XGIMI Halo Portable 1080P Android TV Projector Review – Hardware: Connections, Lens, Control Panel, Remote Control, Menus.
The Halo is a small 1080P LED light sourced DLP projector measuring approximately 6.75” H x 4.46” W x 5.70” D and weighs 3.52 pounds. The camera for Halo’s 10,000+ point auto-focus is located next to the front-mounted projector lens. There are two 5W Harman Kardon speakers, one located on each side of the Halo projector. The air intake vent is located on the projector’s front, while the outlet vent is located on the back. All of the inputs and connections are on the rear of the unit.
The top of the chassis has a small control panel on it. The panel has a volume down button, a shared play/pause button, and a volume up button. The rear of the chassis has a button to power the projector on and off. A threaded tripod mount is located on the bottom of the Halo, along with a small kickstand.
All of the connections and inputs are located on the back of the Halo. There is one HDMI 1.4/2.0 input, one USB 2.0 input, a 3.5mm headphone output jack, and a DC input.
| Inputs/Outputs | Amount |
| HDMI 1.4/2.0 Input | 1 |
| USB 2.0 Input | 1 |
| 3.5mm Headphone Audio Output | 1 |
The Halo has a fixed lens with a throw ratio of 1.2:1. The unit does not have a way to manually focus the image but it wasn’t missed since its Auto Focus was quick and precise. For more placement flexibility the Halo includes extensive (vertical +/-40 degree and horizontal +/-40 degree) 4-point keystone correction software.
The 4-point keystone correction delivers an optimal image from nearly any angle. This feature helps to remove many of the annoyances of an optimal setup.
The XGIMI Halo remote has the buttons needed for most everyday operations, including power, volume, and playback control. On the remote, there is a microphone button that is used for voice control of the projector and compatible 3rd party Internet of Things (IoT) devices via the Android TV and Google Assistant. Below the microphone button is the input button and the settings button. Next are the four navigation buttons to navigate the menu. To make a selection, you simply press in the middle of the four navigation buttons where it says OK.
The Halo is a smart projector with a menu system that is well organized and easy to navigate. The push button that looks like a gear is the Shortcut Setting button, which takes you directly to the basic settings menu. You can scroll down and press the All Settings tab from the Shortcut Settings, to be taken to the projector’s more advanced settings. The Home push button, which looks like a house, allows you to access apps and other entertaining services. Once you are in the Halo app menu, you can select a specific input, streaming app, media player, or explore the Google Play Store.
The projector settings can be adjusted from the Halo home screen. The brightness can be changed under the “Projector Settings” tab. The customized brightness is adjusted in 10% increments from 10% to 100% brightness. Customize setting 0, Customize setting 1, and Customize setting 2 have the out the box settings at 100%, Red 100%, Green 100%, Blue 100% on the home screen. Under Image Settings, I was able to adjust brightness in greater detail from 0 to 100, along with contrast, saturation, and sharpness. The adjustments come back around, so you don’t have to go all the way down and all the way up through the numbers again; at one press of the remote, you can go from 100 to 0 or 0 to 100.
Under Shortcut Setting, there’s a tab called HDMI Version, where you can select either HDMI 1.4 or HDMI 2.0. I used HDMI 2.0 and connected a 4K Apple TV with a 1.6’ Bullet Train HDMI cable for my review. As an added perk, the XGIMI Halo remote can control the Apple 4K TV via HDMI CEC.
