Review: We test a portable projector with some very smart tech built in

Gareth Butterfield sits back and enjoys some movies on the XGimi MoGo 2 Pro

Portable projectors are marvellous things. You can use them in your house, your garden, while you're out camping, or even at a picnic.

Their sizes range from the inexplicably small, to the downright cumbersome, and the latest projector from XGimi, one of the biggest brands in this business, but the new MoGo range is neither of those. It's compact, not a great deal bigger than a Sonos speaker, but it packs in some great features.

Firstly, and most importantly, it's a smart projector, so it comes bundled with full wireless connectivity and this allows you to connect up to the WiFi to unlock its full potential. You could, if you wanted to, hook something up physically through its ports, but there's really no point.

I've been testing the MoGo 2 Pro and I received it shortly after testing XGimi's marvellous Halo+ projector. It's a smaller unit, but not by much, and it packs in the same smart capability - so that means you've got Google's latest smart TV system built in, which is a perfect platform from which to launch everything from YouTube and IPlayer to Netflix and Prime.

Like the Halo+, it also places an emphasis on big sound. It has a powerful speaker built in with a wide sound field aimed at producing an enveloping soundstage whether you're sat close-up or far away. It works brilliantly, and the quality is top notch. There's really no need to plug a soundbar into this projector, even in a living room.

XGimi's top smart projectors feature smart technology to automatically tune up the image orientation and focus, and this also features on the MoGo 2 Pro. It works very well, identifying the angle it's sat at, rotating the image perfectly, then keystoning it automatically and sorting out the focus.

I'm picky, so I did make a few little tweaks to the setup while using it in my motorhome, but this is easy to do on the excellent remote control. The device did a very good job though.

The brightness of the projector lamp is another highlight in the MoGo 2. The Pro version comes with 1080p capability, and the lamp on both units is 400 lumens. That's not industry-leading, but it's very impressive in a unit this size.

Aside from the crisp and bright images, the colours are absolutely gorgeous, with a new technology packed in to ensure colour temperature is top notch. Watching a vibrant animation on the MoGo 2 Pro is a joy, as is a dark and gritty action movie.

There's other things I like, too. The build quality is terrific, it feels robust and ready for a night outdoors, and I like the little window that lets you peer in to watch the speaker bouncing around.

Unlike the Halo, it doesn't have a battery built in, so you'll need to have a power source nearby. It does run off a USB supply though, which is impressive, and it means you could hook it up to a basic power bank, so it's still relatively portable.

Of course, that lack of battery does make the MoGo range smaller and lighter, which is nice if you're carrying it in a backpack - but it also makes it a lot cheaper.

The standard - and that is an absolute steal for such a feature-rich smart projector. Hop up to the MoGo 2 Pro and it's £529 which, I grant you, is a big jump. But bear in mind the Halo+ is £749 and you can see how the XGimi family tree is structured.

Overall, I absolutely love the MoGo 2 Pro. I found, using the Halo+, I'd be hooking it up to power quite often anyway to support the battery for long stints, so I don't mind the MoGo's lack of battery.

For such a compact device, it still packs in all the essential tech, like Chromecast and that excellent auto image adjustment. So it seems it really is the sweet spot in the XGimi range. A fabulous little projector.