Its not without faultscolor purists may not be happy with the default profile and may find the adjustments limited.
For gamers who want the ultimate immersion, this is the best laser TV yet.
I have a love/hate relationship with laser projectors.
On the other hand, they’re usually terrible for gaming due to the high input latency.
But the XGIMI Aura is different.
I feel like Goldilocks, having finally found the one laser TV that’s just right.
Keep reading to find out why.
But it does have some nice little design flourishes that set it apart from the competition.
Look from the front, and you’ll find a subtle convex curvature and a curious pyramid-shaped speaker grill.
The laser source is non-replaceable; if it breaks, you’ll need to make a warranty claim.
Like all 4K projectors at this price point, the Aura uses pixel-shifting technology with a 0.47 DMD chip.
That means it’s projecting a 1080p image really fast240 frames a secondto create an effective illusion of 4K60Hz.
But by any definition, that’s still 4K.
But smaller screen sizes, or in a dark room, is perfectly fine.
Your Wi-Fi password and Google account will all be added automatically.
Great stuff; but doesn’t work with an iPhone.
However, I would advise against either.
Adjust your image by moving around the projector, not using digital correction tools.
Given the ultra-short throw projection, it shouldn’t be hard to do that.
Just be careful not to lean over the lens, or the automatic eye protection will kick in.
The XGIMI Aura runs Android TV 10, with all projector tweaks and menus deeply integrated.
If you switch on an external input, it’ll automatically switch over from the main menu, too.
There’s little else to say about the software side of things.
It’s the same familiar Android TV interface you’ll find on any unit with a built-in Android player.
They are not licensed.
Or cast to the XGIMI Aura from your smartphone.
This is typical for a UST laser projector.
For me, the limiting factor, in this case, is the height of the ceiling.
However, the color palette isn’t always natural looking and can take some getting used to.
It tends to run on the cold side, even when you adjust the prefs to warm.
I mentioned in myreview of the Formovie Theaterthat I found the image adjustment menu overwhelming.
That was frustrating because I didn’t like the image out of the box.
In this case, the opposite is true.
Anything with neon colors in the scenecyberpunk movies or animationslet the Aura show itself off to full potential.
Since my preferred genre of movies or gaming tends to be sci-fi and fantasy, this suits me fine.
Interestingly, HDR performance from an external source is much improved.
It’s night and day difference, despite both being correctly recognized as HDR.
you might see the warmth of the environment clearly from the external source.
Again, gaming with titles like Cyberpunk 2077 on PC allows the HDR feature to shine.
This should be expected from any UST lens.
It wasn’t always perfect, though.
Some content seemed to come across as a little grainy, and I’m not sure why.
Something from the built-in image processing was causing that.
For the price, this is superb, and most people will be blown away by the image.
The stated latency in Game mode is 35ms, which aligns with my experience.
If anything, it’s a conservative estimate and may be higher depending on your prefs.
It also felt more responsive in Minecraft Dungeons.
Some gamers will still balk at the notion of 35ms of latency.
But as an all-in-one UST movie and gaming projector, you won’t be disappointed by the XGIMI Aura.
There’s one other downside for gamers though.
60Hz should be sufficient for all but the most serious of gamers.
I had no issues with 4K HDR 60Hz modes being supported for PS5 or PC.
It was correctly detected automatically, all the time.
Another minor point that I appreciated is that it remembers the configs.
It features a wide stereo stage and feels like some sort of vocal isolation is going on.
However, I can’t find a specific audio setting for that, so it could be my imagination.
Should You Buy the XGIMI Aura?
It’s not without faults.
Color purists may not be happy with it.
But for most peopleincluding those who want to do some gaming on their big screenit represents fantastic value.
I think I’m justified in saying this is the best Ultra Short-Throw laser projector for gaming so far.
