The XGIMI Elfin is a lightweight 1080p HDR projector. It's small and light, making it easy to carry around, and it's easy to install and use, with Auto Keystone correction, intelligent obstacle avoidance and screen alignment, and an autofocus. The projector uses an LED bulb as its light source with a rated lifespan of 25,000 hours. It can project an image between 40" and 200", though XGIMI recommends sticking to 60-120 inches for optimal image quality. It has a slew of smart features with the Android TV smart interface, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and an Auto Game Mode for gaming. Finally, it has two built-in Harman Kardon 3W speakers.
Our Verdict
The XGIMI Elfin is passable for watching movies. It's not bright, so you need to turn off the light for an enjoyable experience. Unfortunately, its contrast is disappointing, especially in darker scenes, where it has obviously lifted blacks. It has a wide color gamut but isn't bright enough to make colors pop. Thankfully, its image accuracy is decent out of the box, and you can easily improve it by changing just a few settings.
- Decent image accuracy out-of-the-box.
- Full suite of smart features.
- Small and light, and has a slew of image correction features for a quick install.
Contrast is great in very bright scenes.
Fantastic brightness uniformity.
- The projector is dim, and struggles when any lights are on in the room.
Disappointing contrast, especially in dark content.
The XGIMI Elfin is subpar for gaming. It tops out at 1080p @ 60Hz, and input latency is in the 30ms range in its game mode, which feels responsive enough for slow single-player titles like turn-based RPGs. Competitive players who want super-snappy reactions should look at a faster DLP gaming projector instead. Image quality isn't terrible for a small portable projector, with decent color accuracy, though it isn't very bright and has disappointing contrast.
- Decent image accuracy out-of-the-box.
Contrast is great in very bright scenes.
Fantastic brightness uniformity.
- The projector is dim, and struggles when any lights are on in the room.
Maxes out at 1080p @ 60Hz.
High input lag makes it unsuitable for most game genres.
Disappointing contrast, especially in dark content.
The XGIMI Elfin's brightness is poor. You really need to turn off the lights to get a pleasant viewing experience with this projector. It does have fantastic brightness uniformity, so there is little visible vignetting.
Fantastic brightness uniformity.
- The projector is dim, and struggles when any lights are on in the room.
The XGIMI Elfin's contrast is disappointing. It really struggles with near-dark content, as its relative contrast ratio barely increases as scenes get darker. Still, it performs well in bright scenes relative to other projectors, but it delivers a subpar experience overall.
Contrast is great in very bright scenes.
Disappointing contrast, especially in dark content.
Changelog
-
Updated Feb 06, 2026:
We've modified the text in our Brightness and Native Contrast text boxes as a result of our latest test bench. We've also added Brightness and Contrast performance usages in the Verdict section.
- Updated Feb 03, 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.
-
Updated Oct 27, 2025:
We've added Imaging, Optics, Noise, Supported Resolutions, HDR Format Support, 3D, Input Lag, and Audio Passthrough boxes as a result of our latest test bench. We've also added a Gaming usage in the Verdict section.
- Updated Oct 20, 2025: We've converted the review to Test Bench 0.10, which updates our Design tests, and adds a whole new suite of Inputs tests. We also added new gaming-oriented usage scores in Our Verdict. See the 0.10 changelog.
Check Price
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the XGIMI Elfin projector. It's the smallest and cheapest projector in XGIMI's Home Projectors lineup, sitting below XGIMI's HORIZON line. However, it has more in common with XGIMI's portable Halo and MoGo projectors. Here is a table comparing the Elfin to some of XGIMI's other offerings.
| Model | Resolution | Rated Brightness (ISO) | Battery | HDMI / ARC | Smart Platform | Key Differences |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| XGIMI Elfin | 1080p | 600 ISO lm | No | 1× HDMI 2.0 (eARC) | Google TV / Android TV (varies by region & FW) | Smallest, lightest home model; no battery; 1.2:1 throw; portable-style design. |
| XGIMI Halo+ | 1080p | ≈700 ISO lm (manufacturer-rated) | Yes | 1× HDMI 2.0 (ARC/eARC depends on revision) | Google TV | Similar size but adds built-in battery and slightly higher brightness; still 1.2:1 throw. |
| XGIMI HORIZON | 1080p | ≈1500 ISO lm (manufacturer-rated) | No | 2× HDMI 2.0 (1× eARC) | Android TV | Larger chassis with higher brightness, two HDMI ports, stronger speakers. |
| XGIMI HORIZON Pro | 4k (XPR) | ≈1500 ISO lm (manufacturer-rated) | No | 2× HDMI 2.0 (1× eARC) | Android TV | 4k pixel-shifting version of HORIZON; otherwise similar hardware and throw. |
Our unit was manufactured in May 2023.
Popular Projector Comparisons
The XGIMI Elfin is a compact, lightweight projector that's easy to set up and looks sharp for casual viewing. However, it isn't a great gaming pick. It tops out at 60Hz, and our measured input lag is in the ~30 ms range at 1080p, which feels okay for slower, single-player titles but too sluggish if you're sensitive to latency or play competitive games. If you want something more gaming-focused, consider models that support 120Hz or lower latency, like the BenQ X500i, but it's a lot more expensive than the XGIMI. If you don't need an integrated battery and don't care about gaming, the Elfin remains a convenient portable option; if you do need a battery, the XGIMI Halo+ trades a bit of value for truly cordless use. For the best picture quality overall in this price class, there are brighter home-oriented alternatives, but they're larger and less portable.
Check out our recommendations for the best portable projectors and the best outdoor projectors. If you'd prefer to shop for another product in the same price range, look up the best projectors under $1,000 instead.
