XGIMI MoGo 4 LED REVIEW

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The first thing that came to mind when I reviewing this projector was: Fun on the Go. The XGIMI MoGo 4 LED is proof that portable projectors are improving rapidly and delivering on the promise of true portable projected displays.

About the XGIMI MoGo 4 LED

The XGIMI MoGo 4 LED is a compact, travel-friendly projector designed to bring big-screen entertainment anywhere. The MoGo 4 has everything you’d expect from a portable projector, easy on the go entertainment and weighing in at just under 3 lbs (1.4 kg). Plus, it includes some fun accessories to make it more than just a display device.

The XGIMI MoGo 4 LED is rated at 450 ISO lumens with a measured contrast ratio of 350:1 and can display images up to 120″ in 1080p HDR. It has a 71 Whr battery rated for 2.5 hours in Eco mode, which can be extended to up to 5 hours with the Power Base stand. Both the projector and the Power Base support 65W charging. It runs on Google TV with Netflix pre-installed. Connectivity includes WiFi 5 and a standard HDMI 2.1 with arc support, which is fast enough to stream 1080p HDR content. It also has Bluetooth 5.1/BLE, to use for external devices. To boost portability, the unit also comes with a mini remote along with the full feature remote, so you do not have to take the full size remote if space is tight.

It’s clear from the marketing that XGIMI is targeting the lifestyle crowd, branding the MoGo 4 as an “All-in-One Vibes Machine.” Instead of focusing solely on projection performance, the company highlights extra features that make the device more versatile. It comes with built-in Harman Kardon speakers, RGB dynamic base lighting, and magnetic creative filters. The speakers deliver a total of 12W of output, providing clear sound that also works well when the projector is used as a Bluetooth speaker. XGIMI claims up to 6 hours of music playback in speaker mode. The Bluetooth speaker experience is further enhanced by the LED ambient light with eight selectable colors, while the magnetic creative filters can transform the projector lens into mood lighting for your whole space.

Full techincal Specifications of the XGIMI MoGo 4 at the end of the article.

“Next -Gen Portable Projector for Effortless, Stylish Entertainment Anytime”

Setup

The MoGo 4 features a built-in stand that allows full 360-degree rotation. Setup is as simple as lifting the projector from the base and rotating it to your preferred angle. With a 1.2:1 throw ratio, it needs about 125 inches (264 cm) of distance to display a 120-inch screen. This puts it just in the long-throw category, so larger images require more space, though 120 inches is already near the upper limit of its usable screen size.

The built-in stand is stable enough to resist light bumps, though some care is advised. On the bottom is a standard 1/4″ camera mount for tripod use which a versatile with existing gear.

Once in place, the projector automatically powers on, boots into Google TV, and runs autofocus. If auto-keystone correction is enabled, it will also adjust the image. With “Auto-keystone upon Motion” turned on, even slight movement can retrigger the function. Since it’s a bit sensitive, I recommend switching this off if the projector might be disturbed during watching. The correction system isn’t as advanced as XGIMI’s higher-end models, but it’s effective enough for this projector’s intended use.

If you chose there is a optional power base for purchase which serves a tripod and extra battery storage. The power base adds an additional 2.5 hours of playback in eco mode. The power base comes in two pieces that screw together and there is a clip with a locking feature that allows the MoGo 4 to clip into the base and be locked into position.

After signing into Google TV, you’re ready to start projecting on any surface. For a portable display device that can work on virtually any surface, setup doesn’t get much easier than this.

Navigation and OS

The projector natively runs Google TV, which is quickly becoming the standard for Android-based smart displays. I personally find that Google TV is one of the better display operating systems.

The MoGo 4 comes with officially licensed Netflix. This is a major plus in my book since the last XGIMI projector I reviewed required sideloading Netflix which was not definition of effortless. However, having it pre-installed fits right in with XGIMI’s goal of making this projector as simple as possible to use.

That said, my main criticism of the operating system is that it sometimes feels underdeveloped. For example, pressing the settings button, whether on the home screen or the remote, brings up a quick settings menu. This menu does include the basics you’d expect, like inputs, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, sound, and picture settings. Under the Picture Settings it shows options such as Picture Mode (image presets), as well as brightness, contrast, saturation, and sharpness. These are all good to have at a glance, but the menu is missing one very important option: the projector’s light output setting, also labeled “brightness.”

