I set up a garden cinema with Xgimi's latest portable projector – it was going so well, before one thing let it down

In a rare occurrence, we have been treated to some consistently good weather during the summer months here in the UK. Coincidentally, we have also seen a slew of portable projectors launch this year; I'm sure you can see where I'm going with this.

Yes indeed, I took the opportunity to set up an outdoor cinema during a meet-up with some friends. And it proved to be a great success… mostly.

My projector of choice the latest addition to Xgimi's MoGo series: the MoGo 4 Laser. This stylish, feature-packed, and easy-to-manoeuvre projector seemed like the perfect choice, thanks to its built-in streaming apps and, more importantly, its battery.

Also, we approve of the non-laser version of this projector, complementing its “sharp and punchy picture”. We called it “nicely balanced” and even found its handling of black depths to be more than satisfactory.

The laser version, therefore, seemed as though it could be an even better option. As its name suggests, it trades the DLP light source for a laser system, which should provide even punchier colours and a higher peak brightness. I won't spoil anything, as we do have a review of this projector coming soon, but generally speaking, it impressed.

My friends were especially taken by its cute design and ability to beam a large, bright image, as well as its fairly easy setup.

One area where this Xgimi could improve, however, is in its image correction system. I still needed to tweak the keystone correction manually, despite the MoGo 4 Laser assuring me that the automatic keystone correction system has fulfilled its role. The wonky image I was presented with suggested otherwise.

There was, however, a bigger issue that hindered our viewing experience...

What's the point of the battery?

As I say, I chose the MoGo 4 Laser partly on account of its built-in battery – as I assumed it would get me through the majority of a film. What's more, Xgimi highlights the fact that you can top the battery up with a portable battery pack, so I made sure to bring my 10,000mAh power bank just in case.

Unfortunately, the Xgimi managed to burn through both its internal battery and my power bank before we could finish Hot Fuzz (streamed on Amazon Prime Video), our movie of choice for the night. For reference, that film's run time is 121 minutes; not exactly an epic in the grand scheme of things, and not far off the average film length.

With about 20 minutes of the film to go, we had a battery warning flash up claiming that there was only 10 per cent battery left; not ideal, but perhaps we might just get away with finishing the film?

But no: the beamer powered down just before the film ended; quite the anticlimactic ending.

Xgimi claims that the projector lasts for up to 2.5 hours in its eco mode. It appears, though, that that number is reduced greatly if you switch to the movie mode, which provides the brighter and more vivid image that most people, surely, would want.

I opted for this picture mode as it seemed counterintuitive to dull the projector down with its shiny new laser light system; and I had presumed that my battery pack might also extend the lifetime to make it through the film.

Next time, I'll be sure to play it safe and opt for the power-conserving mode, even if it comes at the expense of picture quality. It's a shame that I have to make that compromise, with the only apparent workaround appearing to be investing in Xgimi's PowerBase Stand accessory, which claims to increase the battery life to 5 hours.

It's worth mentioning that, despite the battery woes, the MoGO 4 Laser is a very likeable little projector – though you will have to wait for our full review to find out more.

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