In Brief: Xgimi Elfin Flip
Our Full Opinion of the Xgimi Elfin Flip
Below, you’ll find the key technical details, design overview, connection options, screen recommendations, installation tips, interface features, subjective image quality, measured performance, gaming capabilities, sound output, power consumption, noise levels, remote control notes, and our final verdict.
Like the MoGo 3 Pro, Xgimi’s Elfin Flip is a very compact projector designed to be set up quickly, providing a large Full HD image in moments. It runs on a proprietary platform with a few built-in apps (including Netflix) and features automatic image-correction capabilities. Below are our impressions after putting it to the test.
Quick Summary: Xgimi Elfin Flip
Rating: 7/10
Pros
- Original, compact form factor
- Automated image adjustments
- Ergonomic remote design
- Low power draw
- Relatively silent
- Good price-to-performance ratio
Cons
- Sparse app library
- Weak native contrast
- Limited brightness
- No backlighting on remote
Full Review
Key Technical Details
- Dimensions: 218 × 235 × 64 mm
- Max Resolution: 1920 × 1080 (Full HD)
- Max Screen Size: 150 inches
- HDR Compatibility: HDR10
- HDMI Inputs: 1
- Speakers: 2 × 3 W
- Operating System: Xgimi OS
We tested the Elfin Flip loaned by Xgimi with a Lumene Movie Palace UHD Platinum 300C projection screen. All measurements were taken with professional instruments, aimed directly at the screen to reflect real-world viewing conditions.
Design: Original with a Swing-Style Mount
While the MoGo 3 Pro already has a distinctive look, the Elfin Flip is even more striking. When folded, it sits in a compact form. To use it, simply tilt the built-in swing-style stand up to 150 degrees, making it easy to adjust the projection angle. The beige finish is neat, and the overall construction feels solid.
At roughly 235 × 218 mm, with a 64 mm base thickness and a weight of just 1.18 kg, it’s easy to move around. A standard tripod thread on the bottom offers even more placement flexibility. Like many small projectors, it comes with a power adapter that’s compact yet needs factoring in when travelling.
Connections
All ports are located on the back of the unit:
- 1× USB-A (for media on a USB stick or external drive)
- 1× HDMI (standard format)
- No dedicated headphone jack
Underneath, you’ll find the power connector. Wireless connectivity includes Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 5.1, so you can also use the projector as a simple Bluetooth speaker if you like.
The Screen
No screen is included with the Elfin Flip, leaving you free to choose your own. Budget-conscious users might opt for projecting onto a wall, but that means missing out on the benefits of a proper projection surface. Screens vary widely in quality and cost, with prices generally ranging from a few hundred to a couple of thousand euros, depending on size and surface treatments.
Installation: Tilt It and You’re All Set
Setting up the Elfin Flip is straightforward. Its swing-style mount simplifies finding the right angle, and its automatic focus and trapezoid correction ensure the image is aligned and sharp in just a few seconds. The autofocus works well, and there’s an obstacle-detection feature to avoid placing the image over, say, a wall-hung painting.
If the automatic corrections aren’t satisfactory, you can tweak them manually. There’s also an eye-protection function that cuts the light if something passes in front of the lens. Unlike some other models, it doesn’t adapt to wall colours, so if you project onto a coloured surface, the image won’t be colour-corrected accordingly.
Officially, it supports an image diagonal up to 150 inches. There’s a digital zoom (down to 50%) and the option to shift or rotate the image. With a 1.2:1 throw ratio, you need about 2.7 m of distance for a 100-inch image, and roughly 3.9 m to fill a 300 cm-wide screen. The slightly positive offset means the projected image is aimed slightly above the projector’s base.
Interface: Xgimi OS at the Helm
Unlike most projectors, there’s no Google TV here. Instead, Xgimi uses its own proprietary system. The home screen shows a row of apps (Netflix, YouTube, Prime Video, settings, etc.) and a secondary row for continuing recent content. A tab at the top, labeled “Xgimi TV,” offers free IPTV channels with a program guide.
The Xgimi app store is quite barebones. Beyond Disney+ and Plex, the other offerings are limited and often geared towards English-speaking users. Overall, it’s nowhere near as comprehensive as other popular platforms.
In the settings, you can adjust focus, keystone correction, zoom, and image shifting, as well as handle Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connections or pick the input source. A deeper menu houses more options (image correction, image and sound, network, signal, general). Waking the projector from sleep takes about five seconds.
Subjective Image Quality: Best in Dark Environments
The Elfin Flip features an LED light source, DLP technology, and a 0.23-inch DMD chip—similar to the MoGo 3 Pro—aiming for bright colours and a lifespan of up to 25,000 hours. It has a Full HD (1920 × 1080) resolution, typical for compact projectors outside of the LG Cinebeam Q (which simulates Ultra HD). You’ll notice a thin grey border around the image due to the DMD chip, but it’s only a couple of centimetres wide at around 2 m viewing distance.
It supports HDR10, though not HDR10+ or Dolby Vision, a limitation shared by many similarly compact models. No 3D is provided.
