Xgimi Mogo 2 Pro projector hands-on: Small improvements mixed with small gripes

The design of the Mogo 2 Pro will look similar to those familiar with the Mogo Pro. An aluminum grill wraps around the front and sides of the projector. The top, bottom, and back are made from plastic, but it is of such a high quality that it is almost indistinguishable from the metal grill. The entire projector is very well built with tight seams and a solid construction. It feels great in the hand, and the subtle gold coloration of the review unit gives it some class.

The Mogo 2 Pro is about as compact as the original Mogo Pro, which makes it easy to take on the road and set up almost anywhere. It's fairly unobtrusive and light enough that even small tripods can bear its weight without issue. There is a threaded hole on the bottom for screwing in standard tripod mount screws.

The first major change is noticed on the back. Gone is the barrel-plug style DC input, replaced by USB-C. This is a nice upgrade as any USB-C charger (if it provides enough juice) can be used with the projector. At its max, the Mogo 2 Pro draws 65 Watts, so keep that in mind. If the projector detects a lower-wattage charger or unsupported third-party charger is plugged in, it will warn the user that it may not be able to operate at full brightness due to power draw limits. (Interestingly, the projector displayed this warning a few times when I used the charger included in the box. A software update fixed this issue.)

Other features are fairly run-of-the-mill for a smart projector. The Mogo 2 Pro has dual-band WiFi for solid streaming speeds, has Bluetooth 5.0, supports 3D and HDR10 content, and has a built-in Chromecast. However, it has one major downgrade from the original Mogo Pro: there is no battery. This is a major feature loss that limits the portability of the Mogo 2 Pro, which is marketed as a portable projector.

The transition to USB-C charging lessens this pain point a bit (as an external battery pack can be used), but one of the key selling points of the Mogo Pro was its convenient built-in battery that could last through a movie. That made it an all-in-one package with no fuss needed to set up a backyard movie. The Mogo 2 Pro now requires at least one cable setup for power, whether though a power adapter or battery pack. This isn't a deal breaker, but it is highly inconvenient.

This inconvenience is compounded by the projector's 65 Watt power draw. While not wildly power hungry, this does limit which battery packs can be used to power the Mogo 2 Pro as the battery will need to supply enough juice for the lamp. Otherwise, the Mogo 2 Pro's picture will be severely dimmed.

The most important part of a projector is the quality of the image it puts out. Here, the Mogo 2 Pro falls a bit short. The portable projector spits out a 1080p image up to 200 inches, but there are some small issues with the image. The most noticeable is macroblocking that occurs in some streaming media. This was most noticeable when streaming the popular 4K Costa Rica video on YouTube; the clouds were extremely blocky throughout the video. This is most likely an issue with video compression (though it is absent in other projectors I've tested), so it may be resolved with a software update. That said, streaming the Costa Rica video in 1080p60 had less blockiness, though it was still present.

There are some other minor issues, particularly with color reproduction in backgrounds. In the pictures below, color blurring, banding, and smearing is quite noticeable in the out-of-focus areas. There is also some color fringing, particularly in browns and tans, when objects move across the screen. This fringing isn't highly noticeable, but it is present and may be distracting to some. These issues decrease at lower brightness levels, but they never fully leave. Overall, the picture quality is good (especially on in-focus objects) but is marred by artifacts and color issues. Hopefully a software update can fix this, but they detract from the overall experience. 

The lamp is rated at 400 ISO lumens, which is noticeably brighter than the older Mogo Pro. The Mogo 2 Pro is bright enough for indoor viewing but isn't bright enough to use outdoors until the sun has already set. Bright rooms also wash out the image too much, so lights need to be dimmed.

On the sound front, the Mogo 2 Pro is quite impressive, especially for a small budget projector. The projector packs two 8 Watt speakers and supports Dolby Audio (including Dolby Digital and Dolby Digital Plus). At half volume, the speakers hit between 60-65 dB. The projector caps out at about 70 dB with peaks up to 80 dB. The speakers remain crisp and clear at any volume level with no rattle or distortion. While the Mogo 2 Pro isn't going to blow your socks off in terms of sound output, it can fill a small room and has enough body to make impactful moments in a movie felt. 

Speaking of the speakers' body, I noticed that highs were a little thin. Surprisingly, bass is present (if not powerful). Considering the projectors compact size, the fact that bass can be heard (and sometimes even felt) is impressive. 

When idle, the projector's fan is silent. While streaming media or installing apps, the fan ramps up, but its noise is so levelled that it blends in easily to the background. The fan cannot be heard once the projector hits roughly 40% volume and is a whisper otherwise.