While we have zero trouble spruiking the benefits of the best TVs to enjoy movies and TV shows for a more cinematic experience only a projector will do.
Of course, the more you spend the more cinema-like experience you'll achieve, but if your budget is limited, the Xgimi Vibe One is a mighty-fine choice. It's the cheapest projector we've ever tested, and it's now cheaper still thanks to a 29% discount at Amazon — now AU$427.49.
Amazon has already slashed the price to AU$474.99, and at the time of publishing there's the option to apply an extra 10% saving at the checkout, which you absolutely should do.
Despite the low price, you get an awful lot of projector for your money. We did find we needed to adjust the sharpness and contrast levels from their out-the-box settings when we tested the dinky projector, but once that was done, we were wholly satisfied with the image it projected.
As our reviewer Robyn Quick said in their review, "we unearthed a more natural image that portrays the green trees around an army staging post with more balanced, yet still striking, colours", once those settings were tweaked.
The Vibe One also proved capable with darker content: "In the opening of Alien: Romulus, as a ship floats through the depths of space, the projector presents the dark abyss with an impressively deep black by budget projector standards."
What's perhaps most impressive about the Xgimi Vibe One is that it holds up well in bright conditions, making it a versatile option for daytime use too, not just movie nights curled up on the sofa.
As for specs, the Vibe One doesn't support 4K content, instead topping out at a native resolution of 1080p. It can project an image up to 150 inches in size, with a claimed 250 ISO lumens of brightness.
A single HDMI port means you can connect external source devices such as a Blu-ray player or games console, while Google TV provides native access to Netflix, Apple TV, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+.
Coming in at 1.4kg on the scales, you should have little trouble putting the Vibe One in a bag to take with you wherever you want to go. Do note though that we found that the projector only offered just under an hour of battery life in Standard brightness mode. If you plan to use the Vibe One outside, you'll likely want to consider an extension cable so you can watch a full movie uninterrupted.
You'll need to temper your expectations where sound is concerned, as the 3W speakers are reasonably loud but lack impact and detail. Fortunately, you can wirelessly connect to a Bluetooth speaker to handle sound duties.
The Xgimi Vibe One delivers a surprisingly detailed and cinematic image that outperforms expectations at this price. While its battery life is limited and the built-in audio falls short, it remains outstanding value for a projector — portable or not.
