This smart projector is truly portable and delivers big-screen results

I love the TV I have at home. Watching anything on a large, high-quality OLED TV screen is difficult to beat. So when I’m looking to catch up on a series or watch a film away from home, I miss it. The best projectors are a great way to get a big screen experience without a giant TV, and XGIMI have produced a raft of great models, from short-throw laser projectors to small portable models. So when I was offered the chance to try its latest portable projector, I was very keen to try it out.

The XGIMI MoGo 4 is an update to the portable projector lineup and adds a couple of key new features. Unlike many portable smart projectors, it features a rotating body and built-in stand, allowing you to easily angle the device at just about any point on a wall or even the ceiling. The only other device of its type is the Samsung Freestyle 2nd generation, which follows a similar design.

For the fourth generation, the MoGo adds a built-in battery, allowing it to provide 2.5 hours of projection on one charge. Previously, the MoGo 3 required the battery-powered Power Base stand to run without plug-in power. The new model can still be used with this stand, which increases the battery life to five hours.

The other new feature is the ambient speaker mode. While previous versions have featured an ambient light mode, which allows the MoGo to be used as a soothing night light, with a range of colours, the MoGo 4 can be used as a standalone Bluetooth speaker. When in this mode, the light can be set to pulse, to sync with the music.

For an immersive lighting effect, the MoGo 4 can be used with a range of creative filters, which attach to the lens magnetically and provide different visual effects to fill your room. This is something previous models offered, but has been enhanced with some new filters – the sunset filter comes as standard with the MoGo 4, while others can be purchased separately.

It can project up to 3 metres, giving you a 120-inch display, and has a brightness of 450 ISO Lumens. That’s a decent brightness for a portable projector such as this, though identical to the last model.

In addition to the MoGo 4, XGIMI has also released a MoGo 4 Laser model. This brings triple-laser technology resulting in not only a sharper image with 1000:1 contrast ratio and 110% BT.2020 colour gamut, but also a brighter 550 ISO Lumens projection.

The MoGo 4 Laser addition also adds a metal side rail to the device and comes with a full set of magnetic creative filters (Sunset, Ripple, Lunar, Dreamscape) that can be added to the device for visual effects.

Both the MoGo 4 and MoGo 4 Laser are smart projectors, running Google TV, and so offer a full range of apps, including all the major streaming services – even Netflix, which isn’t available on all devices.

The projector is quick and easy to set up. Simply swivel the body and press the power button and it bursts into life. You’ll need to log in to your Google account (or set one up) to make use of the smart features, but you can also connect to the device via HDMI, USB or Bluetooth, including Chrome casting.

When you turn the device on, or move it, the MoGo 4 performs and auto focus and auto keystone adjustment. This ensures that the image appears straight, no matter the angle of projection – within reason. You can also manually adjust the keystone and focus if you wish.

For daytime use, the MoGo 4 is still capable of a smaller projection of up to 40-inches that feels plenty bright enough. If you want to go for a larger size, you will need to really dim the lights, and for a 120-inch size you’ll want complete darkness.

The sound output is really impressive for such a small device. I tried this with some TV shows as well as music from YouTube, and it filled the room I was trying it in without a problem.

As an all-in-one solution that you can take anywhere with you, the XGIMI MoGo 4 is a great option. For those looking for a projector to use in all conditions, I’d opt for the Laser version, mainly for the extra brightness. However, both produce a really crisp and clear image with plenty of contrast.

The XGIMI MoGo 4 is available on Amazon and the XGIMI website, priced £509, while the MoGo Laser is £679. You can also buy a bundle option of the MoGo 4 and Power Base Stand for £579, or the MoGo 4 Laser with Power Base and Outdoor screen for £799.