XGIMI MoGo 4 Laser: Brightness Boost

Design

• Detachable infrared remote
• Tiltable design
• No IP rating

The MoGo 4 and MoGo 4 Laser share almost identical aesthetic and build quality. They’re both shaped like a coffee thermos, and with the integrated stand, they can tilt 360 degrees – you can point towards the ceiling or tilt towards the floor (the correct way to tilt it is to have the Harman Kardon branding on the left-hand side).

They weigh pretty much the same (1.32kg to 1.31), and neither one comes with a carry pouch (that’s optional). Also optional is the PowerBase stand, which works with both models, and if you do decide to take the MoGo 4 Laser to the great outdoors, there’s no IP rating, so it’s not protected against moisture, dirt, etc.

There’s a detachable, point and click infrared mini remote control that puts the projector into its Ambient Colour mode, turning the MoGo 4 Laser into a portable speaker with a light show as well.

User Experience

• Google TV
• Missing iPlayer and Channel 4

All the recent MoGo projectors have had Google TV and the Mogo 4 Laser features it too. Like the others, it too is missing BBC iPlayer and Channel 4 apps. This can be rectified by Google casting straight from a mobile device.

The Google TV interface has undergone a change in the first few months of 2026. The top bar has been updated, with Library and Watchlist moved under the profile icon, For You has been retitled to Home (makes sense), and Search has moved. There are shortcuts in place for quick access to key tools and features.

Does it make much of a difference from before? Not especially, other than looking less cluttered at the top, but the overall experience is the same.

Booting up took slightly longer than the Mogo 4 at 51 seconds, but I imagine that’s relatively fine for the audience that has eyes on this model.

I’m still not a fan of Google TV’s curation, which seems very generic and not specific to my tastes or what I watch. For whatever reason, curation on these types of smart platforms can either never remember what I’ve watched, or they do and recommend programmes that have little association with what I watched. It makes scrolling through the various rows something of a waste.

The remote feels good to use and features backlit buttons that will help in the dark. I do wish that it could be charged by USB-C – instead, it runs on triple-A batteries.

Features

• HDR10
• 20,000 hours lifetime
• 550 ISO lumens

The picture specs between the MoGo 4 and Laser version are almost the same. They both support HDR10 though neither caters to HLG HDR (not the biggest problem considering the lack of built-in iPlayer app); and both beam images at Full HD (1920 x 1080).

The difference is that the brightness has been raised from 450 ISO lumens to 550 ISO lumens.

That would put the MoGo 4 Laser at double the brightness of the Samsung FreeStyle Gen 2, which launched in 2023, and brighter than either the Dangbei Freedo or Samsung’s 2026 FreeStyle+’s 430 ISO lumens. Colour coverage has also leapt from 90% DCI-P3 gamut to 110%, ensuring the MoGo 4 Laser should be able to produce a wider range of hues and tones.

Swapping to Triple Laser doesn’t seem to have improved the expected life of the MoGo 4 Laser though, as XGIMI rates it for 20,000 hours compared to the MoGo 4’s 25,000 hours.

It’s also pretty quick for a projector at 20ms of latency if you’re interested in playing games via the HDMI input. Image size ranges from 40 to 200 inches, though XGIMI advocates 120 as optimal.

Speaking of which, the HDMI input also supports HDMI ARC (for adding a sound system) USB 2.0, and USB-C for charging. The HDMI input doesn’t support any HDR pass-through, so you won’t get any HDR benefits from that source.

Wireless streaming? There’s Google Cast and DLNA over Wi-Fi plus Bluetooth 5.1. There are bigger, more traditional projectors such as the Optoma PK31 that don’t cover these wireless options, which shows there’s a great deal of value here for a similar price.

The sound system hasn’t changed a jot – a 2 x 6W system with support for Dolby Audio, Dolby Digital and Dolby Digital+.

Convenient features such as Auto Keystone (to create the perfect square shape), and Auto Focus (automatically sharpens the image) are included, as is Intelligent Obstacle Avoidance (automatically re-sizes the image to avoid nearby objects), and Intelligent Screen Fit (adapts the image to fit a projector screen) which serve to make the Mogo 4 Laser easier to live with.

It also features tech like Eye Protection, which means the Mogo 4 Laser automatically dims the image so anything walking past isn’t blinded by it, though it has to be turned on in the settings.

