MARCH 2022 T3 77Xgimi Elfin
speakers on the Elfin work just fine,
but they’re not detailed or wide
enough to deliver an immersive
experience, even in a small room.
They’re decent, however, and can get
respectably loud.
Among the Elfin’s best features is
its keystone correction and autofocus
functions. The auto keystone
correction, especially, is robust and
effective. Even on ever-so-slightly
skewed walls, you only have to make
the tiniest adjustments manually.
Autofocusing, in the meantime, is
done decently fast – again, better than
on other portable projectors.
Moving pictures
Armed with the X-Vue 2.0 image
engine, Intelligent Screen Adaption
(ISA) technology, and HDR10, the
Xgimi Elfin is fast and delivers bright
and sharp 1080p picture quality in an
up to 200-inch image, which is pretty
massive for a portable projector.
It offers a brightness of 800 lumen
portable – that’s bright enough to light
up a small dark room – which should
give you an enjoyable viewing
experience that’s easy on your eyes. In
fact, that’s bright enough that you can
still use it in the daytime as long as it’s
indoors in a non-brightly-lit room.
It also offers plenty of contrast and
vibrant colours, although if you raise
the brightness level all the way up, the
picture does get a tad washed out.
Drop it down too low, and it’ll likely
lose a lot of details in the shadows.
Turning on the HDR10 gives a nice
little boost, but don’t expect anything
mind-blowing.
One thing about the Xgimi Elfin
that is annoying is that it tends to
power off without warning when it
gets too hot. If it does shut down, leave
it off for 30 minutes or so, and it should
get back to working order.
Sadly, there’s no built-in battery
here, so if you’re looking to use it on
the go, you’ll need to plug it in to an
socket or generator. Wi-Fi is required
as well, if you want to stream.
However, thanks to its 16GB of storage,
you can download movies and shows
to the device in advance, or plug in a
USB drive or laptop in the rear.
Another thing to bear in mind is
that Netflix has ceased app support for
non-certified Android UI projectors
from companies like Xgimi and Anker
Nebula. This means that you won’t beable to stream Netflix content. There
are a couple of workarounds, including
streaming it via a laptop or Fire TV
Stick, or side-loading an older version
of the Netflix app, but it’s inconvenient.
Smart portable projectors often
come with compromises that are hard
to swallow. The Xgimi Elfin, on the
other hand, is much more capable. It’s
got its share of flaws, though none of
them big enough to be deal-breakers.
It’s fast, stable and portable yet also
ideal for home use. Best of all though,
it’s got a price tag that’s affordable
enough for many people and reasonable
enough considering its features.
If you’re looking for a smart
portable projector, this should
definitely be on your list of options.The Xgimi Elfin
is easily portable
but also ideal for
home useNEBULA SOLAR
A solid 1080p smart
projector that’s the same
size as the Elfin, this
comes with extras like
mobile app support and a
built-in stand. However,
it only has 400 ANSI Lumens of brightness, HDR10,
and a 120-inch projected image.
£599.99, amazon.co.uk
BENQ TK850
If you don’t mind
sacrificing portability
for stunning 4K
resolution, the
TK850 features
a whopping 3000 lumen brightness and is still
pretty compact. It comes in with Android TV
built-in – but also won’t run Netflix.
£1,438, currys.co.ukTHE ALTERNATIVES
WE’RE IMPRESSED Bright
800 lumens 1080p projection;
portable; lightweight; premium
build; good keystone correction.
WE’D IMPROVE No battery;
Netflix not supported; turns off
when it gets hot; so-so speakers.
THE LAST WORD Might finally
be portable projector perfection.
It’s surprisingly robust, capable
and effortless to use for one that
you can easily slip into your tote
bag or backpack.VERDICT
Find the best deals for the
Xgimi Elfin at: bit.ly/t3xgelf