Xgimi Halo Plus Review: Perfectly Portable Smart TV Projector
- Extremely portable
- Sharp picture
- Loud speakers
- Built-in battery
- Great software
- Inexpensive for a projector
- Limited to 1080p
- Much more expensive than a TV
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Being a mobile-first guy, I will always go with the more portable options. I'll take a foldable over a tablet. I'll take a laptop over a desktop. I will take a projector over a TV. That last category is what brings us together today. I've been working with Xgimi's (don't ask me to pronounce it) Halo+ projector and I have set it up in three different rooms around my house on whatever blank wall I could find. That's the power of a projector. You can have a tiny screen or an enormous screen, and then you can toss it in your backpack when you're done.
Projectors aren't perfect though. There are still some limitations that keep them from really catching on. But overall, they're versatile devices that you can take and set up just about anywhere, from your living room to your campsite. I've been using the Xgimi Halo+ projector (provided by Xgimi for the purpose of this review) for about two weeks all over my house, and this is my full review.
All that in a small package
Right off the bat, we should discuss the size of the Halo Plus. It's small, but not the smallest I've ever used. But the projector is a completely self-contained unit with the bulb and lenses, speaker, and numerous inputs, though not as many as I'd like to see on a projector of this size. The back of the projector houses a USB Type-A port, HDMI Port, 3.5mm headphone jack, and a port for the barrel charger used for power. Surrounding the projector is a 270-degree speaker grill for sound everywhere. The top is a touch-sensitive area that allows you to play and pause and turn the volume up and down and that's all.
The overall size of the projector is on the large side. It's just a bit larger than a 16-inch softball. It will fit in a backpack, but not with a lot of other stuff. I can carry it in one hand. You probably won't want to travel with this projector, but it's easy enough to carry around the house.
Picture is bright and crisp
The projector boasts a 900 ANSI lumen bulb rated for 25,000 hours of life. The picture from the projector is bright enough to be used during the day, but not by much. This projector does its best work when there are no external light sources. All told, it's hard to complain — you can still watch TV and movies during the day, but blackout curtains would be a wise second investment.
The picture is limited to 1080p which doesn't measure up against the standard 4K you'll find on most TVs these days, especially in the Halo+'s price range. As a result, when the picture gets larger than 45 inches or so, you can start to differentiate some pixels. That doesn't particularly bother me, but it might bother you.
The projector has a 1.2:1 throw ratio, which simply means for every foot away from the screen the projector is, the picture will be 1.2 feet. Place the projector 10 feet away, and you'll be treated to a roughly 120-inch picture. You're limited only by your throw distance. But the best part is you can put the projector pretty much wherever you want because of the tech magic that this (and all Xgimi projectors) have in the wings.
Auto-keystone correction
When you place a normal projector at an angle offset from the center of your screen, your picture can get a little stretched. Some projectors compensate for this with keystone correction. Some projectors make you do it manually, while the Xgimi projectors have features like auto-keystone correction, obstacle avoidance, and focusing of up to 40 degrees off-axis. Put simply, you can plop this projector anywhere and aim it at something flat and the sensors aboard will figure out how to correct the alignment, and even avoid objects on the wall (such as a hook with headphones on it).
In fairness, I have to say that this doesn't work 100% of the time and sometimes, you'll need to adjust your aim slightly to get the keystone function to work correctly. But when it does, it's almost magical how easy it is to set it up. I aimed the projector at a bare wall with lights on either side and paintings above the target area, and the projector automatically shrunk the picture down to fit in the space I wanted. Similarly, I aimed the projector at a wall with the aforementioned hooks holding headphones and the projector was able to place the picture above those hooks for an unimpeded view.
What's more, if you move the projector, it will detect that movement and automatically adjust the keystone alignment again. This is arguably my favorite part of the projector and one that I will continually brag about at parties. What I like most about it is that it works by itself, often with no user intervention needed. I'd like it to work every time, but I'll take a solid 90%.
Google TV completes the package
If you ask me, Xgimi made a smart move by choosing Google's software to run its projector with Android TV. It's basically the same operating system you get on a Chromecast with Google TV and coincidentally on the Sylvox 55-inch Pool Pro TV I recently reviewed. This version is based on Android 10 and the most recent security patch is from September of 2022. It's super easy to set up, with most of the process happening on your smartphone, which makes things a lot easier to navigate and set up, rather than relying on a remote control device and a 5-way rocker.
