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XGIMI Halo+ Projector Review

Tested using Methodology v0.9
Reviewed Feb 23, 2024 at 08:43 am
Latest change: Writing modified May 21, 2024 at 11:42 am

The XGIMI Halo+ is a 1080p HDR10/HLG projector. The projector comes with a full suite of image correction technologies, including autofocus, intelligent screen adjustment, and auto keystone correction with object avoidance, so it compensates for any geometry errors in the image automatically. It adjusts itself when it detects objects in the frame. It has Android TV with Chromecast and AirScreen built-in and supports Bluetooth 5.0/BLE and Wi-Fi. It has one HDMI port and can passthrough advanced audio formats from DTS and Dolby through eARC. Finally, it has two integrated 5W Harman/Kardon speakers.

Our Verdict

N/A Movies

The XGIMI Halo Plus is unremarkable for watching movies. It has okay contrast but mediocre peak brightness, so it looks its best in dark rooms, even with its visibly raised blacks. Unfortunately, this projector's pre-calibration accuracy is quite poor, but you can greatly improve its image accuracy with the limited calibration options. It has a wide color gamut, although the projector isn't bright enough to make its colors truly pop.

Pros
  • Full suite of smart features and wireless connectivity options.
  • Extremely portable due its small size and integrated battery.
Cons
  • Poor pre-calibration color accuracy, so you really need to calibrate this projector if you care about color accuracy.
  • N/A Movies
  1. Updated May 21, 2024: Updated text throughout the review according to Test Bench 0.9, mainly in the Verdict, Compared To Other Projectors and Contrast sections.
  2. Updated May 21, 2024: We've converted this review to Test Bench 0.9. We've overhauled our Contrast tests, as we now measure contrast at various average pixel levels (APL). You can see the full changelog here.
  3. Updated Feb 23, 2024: Review published.
  4. Updated Feb 17, 2024: Early access published.

Differences Between Sizes And Variants

We tested the XGIMI Halo projector, which succeeds the XGIMI Halo. The newer Halo Plus has a higher brightness rating than its predecessor, has MEMC motion smoothing technology, and can passthrough DTS-HD and DTS-Studio Sound through its eARC port.

Model Brightness MEMC ARC/eARC
XGIMI Halo+ 700 lumens Yes eARC
XGIMI Halo 600 lumens No ARC

You can see the label here.

Compared To Other Projectors

The XGIMI Halo Plus is unremarkable for watching movies but is a good choice at its price point as it's better than other similarly priced portable projectors like the Samsung The Freestyle 2nd Gen or the Anker Nebula Capsule 3. Still, if you don't need an integrated battery, the XGIMI Elfin is almost as good and a bit cheaper.

Check out our recommendations for the best portable projectors, the best outdoor projectors, and the best home projectors. If you'd prefer to shop for another product in the same price range, look up the best projectors under $1,000 instead.

XGIMI HORIZON

The XGIMI HORIZON and XGIMI Halo+ serve different purposes, with the Halo+ being much more portable due to its size, weight, and integrated battery, although the HORIZON can also be moved around easily if needed. The HORIZON is much brighter, so it can handle a few lights in the room, but the Halo+ has slightly better contrast, so it looks a bit better in dark rooms.

Anker Nebula Capsule 3 Laser

The XGIMI Halo+ is much better than the Anker Nebula Capsule 3 Laser. The XGIMI is much brighter, has better contrast, and has a much wider color gamut, so it projects a more vibrant image than the Anker. The Anker is more accurate than the XGIMI but not nearly enough to compensate for the XGIMI's edge in image quality.

Samsung The Freestyle 2nd Gen

The XGIMI Halo+ is better than the Samsung The Freestyle 2nd Gen. The XGIMI is much brighter and has better contrast than the Samsung, so it projects a much more vibrant image. The Samsung is, however, vastly more accurate than the XGIMI, so you might prefer it if you care about image accuracy.

XGIMI HORIZON Pro

The XGIMI HORIZON Pro is slightly better than the XGIMI Halo+, although the Halo+ is the more portable projector due to its lighter weight and integrated battery. Outside of portability, both projectors have similar characteristics, although the HORIZON Pro projects a sharper image due to its pixel-shifting technology. The HORIZON Pro is also brighter than the Halo+, but the Halo+ has slightly better contrast.

XGIMI Elfin

The XGIMI Halo+ is a bit better than the XGIMI Elfin, but unfortunately, the Halo+ really needs to be calibrated if you care about image accuracy, as it is inaccurate otherwise. Still, the Halo+ has better brightness and contrast than the Elfin, a slightly wider color gamut, and is even more portable due to the inclusion of an integrated battery.

Epson EpiqVision Mini EF12

The Epson EpiqVision Mini EF12 and XGIMI Halo+ have different strengths. They're both small and light projectors, but the XGIMI is even smaller, and it has an integrated battery, making it more portable than the Epson. Regarding image quality, the XGIMI has better contrast and a wider color gamut than the Epson, but the Epson is the vastly more accurate projector. Thus, the XGIMI is better suited for contexts where image accuracy doesn't matter as much, like projecting on the side of a van when camping. The Epson is better if you can access an outlet and project on a good-quality screen.

XGIMI MoGo 2 Pro

The XGIMI Halo+ is better than the XGIMI MoGo 2 Pro. The Halo+ is slightly bigger and heavier than the very light MoGo 2 Pro, but it has an integrated battery, making the Halo+ more portable than the MoGo 2 Pro. The Halo+ is also significantly brighter, with slightly better contrast, so it projects a more attractive, vibrant image. The Halo+ also has an eARC port, so it can passthrough more advanced audio formats than the MoGo 2 Pro can through its ARC port.