The problem is that “brightness” has two different meanings in XGIMI’s menus. One setting controls the projector’s overall light output, while the other adjusts the black floor. The overall light output option is buried deeper in the menus and isn’t accessible from the quick picture settings menu at all. This makes it far more likely that users will adjust the black floor instead, even though the overall light output is the setting they’ll need to change most often. The result is a poorer viewing experience, since users may unknowingly alter picture quality rather than simply adjusting how bright the projector is. I recommend that XGIMI move the overall light output control into the quick settings menu, place it alongside the black floor adjustment, and rename it “Light Output” to avoid confusion.

Remotes

The MoGo 4 includes two remotes: a full-featured Bluetooth remote and a compact IR remote. The full-size remote provides complete functionality and is clearly designed for everyday use, while the mini remote offers only the basics in a smaller form factor that’s convenient for travel.

The full-size remote has all the functions you’d expect, and I appreciate that XGIMI included a shortcut button for the ambient light mode. Without it, the only way to activate this mode is by holding down the power button for several seconds.

The mini remote, on the other hand, is limited to the most basic functions. I found it useful enough in situations where you don’t expect to navigate much and just need to select media or control the volume. That said, I would have preferred if it used Bluetooth as well, since its IR-only design requires line of sight, which reduces usability.

Overall, I appreciate the inclusion of two remotes. It shows that XGIMI understands the goal of this device is maximum portability, and the mini remote is a thoughtful addition that supports that vision.

Connectivity

The MoGo 4 includes Wi-Fi 5, which is more than fast enough to handle 1080p HDR streaming without issue. It supports Google Cast and Bluetooth 5.1 for pairing external devices. Note, depending on what mode the projector is in effects what Bluetooth devices work properly. For example, in projector mode you are able to pair Bluetooth speakers and the sound with come from the external device. However, if you are in ambient mode or creative filter mode, external speakers will no longer work, however you can connect phone or computer and play audio through the projector.

For wired connections, the projector has an HDMI 2.1 port with ARC support. The only downside is that XGIMI states HDR signals cannot be passed through the HDMI port. This is disappointing, since the projector can process HDR internally, and it limits those who might be using an external player.

Power is handled via a USB-C port that supports at least 65W charging and up to 150W. If you use the optional power base, it adds two more USB-C ports: one dedicated to powering the projector and another for connecting the charger.

One feature I’d like to see in future MoGo models is expandable storage or the ability to connect a USB storage device. The MoGo 4 includes 32GB of internal storage, but that’s not enough for storing much media, and from what I can tell, there’s no built-in media player either, just streaming apps. Having a native media player and expandable storage would make the MoGo 4 more versatile, especially for offline use when an internet connection isn’t available.

Sound

The MoGo 4 comes with two 6W Harman Kardon speakers for a stereo pair. Each speaker fires to the right and left of the device. Overall I found the speakers to be pretty impressive for being packed into a projector, and are more than sufficient for the use cases of sound on the go. They are clear enough where I had no problem hearing dialogue in movies and also no problem filling a room with sound. They were immersive with surround sound content when set to surround mode.

For Movies, I found that the “Movie” sound profile with Downmixer mode set to Surround and Dialog Enhancer set to low was the best as it as it was also the most dynamic sound profile. When watching movies the dialogue was clear and even when listening at full volume the speakers did not distort much. There was no problem hearing dialogue over sound FX that was happening during action scenes. For music, the “Music” Sound Style was the best as it sounded more neutral sounding. This was confirmed with quick measurements. In fact all the various sound profiles that the MoGo 4 have suit their respective names pretty well.

All-in-One Vibes Machine features

Ambient Light Mode

The Ambient Light Mode on the MoGo 4 is the Bluetooth speaker mode of this projector, where you can treat this projector as just a wireless speaker. To activate this mode you can long press the power button the device or there is a button the full size remote, with the projector in its closed state. This will light up the base. If the projector is open while you press the button it will bring up the options for Ambient light mode. This mode allows the connection of an external Bluetooth device to use a music player with the projector as the speaker. It allows you to cycle between 8 colors and can be set to dynamically change brightness to the music.

Magnetic Creative Filters

The goal of the Magnetic Creative Filters is to let you use the MoGo 4 as both mood lighting and a Bluetooth speaker. Think of it like an RGB lightbulb that can add color and atmosphere to your room, but with a more limited color palette.