Like the Sylvox TV, you can use the Google Play store to install whatever apps you want. The projector comes with 16 GB of onboard storage which is plenty for the apps you'll want to install. The projector also has built-in Google Assistant which can find shows for you to watch or turn off your living room lights in advance of a family movie night. One thing to be aware of is that Netflix requires a bit of extra work to install. I spoke with Xgimi at CES about this and Netflix is very picky about what devices it will certify, which is a pain, but that's on Netflix.
If I have any other qualms about the software, I fault Google for them. The interface is clean and it allows you to pick up on shows you're watching from the main menu, but often the "continue" options are a bit outdated. For example, the main screen offered me an episode of "House" that happened two episodes before the latest one I'd watched. That's clearly a fault on Google's end, so I can't fault Xgimi, but it is something the average projector user will encounter, so be aware.
Go anywhere
The projector comes with a 59.454Wh battery that allows it to be portable. Xgimi advertises that you can watch for about one and a half hours on a single charge, but my testing found it to be more consistently closer to two hours. The projector comes with a typical brick-on-a-string power converter with a barrel charger which as mobile devices go, is a little weak. I'd love for the projector to have a USB-C port for charging, so I didn't have to carry an extra charger around with me when I transport the device. If I could charge my laptop and projector off the same cable, that would be ideal. As I said though, the projector doesn't travel terribly well, since it is fairly large, but if you wanted to vacation with it, be sure to leave a little extra room in your bag for the charger.
Mostly the battery allows you to take the projector into places that might not always have power, like a backyard movie night (assuming you don't have an outdoor TV, that is) or a camping trip. The battery lasts for a good long time, certainly long enough for a standard movie; just make sure to scan through the end credit to get to those elusive bonus scenes. When the battery runs out, you get your first warning at about 10%, and then shortly thereafter, the device warns you to connect to power or it will turn off after a 30-second timer. Needless to say, if you see the first warning, find the plug.
Booming sound
The speakers inside this projector are killer. Very often, audio is a projector's downfall. Most simply can't get loud enough without some kind of external help. That is very much not the case with the Halo Plus. The projector has dual 5W Harman Kardon speakers with a speaker grille that surrounds the entire projector (which also helps with cooling and airflow). The speakers pump out a good amount of bass, only really dropping off at the very low end of the bass spectrum. I never expect much in that range (think dub-step bass) unless you're working with a dedicated speaker, but I would have seen it as a pleasant surprise if the speakers had gone that low.
That minor quibble aside, the speakers are simply brilliant. They are loud and clear, not peaking when you max out the volume. They support DTS-HD and DTS-Studio sound, along with Dolby Audio, Dolby Digital, and Dolby Digital Plus. They are very solid, and welcome additions to the projector that makes it kick that much more butt in the space.
Other test notes
The remote for the projector gives you all the functionality you need including a Google Assistant button, a built-in microphone for Assistant commands, and a dual-purpose up and down button that can adjust volume or focus depending on what option is switched at the back of the remote. Since Xgimi made the top of the projector touch-sensitive, I would have liked to see 5-way navigation built in up there as well, in case you lose the remote, but the important functions (volume and play/pause) are there for when you just want to go grab a snack.
The Project comes with a standard tripod mount on the bottom, so you can increase its versatility even more. There's also a little foot that can flip up to help tilt the projector back if you need a bit more elevation. It doesn't tilt it that much, but it can help in the right circumstances.
Xgimi advertises that the projector can start up in about six seconds when hibernating. That seems consistent with my testing, give or take a second or two. The point is, it starts up quickly.
In addition to the apps you can download for the Google TV experience, this device also has built-in Chromecast connectivity which is a nice bonus. Even though the projector will be able to access any media you might want to stream from your phone with its built-in apps, Chromecast is a nice extra touch.
Wrap-up
All told, this is one of the best portable projectors that you can buy south of quadruple digits. Yes, you are limited to 1080p, and the bulb could be a tad brighter for watching during the day, but beyond those two minor quibbles, this is an impressive machine. It more than earns its price tag of $749.99 on Amazon (as of this writing). Yes, you can buy several TVs for that price, but this projector will handily replace all of them with its versatility and portability.
Projectors are not for everyone, to be sure. They're more expensive than their TV counterparts, but for those who are looking for a portable entertainment solution, this is a really good option made by a company that has dedicated a lot of time and effort to building projectors that are the best around.
There's no reason why this projector can't replace your TV in your home theater system or serve as a companion on a camping trip or backyard party. If you are in the market for a projector, this one absolutely should be on your list.