XGIMI MoGo 3 Pro review: Raising the bar for portable projectors

XGIMI has a great track record with portable projectors, and last year's MoGo 2 Pro delivered an elegant design with increased brightness levels and terrific sound. The brand is building on that foundation with the MoGo 3 Pro, which has notable upgrades over its predecessor.

The MoGo 3 Pro is brighter — going up to 450 lumens — and it has dual 5W drivers while retaining the same weight as the MoGo 2 Pro. XGIMI overhauled the design with this generation, and the projector looks much more upmarket, and has a unique pivoting system that makes it a breeze to set up and use.

The biggest addition is Netflix integration; XGIMI now offers Google TV with a native Netflix client, and you no longer have to rely on a workaround to use the streaming service. That alone makes the projector worthy of recommendation over the MoGo 2 Pro and even the Halo+, and there are plenty of other upgrades on offer. I used all of XGIMI's portable projectors thus far, and the MoGo 3 Pro is the best yet in this segment.

XGIMI MoGo 3 Pro: Pricing and availability

XGIMI unveiled the MoGo 3 Pro at IFA 2024, and the projector is now available on Amazon for $449 as well as the brand's website. The pricing is identical to the MoGo 2 Pro, and XGIMI is bundling the Creative Optical Filter accessory with all orders, a $49 value. If you intend to use the projector at home and want a mount that doubles as a charger, you can get the MoGo 3 Pro with the PowerBase Stand as a bundle for $499.

XGIMI is doubling down on accessories this year, and there's a carrying case that costs an extra $69. The case has a faux leather design with suede lining, and it does a great job securing the MoGo 3 Pro.

In addition to the MoGo 3 Pro, XGIMI is launching the Aura 2 UST projector, and the Horizon S Max and S Pro. 

XGIMI MoGo 3 Pro: Design and accessories

To call the design of the MoGo 3 Pro an upgrade over its predecessor would be an understatement. It is instead a fundamental reimagining of what a portable projector should look like, and the cylindrical chassis makes the MoGo 3 Pro that much more elegant while increasing portability.

The design consists of two parts: the base houses the dual 5W audio drivers, and the projection hardware, ports, and active cooling are located up top. Both parts are connected by a built-in stand, and the projector pivots on the stand, allowing you to easily adjust the image by 130 degrees. There's a sliding metal rail inside the stand that lets you change the positioning as well, and it makes a big difference.

The changes to the design makes the MoGo 3 Pro that much more usable on a variety of surfaces, and XGIMI nailed the design brief. The projector lens tucks into the base when not in use, and it doesn't get any scratches or dust as a result. There's also a lanyard on the side that lets you hook the projector to the outside of a bag — if you're feeling adventurous.

If you want a traditional way to take the projector on the road, XGIMI has a carrying case accessory that's ideal for the job. It has a hard shell design with PU leather and suede lining, and it is water and dust-resistant. The case accommodates the MoGo 3 Pro and the bundled remote, but there's no provision for the charging plug.

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XGIMI also has a PowerBase Stand that is a floor stand and a power bank. The stand houses a 20000mAh battery, and allows you to power the MoGo 3 Pro with relative ease. It isn't convenient to use outdoors, but if you plan to use the projector at home and need an integrated solution, it is a decent choice — provided you buy the bundled option. It costs $129 as a standalone product, and you may as well get a dedicated power bank and regular floor stand instead.

My favorite accessory is the Creative Optical Filter. It's basically a fish-eye lens that you can attach to the MoGo 3 Pro, magnifying the projection and distorting the edges, ideal if you want to set up an ambient projection on the ceiling. It is used in conjunction with XGIMI Wall, a custom app that has dynamic backgrounds.

The sleeker design of the MoGo 3 Pro gives it a much better presence, and it's just easier to set up and use anywhere. Coming in at just 2.4lb, the MoGo 3 Pro is inherently portable, and the tweaks to the design make it a better overall product.

XGIMI MoGo 3 Pro: Features and connectivity

Just like the MoGo 2 Pro, there isn't a built-in battery on the MoGo 3 Pro, and you'll need to power it via a wall plug or power bank. XGIMI bundles a standard 65W USB PD charger in the box, and you can use your own. Any power bank or power station that delivers 65W of power via the PD standard also fits the brief.

Because of the integrated design, you don't get much in the way of ports; there's a Micro HDMI and USB-A port on the side, and that's about it. The projector has the USB-C port at the bottom of the stand, and the only physical control is the power button. There's a fan at the back that does a good job cooling the unit, and it isn't audible in regular use.

