- 6 hours ago
Is the XGIMI MoGo 4 Laser the best portable projector of 2025? @PaulAntill shares the biggest features including a built-in battery, 1080p laser projection, and a new design. The MoGo 4 Laser brings important upgrades vs the MoGo 3 Pro including 360° rotation, and a triple-laser system that delivers sharper contrast and punchier colors. It’s stylish, portable, and packs solid battery life for casual viewing—but at $799, it’s also not cheap. In this video, he’ll help you figure out whether this is the travel projector to beat—or one you should skip for something more powerful.
Category
🤖
TechTranscript
00:00Hey, if you've been keeping an eye on portable projectors or you've seen some of my other
00:04videos on the channel before, you might know about the MOGO series from X-GAMY.
00:07They've always been sleek little units and the new MOGO 4 laser might be the most complete
00:11version yet, but is it the ultimate travel projector of 2025 or just another lifestyle
00:16gadget?
00:17Let's break it down in this episode of Buyer's Skip.
00:21This year, X-GAMY is offering two models, the base MOGO 4 and the MOGO 4 laser that I
00:25have here.
00:26Big draw to the laser version is the triple laser light source.
00:30Compared to the standard MOGO 4, the laser model pushes out a brighter and puncher image with
00:34more vibrant colors and better contrast.
00:37It's rated for 550 ISO lumens, which is brighter than the 450 that you get with the base MOGO
00:424, and it's one of the brightest that you can find on a portable projector like this.
00:47It's still 1080p, but I was impressed with the richer colors and deeper blacks and the
00:50overall better picture that I got compared to previous models, especially in darker scenes.
00:56Now technically both the MOGO 4 and MOGO 4 laser can project up to 200 inches, but I'd recommend
01:02keeping your setup to under 120 inches for the best result, as anything larger will start
01:06to look less detailed.
01:07I think the last thing you can call this projector is boring.
01:12Like, it's not just a projector, it's got a whole vibe going on, and a big part of that
01:16comes from the detachable and customizable buckle style lanyard on the side, which emphasizes
01:21that lifestyle first angle.
01:23But what I like most about the new design is the fully rotatable 360 degrees you get here.
01:28My biggest gripe with the previous gen MOGO 3 is that the lanyard actually blocked its full
01:33rotation, capping it to 130 degrees, and so that made shining directly up to your ceiling
01:38difficult, especially in tighter situations.
01:40And so setting up the new MOGO 4 for laser is even easier.
01:44And then check this out, the MOGO 4 comes with an all new small infrared remote that clips
01:49directly to the projector.
01:50And even though this still shifts with the same ex-gaming Bluetooth remote that we've seen
01:53for the past few years, I love how this smaller secondary remote is always going to be within
01:57reach, so it's perfect for taking it on the go.
02:01And speaking of taking this on the go, this is the first MOGO projector with a built-in battery,
02:05so you no longer need to be tethered to an outlet or carry a separate power bank to get
02:09this running.
02:10And this alone puts the MOGO 4 in a category on its own if we're talking about best projectors
02:14of 2025.
02:15You'll get about two and a half hours of video playback in its eco mode, and about
02:19six hours of music playback when used as a Bluetooth speaker.
02:22But here's the thing, eco mode really dents the image, and unless you're in a pretty dark
02:27space, you'll probably find yourself using this at its full brightness most of the time.
02:31And in that case, you can expect closer to about an hour or an hour and a half of video
02:36playback.
02:37But if you want this for your next movie marathon, you may want to grab the optional power base
02:40stand for $129 that features a 20,000 milliamp battery built in.
02:45That can stretch your video time to about five hours, and I think that's a smart accessory
02:49to pick up if you want the ultimate outdoor experience with this projector.
02:53Here's another one.
02:54Not every portable projector runs Google TV, and that's something I've come to really appreciate.
02:58The MoGo4 navigates through its menus and apps really quickly, and you'll find all your
03:02favorites like YouTube, Prime Video, Disney+, Macs, and yes, unlike Android TV, this also
03:08supports Netflix out of the box, no sideloading required.
03:12But when you're not watching content, the MoGo4 doubles as a Bluetooth speaker with reactive
03:16light pulses.
03:18It's a fun party trick and useful if you're playing background music or just setting the
03:21mood.
03:23And then speaking of setting the mood, you can also snap on one of the included magnetic filters
03:36to give some really cool vibes to your room.
03:40The laser version comes with all four filters, Sunset, Ripple, Dreamscape, and Lunar, while
03:44the MoGo4 just ships with the Sunset filter as a launch bonus.
03:48These aren't essential, but they're a fun way to show off what this projector can do,
03:52and it's a cool way to add atmosphere to a space.
03:54I'll admit it though, after using these for a bit, the novelty of these filters can wear
03:58off.
03:59And as much as Xgaming wants this to be a big selling feature, they're niche, they're
04:02a cool bonus, but I wouldn't say it's a deciding factor between this and another projector.
04:06All right, and for those comparing this to last year's MoGo3 Pro, here's what you need
04:11to know.
04:12As you can tell, overall design looks very similar.
04:15Same footprint, same similar styling, but tell a couple things right off the bat.
04:20First, this has the larger speaker grill.
04:23Dual 6-watt speakers versus dual 5-watt speakers.
04:26Even the way they open up is different.
04:28This takes a different approach.
04:30Basically the entire projector rotates and opens up as one piece.