For either SDR or HDR content, you can choose from Movie, Game, Custom, Performance, or Standard picture modes. Adjustments for brightness, contrast, saturation, sharpness, and noise-reduction level are on hand, plus colour temperature (warm, neutral, or cool) with limited control over red, green, and blue gains. Unlike some other models, there’s no advanced white-balance configuration.
Using Movie mode yields decent results, though the default settings can make the image look slightly cool, and colours may be oversaturated in certain scenes. Still, skin tones often look reasonable, and gradients are handled well. The limited brightness and contrast do mean certain bright or dark details might be lost, so a dark room is highly recommended.
Motion Compensation and Upscaling
Fast-moving sequences are moderately smooth, though occasional stutters can occur. There’s no MEMC feature here. Upscaling from lower resolutions is serviceable, though capped at Full HD.
Rainbow Effect
As a DLP projector, the Elfin Flip exhibits a mild rainbow effect—tiny streaks of coloured light around bright objects or subtitles. Sensitive viewers may notice, but most people should find it minimal.
Measured Image Performance
In Movie mode, we measured a native contrast of about 274:1, lower than the MoGo 3 Pro’s 330:1. With no dynamic contrast option, black levels appear grayish. The average gamma was 1.83 (ideal would be about 2.4 for dark rooms), and the curve showed multiple inconsistencies.
The average colour temperature stood at around 9390 K (the standard is 6500 K), lending the overall image a cooler look. Colour fidelity was also off, with a Delta E of 10.60 in SDR—significantly higher than the threshold of 3, where the human eye generally stops perceiving differences. In other words, colours aren’t accurately rendered.
In HDR, Movie mode remains the best bet, though the colour fidelity stays imperfect (Delta E ~6.77). At a 100-inch diagonal, we recorded brightness around 40 cd/m²; at 1.5 m from the screen, it rose to about 117 cd/m², similar to the MoGo 3 Pro. Irregularities in luminance indicate brightness levels that aren’t entirely consistent across the screen.
Coverage of colour spaces was about 85.76% for DCI-P3 and 72.07% for BT2020, which is decent among compact models.
Gaming: Solid Performance
The Elfin Flip includes a Game mode for lower latency, measuring around 22 ms—a good figure for a small projector. That’s about a single frame of delay at 60 Hz, beating some more expensive models. Full HD might feel slightly dated for gamers accustomed to Ultra HD (or upscaled variants), but it’s still acceptable. Colours remain somewhat oversaturated (Delta E of about 8.01 in Game mode), but for casual gaming, it’s more than adequate. The projector supports up to 60 Hz refresh rates, standard for most consoles.
Audio: Clear Sound
With two 3 W speakers (lower than the MoGo 3 Pro’s 5 W), don’t expect powerful audio. However, you do get audible dialogue at moderate volumes. Pushing them higher introduces distortion. The sound skews bright, lacking the warmth of larger systems. For small spaces or quick sessions, it’s fine; otherwise, consider a soundbar or external speakers.
Power Consumption and Noise Levels
In our tests, the Elfin Flip drew about 48 W under a full-white screen, which is efficient. It also remained fairly quiet at around 34 dB, making it easy to tolerate even at close range.
Remote Control
The remote is the same lightweight Bluetooth unit shipped with the MoGo 3 Pro, using two AAA batteries. It requires no direct line-of-sight, but it isn’t backlit. Small dedicated buttons for Netflix, YouTube, and Prime Video sit near the top, plus a fourth key that’s customisable. The angled volume rocker is in the central area, and there’s a built-in microphone for voice commands.
Availability
The Xgimi Elfin Flip is offered at a competitive price point, appealing to anyone seeking a quick-to-setup, compact projector.
Our Verdict on the Xgimi Elfin Flip
Design (9/10)
This folding design is both original and practical. It’s easy to stash on a shelf, and you simply tilt it upright to use. The beige finish is tasteful, and setup is notably quick.
Connectivity (6/10)
A single USB-A port, a standard HDMI input, plus Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. It’s minimal but covers basic needs.
Screen/Display (7/10)
Full HD resolution is the norm for such a small projector. Colours can look overly vibrant out of the box, and contrast is mediocre. Still, once you accept its constraints and dim the lights, the overall picture is fairly pleasant.
Brightness (7/10)
Like many compact models, brightness is limited, so darker rooms yield the best results. Consider the Epson EF-22 (or EF-21) if you want brighter output, but they’re pricier.
Software (6/10)
Xgimi OS is easy to navigate but offers few apps. Netflix, Prime Video, and YouTube may be enough for some; if not, an external media box might be necessary.
Audio (6/10)
The built-in speakers sound thin. It’s workable for casual viewing, though a dedicated audio solution is recommended for better depth.
Final Rating: 7/10
With its clever folding design, the Elfin Flip is made for quick setup and simple storage. Automatic image correction is effective, and the hardware build is robust for such a small device. Its main drawbacks are the limited app selection, middling contrast, and modest brightness—factors typical of this class. Despite these shortcomings, if you use it in a dimly lit space and aren’t expecting advanced features, it provides decent value. Add to that an input lag of just 22 ms for gaming, and it becomes even more versatile. Overall, the Elfin Flip strikes a respectable balance of size, functionality, and price.