The MoGo 3 Pro shares the same hardware as the Halo+; it is powered by a quad-core Arm Cortex A53 cluster that goes up to 1.3GHz. There's 2GB of RAM and 16GB of storage, and you get a Mali-G52 with a solitary shader core. The projector doubles as a regular Bluetooth speaker, and the dual 5W drivers get pretty loud — more so than I imagined. The 360-degree design makes a difference in this area, and there isn't much distortion even with high volume.

Coming to connectivity, you get Wi-Fi ac and Bluetooth 5.1, and while there's no Wi-Fi 6, there were no issues connecting to my home network and streaming content. Similar to other XGIMI projectors, the MoGo 3 Pro has auto keystone correction and autofocus, and regardless of how often you change the orientation of the projector, the keystone correction calibrates the image in a matter of seconds — it goes a long way in making the MoGo 3 Pro hassle-free to use.

XGIMI MoGo 3 Pro: Picture quality

The MoGo 3 Pro is a DLP projector that uses an LED light source and a 1.2:1 throw ratio, and it goes up to a 1080p resolution. It goes up to 450 lumens — 50 lumen more than its predecessor. There's a noticeable difference between the two in regular use, and along with increased brightness, the MoGo 3 Pro has better color vibrancy. I recently tested Yaber's T2 Plus, and the MoGo 3 Pro easily outmatches that portable projector in both color accuracy and brightness.

You'll still need to minimize ambient light to be able to use the projector — it doesn't get anywhere as bright as the likes of the Horizon Pro — but it has a better showing than just about any other portable projector today, and that's a big deal.

There are three brightness modes — Standard, Eco, and Performance — and the projector uses Eco mode by default. You can switch to the Standard mode from the settings, and this is what you'll use most of the time. That's because you can only get maximum brightness when using the bundled XGIMI wall plug. Even if you have any other 65W PD charger or power bank, you're limited to the Standard mode.

The fan kicks into high gear in Performance mode, and it gets sufficiently loud that you'll need to turn up the volume to drown out its sound. While you get better brightness and color accuracy, the hassle of using the bundled charger means you miss out on portability, so I just connected the MoGo 3 Pro to the massive 48000mAh Nexode power bank.

There's an ambient mode that creates diffused light when you tilt the projector lens down, and it's a nifty feature. While the MoGo 3 Pro has smaller audio drivers this time around, it still delivers powerful sound.

XGIMI MoGo 3 Pro: Software

The MoGo 3 Pro has a standard Google TV interface, but there's one pivotal inclusion: Netflix. The brand finally managed to secure a Netflix license, and the platform is installed out of the box on the MoGo 3 Pro. That's a huge deal, and you no longer have to use a workaround or install a web client to stream Netflix on an XGIMI projector.

The interface is decent, but it isn't fluid, and you will have to be patient as you're navigating it — this is no Shield TV. That said, there isn't any noticeable lag when streaming content, and the MoGo 3 Pro held up just as well as other portable projectors in this category.

The bundled remote is decent enough, and while it is made out of plastic and doesn't have backlighting, it comes with all the requisite buttons.

XGIMI MoGo 3 Pro: The competition

If you need a brighter image, XGIMI's Halo+ goes up to 700 lumens, and there's a new version of the projector that has the same Netflix integration as the MoGo 3 Pro. It isn't as easy to set up, and you miss out on the effortless adjustability, and at $799, it costs a lot.

The MoGo 2 Pro is still a decent choice, and it should be discounted now that the 3 Pro is available. You don't get Netflix and miss out on the adjustable design, but it has a bright projection, and better sound.

XGIMI MoGo 3 Pro: Should you buy it?

You should buy this if:

• You want a stylish projector with good onboard sound
• You need a bright projection
• You need Netflix and Google TV
• You want auto keystone correction and portability

You shouldn't buy this if:

• You need a projector with a built-in battery

Overall, there isn't much to fault on the MoGo 3 Pro. The projector has one of the best designs in this category, and the ability to easily adjust the projection angle unlocks a range of new use cases. The image quality itself is terrific, and the MoGo 3 Pro gets sufficiently bright and detailed. You still can't use it in daylight, but that's the case with all portable projectors.

The lack of a built-in battery is going to be a deal-breaker to some, but I think this is a more elegant system; you get much better battery life by connecting the MoGo 3 Pro to any decent-sized power bank, and the extensibility of connecting over USB-C beats the convenience of a built-in battery.

Most of all, the inclusion of Netflix creates the biggest differentiator. I've reviewed and recommended XGIMI's offerings for over four years now, and the biggest pain point is missing Netflix integration. That's not a problem now, and if you need a portable projector that's easy to carry and has a bright projection, the MoGo 3 Pro is the one to beat.