XGIMI Vibe One Review: Portable, Fun, And Easy To Use

XGIMI has earned its reputation making quality projectors across different price ranges, but the Vibe One pushes further into the budget range. At $269, this battery-powered portable projector runs Google TV and is targeted at consumers who just want to grab something and go. It's aimed squarely at budget-conscious buyers who care more about mobility and convenience than the best possible image quality.

The Vibe One makes the most sense for small indoor hangouts, casual gaming nights, and travel situations where you want a big picture on a wall without dragging along a whole home theater rig. It's not trying to go toe-to-toe with dedicated cinema projectors — it's more like the projector equivalent of a portable Bluetooth speaker.

Between the playful color scheme and the integrated stand design, the Vibe One feels less like serious AV equipment and more like a gadget you'd actually want to pull out and use. Whether that trade-off between polish and personality works for you comes down to what you're looking for in a projector.

The Vibe One is relatively compact, and it's built to be carried around. It's light enough to toss in a bag without a second thought, which is exactly what XGIMI was going for. The projector is designed around an adjustable tilt stand. You can angle the projector in a variety of directions, though you can't point it squarely at the ceiling given the fact that the handle is in the way. Still, the design is a clever way to make the image more adjustable.

The projector comes in two color schemes — Cloud Ash (beige), and Blue Spark. I have the latter, which looks great. The main body is mostly white, but it's paired with a blue base and a yellow handle. It's a kind of retro color scheme.

Ports are minimal but they cover the basics. Power input sits on the bottom, while the power button, USB port, and HDMI input live on the back of the projector body. The build is mostly plastic, and it can feel a little cheap in hand. That said, it doesn't feel flimsy or poorly made — just not premium. For what you're paying, that's a fair trade-off.

You get a remote in the box, and it's a standard Google TV remote with quick-access buttons for YouTube, Netflix, and Prime Video, plus a fourth shortcut button you can customize. The remote works fine, but it's nothing super special. Overall, the design does makes for a projector that's portable, approachable, and easy to set up.

The Vibe One runs Google TV, which is good news for those who want an interface that's easy to navigate. The software is clean, intuitive, and immediately familiar if you've ever used a Chromecast or Google TV device. You get easy access to all your streaming apps, plus Google TV's aggregated content recommendations that help you jump back into whatever you've been watching.

One thing worth mentioning is the native Netflix support. That might not sound like a big deal, but Netflix licensing on projectors is notoriously complicated. Plenty of budget projectors either skip Netflix entirely or get stuck with limited 480p quality because manufacturers haven't bothered with Netflix's certification process. The Vibe One sidesteps all of that, which is a real advantage if Netflix is your go-to streaming service.

Gaming gets some attention too. There's a dedicated Game Mode that drops input latency to 10 milliseconds, which is impressively low for a portable projector. Setup is simple, with automatic calibration taking care of focus and keystone correction without you needing to fiddle with anything. In my testing, it worked reliably and quickly, though at times you might still want to tweak some of those settings.

The software interface is good overall, but it can feel very slow. The chipset powering the Vibe One just isn't beefy enough to keep up with Google TV smoothly. I regularly had to wait a second or two for remote clicks to register on the software, which made navigating the interface a bit of a pain. Lag got better after the projector was on for a while — but you're most likely to actually scroll through the software after you turn it on, so you can navigate to what you want to watch. It's perhaps not a dealbreaker, but it's definitely noticeable.

The Vibe One outputs at 1080p resolution with 60Hz video playback support. For a projector in this price range, that's perfectly acceptable. There's no 4K here, but content still looks fine, especially at the recommended 60- to 120-inch projection sizes.

Brightness isn't the best, though. At 240 ANSI lumens, the Vibe One is dimmer than many competitors, including some at the same price. What that means is that you need a reasonably dark setting to see the image well. Daytime viewing with open curtains isn't going to make for a great image. Evening viewing or watching in a darkened room is much better.

Image quality itself is decent for the money. Colors are reasonably accurate, and the automatic focus and keystone correction do a good job keeping the picture sharp and properly aligned. You're not going to mistake this for a high-end home theater projector, but for casual use, it's fine.

There's no HDR support, which is a bit disappointing but not surprising given the price point and brightness limitations. HDR really needs higher peak brightness to deliver its intended impact, so the omission makes practical sense.

Compared to wired competitors at similar prices, the Vibe One does make some performance trade-offs. Lower brightness and a modest 470:1 contrast ratio mean you're sacrificing some image punch for the convenience of battery power and portability. Whether that trade-off makes sense depends entirely on how you plan to use it.

Audio on the Vibe One is tuned by JBL, and the dual 3W drivers can get louder than I expected. For a projector this small, having enough volume to fill a medium-sized room without external speakers is useful. Fan noise is reasonably quiet, though not silent — more noticeable than you'd find on pricier projectors, but easily drowned out by the speakers.

The audio response is fine, but not great. Bass is a little weak, as you'd expect from small drivers, and the overall sound signature is pretty mid-heavy. High-end detail is good enough for movies and TV without external speakers, though anyone who cares about audio will want to connect something better. The projector also includes a Bluetooth speaker mode, letting it double as a basic Bluetooth speaker when you're not projecting. That's a nice touch that adds extra utility.

The Vibe One runs on either its built-in rechargeable battery or AC power. Video playback battery life tops out around 1.2 hours in Eco Mode, which honestly isn't great. You're probably not watching a full movie on battery alone unless you pick shorter films, a couple TV episodes, or plan to plug in partway through. Music playback stretches to about 4 hours with the projector itself off.

It's worth noting that having any battery at this price is unusual. Most competitors in this range are wired-only, so even limited battery life makes using the projector more flexible than others.

The XGIMI Vibe One is a solid projector at a low price. The fun design, easy setup, and Google TV integration make it accessible in ways many budget projectors simply aren't. Image quality is decent for the money, too.

Brightness is the main limitation. At 240 lumens, you need controlled lighting to get a good picture, which limits when and where you can actually use it. For people who primarily watch in the evening or in dedicated viewing spaces, this won't matter much. For those who want more flexibility, it's worth thinking about.

The competition

At $269, the Vibe One is hard to beat for what it offers, especially for those looking for a battery-powered model. Competitors do deliver better brightness and even 4K support, but they lack battery power, and run proprietary operating systems instead of Google TV.

If you're willing to sacrifice portability and go with a wired projector, you can find better raw image quality at this price. But if you want the grab-and-go convenience of battery power combined with a proper smart TV platform, the Vibe One is a great choice in its price range.

Should I buy the XGIMI Vibe One?

Yes, if you're looking for a versatile projector at a reasonable price.