2 minute review
The Xgimi Aura is a premium ultra-short throw 4K laser projector that packs everything you need for home theater into one small box. "Small" is relative here, as it's Xgimi's largest projector at 32,9 x XNUMX x XNUMXmm and XNUMXlbs, but takes up less space than a XNUMX-inch TV, and at the same time time, it offers a considerably bigger picture and sound that can compete with sound bars.
The Xgimi Aura easily delivers a massive image that is bright enough to be viewed sporadically throughout the day, but best enjoyed in a darker room. Many shadow details will be lost in a brighter room, but will be restored in a room with controlled light. However, the projector is not too fancy with the picture, as it offers only HDR10 and does not display things that you would take for granted on TVs of more than € two with zero, such as high and variable refresh rates, AI scaling. and granular settings to shape the image precisely to your liking. That said, you won't find many XNUMX-inch televisions for this cost.
How do you face the competition?
At € two four hundred and ninety-nine / € two one hundred and forty-nine (about AU € three and five hundred and fifty), the Aura is not affordable, yet it is competitively priced compared to other short-range laser projectors in the field. such as the Samsung LSP7T, Vava 4K and the Epson EpiqVision Ultra LS500. With a bright and colorful 4K image, it is also competitive from an image perspective, Epson's offering is brighter (and 4% more expensive). While there is no shortage of brilliant 38K projectors that can deliver a competitive image at a lower cost, like the Optoma UHDXNUMX, but without the ultra-short throw ratio.
The Aura also offers a fairly complete package with powerful speakers that can easily crowd a room and a built-in Android TV. Android TV performance leaves something to be desired, plus multiple HDMI ports on the back of the Aura make room for alternative video sources.
This projector is the strongest for its simplicity. It offers an incredible image that will fill a room whenever you have the space, and it doesn't come with exactly the same auxiliary setup steps as long-throw projectors. It is enhanced by the twenty-five hour lifespan of its laser light source. You can get a comparable or better picture from a more affordable TV or projector, but the TV isn't going to match the size of the Aura, and the cheapest projector won't match its incredible simplicity.
Prices and availability
The Xgimi Aura is now free for € two four hundred and ninety-nine in the US and € two and one hundred and forty-nine in the UK at Xgimi.com and Amazon.
Design and functionality
- Stylish all-in-one unit
- Simplified bulk viewing
- No Netflix yet
The Xgimi Aura continues the very elegant design found in most of the products in the Xgimi line. Today, it is the brand's largest product, leaving more room for very elegant accents. The unit pretty much resembles a zeppelin-shaped soundbar, and in a way, that's exactly what it is. The silver and black combo is very stylish and the design doesn't look like overly technical equipment in the living room.
The Aura includes an extra premium remote control that is functionally akin to the plastic ones that come with its other projectors, but this one has a sturdier design and metal construction that just looks good. As the Aura ships with Google's Android TV operating system, the remote control provides precise controls for this interface and a Google Assistant button for voice control. The operating system is really useful and transforms the Aura into a true all-in-one device, although Xgimi has not yet managed to make Netflix compatible with its hardware. Consequently, an alternative solution or an external source is required to be able to watch Netflix on the Aura.
Hardware running the Android TV operating system could be more powerful. It doesn't always respond perfectly, it takes some time to start hearing voice commands, and it can crash dramatically while scrolling through video timelines. When trying to move to the last half of Dune, it just doesn't start playing until we move it about twelve times, and when it does, the audio and video don't match.
While the Aura does not require any connection other than nutrition, it does have ports on the rear for different configurations. There are 3 twenty HDMI ports for external sources. An Ethernet port will let you establish a wired Internet connection to the projector, but you can also connect to Wi-Fi at two with four GHz and five GHz. You can power a streaming dongle with any of the 3 twenty USB ports. The unit also has a three with five mm optical connector for audio output. Naturally, the built-in set of 4 15W Harmon Kardon speakers will let you forget about external speakers.
