Projectors Tests Reviews

XGIMI Aura 2: test / review

Published on: 17-10-2024 / Modified: 17-10-2024

I have been testing projectors for a few years and the brand that started it all is XGIMI. Until now, I had tested all the product ranges marketed in Europe except one...the Aura range. It is on the occasion of the release of the XGIMI Aura 2 that I will be able to fill this gap in my journey. In the XGIMI catalog, the Aura product range represents the top of the range in laser format and ultra-short focal length. The XGIMI Aura 2 takes some elements from the first model such as the DLP 0.47 chip but the big new feature is the use of a hybrid laser/LED light source. This combination should theoretically provide an advantage in terms of color space but I will come back to this point later in the test. The other change is the projection ratio of 0.177:1 which will allow you to have a huge image without having to move the projector too far away. This is the shortest projection ratio I have had the opportunity to test.

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Where to buy

The XGIMI Aura 2 is available on the official website for several countries:
France / Belgium: XGIMI Aura 2 / xgimi.com

Germany: XGIMI Aura 2 / xgimi.com

Spain: XGIMI Aura 2 / xgimi.com

Rest of Europe: XGIMI Aura 2 / xgimi.com

United Kingdom: XGIMI Aura 2 / xgimi.com

Rest of the world: XGIMI Aura 2 / xgimi.com

Video review

Manufacturer web site:
https://www.xgimi.com
Site where I have bought or received the XGIMI Aura 2: https://shareasale.c...

Price XGIMI Aura 2

Not yet available / tested

Timeline

10/18/2024: expected date for receipt of the projector
10/21/2024: review start

Why this projector?

XGIMI has gradually established itself as an essential reference in the field of all-in-one video projectors, by making this technology accessible to a wider audience. Their approach is based on a simple but effective recipe: offering complete and easy-to-use products. In particular, they have partnered with Harman Kardon to offer superior sound quality on several of their models, have been integrating a native Android interface for years, and have adopted LED technology to extend the life of their projectors. In addition, XGIMI offers a range of products covering all price segments.

Whether in the entry-level or mid-range, their products meet a real need and have attracted millions of users around the world. I had not yet had the opportunity to test the Aura range, but this will be an opportunity for me to check if XGIMI can also compete with the competition in the category of products over €2,500, where the competitors are formidable!

However, XGIMI often has two weaknesses: sometimes insufficient contrast and, on some models, the lack of native compatibility with Netflix. This XGIMI Aura 2 model should theoretically correct the contrast problem. For Netflix, however, you will still have to go through the Desktop Manager application, while waiting for a future update that will integrate native compatibility.

Unpacking

The XGIMI Aura 2 is smaller and lighter than its predecessor, but the box is still quite large. The projector is protected by a thick layer of foam. The box contains the projector, the remote control, 2 AAA batteries, a manual and a power cable.

I think that XGIMI has made a fairly radical change in its visual identity because since the launch of the XGIMI Horizon Ultra, the projectors are designed in warmer colors and this is directly visible on the packaging. The packaging is less neutral than before and this will also be visible on the projector, I will come back to this point in one of the next paragraphs.

Operating system

Not yet available / tested

Finish

I wrote a little earlier that XGIMI had radically changed its visual identity and this XGIMI Aura 2 is proof of this. The previous models (Horizon FHD/Pro, Aura 1) had a very metallic and even a little technical look, XGIMI had made its metal grid a sort of easily recognizable visual identity.

I had already noticed the introduction of a "champagne" type tint on the Mogo 2 Pro but it is the XGIMI Horizon Ultra that brought the biggest change. From the metallic and cold look, XGIMI has moved to a use of warm tones with fabrics to cover the most visible surfaces. The top panel of the Aura 2 is completely covered in fabric and the edges are surrounded by a champagne-colored metallic effect layer. The finish is excellent and leaves no doubt about the high-end positioning of this projector.

The projector measures 52 cm wide by 26 cm deep with a height of 15 cm (with the legs). Although this model is smaller than the previous model, the XGIMI Aura 2 is quite large and quite heavy, it weighs 9 kg. The size and weight are not a problem in themselves, this projector is not intended to be moved anyway. I am providing you with the measurements so that you can assess whether the size will suit your projection space.

The sides are made of a champagne-colored honeycomb grid that will evacuate the heat from the projector. Even though this grid is made of plastic, the level of finish is very good and the use of the champagne color gives it a more pronounced metallic appearance than a black or gray grid.

As usual, XGIMI called on Harman-Kardon for the sound rendering and the mention of the brand fits very well in the format of the projector. I also find that the XGIMI brand is less well highlighted on the projector because it is drowned in the fabric area on the upper part of the projector.

