XGIMI Halo is a projector that I have often heard of, even as the best on the market, but will it be true?
XGIMI Halo, really the best portable projector on the market? 
Inside this white monolith is the XGIMI Halo projector that I have been looking forward to trying for weeks. The wait was not too intense because the shipment was very fast, much faster than many other Chinese products I have dealt with over the years.
Luckily I didn't have to pay any customs, but we have to say it clearly, there is a risk (if you buy directly from China).
The package inside contains only Halo, power supply, user manual and remote control. Attention, very serious: batteries not included, what a disappointment not to be able to try it immediately because I didn't have any around the house.
Having overcome this initial obstacle, I was finally able to put the projector into action. Calling it a projector, however, is an understatement, it is a smart device equipped with the AndroidTV 9.0 operating system and therefore capable of doing much more than projecting a video on a surface. Listing everything it can do would be impossible, and who knows how much more I haven't gotten to know. With Google and its voice assistant, the potential is endless. Warning: the Netflix app is currently not compatible, it will – probably – arrive in the future.
In terms of design, I find the projector rather compact (11 × 15 cm, 1.6kg), which is necessary due to its portability. The realization in metal effect is a pleasure for the eyes. This new version of Halo introduces a small stand to raise the device slightly to facilitate projection. Below this is the section for attaching Halo to a tripod. On the back we find the HDMI, USB and 3.5mm jack inputs to connect other devices.
As already mentioned several times, the device is portable and therefore equipped with a battery. The autonomy is not the best and my advice is to keep it close to the current. Without any help you can reach from 2 to 4 hours of projection according to the selected brightness. If we use that maximum, it will be difficult to exceed two hours and it is a factor that certainly cannot be ignored if you want to watch a longer-than-average movie.
Still on the subject of brightness, XGIMI Halo reaches 800 ANSI, a very respectable value for a portable device. The light beam has a claimed life of 30,000 hours. It goes without saying that I cannot test this data, but if we take it to be true, we are talking about more than 10 years of 8 hours of daily playback.
Moving on to talking about video, the device plays files in 1080p and up to 300 inches in size without problems. It is possible to project on any surface, thanks also to the possibility of changing the colors according to the background. The output is qualitatively much better if, however, we use a projection cloth, even an entry-level one for a few euros is a big step forward. The response time is very low and I have not encountered any kind of lag, making it perfect for those who intend to use it as a gaming station. Overall, the image that Halo manages to create is of absolute quality, with an excellent rendering of the blacks that I want to emphasize.
The autokeystone and 10000-point autofocus system are in charge of focusing the image and I found them extremely precise: with every movement or ignition, the image is recalibrated in an instant for a perfect rendering. It is obviously possible to carry out these two procedures manually.
The audio sector has certainly not been underestimated: the volume and quality of the output are quite high thanks to the two 5W speakers, making the use of a specific device optional and it can even be used as a bluetooth speaker! If you are worried about the noise produced by Halo, no problem, it is really quiet and not in the least distracting.
FINAL VERDICT I've had a lot of fun these days fiddling with XGIMI Halo. You can use it in so many different ways and it never disappoints. Personally, I find the battery the only flaw of this device, I don't like having to use it with water in my throat because it could turn off at any moment. Last detail, that of the price: 799 euros. Certainly they may seem like a lot at first glance, especially for the novices of the sector, but it is actually a competitive figure for a portable projector. The best on the market? Difficult to say, but definitely a great quality projector.