The way it works is that four different filters can be installed on the front of the projector, though only the Sunset filter comes included, the other three are sold separately. The filters attach magnetically to the front of the lens and use metal contacts to let the projector know which one is in place. Once detected, the projector launches into Creative Filter mode, which essentially transforms it into a dynamic mood light. It projects a pattern onto the surface based on the installed filter and plays music that corresponds with the chosen effect.

Overall, this feature works as advertised, and I actually found it quite pleasant. In fact, while writing this review, I left it on as the accompanying music was soothing and helped me stay focused. However this is a separate piece that needs to be carried to use this feature, so a little less portable there. Only the Sunset filter was tested, since it was the only one included with the unit.

One interesting quirk worth noting is that the filters distort the projected image, making it difficult to navigate the menus while they’re in use. For example, if you want to adjust brightness or another setting, it’s best to remove the filter, make your changes, and then put it back on.

Image Quality

The MoGo 4 offers four picture modes: Standard, Movie, Game, and User. Brightness can be further pushed to the rated 450 lumens, which was confirmed with measumrents, by enabling the Performance power setting, which boosts the current mode’s output at the expense of color. This adds a severe green push, so it is recommended that Standard or Eco power modes are used. Eco mode reduces brightness by about 40% from Standard mode for extended battery life.

Standard Mode
In Standard, the MoGo 4 measured about 400 lumens. This mode comes with a blue push that sets color temperature around 8700K with gamma averaging 2.2 , which helps maximize brightness while preserving decent color. The gamma curve is not flat however, as it starts around 2.0 and increases to around 2.8 which is not the best. I suspect XGIMI did this to maximize the output of a low-contrast, low brightness projector.

After adjusting for color temperature, the average DeltaE measured 4 with a maximum of 7.8 in the DCI-P3 color space. These results were based on common shades and hues, since accuracy at the extremes is less critical in this case. While the high color temp isn’t distracting in general use, I did notice greens looking a little too bright, giving foliage a slightly artificial look. Skin tones also sometimes lacked slight warmth, occasionally appearing a bit sickly. Measurements confirmed this, showing greens too bright, reds and blues too dark but these issues were slight. Even though the color accuracy could have been better it is close enough where most will not be able to tell any issues especially when not using a projector screen.

Movie Mode
Movie mode removes the blue push but cuts brightness significantly, dropping to about 310 lumens with a color temp near 6700K. While this makes the color temp more accurate on paper, however in practice it appeared flat, lifeless, but oversaturated at the same time. Also Contrast also fell by more than 50%, to 135:1, and DeltaE rose to 5.3. Overall, Movie mode is worse in both brightness, accuracy, and look, and I wouldn’t recommend using it.

Game Mode
Game mode has a blue push similar to Standard but less pronounced. Colors had “pop,” and the issues I saw in Standard mode were harder to notice here, partly because of the way video games are animated and color graded. This mode is also tuned for lower input lag. If you turn off auto-keystone drops it to around 20 ms, while leaving it on keeps it closer to 50 ms. Playing in Game mode definitely improved the experience, and I’d recommend it for gaming. You can tweak Game mode to match my preferred User SDR and HDR mode settings, but leaving it at default still works well.

User Mode
User is the fully customizable mode that doesn’t affect the defaults. Out of the box, it’s similar to Standard, with a blue push and color temp around 8700K. With some adjustments, I was able to correct the biggest issues while improving black levels. The color temp was left at 8700K, since lowering it would sacrifice too much brightness. After calibration, brightness stayed around 400 lumens, but DeltaE improved to about 3. Greens and skin tones looked more natural, and near-black detail was improved. The only limitation is white clipping in SDR and HDR: adjusting it would improve highlights but at too great a cost to max brightness, which is already a limitation on this projector.

1080P SDR

For generally watching content, movies and TV, Standard picture mode was the best out of the box picture mode, and improved by User Mode if you wish to adjust the values. Displaying 1080P SDR content looked the same when it was from the internal apps or through streaming in through an external player.

The first SDR content tested was Our Planet which is always a good benchmark for natural imagery. My initial impression was that colors were vivid and vibrant. David Attenborough’s voice came through clearly. The image was sharp, with good detail even in darker scenes. On closer inspection, though, the greens looked overly bright and somewhat artificial. Interestingly, this was much more noticeable on a projector screen then when projecting directly on onto a wall. After calibrating User Mode, the greens were pulled back for a more natural look. That said, I encourage users to try both, since some may prefer the more vivid style while others will appreciate the more accurate color.

