Xgimi Elfin Review: Compact and stylish projector

The XGIMI Elfin  is a product that brings XGIMI’s expertise in projectors to an extremely small and portable format, which does not disappoint in terms of image quality or functions, offering FullHD quality with brightness of up to 800 ANSI lumens, that’s for sure. mention the Android 10 operating system as the engine of the experience; We can also anticipate that it is a really silent projector and, to our surprise, provided with speakers with good audio.

It is for the reasons stated above that the Xgimi Elfin earns our attention today. On the other hand, if you are looking for a 4K projector that is at the top of the current market, it may be better for you to meet the  Hisense 100L5F .

A fairly compact projector, but not completely portable

The XGIMI Elfin reduces XGIMI projectors to a more compact package that doesn’t make huge sacrifices to deliver excellent image quality. Although the XGIMI Elfin  weighs just 0.90 kilograms and measures just  19.2 x 19.3 x 48 cm , it is capable of reaching 800 ANSI lumens, which is commendable.

The design itself reminds us of an Apple Mac Mini, although it is made of white plastic instead of silver metal. Also, the chassis has a totally clean top and sides, leaving the front, rear and bottom to house the important parts.

It is notable the absence of any type of control buttons beyond on / off. In other words, there is no way to change sources, control volume, or focus without the remote.

In another vein, we will find that the projector lens is protected behind a hard glass protector on the front, as well as sensors to handle automatic keystone distortion and image framing.

However, the fact that it is extremely compact does not make it completely portable. What do we mean by this paradoxical statement? A that it lacks the ability to run on batteries , so it will always be necessary to have it connected to a power source, which obviously limits the options a bit.

And as you would expect from most Pico portable projectors, there are no zoom lenses on the Xgimi Elfin. Therefore, frame adjustment is done in the traditional way: by moving the projector towards or away from the screen.

Image and projection features

Inside, the XGIMI Elfin has a 0.33-inch DLP 1080p imaging chip , which allows it to project a 30-200-inch image and handle 4K input. Based on four LED banks, the system has light sources for red, blue and green, as well as an additional blue LED. This additional component contributes 12% to the projector’s output.

That said, the XGIMI Elfin really stands out for its 800 ANSI Lumens brightness level , a figure rarely reached by a portable Pico projector like this one, it even beats the XGIMI Halo by a long way, a popular model from this company that also stands out for its compact format, but whose brightness is 642 lumens. Either way, the image is clear enough even with the overhead lights on.

As if that were not enough, the XGIMI Elfin has the ability to frame the image within the confines of a projection screen or shrink it to avoid obstacles such as hanging paintings or photographs automatically. It also allows us to quickly manage horizontal and vertical keystone adjustments, as well as focus, saving a lot of time in setup.

But not everything is rosy, after all, it is just a FullHD projector. So it leaves a bit to be desired when opting for the larger projection sizes. Ragged edges in text and simple geometric shapes are quite evident at large sizes and details are not very visible in dark scenes, a problem shared with the XGIMI Halo. Therefore, it is not recommended for gaming or content with a lot of dark scenes.

Similarly, the potential of HDR10 + is substantially wasted by poor shadow detail.

Connectivity and operating system

The  Elfin’s built-in Wi-Fi supports Chromecast to receive video streams from a Windows phone, tablet, or computer. As you might expect, this requires the use of the Chrome browser or any of the hundreds of Chromecast-compatible apps. Similarly, it supports Bluetooth to pair mobile or wireless speakers in case the 3W stereo speakers signed by Harman Kardon  are not enough for you.

When it comes to wired connections, the XGIMI Elfin includes an HDMI 2.0 port , a USB 2.0 input and a 3.5mm audio jack , so it’s well-stocked in this regard and you can add whatever you need to enhance the experience.

Finally, one of the main premises of this Pico projector is the presence of the Android 10 operating system , which allows us to take advantage of Google’s ecosystem of applications and services for entertainment. In the same way, it is compatible with the Google assistant, although it can be a bit slow to react.

It is important to note that for some reason beyond our understanding, the XGIMI is not natively compatible with the Netflix application , which is a shame considering it is the main streaming platform in the world. However, we can always use the Netflix version for the browser with the disadvantages that this implies or access with our iOS or Android device linked in mirror mode.

PROS:

• Very compact and stylish
• Vibrant image with good brightness
• Many connectivity options
• Silent
• Android TV

CONS:

• Poor details in dark scenes
• Requires logging in with Google to set it up
• Netflix app does not work on this projector