XGIMI HORIZON Ultra

The XGIMI HORIZON Ultra is much better than the XGIMI Halo+, but they serve different purposes. The Halo+ is a small portable projector with an integrated battery, so it's meant to be carried around. The HORIZON Ultra is a bigger and heavier projector with far superior image quality, but it's also much more expensive than the Halo+.

XGIMI MoGo 2

The XGIMI Halo+ is better than the XGIMI MoGo 2, although, unfortunately, the Halo+'s pre-calibration accuracy is much worse than the MoGo 2's already inadequate accuracy. Thankfully, you can improve the Halo+'s accuracy significantly through calibration. The Halo+ has otherwise better image quality, better brightness and contrast, a slightly wider color gamut, and projects a sharper 1080p resolution image versus 720p for the MoGo 2. The Halo+ also has an integrated battery, making it even more portable than the cheaper MoGo 2.

Anker Nebula Capsule Max

The XGIMI Halo+ is much better than the Anker Nebula Capsule Max. They're both small portable projectors, although the Anker is smaller than the already small XGIMI. However, the XGIMI offers better image quality due to its much higher peak brightness and superior color accuracy. The XGIMI also projects a sharper 1080p image, while the Anker is limited to 720p. The XGIMI is also cast capable and even has an eARC port in case you want to connect a soundbar.

LG CineBeam PF50KA

The XGIMI Halo+ is far better than the LG CineBeam PF50KA. The XGIMI is even more portable due to its full suite of image correction features while being noticeably brighter. The XGIMI projector also has better contrast than the LG, making it the better choice for any room condition.

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Test Results

perceptual testing image
Design
N/A
Design
Portability
Height Lock" (Lock cm)
Width Lock" (Lock cm)
Depth Lock" (Lock cm)
Weight
Lock lbs (Lock kg)

The projector has a fairly lightweight design and has an integrated battery, so it's easy to carry around. It has full auto keystone correction, autofocus, intelligent screen alignment, and obstacle avoidance, so you don't need to do manual image corrections on this projector, making it easy to set up. The projector has two 5W Harman/Kardon speakers, so you won't need to worry about connecting it to a soundbar or audio system when bringing it with you.

Design
Projector Technology
Imaging Technology
DLP
Light Source
LED
Resolution
1080p
Aspect Ratio
Locked
Minimum Throw Ratio
Lock
Maximum Throw Ratio
Lock

This 1080p DLP projector uses an LED bulb as its light source, and it is rated for up to 25,000 hours by the manufacturer, so you likely won't ever have to worry about replacing it.

Picture Quality
N/A
Picture Quality
Brightness
White Light Output
Lock lm
Color Light Output
Lock lm
Brightness Uniformity
Lock%
Screen Brightness
Lock cd/m²

The projector's peak brightness is mediocre. It's bright enough to look good in a dark room, but it's too dim for a pleasant viewing experience when a few lights are present. It has fantastic brightness uniformity, so the sides of the projection don't show any noticeable differences in brightness when compared to the center. If you're not satisfied with this level of brightness, check out the brighter XGIMI HORIZON instead.

N/A
Picture Quality
Contrast
1% APL Native Contrast
Lock : 1
5% APL Native Contrast
Lock : 1
10% APL Native Contrast
Lock : 1
15% APL Native Contrast
Lock : 1
25% APL Native Contrast
Lock : 1
50% APL Native Contrast
Lock : 1

This projector has an okay contrast ratio, leading to a somewhat pleasant viewing experience in dark rooms, although it does have visibly raised blacks.

N/A
Picture Quality
Pre-Calibration Color Accuracy
White Balance dE
Lock
Color dE
Lock
Gamma
Lock
Color Temperature
Lock K
Picture Mode
Locked
Color Temp Setting
Locked
Gamma Setting
Locked

This projector has poor pre-calibration color accuracy. Most colors have extremely noticeable accuracy errors, sometimes even looking like totally different colors than they should be, and the projector's white balance is completely off; reds and blues are overrepresented in all shades of gray, more so in the whites. The projector's color temperature is good, although it is too warm out of the box.

N/A
Picture Quality
Post-Calibration Color Accuracy
White Balance dE
Lock
Color dE
Lock
Gamma
Lock
Color Temperature
Lock K
White Balance Calibration
Locked
Color Calibration
Locked
Picture Mode
Locked

The XGIMI Halo Plus only has 1-point white balance calibration, but it's enough to significantly improve the projector's color accuracy. After calibration, colors still show many accuracy errors, but the white balance is fantastic, and the color temperature is almost right on target.

N/A
Picture Quality
Color Gamut
Rec. 709 xy
Lock%
Rec. 709 uv
Lock%
Rec. 2020 xy
Lock%
Rec. 2020 uv
Lock%

The projector has a wide color gamut. It covers nearly all of the Rec. 709 color space used with SDR content, although its blues, purples, and reds are inaccurate. It also does a decent job with the wider Rec. 2020 color space.

Features
Features
In The Box

  • Power cable
  • Power supply
  • Remote control
  • 2x AAA batteries
  • User documentation

Features
Smart Features & Sound
Speaker(s)
Locked
Smart OS
Locked
Cast Capable
Locked

This projector has the Android TV smart interface, with Chromecast and AirScreen built-in for casting. It has two integrated 5W Harman/Kardon speakers.

Features
Inputs & Connectivity
HDMI
Lock
ARC/eARC
Locked
Wi-Fi Locked
USB Data Ports
Lock

The XGIMI Halo Plus also supports Bluetooth 5.0/BLE and has Wi-Fi 5.