Another change from Mogo 4 is that the Mogo 4 Laser comes with the full selection of XGIMI’s Creative Optical Filter (four in total). These can be locked onto the lens to project colours and atmospheric elements around a room. Not essential but nice to have if you want to create a party vibe.

Battery

• Built-in battery
• 2.5 hours of battery

Just like with the standard MoGo 4, XGIMI is batting 2.5 hours with the built-in battery in its Eco mode. In its Standard mode, you can expect around two hours.

The Eco mode can edge closer to the three-hour mark, and this comes with a slight reduction in brightness. If the projector isn’t connected to the mains, it’ll play in Eco mode regardless.

Power it up from a plug and you’ve got a choice of the adapter that XGIMI provides, the optional PowerBase Stand or your own adaptor (as long as it’s rated to 65W).

Picture Quality

• Warm, rich colours
• Little to no contrast
• Can’t really do HDR

Here is where the bread gets buttered. Can the MoGo 4 Laser produce a better performance over the MoGo 4 with its triple laser technology? The short answer is yes, it can. The long answer? Keep on reading.

Like the other models in the MoGo range, the MoGo 4 Laser has a knack of producing rich, warm colours, but it does lack a degree of balance to its output.

For example, the Las Vegas scene from Blade Runner 2049 is full of rich orange and red tones, and the MoGo 4 Laser overeggs complexions to the point where it’s not the glow of the orange atmosphere on people’s faces, but as if the actors in the scene have suffered sunburn. What should be orange is described in very red terms. It’s quite overcooked.

2049 is sans HDR on Netflix, and the black levels do feel a little better than they did on the MoGo 4, and some scenes are a little brighter. Contrast is 1000:1 – the MoGo 4 had no figure attached to it, so while it’s better with the Laser, it’s still not the strongest performance.

For a better comparison between the MoGo 4 and MoGo 4 Laser, I gave Daredevil: S3 a spin and it’s an improved all-round image. The green tone the Mogo 4 bathed its images in is gone with the MoGo 4 Laser, so on that front alone it’s a big improvement.

Skintones do seem redder on the Laser, and in this regard I find myself favouring the MoGo 4 and then switching allegiance to the Laser in other moments. But there’s greater accuracy with colours and a wider range on show with the Laser model. Black levels look stronger, perhaps inviting a degree of crush (loss of detail) but better than the shallower black levels of the MoGo 4.

A scene in Daredevil that takes place in a hospital, and the light sources on the Laser are brighter and whiter in terms of tone. Colours in general are slightly richer and deeper, the blue tones of hospital bedding actually look blue rather than turquoise. People’s shirts are actually white, brighter and cleaner – the tone of the character’s jacket is grey – proper grey – not slightly grey/green. That’s the biggest noticeable boost you get over the MoGo 4 – colour tones and accuracy.

A stream of Anyone But You on Netflix and the reds are redder, blues are bluer, greens are greener – these colours take on greater punch, vibrancy and accuracy.

There are times where the red tint of the Laser makes itself known too much – the MoGo 4 had a green pallor to its images, the MoGo 4 Laser exaggerates the colour red in response.

There are titles that don’t suit the MoGo 4 Laser as well. The lack of vibrancy in a show such as Tell Me Lies makes it slightly washed out on this projector, but watching it on a Sony A80L, I find it looks much warmer and richer. There are instances with the MoGo 4 Laser where HDR content looks a little flat and dull.

A change of pace with The Forsyths on Channel 5 where the streaming quality isn’t the best, and the MoGo 4 Laser struggles to make sense of it. The image is soft (not the projector’s fault, the app itself seems wonky), it often lacks detail and rewinding and pressing play causes detail levels to take quite a while to reappear. Basically, don’t watch Channel 5 on this projector.

A look at YouTube confirms everything I’ve noted above – slightly more natural skintones on the MoGo 4 than the Laser, which skews slightly red. Better white tones, stronger blues, reds, and greens on the Laser, while colours in general are brighter and richer.

It’s a step up over the MoGo 4, though it introduces some of its own problems as well.

Sound Quality

• Clear with dialogue
• Decent sense of scale

The performance of the MoGo 4 Laser mirrors that of the MoGo 4. It’s loud and big for its size, while it’s not going to fill a room, it does do a decent job of creating a sense of scale.

Crowd noise in football matches sounds separate from the commentary rather than bunched in; dialogue is clear, there’s an energy and dynamism to its sound that punches above its weight class.

It’s not great for bass, which at best is punchy but can’t dig deep. If you’re a more casual viewer, this might not bother you much.

Should you buy it?