Projectors and laser TVs are considered by many to be the future of television and home cinema. While large-size TVs continue to be popular products, new smart projectors are quickly turning out to be interesting alternatives. One such projector is the XGIMI Aura, a 4K short-throw device that aims to replace the TV in your home cinema setup, and the hassles of handling and maintaining a large screen that comes with it. I tried the Aura for a week and while I loved it, is the XGIMI Aura the right fit for you? Find out in my full review below.
XGIMI Aura: What’s good?
Design, connectivity
The XGIMI Aura has a sleek design and while it is larger than most conventional projectors, you’ll find it comparable to other short-throw projectors/laser TVs. It has a sleek design, a nice two-tone black and silver finish and solid build quality.
The XGIMI Aura looks nice even when it is turned off. (Image Source: Chetan Nayak/ Express Photo)
On the back of the projector are multiple input/output ports that’ll help you hook it up to pretty much anything including a PC, laptop or console for input and a soundbar or your home theatre audio system for output.
Picture quality
While the XGIMI Aura can be used with a plain wall as well, the brand did send me an accompanying 72-inch retractable display to make the most of my experience. While the screen is a heavy accessory and requires considerable space to place and operate, it is a worthy addition if you want your display away from the wall, or if you have painted/textured wallpapers.
The 4K projection captures great detail and your viewing experience is nice even when using the projector with larger walls. (Image Source: Chetan Nayak/ Express Photo)
The Aura delivers gorgeous picture quality. With 4K resolution support, the details looked crisp and complimented the punchy colour output. Watching a few football games and some movies on the screen was bliss. This was especially true for The Amazing Spider-Man 2 which isn’t the best Spider-Man adaptation out there but a visual delight to watch.
I remember watching the movie in my local cinema and the experience of now enjoying the movie comfortably in my room was quite liberating. While I wouldn’t compare this to watching a movie in an IMAX cinema, this projector astonishingly offered a better display experience than some theatres I have been to.
The Aura shines out when used on a screen like this Vivid Storm one. (Image Source: Chetan Nayak/ Express Photo)
You also have the added benefit here of adjusting the display size and corners exactly the way you want them to look. This really helps when you have size or space constraints or when you must have an angle between the projector and the display. Although, I did miss the automatic image correction that was present on the XGIMI Halo Plus I tested out earlier this year.
Another feature I really liked here was an eye-protection mechanism that dims out the projection immediately when it detects motion nearby, avoiding blinding effects in case a kid directly faces the output throw by mistake.
Sound
The built-in speaker system of the XGIMI is powerful and delivers a good sound output. While I would still recommend investing and connecting a surround sound system to get the full ‘immersive’ experience, the built-in sound system is the next best thing and doesn’t feel lacking except for the fact that the audio is largely unidirectional
The sound on the Aura is also pretty neat, and so is the remote control that comes with it. (Image Source: Chetan Nayak/ Express Photo)
XGIMI Aura Ultra: What’s not good?
There isn’t much to complain about the XGIMI Aura, beyond the limitations that affect all projectors and similar devices. The first of these is that it will require an adequate setup. This includes everything from enough space to place the projector, investing in an additional screen if required, and also proper sun-blocking mechanisms in your living room that will cut off any sunlight during the day.
Without the latter, you may not get the best possible picture quality if there is a lot of natural light in the room, which is why I did most of my testing during the night. Smaller lights, however, like lamps or chandeliers should have a negligible effect on the display output and will not hamper your experience.
Verdict: Is the XGIMI Aura Ultra for you?
Priced at Rs 3,50,000, the Aura can be a costly affair, but if you’re willing to put in the money, you get a complete cinema experience at your house that can also be used with your gaming console or other HDMI devices. If you can afford the projector, as well as any other optional necessities like a screen, this is a solid recommendation and is one product that is unlikely to disappoint.
