a constant price compared to its elder, while making it more efficient. Sold 599 euros (with a reduction of 50 euros during its pre-order phase on the website of the manufacturer), the MoGo 2 Pro is a flexible device, easy to live with, which we can really recommend for family use. For a more cinematic use, it will probably be necessary to aim higher, as with the portable projector Halo + (900 lumens, Full HD, with battery, and sold for 849 euros) or the Horizon (2,000 lumens, Full HD, sold for 999 euros).