On the lower part there are no height adjustment legs, so the projector will always remain at the same level. I also did not see any fixings for ceiling installation. They may be hidden behind the rubber circles but given the weight of the projector, I would hesitate to place it in ceiling position.

The connectivity is quite complete with 3 USB type A 2.0 ports, an SPDIF optical audio output, three HDMI ports including an eARC, a jack type audio output, an RJ45 ethernet port.

Two air inlets at the back will allow the projector to be cooled from the back. The power connector is also at the back, a simple power cable is enough, you will not have to find space to fit a large transformer as is sometimes the case for this type of product.

The special feature of this ultra-short throw projector is that it opens automatically on the top, it's a bit like a convertible car. This protects the optical block when the projector is not in use and to have an aesthetically more attractive product when it is closed.

The remote control broadly follows the characteristics of other XGIMI remote controls. This version uses a metal casing as for most high-end XGIMI projectors. The box contains 2 AAA batteries and they are inserted from the bottom. Be careful, the battery drawer is mounted on springs. As soon as you press the button to open it, it will literally eject from the remote control.

From a functional point of view, this remote control is easy to use and includes all the really necessary functions. You will have no trouble repeating the buttons in the dark.

Projection room

My projection room is rectangular, 4.6m by 2.9m (height 2.2m). I have two projection walls, one white wall 2.9m wide with just white paint with a possible 4m setback. I then have a 133 inch ALR screen on another wall with a possible setback of 2.8m. I mainly use the ALR screen except when the layout or type of projector is not suitable for this situation.

Battery autonomy

This projector is not equipped with a battery.

Power consumption

I measured the electricity consumption of this projector by playing with the different brightness levels and I got very different results.

With the light at 10, I get a consumption of about 140 watts. If I lower the light level to 1, the consumption drops to 90 watts which is really very little for a projector of this type. There is however a boost mode which gives the maximum brightness to the projector and there the consumption exceeds 170 watts and sometimes reaches 200 watts. It remains very reasonable for a projector of this type but with the boost mode, the projector's ventilation wakes up and turns into a hair dryer. I don't know what this mode can be used for because it is too noisy to watch a movie. The other modes are much quieter.

Operating noise

The XGIMI Aura 2 emits a slight hum as long as it is used at a brightness level of 10 or less. If I place my decibel meter on the projector with brightness level 10, the device does not even react because the projector knows how to be so discreet. If you use the boost mode, the projector will become much louder with more than 60 dB.

Image quality

To illustrate the image quality I used a piece from the first episode of The Power of the Rings, followed by a clip that I often use because it has a very particular aesthetic. In both cases, the result is very good even if the video recording does not fully restore the quality of the image. Recording an image of an extended color space like REC2020 or DCI P3 is not easy to render with a camera that does not have such an extended color space. So there is loss of information and the image is sometimes too red because of the dominance of the red laser.

Colorimetry

More explanations on colorimetry

Measuring color fidelity (colorimetry) is not a subjective question, it is something completely measurable. This measurement is carried out with a device (colorimeter, spectrometer, ...) which measures the difference between the real color and the displayed color. This difference is expressed in delta E (abbreviation: dE). A dE greater than 3 indicates a deviation perceptible to the human eye.

The dE must therefore be as low as possible but projectors rarely have a dE lower than 3 out of the box. They are often between 5 and 10, only a calibration can correctly adjust the colors.

For a perfect calibration, you must call a professional. I give you my parameters which correspond to my situation. These settings might work for your situation but it is not a guarantee, so take them as an indication of the direction to follow.

I measured the color fidelity on all available picture modes and then tweaked the settings to improve the image quality. My hardware is not accurate enough to give me the exact color deviation value but it will give an excellent indication of what you can expect.

Here are the results of my measurements before calibration, all these measurements were done with the brightness at 10 and on a NothingProjector ALR Black Series screen. This type of screen tends to cool the image, it also lowers the brightness. The black level will therefore be better. I disabled all the automatic correction assistances.

Standard mode: dE color 8.25, dE white 15.3, white temperature 9940k, dE gray 16.83, contrast 1716:1, black 0.094 cd/m² 161 cd/m²
TV mode: dE color 11.43, dE white 15.2, white temperature 9944k, dE gray 17.07, contrast 1716:1, black 0.094 cd/m², white 160 cd/m²
Movie mode: dE color 4.79, dE white 11, white temperature 7573k, dE gray 4.84, contrast 1695:1, black 0.084 cd/m², white 142 cd/m²
Sport mode: dE color 11.28, dE white 15, white temperature 9860k, dE gray 16:83, contrast 1711:1, 0.094 black cd/m², white 150 cd/m²
Brilliant mode: dE colors 11.31, dE white 15.7, white temperature 11043k, dE gray 23.14, contrast 1709:1, black 0.087 cd/m², white 147 cd/m²

After this first round of observation, the film mode is by far the best. The color fidelity is clearly better, the white temperature is closer to the standard, the contrast is good and the brightness is also of a good level.