04:35As with the MoGo3 Pro, we've got the speakers at the bottom there and just the projector
04:40unit at the top moves.
04:42But this is what I brought up earlier.
04:44You see where the lanyard loop is?
04:46This prevents it from fully rotating, and so it stops at 130 degrees, whereas with the
04:51MoGo4 Pro, we can keep rotating forever.
04:54I also really like how with the MoGo4 Pro, we've got the new translucent design on its side
05:00and at the bottom.
05:01The connectivity also gets a long overdue upgrade.
05:04The MoGo3 Pro had a micro HDMI and a single USB Type-A, while the MoGo4 series now includes
05:09a full-size HDMI, making it way easier to connect to consoles or media players without needing
05:14adapters or different cables.
05:16One design change that I don't really like with the MoGo4 though is that its USB-C is now
05:20on the projector itself, on the part that rotates, so that potentially could get hot on itself
05:26as you're rotating this around.
05:28That's never an issue with the MoGo3 since it's at the bottom at its base.
05:32Besides that, both the MoGo3 Pro and the base MoGo4 top out at 450 lumens, so brightness
05:37hasn't changed much unless you're looking at the laser model, which bumps up to 550 lumens
05:43and better color in contrast thanks to the triple laser tech.
05:45And then finally, the new models come with that new controller and the removable lanyard.
05:50A lot of people might like this if you want a little bit more customization and personality
05:54with your projector, or if you just want it to be a little bit more streamlined without
05:57any lanyard attached, that's now an option.
05:59Now, if you're not as concerned with true portability, the 360 degree rotation, and you don't mind
06:05using this exclusively plugged in, then the MoGo3 Pro is still a really great option.
06:10It's currently on sale for about $359, so you're saving $100 compared to the base MoGo4,
06:15so it's worth checking out.
06:17So if you've made it this far into the video, thanks for watching.
06:20And if you're into projectors, TVs, or other cool tech and want a better idea of what's
06:24actually worth buying, be sure to say subscribe because we've got a lot of other cool reviews
06:27coming your way soon.
06:29All right.
06:30Although I said picture quality is a reason to buy the MoGo4, there is a big caveat.
06:37Even with this laser engine, 550 lumens is not enough to combat ambient light.
06:41This is a projector that's going to look best in dim rooms, at night, or anywhere they control
06:46lighting.
06:47So if you plan on using this during the day or in a space with lots of windows and background
06:51light, expect a washed out image.
06:54But that's going to be the case with pretty much any other portable projector.
06:58Really the only projectors that are suitable for daylight are short throw laser TVs like
07:03the ones that we've reviewed from Hisense.
07:07That brings me to price.
07:08At $799, the MoGo4 laser is definitely in that premium territory.
07:13And while you are getting better color, better contrast, and the full creative filter set,
07:18it's worth asking if those upgrades are actually worth the extra cost.
07:21The base MoGo4 starts at $499 and gives you the same 1080p resolution, the same form factor,
07:26the same built-in battery.
07:27It just skips on the laser projection enhancements and the extra filters.
07:31And so if you're focused more on casual watching than maxing out color accuracy, the regular
07:36version might be the better move.
07:37It also might be one of the best projectors that you can buy for a bedroom if you want
07:41to watch at night and don't want a clunky TV taking up a bunch of wall space.
07:46You could also use the extra cash that you saved towards getting one of their fast pop
07:50up projector screens or that power battery stand that I mentioned earlier, which would
07:53be a killer combo for using outdoors.
07:56Like I said, this is a fantastic projector for travel, spontaneous hangouts, or using on
08:00the go.
08:01But if you're mostly looking for one of the best projectors for home or you want a projector
08:05that can fully replace a living room TV, it should probably look elsewhere.
08:09The Horizon S Pro, for example, offers a much brighter image, 4K resolution, bigger speakers,
08:14Dolby support, and a lot more.
08:16It also handles the 200-inch screen size better because it has the extra resolution to support
08:21it.
08:22Yes, it costs a few hundred dollars more, but it's also a much better choice for anyone
08:26who wants some of the best image and a small form factor from a projector.
08:30So I'll link that in the description too for you to check out.
08:33So we're at that point in the video.
08:35Should you buy the XGIMI MOGO 4 laser?
08:38Well, if you're looking for a stylish, highly portable projector that's easy to set up,
08:42runs on its own internal battery, and gives you generally good image quality for movies
08:46and TVs on the go, I'd say it's definitely one of the better picks in its class.
08:50But at $799, you've got to really value the laser visuals and that extra bit of image
08:56polish.
08:57If you just want something that's fun, more casual, and simple to use in darker rooms, then
09:01the base MOGO 4 might give you everything you need for a lot less.
09:04And if you're trying to replace your TV, then yeah, skip both and check out something like
09:08the Horizon S Pro, which is linked below.
09:10Anyway, what do you think about the MOGO 4 laser?
09:13Would you spring for the laser version, get the base model, or get something completely different?
09:17Let me know in the comments and stay subscribed.
09:19You can find us everywhere at Tom's Guide, and you can also follow me for more cool tech.
09:23Until the next one, I'll catch you later.
Recommended
34:50
|
Up next
2:12:38
1:21:39
0:30
12:47
10:33
4:20
2:10
1:56
6:22
9:09
10:31
3:15
1:31:40
1:30:20
11:52
4:00
Be the first to comment