The XGIMI Elfin is better than the XGIMI MoGo 2 Pro. The Elfin is a bit brighter and is much more accurate of the two projectors. The Elfin can also passthrough advanced audio formats through its eARC port, while the MoGo 2 Pro is limited to ARC.
The XGIMI HORIZON and XGIMI Elfin serve different purposes, with the Elfin being much more portable due to its size and weight, although the HORIZON can also be moved around easily if need be. The HORIZON is much brighter, so it can handle a few lights in the room. Unfortunately, the HORIZON is also wildly inaccurate out of the box and doesn't have the required calibration options to make its image accurate.
The XGIMI Halo+ is a bit better than the XGIMI Elfin, but unfortunately, the Halo+ really needs to be calibrated if you care about image accuracy, as it is inaccurate otherwise. Still, the Halo+ has better brightness and contrast than the Elfin, a slightly wider color gamut, and is even more portable due to the inclusion of an integrated battery.
The XGIMI Elfin is better than the XGIMI MoGo 3 Pro. Still, they're not exactly in the same class of products; while the Elfin is very portable due to its small size, the MoGo 3 Pro has a fully swiveling stand and even comes with a lanyard to let you easily attach it to a belt; it definitely feels like something you'd just throw into a bag while heading out. Still, regarding image quality, the Elfin is the superior choice: brighter, deeper blacks, wider color gamut, and more accurate out of the box.
We've independently bought and tested over 60 projectors, and we've published all the 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 methodology is also public on our website, so you can validate the results yourself.
Throw Calculator
Global Controls
Test Results
The XGIMI Elfin is a dim projector, so you need to turn off the lights for a pleasant viewing experience. It does have stellar brightness uniformity, so there's little variation in brightness between the sides and the center.
The table below lists the projector's uncalibrated picture modes. The 'Movie' and 'Football' modes are more vibrant than our calibrated 'Custom' Picture Mode, at the cost of accuracy. Inversely, the 'Game' Picture Mode is dimmer than 'Custom'.
| Picture Mode | WLO | CLO |
|---|---|---|
| Movie | 458 lm | 463 lm |
| Football | 456 lm | 463 lm |
| Office | 341 lm | 324 lm |
| Game | 286 lm | 393 lm |
This projector has a disappointing contrast ratio. While it maintains good separation between elements in very bright content relative to other projectors, its contrast ratio barely goes up as scenes get dimmer, leading to very poor contrast in near-dark content.
The projector has a wide color gamut. It covers nearly all of the Rec. 709 color space used with SDR content, although its blues and pinks are inaccurate. It does an okay job with the wider Rec. 2020 color space.
The XGIMI Elfin projector has decent pre-calibration accuracy. Bright content is overbrightened, and its colors aren't very accurate, especially its blues and pinks. There are some white balance accuracy errors, but it's not too bad. Thankfully, the projector's color temperature is fantastic, even if slightly on the warm side.
This projector's color accuracy is great after calibration. Its white balance and color temperature are now almost perfect. Sadly, its color accuracy doesn't improve much with calibration, as blues and pinks remain inaccurate, though slightly less so.
This 1080p DLP projector uses an LED bulb as its light source, and it's rated by the manufacturer for up to 25,000 hours, so you likely won't ever have to worry about replacing it. As it's a 1080p projector, it's limited to a 1080p @ 60Hz resolution.
The projector has a fixed-focus lens with no optical zoom and no lens shift; it does have autofocus and automatic keystone for quick setup. Here are some typical projection distances:
- 60" image ≈ 5.2 ft from the screen
- 80" image ≈ 7.0 ft
- 100" image ≈ 8.7 ft
- 120" image ≈ 10.5 ft
The XGIMI Elfin projector has a compact design and weighs only 2.2 pounds, but it doesn't have an integrated battery, so you still need to plug it into an outlet. It has full Auto Keystone correction and autofocus, so it's easy to set up. The projector has two integrated speakers, so you won't need to worry about connecting it to a soundbar or audio system when bringing it with you.
At max brightness, the projector is audible in a quiet room, but it isn't too distracting once you're a few feet back with normal TV volume.
The XGIMI Elfin keeps things simple with one full-size HDMI 2.0 input (with eARC), one USB-A 2.0 port for local media and accessories, a 3.5 mm audio-out jack for headphones/speakers, and a DC power input. Wireless is handled by dual-band Wi-Fi (2.4/5 GHz) and Bluetooth 5.0 for pairing speakers, headphones, or gamepads; it also supports HDMI-CEC control, so your streaming box or console can power and control the projector over HDMI.
As it runs Android TV with Chromecast built in, you can cast from phones or laptops without using the single HDMI port. There's no Ethernet jack and no optical/line digital audio out, so if you need multichannel audio, you'll route it over HDMI-ARC to a soundbar/AVR.
The projector's input lag is pretty high, resulting in a disappointing gaming experience. In a pinch, it'll do for slow single-player games, but serious gamers will want to shop for a gaming-oriented product, like the BenQ X500i, instead.
The XGIMI Elfin has just one HDMI port with eARC, so it only passes through audio from its own internal apps.
The unit supports 3D, uses DLP-Link glasses, and supports Side-by-Side (SBS) and Top-and-Bottom (TAB) formats. If you just want a flat image, you can also convert 3D to 2D from either layout.
This projector has the Android TV smart OS with full casting support, so you can share your phone or laptop screen directly to the projector. Unfortunately, Netflix doesn't work on this device. The projector has two built-in 3W Harman Kardon speakers.