The XGIMI AURA 2 is a 4k HDR ultra-short-throw (UST) projector. It's capable of projecting on large surfaces from a very short distance: it projects a 90" image at a distance of 5.4" and up to 150" at 15.3". It's a big projector but comes with full auto keystone technology and autofocus, making it quick to install. The projector utilizes a dual LED and laser light source, and is rated to last at least 20,000 hours. It comes with Android TV 11, with Chromecast and Magicast built in, alongside three HDMI ports. One of its HDMI ports doubles as an eARC port, with support for DTS and Dolby advanced audio formats. It also supports Dolby Vision and is IMAX Enhanced-certified. Finally, it has a 60W Dolby Atmos Harman/Kardon sound system.
Our Verdict
The XGIMI AURA 2 is a great projector for watching movies. It's bright enough for rooms with a few lights and bright enough to project somewhat vibrant colors. Its contrast is great, so it excels in darker rooms. It's a fully featured projector with Dolby Vision, IMAX Enhanced certification, and Dolby Atmos support. It's also very accurate right out of the box, requiring few adjustments for an accurate image.
Great peak brightness, with bright and punchy colors.
Great contrast for a solid dark room experience.
Ultra-short-throw capabilities, so you can place it very close to the wall or screen.
Packed with features, including Dolby Vision support.
Excellent pre-calibration accuracy.
The XGIMI AURA 2 is a good living-room gaming UST. Brightness is quite high for its class, and the LED-laser light source gives games very saturated color, so the image holds up even when some lights are on. The contrast is great and looks fantastic in a dimly lit room. The projector is very accurate out of the box, so you don't need to get it calibrated if you care about your games looking as the artists intended. Unfortunately, the unit is limited to 60Hz, so it doesn't offer high-refresh modes to further reduce latency. Thankfully, latency is satisfactory at 60Hz; enough for slower game genres, but look elsewhere if you want to play fast-paced or competitive titles.
Great peak brightness, with bright and punchy colors.
Great contrast for a solid dark room experience.
Ultra-short-throw capabilities, so you can place it very close to the wall or screen.
Packed with features, including Dolby Vision support.
Excellent pre-calibration accuracy.
No high refresh rate support; limited to 1080p or 4k @ 60Hz.
The XGIMI AURA 2 is a bright projector that holds up well in living rooms and other moderately lit spaces. It puts out plenty of light for a large 100" image, and its brightness is very uniform, so you don't see obvious hot spots or dim corners. Colors stay punchy as long as you keep direct sunlight off the screen, and in a dark room, it has more than enough output to make highlights stand out.
Bright enough for most living rooms.
Very uniform image with no obvious hot spots.
Still needs some light control; not ideal for very bright, sun-filled rooms.
Contrast is a strength of the XGIMI AURA 2. In a dark room, it delivers deep, satisfying blacks, so movies and TV shows have good depth and separation between bright highlights and darker backgrounds. It maintains this strong performance in most real-world scenes, although in the very darkest content, the black floor is still slightly raised, so shadows don't look quite as inky as on the very best home-theater projectors.
Deep blacks in dark rooms.
Strong contrast in most real-world scenes, giving good image depth.
Changelog
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Updated Jan 21, 2026:
We mentioned the newly reviewed Hisense PT1 in the Color Gamut section of this review.
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Updated Jan 14, 2026:
We've modified the text in our Brightness and Native Contrast text boxes as a result of our latest test bench, and added a Sequential Contrast test. We've also added Brightness and Contrast performance usages in the Verdict section.
- Updated Jan 14, 2026: We've converted the review to Test Bench 0.11, which renames our Contrast test to Native Contrast, and adds a Sequential Contrast test box. We also added new Brightness and Contrast performance usages in Our Verdict. See the 0.11 changelog.
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Updated Oct 03, 2025:
We made some minor adjustments before our official TBU 0.10 launch.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We bought and tested the XGIMI AURA 2, which succeeds the XGIMI AURA. While they have similar feature sets, the AURA 2 is brighter, has more HDR formats, and has a more modern feature set. The table below shows the primary differences between the two units.
| Model | Luminance (Lumens) | HDR Formats | Light Source | Bluetooth | Smart OS | Auto Keystone/Autofocus |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AURA 2 | 2400 | HDR10, Dolby Vision, IMAX Enhanced | LED + Laser | 5.2/BLE | Android TV 11 | Yes |
| AURA | 1800 | HDR10 | Laser | 5.0 | Android TV 10 | No |
Our unit was manufactured in August 2024.
Popular Projector Comparisons
The XGIMI AURA 2 is a great ultra-short-throw (UST) projector and a clear improvement over its predecessor, the XGIMI AURA, thanks to its higher brightness and more accurate picture. It's still expensive, but it's one of the stronger UST options in its class, with the main alternative being the Hisense PX3-PRO. The Hisense has a wider color gamut and more complete gaming features, but the XGIMI usually sells for less and is an excellent choice if you're mostly planning to watch movies.
Check out our recommendations for the best 4k projectors, the best projectors for home theater, and the best short-throw projectors. If you'd prefer to shop for a cheaper product, look up the best projectors under $1,000 instead.
The Hisense PX3-PRO and XGIMI AURA 2 are closely matched. The XGIMI is a bit brighter and far more accurate out of the box, but the Hisense has a much wider color gamut. While they both have a ton of features, the Hisense has more features for gamers, alongside an option to game at high refresh rates. Still, the XGIMI's input lag is far lower at 60Hz than the Hisense, giving it the edge for console gaming at lower refresh rates.
The XGIMI AURA 2 is better than the Epson EpiqVision Ultra LS800, although the Epson is significantly brighter than the already bright XGIMI. However, the XGIMI has better contrast, is more accurate out of the box, and has a wider color gamut. It also supports Dolby Vision and is IMAX Enhanced certified, while the Epson is limited to HDR10.
The Valerion VisionMaster Pro 2 is better than the XGIMI AURA 2, as it is brighter, and it has a good dynamic contrast feature. Still, the XGIMI is much more accurate right out of the box, but the Valerion has a far wider color gamut. Thus, if you prefer accuracy over pop, the XGIMI is the better option right out of the box, although the Valerion is the better choice post-calibration due to its edge in colors. The Valerion is also better for gamers due to its 240Hz and 120Hz capabilities at 1080p. If you'd rather place your projector very close to the screen or wall, the XGIMI has the edge thanks to its UST capabilities; the Valerion is a traditional long-throw projector, though it does have an optical zoom.
The XGIMI AURA 2 is a noticeable improvement over the XGIMI AURA. The AURA 2 is brighter and is far more accurate than the AURA. It also has a more modern feature set, with Dolby Vision and IMAX Enhanced certification, Android TV 11, and Bluetooth 5.2, while the original AURA is limited to HDR10, Android TV 10, and Bluetooth 5.0. The AURA 2 also has full auto keystone technology and an autofocus, making it easier to move around than its predecessor.
We've independently bought and tested over 75 projectors and published detailed results for each, so you can decide which one to buy. These have all been tested under the same standardized methodology, allowing you to compare them side by side. We still have all these projects in our lab, so we can continually go back and compare them to ensure our reviews are still accurate. All our test methodologies are also public on our website, so you can validate the results yourself.
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