tekiwibird
- Comment
Summary: 3/5 stars other than a visually pleasing form-factor with a brand-name sound system the software features for this device cripples the home theater user experience. The out-of-box: 5/5 stars. The product box was surrounded by an airpad wrap giving it ample protection during shipping. It was shrink wrapped and upon opening you are greeted by your new H2. The H2 is nestled between more foam padding and the accessories - power cable, adapter, and remote - are found in the bottom compartment. Plugging-in is intuitive and setup is Apple-esque with on screen step-by-step instructions. The Xgimi Hardware: 4/5 stars. The hardware looks very premium and minimalist. If youre an Apple-minded customer this will fit right in with your decor. Unlike Apples robust aluminium unibody this device is primarily a plastic build. A very thin aluminium ventilation grill surrounds the front and two sides of the device. I personally dont like how thin the aluminium grill is, as it seems prone to dents should you ever mishandle this device. On top of the device there are buttons for power and various modes, with a novel touch-slide volume adjustment bar that runs the devices width. These didnt impress meas they would go untouched in a mounted use-case. On the bottom is were youll find the adjustable legs, a 1/4inch screw for mounting, and the harman-kardon speaker. The Xgimi UX: 1/5 stars. I was very disappointed to go from a sleek on-boarding experience to a relatively lack-luster home screen. For me this really made the product experience feel cheap for an US$899 projector. It felt like going from an Apple product to Android (the device runs Android 6.0). It isnt a stock Android TV experience its Xgimis very scaled back and limited version which makes it worse. The device comes pre-installed with YouTube, Web-browsing, and a very restricted App/Play Store called Aptoide. In Aptoide you can install streaming services like Netflix, hulu etc, thats it. I felt like I experienced everything the software could offer in 5 mins which made me feel bad about the purchase. The Xgimi remote: 2/5 stars. Again Apple-esque design with poor choice of button mapping and software functionality. This is a fairly simple device so Ill focus on its shortcomings - cannot distinguish buttons in the dark, the air-mouse button is too close to the power button and too far away from the OK/select button, and the air-mouse mode times out after 60 seconds requiring constant re-activation. Overall its hard to learn to use, hard to use, and functionality is limited. The Xgimi picture quality: 4/5 stars. First of all this is not a true 4K projector, it uses pixel shifting to achieve a "Faux-K" result for 4K content. Saying this, the picture quality tied with the 1350 ANSI lumens projected is good and comparable to some high-end projectors Ive owned. The advanced keystone correction was the only useful way to adjust for ceiling, angles, and screen-sizes. I felt the contrast and color saturation lacking on the Xgimi projector. The motion compensation feature was a welcome surprise as it made action-shots seem very clear. Xgimi software updates: 3/5 stars. I went through 2 updates since purchasing this device, and I hope the trend continues. The first was to v1.2.1 and the latest to 1.3.3. However the updates were not anything special and offered minor improvements. v1.3.3 actually improved the launcher experience to look more like a stock Android TV launcher, and added Faux-K support for YouTube. I feel future updates should focus on improving the user experience for the device and providing fully fledged smart TV experience. That is, treat it like a smartphone and allow users to download content via their regions Play Store. Overall 3/5 stars. This is a relatively expensive box that has software limitations that would prevent me using it natively for all my media needs. There are some guides out there where users installed the Play Store and other apps with varying levels of success. Until the software for this device is improved I would hesitate to recommend this product, and advise that you use an Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV Stick, or Google Chromecast in conjunction for a better experience. Attached a picture showing my projector on a Xgimi floor stand, projecting onto a white wall 3m/10ft away in daylight. Average to good result. Ive since found out there is an H2 Aurora with full glass lens-kit and 1500 ansi lumen output that would perform better. I do not know why Xgimi would sell this H2 Global without that technology.