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JMGO U2 test / review (Indiegogo)
Published on: 08-10-2021 / Modified: 07-10-2022
Update
I have received and tested the JMGO U2 here: JMGO U2 test/avis
I hadn't bought any projectors on Indiegogo for a few months, there was nothing interesting to buy but things are moving and I decided to buy the JMGO U2 on Indiegogo. I was tempted by the Vava Chroma as well, but the price finally tipped the scales in favour of the JMGO.
The campaign on Indiegogo will be available until early November: JMGO U2 -40% on Indiegogo
JMGO U2, what is it?
If you've never been interested in the world of video projectors, you've probably never heard of JMGO. However, this company has been around since 2011 and specialises in the production of projectors. JMGO decided to use Indiegogo to fund several projectors this year but I think it's mostly a way to diversify the marketing effort because in the end, JMGO could have very well produced the projectors without Indiegogo. So the risk for this campaign is almost zero.
The JMGO U2 is a laser projector with a claimed brightness of 2400 ANSI lumens which can be increased to 3600 ANSI lumens with the use of a technical screen. Laser projectors are often brighter than LED projectors, some can even be used in the middle of the day because they are so bright. 2400 lumens is not out of the ordinary, but with laser, it might be enough.
The JMGO U2 is announced with a 4k XPR resolution which is based on a pixel shifting technique to obtain a 4k image from a 1080p optical block. It is therefore not a true 4k projector, those that are natively 4k cost much more. Is there a difference in quality between 4k and 4k XPR? I guess so, but I've never had a real 4k projector, I've tested several 4k XPR projectors and the image was really nice.
The JMGO U2 is a short throw projector, so you can place it close to your screen to get a large image without too much recoil. This saves you from having to hang a projector somewhere in the back of the room. According to JMGO, a placement 24cm from the screen would result in a 254cm image.
What else is special about this projector?
- colour coverage: with 114% of Rec2020, this projector should be able to reproduce a very wide range of colours
- motion compensation: this allows for smoothing of fast movements and avoiding jerking in certain scenes. This type of solution applies an artificial treatment to the image that gives the impression of watching a TV series from the 80s (soap opera effect) but it avoids tearing the image
- Dolby surround sound embedded in the projector
- 28db noise level when this kind of projector is quite noisy
- 3 colour laser technology for better colour fidelity (in theory, so check)
This kind of product usually costs more than 2500€ but with Indiegogo, you can get it for about 1800€.
My review
I have ordered the projector, I should receive it at the end of October but based on the information about the projector, I can formulate a first opinion. This opinion is obviously theoretical, my test will allow me to play referee but it may be that the campaign is over before I can publish my test.
The strong points:
- 4k resolution (even if it's XPR, the sharpness should be good)
- colour coverage and fidelity
- motion compensation
- built-in dolby surround sound
- quiet 28db
- short focal length
- ability to return the projector within 30 days (this gives an indication of the level of confidence in the product)
- nice design (even if it doesn't help to have a better picture)
Weaknesses:
- the projector looks huge, I've never seen a projector this big
- power consumption? JMGO doesn't mention it but I wouldn't be surprised if the power consumption is much higher than an LED projector
- brightness sufficient for daylight projection? I have a doubt but we'll see with my test
- proprietary operating system, this can lead to incompatibilities with some applications (e.g. Netflix, Amazon Prime, ...)
Should you buy or not?
If you don't have a projector and want to buy one, this JMGO could be a great first step into the world of projectors but despite its low price, the purchase price is still high. There are already very decent projectors between 600 and 1000 like for example the Xiaomi Mi Smart 2 Pro that I tested a few months ago.
This projector will appeal to a technophile audience who is looking for something more than what you can get with an LED projector. Its feature/price ratio seems very interesting, so this is a pretty unique chance to try your luck and if the projector doesn't meet your expectations, you can send it back for free. That's exactly what I'm going to do because even though I test projectors, I pay for them out of my own pocket like everyone else and €1800 is a lot of money, so it has to be worth it.
Fingers crossed that I get my copy soon so you can make a decision based on real facts rather than marketing arguments.
LAURENT WILLENHead of myself on this blog
I share my passions on my blog in my free time since 2006, I prefer that to watching nonsense on TV or on social networks. I work alone, I am undoubtedly one of the last survivors of the world of blogs and personal sites.
My speciality? Digital in all its forms. I have spent the last 25 years working for multinationals where I managed digital teams and generated revenues of over €500 million per year. I have expertise in telecoms, media, aviation, travel and tourism.
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