The result in detail for the cinema mode:

I see here that some colors are already close to the objective but the red, yellow and cyan deviate too much. The worst is the white which is still too cold even if it is much better than with the other configurations.

If I focus on the grays:

Here too there is work to be done to get the right gray levels.

Calibration

I modified the settings to try to get a better result than the cinema mode and I succeeded with the settings that I will share with you below. You can take inspiration from these settings if you are using a gray screen. If on the other hand, you are using a white screen, you will have to increase the blue levels a little.

Result for SDR colors:

With a delta E of 1.46, I think we can consider this a good result. This is clearly the best XGIMI I have tested so far.

Result for grays in SDR:

Same observation here, the result is impeccable.

I got the same type of result for HDR and colors:

And for grays:

I share with you my settings for SDR and HDR but don't forget that I got these results on a screen NothingProjector ALR. Another type of screen will require adaptation. If you are using a white screen, you will need to increase the blue because ALR screens tend to emphasize blue.

The following settings are what you need to change, you can leave the other values at 50.

SDR
User Mode

Color Temperature
Red 10
Green 6
Blue 4
Red Gain 49
Blue Gain 45

Advanced Correction / Red
Saturation 70
Brightness 52

Advanced Correction / Green
Hue 45

Advanced Correction / Blue
Hue 55
Brightness 35

Advanced Correction / Yellow
Brightness 55

Advanced Correction / Magenta
Saturation 65
Brightness 65

HDR
User Mode

Color Temperature
Red 10
Green 6
Blue 4
Red Gain 49
Blue Gain 45

Advanced Correction / Red
Hue 55
Saturation 70
Brightness 20

Advanced Correction / Green
Hue 45
Brightness 45

Advanced Correction / Blue
Hue 55
Brightness 30

Advanced Correction / Yellow
Brightness 65

Advanced Correction / Magenta
Saturation 65
Brightness 30

To help you get your bearings, I took a screenshot of the settings for HDR, the path is the same for SDR.

Brightness

More explanations on brightness

The brightness for a projector is absolutely crucial. The brightness is measured in ANSI lumens and the values provided by the manufacturer are very often higher than reality.

I measure the brightness with a lux meter and I convert my measurements into ANSI lumens in relation to the projection surface. You thus obtain a real value.

A video projector, even if it is bright, cannot compete with a television. The contribution of light (natural or artificial) will have the effect of drastically reducing the contrast of your image. With a brightness lower than 1000 ANSI lumens, the projector must be used in total darkness.

This projector has a theoretical brightness of 2300 lumens, but in reality I'm coming in a little under 2000 before calibration. I don't see any big differences between the different configurations either. I have the impression that the brightness setting is independent of the configuration.

In the end, I got around 1500 lumens after calibration, which is still very good for projection in semi-darkness.

Here you can see the difference between a dark room and a bright room. Yes, the image is visible, but there's a loss of contrast. I'm using a good ALR screen, though. The loss of contrast would be even more noticeable on a white screen.

This is not a weakness of the XGIMI, it's the same with all projectors. This type of product is not designed to be used under strong light

Sharpness

There's one constant at XGIMI, whatever the model. The sharpness is always too pronounced. It's not too noticeable when you stand at a sufficient distance, but up close you'll see some grain

You can adjust the sharpness to suit your preferences to get something more correct. The final sharpness is correct without being exceptional, and I can see the 1-pixel gaps less than on other projectors

The best I've tested is the Dangbei Mars Pro 2.

Contrast

More explanations on contrast

Contrast (on/off) is used to measure the difference between white and black. This measurement gives an indication of the ability of a projector to produce a good rendering in dark scenes.

A contrast lower than 500:1 should be considered as a very low contrast and the consequence will be especially visible in dark scenes where you will lose details. This is less of a problem for sports, bright films or even cartoons.

A low contrast ratio does not mean that a projector is not usable, you just have to be aware that for films like Aliens, dark scenes will no longer allow you to distinguish details.