The Aura uses ultra-short throw DLP projection with a 0,47-inch DMD and laser light source. It offers a maximum brightness of 4 ANSI lumens and a XNUMXK image. The projector does not require manual focus, but depending on its configuration, it may require manual keystone adjustment using its eight-point keystone correction, a tool that can actually help adjust to curvature as well as off-angle projection. . The projector does not have the ability to crop the image to fit a certain space, which the Xgimi Elfin featured, but owners really should plan to dedicate a space with a transparent wall or projection screen for this projector.
Considering the power of the laser light source and the risk of direct eye exposure, Xgimi has built a violent infrared sensor on the top of the projector that can warn when something is approaching and automatically dim the screen. . However, it is not always and always activated as soon as the projector locks up, so caution is advised.
The positioning of the projector is going to be essential for any configuration. The Aura has an aspect ratio of 0.233: 1, which transmits at a very wide angle. Having objects nearby, such as a plant or ornaments on the wall, can easily interfere with projection. A few inches from the wall, the Aura will project an eighty-inch diagonal projection. Move it up to one foot (eleven seven inches to be precise) from the wall and you have a one hundred twenty inch image.
Image quality
- Glowing and massive image
- Clean and clean 4K
- Limited control over the image
One of Xgimi Aura's overriding strengths is its ability to deliver a massive image with simplicity. It's ready to use as a home theater projector, and its colorful image and clean 4K images make it an eye-catching image.
It is indisputable that the projector offers brimming brightness. Even during the day in a well-lit room, we can easily see brighter content. Cartoons like Bob's Burgers are easier to watch than ever, while being made much larger by projection. TV shows and movies that can get a bit dark at times still look good if the room lights are off and the curtains are drawn, even if the room isn't absolutely pitch black.
However, the black levels are not amazing. There's really no gain with black levels, as turning off all the lights to make shadow detail easier to see clearly shows just how brilliant "black" really is, and leaving the room lit makes it quite difficult to see detail in shadows. . The vile episode of Game of Thrones' The Long Night was still unwatchable due to the inability to see the dark scenes in a semi-lit room. Thank goodness it's all too easy to get lost in the massive, glowing image, the dark gray of the letterboxes and the small border around the entire projected image can become easier to ignore. While Xgimi uses DLP projection in the Aura, he didn't experience exactly the same dithering issues we saw in Halo and Elfin, likely thanks to the different 0.47-inch DMD display chips used.
Dune is a huge showcase of Aura's abilities. The dessert sparkles, the blue eyes of the characters sparkle, and the rich details are simple to notice. Expanded to fill one wall in our living room, the experience is fantastically theater-like. The Harkonnen's night attack on Arrakis is splendid despite a ton of dark-armored soldiers facing off against each other. Details remain partially perceptible in darker areas as reflectors manage to truly pop the blowouts.
The sound of the Aura is also unusual. Its 4 speakers can pump out countless sounds and are well balanced. Even at XNUMX% volume, the loudspeakers explode so much in action scenes that we are concerned about our neighbors trying to sleep. They do a good job drowning out the enthusiasts, though there's a high-pitched whine that sneaks in on occasion.
The projector offers a motion compensation function that generally makes images worse. The animation looks truly terrible, and the live-action video dampens certain movements while other movements become impressively jerky. The action is generally quite fluid with this feature disabled, thankfully.
However, it is not the projector for those who like to play games and get the perfect picture. The configuration is somewhat limited. Brightness, contrast, saturation, and sharpness can be monitored, but there is no numbering in RGB color values. Home theater enthusiasts may be disappointed, but those who just want a huge picture that they can enjoy right out of the box without wasting time will be happy.
You'll want to move on to higher definition content to take full advantage of the Aura. There is no complex AI scaling action to thrive on the picture quality of low-res content, as you'll find on many TVs. Watching The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is very similar to watching it on an old CRT TV in the nineties, but now it's bigger.
Should you get the Xgimi Aura 4K UST projector?
Buy it if...
You want a simple home theater
A bare wall or a huge projection screen is all it takes to create a solid home theater system with Xgimi Aura. It has a great picture, powerful speakers, and a built-in Android TV.
Can't hold a small picture
You...