XGIMI MoGo 3 Pro review: The incredible transforming portable projector

All credit to XGIMI, the successor to its class-leading MoGo 2 Pro projector does anything but play it safe. Instead of sticking to the compact, speaker-style design of the previous model, it’s gone for a sci-fi cylindrical projector that pops apart, with the top section then rotating to beam the image at your screen.

The XGIMI MoGo 3 Pro has also added several features that focus less on its movie and TV-viewing capabilities, and more on making it a fun, multi-functional device. The result is one of the most interesting portable projectors I’ve reviewed this year, but is the MoGo 3 Pro as good as its predecessor when it comes to the actual projection stuff? I’ve been testing it over the last week to find out.

XGIMI MoGo 3 Pro review: What do you get for the money? 

The MoGo 3 Pro costs £419 and is a compact DLP projector with a 1080p resolution and a 450 ISO Lumens LED light source. On the latter front, it’s an improvement on the MoGo 2 Pro, which could only hit 400 ISO Lumens. It also swaps out the old Android TV streaming software for the more modern and app-rich Google TV, while incorporating a 2 x 5W Harman Kardon audio system – a little less powerful than the old model’s 2 x 8W Dolby Audio sound.

It includes the same ISA 2.0 technology as its predecessor for hassle-free auto-focus and alignment, not to mention basic HDR support. With the same 1.2:1 throw ratio, it can give you a 100in image from 2.66m or a 60in image from 1.6m.

The big news this time isn’t so much the internal technology as the new form factor. XGIMI compares the design to a coffee cup, though it’s more the size of a large thermos flask or the kind of soft drinks bucket you might get if you go large at your local multiplex.

Closed up, it’s 20.4cm high and 9.5cm in diameter. Pull on the top using the cord provided and the top section pulls away from the lower speaker/stand, then pivots on the side-mounted support to beam horizontally or at an angle at your screen. Not only does this give you a two-position height adjustment, but also a 130-degree range of viewing angles, from tilted upwards at the ceiling to downwards at the floor.

We’ve seen similar ideas before from Samsung’s Freestyle range, but XGIMI’s design is, if anything, more practical, keeping the speakers in the base to add some weight to the stand, and making the projector useful in an array of different situations. Nor do its party tricks end there. Point the projector back down, then click it one slot downwards, not quite closed, and it transforms into a Bluetooth speaker with a cool, customisable ambient glow. Add the optional Creative Optical Filter, and it can display a selection of ambient visuals on your wall when connected to XGIMI’s Wall app.

Like last year’s model, the MoGo 3 Pro comes without an internal battery, so you can’t just set it up and get it running without an external power source. However, it is compatible with USB-PD power banks that can output the necessary 65W, while XGIMI sent my review sample with its optional PowerBase stand (£109). This is a two-part shaft that transforms into a sort of monopod stand, with the upper section containing a 72Wh lithium-ion battery. This gives you roughly two and a half hours of video playback or twice that if you stick to Bluetooth audio.

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XGIMI MoGo 3 Pro review: What does it do well? 

One of the MoGo 3 Pro’s biggest strengths is that it’s virtually idiot-proof. The Google TV setup process is slick and easy, especially if you already use the Google Home app on your phone. Even if you don’t, getting it set up on your network and hooked up to your Google account shouldn’t take you more than 20 minutes, while you can download your favourite apps and sign in to them in another ten.

Meanwhile, as long as you can point the barrel of the projector at a screen or wall, you’ll have a usable image within seconds. You’ll get the optimal focus and detail if you can have it pointing straight at the wall, as the projector is doing less work scaling the image and removing any keystone distortion, but it’s still incredibly easy to set up. What’s more, moving the projector (or screen) inadvertently won’t result in five to ten minutes of fiddling around while you try to get everything aligned again. The ISA 2.0 processing takes over almost instantly and handles all the hard stuff for you.

The Google TV interface is a tangible improvement. It’s easy to navigate with integrated voice search across supported apps, and the app selection is excellent. Of the major streaming services, only BBC iPlayer and Channel 4 are MIA.

Best of all, image quality is great for a portable projector. As with most LED models, the sub-500 lumens brightness is a limitation, but the MoGo 3 Pro delivers fantastically sharp images for a 1080p portable, with vibrant colours and even perceptible HDR support. While I couldn’t replicate the claimed 90% DCI-P3 gamut coverage in tests – the best I could get was around 77% – the MoGo 3 Pro shows a depth and richness of colour that leaves the image from most portable projectors looking thin, undersaturated or wildly artificial. It’s in a completely different league from budget models like the Dangbei Emotn N1 or the Yaber T2.

Watching 4K shows like The Lord of the Rings: Rings of Power or Shogun, not to mention blockbusters like Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse and John Wick 3, I was constantly struck by how clear and dynamic the picture was given how relatively inexpensive and small the projector is. It’s still not a match for larger lamp or laser projectors, which can go significantly brighter, but it’s more than good enough for an enjoyable movie night at home.    

XGIMI MoGo 3 Pro review: What could it do better?

Like the MoGo 2 Pro, the biggest issue here is brightness and contrast in dark scenes. Despite the 50 ISO lumens boost to brightness, I still found that gloomy scenes with minimal lighting were practically impossible to see, even in a darkened room. In a room with any sensible levels of daylight, contrast drops and you won’t see much at all. This is a common problem for LED-based portables, but it still separates the 1000 to 2000 lumens projectors from their cheaper, smaller cousins.

I’m also not bowled over by the MoGo 3 Pro’s settings. You can do a certain amount of tweaking with brightness, contrast and colour settings, but there aren’t many modes to cover different types of content, and it’s a pain to have to get back to the Google TV settings when you want to make small adjustments. 

The new design has also affected the connectivity. Where the MoGo 2 Pro had a full-sized HDMI port on the rear plus USB Type-A and Type-C, the MoGo 3 Pro has a single Type-C port at the base for charging, plus Type-A and mini-HDMI ports on the barrel, beneath a flap. You’ll need to fork out for an HDMI-to-mini-HDMI cable if you want to connect an external source.

My biggest grumble is that I don’t think the sound is as good on this year’s model as on the MoGo 2 Pro. It’s loud, detailed and surprisingly wide, but brash and even tinny at high volumes. I also found it hard to make out dialogue in busy scenes. The limitations of the audio become even clearer if you try to use it as a Bluetooth speaker, where it sounds thinner and less rounded than many sub-£100 Bluetooth speakers. Adding some bass and reducing the treble improves the tone, but I still think the MoGo 2 Pro sounded better.

XGIMI MoGo 3 Pro review: Should you buy it? 

Despite my reservations about the audio, the MoGo 3 Pro is one of the best projectors in its class. It goes slightly brighter and has better software than its predecessor while delivering a more convincing home cinema experience than rivals like the Anker Nebula Capsule 3 or the (much cheaper) Yaber T2 or Emotn N1.

You could dismiss the design as a gimmick, but for me, it makes the MoGo 3 Pro an even more flexible and versatile projector. And while there’s still room for improvement, it’s the best portable projector I’ve tested for under £500.