I measured a contrast between 1695:1 and 1716:1 depending on the chosen configuration. This is not the highest contrast in this category of projectors but it is enough to deliver a good performance for dark movies. To illustrate this contrast, I used the trailer for The Batman where we can clearly see all the details in the dark scenes. The image is actually a little brighter but I limited the ISO increase to avoid showing too much grain.

Motion compensation

Image size and projection distance

More explanations on the projection distance

The projection distance determines the size of the image and the size of the image is determined by the projector's throw ratio. If a projector has a throw ratio of 1.2, it will have an image width of 83 cm with possibly a gray border.

The distance also plays a role in the brightness because the brightness decreases with the square of the distance. A projector placed at 4 meters will therefore lose 4 times more brightness than a projector placed at 2 meters.

Keystone image correction does not modify the projection cone, it resizes the image inside the projection cone. This means that in the event of a significant correction, you will see a large gray border appear around your image.

The XGIMI Aura 2 has a very short throw ratio, which is the shortest throw ratio I've tested so far. It needs to be 39 cm away from the lens to get a 100-inch diagonal. If I count the projector's depth, that means you need to place the projector less than 20 cm from the screen to get a 100-inch image. This is one of the strong points of this projector.

Screen choice

Ultra-short throw projectors are quite demanding in terms of projection surface, you need an impeccably flat surface, because at the slightest deviation the image will lose its sharpness (even if the difference is a few millimeters). Using a screen will also help to standardize the rendering of colors and light, a gray screen will also darken the image to obtain a greater depth of blacks. This projector is an ideal candidate for a combination with a gray screen intended for projection from below.

I used a NothingProjector BlackSeries screen for this test, it is an excellent screen for this type of projector.

Audio quality

More explanations on audio quality

I use several types of music tracks to illustrate the sound quality of the projector but the rendering will always be limited by the recording device. Since I always use the same device, you will be able to compare the difference on the same basis.

I regularly use well-known songs protected by copyright to illustrate the sound quality of a video projector. It therefore sometimes happens that YouTube decides to block my videos for these reasons. In this case, you can listen to the soundtracks directly on YouTube and hope that YouTube has not completely blocked my channel.

XGIMI has been working with Harman Kardon for a few years for the audio part of their projectors and over time they have accumulated a lot of experience to obtain a very good level of sound quality. This projector is equipped with 4x15 watt speakers that produce very good quality sound in both low and high frequencies. This video will probably be blocked on my site because of copyright but you can watch/listen to it directly on YouTube. For me, it is one of the best projectors in terms of sound.

Video games

Encoutered bugs

Not yet available / tested

ALR/CLR Projection screen

Are you looking for a good ALR/CLR screen for your projector? I may have what you need:
ALR/CLR NothingProjector Screen

Test / Review conclusion

I had not yet tested a projector from the Aura range at XGIMI, it is now done. I can say without much hesitation that this XGIMI Aura 2 is the best XGIMI projector that I have been able to test so far. The image quality is superb, the color fidelity after calibration is excellent, the sharpness is good and the contrast is also good even if other projectors are capable of doing better.

The XGIMI Aura 2 marks a break from the previous model with its Nordic aesthetic and its hood that lifts to diffuse the image. Even if it is imposing in size and weight, its size is smaller than many other references on the market. Its very low projection ratio allows it to be brought as close as possible to the screen to generate a very large image from a very short distance. Its brightness will allow you to aim for a display of more than 120 inches without problem, you will just have to make sure to associate it with a screen to obtain a uniform projection surface.

The strengths of this projector do not stop at the image quality, the sound is also of excellent quality, it feels comfortable in all types of sounds (voices, instruments, explosions, ...). It is powerful enough to fill your projection room. Gamers will probably also be delighted to learn that this projector has a very low latency in gaming mode which will allow them to play any game in excellent conditions.

The XGIMI Aura 2 is not very noisy, it purrs gently and it is not very energy-hungry.

If I had to find a few flaws, I would start with a great classic at XGIMI, this projector is not natively compatible with Netflix. It does not run on the latest version of Google TV which would have given it a little something extra.

Its price positioning places it in front of very good projectors like the Formovie Theater, so the competition is tough. Even though the Formovie offers better contrast, the XGIMI produces equally vibrant colors and offers better sound. Its throw ratio also makes it unique in the market. I feel that many will hesitate between these two excellent projectors.

Strengths

Excellent colorimetry after calibration
Contrast
Electricity consumption
Reduced operating noise
Excellent sound quality
Sharpness
Throw ratio
Low latency for games
Level of finish, aesthetics
No digital grain caused by the laser

Weaknesses

Basic colorimetry (film mode = best)
Netflix compatibility
Android TV instead of Google TV

LAURENT WILLEN
Head 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.