Next, film test was The Breakfast Club to see how the projector handed older movie content and skin tones. Overall, it did a decent job both in the Standard and calibrated User modes. Blacks levels could have been a bit better but they were improved by raising the brightness up two notches in the adjust User mode. The calibrated mode also gave skin tones a slightly warmer, more natural look, whereas in standard mode some characters appeared a little pale in some content. This is really just nitpicking though as most of these slight color inaccuracies would only be spotted on a proper screen.

1080P HDR

For HDR, XGIMI lest you pick between Standard, Game, and User. The movie mode was eliminated, probably because it did not do well in HDR most likely due do to the reduction of brightness and contrast. One thing to note is that the even though the picture modes are named the same as in SDR the HDR, the picture profiles are different. This allows SDR and HDR to be handled separately.

Starting with Moana on Disney+, the MoGo 4 was set to Standard mode to see the out of the box HDR experience. Overall the image was clear and sharp, the skin tones looked close to natural for a 8700k color temp. Due to tone mapping differences I did not have the same feeling of super bright greens and under saturated skin tones as with SDR. All Color popped more than SDR which is probably the reason I did not feel the same way with the greens and reds. In some hard scenes with super bright highlights or super dark content, I could tell that some detail was being lost.

While watching Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings through Plex, I noticed both highlight and black clipping. Adjusting the contrast to 52, brightness to 52, and saturation to 53 added more detail in the dark area and produced sharper highlights, though some clipping remained in the brightest parts of the images. Lowering the contrast to fix the highlights, darkened the image overall, and since brightness is limited on this projector, my goal was to preserve as much of it as possible.

While watching different content, the colors could sometimes look overly vibrant almost like vivid mode was turned on. To tone this down, I adjusted the color settings slightly, though not as aggressively as I did in SDR. These adjustments are in my recommended User HDR settings and they are optional depending on your personal preference.

Daytime and Nighttime Viewing

Using this projector in a room with light hitting the screen noticeably degrades the experience. Even a single lamp in an otherwise dark room can crush shadow detail. That said, mood lighting on a low setting didn’t hurt the experience too much, especially if it was colored rather than a shade of white. The reality is that with 400 lumens and an On/off contrast ratio of around 360:1 and ANSI contrast of 100:1, the MoGo 4 simply isn’t robust enough to handle much ambient light. That doesn’t mean you can’t use it during the day, but expect dark detail to be difficult to see.

*All measurements were done using the iDisplay Pro 3 colorimeter in HCFR with the Raspberry PI generator, on XY screens SoundMax 4k screen. Lumen measurements were measured with a digital light meter in LUX then converted to Lumens.

Fan Noise

Xgimi rates the fan noise at 28dBA at 1m. Unfortunately, I do not have a location with a low enough noise floor to test that claim. Subjectively I did not hear the fan in any mode except Performance where it measured about 50dBa at 1 meter. Overall, I would consider this close to a silent device for 95% of its recommended use cases.

Final Conclusions

The XGIMI MoGo 4 LED delivers on its promise “Fun on the Go”. While it will not replace a dedicated home theater projector, it doesn’t need to. Its purpose is one of portability, versatility, and style. With built-in Harman Kardon speakers, dynamic light, a modern streaming platform, and a compact design that weight under 3lbs, its a projector you can take anywhere and have ready in seconds. Image accuracy isn’t perfect out of the box, but it’s close enough that most people won’t feel the need to adjust the default picture modes. The MoGo 4 produces pleasing SDR and HDR, which can be further improved with a few small tweaks. Battery life with the optional base, dual remotes, and flexible setup options further add to its appeal.

I found myself in the same situation as with my last XGIMI review: it’s clear the company has put real thought into the market they’re targeting and implemented features that hit that mark. The MoGo 4 feels like a well-rounded device built specifically for the lifestyle on the go crowd and its pricing reflects an understanding of that audience. This is what portable projectors should strive to be. I’ll be a little sad to send this unit back to our partners at ProjectorScreen.com, as it was genuinely fun to use on vacation. I could easily see myself bringing it along on future road trips.

Full Technical Specifications of the XGIMI MOGO 4