The XGIMI Halo is a unique product, and as a portable projector, it may be unrivalled for its comprehensive set of features and capabilities.
The Halo has a sleek design that’s lightweight enough to fit in a backpack and chic enough to blend in with your home decor, even though it’s better used away from the living room.
With a price tag of $799, the XGIMI Halo isn’t exactly a budget projector, but it’s on the low end of native 1080p projectors. Other portable 1080p versions are available, but they pale in comparison to the Halo’s 800-lumen maximum brightness (which, admittedly, drops to 600 when running on battery).
With movie-ready battery life, dual 5-watt speakers, and a capable Android TV operating system that is fast enough to get the job done – the XGIMI Halo raises the bar. Though it is a little slow and currently lacks native Netflix support, it is worth a try.
The XGIMI Halo, on the other hand, isn’t the right option for home theatres. Although it compares favourably to portable projectors like the Nebula Solar Portable and Nebula Capsule II, it falls short of projectors that are intended to be used in a single location. For example, Optoma’s HD146X and HD28HDR are both less expensive but can produce 3,600 lumens with a 1080p image, with the latter also doubling as a gaming projector with a 120Hz refresh rate for fast-paced gaming.
This puts the XGIMI Halo in a tight spot. The brightness and picture quality of the Halo might not satisfy theatregoers, especially because of distracting video noise in dark scenes. Casual viewers who want a projector they can set up at home, in their yard, or on camping trips, on the other hand, maybe just as happy with a less expensive, slightly dimmer alternative.
The XGIMI Halo, on the other hand, would be a worthy option for anyone who needs versatility and wants the best projector available to meet the need.
Amazon has the XGIMI Halo Projector (16GB) for $119,000
The cost and the availability
The XGIMI Halo is currently available for $799 in the United States, £729 in the United Kingdom, and AU$1,399 in Australia. It’s available on XGIMI.com and Amazon.
Consider the XGIMI Horizon HD beamer, which costs $1,099 / £1,099, or the Horizon Pro 4K projector, which costs $1,699 / £1,699.
Features and design
- Elegant and understated
- Speakers and a battery are built-in.
- Netflix is also unavailable.
The XGIMI Halo is a sophisticated piece of equipment. Even though it’s made of hard plastics, the colour scheme and shape give it the appearance of a more expensive device, especially with the grille design wrapping around the front and sides.
However, there is a minor drawback to its simplicity. There are only four built-in controls on the projector: pause/play, volume up, volume down, and power on/off. To monitor everything else, such as navigation, settings, and concentration, you’ll need to keep track of your remote control. The remote is standard for Android TV devices, and it looks a lot like the one on the BenQ X1300i projector.
For something that has so much to offer, the whole device takes up a surprisingly small amount of room. It’s half the size of a standard shoebox, measuring 113.5 x 145 x 171.5mm. XGIMI has crammed a Full HD DLP projector, an autofocus sensor, a pair of Harman Kardon-tuned 5W speakers, a battery, and all the smarts required to run Android TV, as well as Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity, into that room.
The entire unit weighs just 1.6 kilogrammes, making it easily portable, but the external power supply is slightly larger and adds weight while travelling. The Halo’s weight makes it a little more difficult – but not impossible – to set up on a smaller tripod, but it does come with a small stand on the bottom to help you find the right angle even if you don’t have one.
