What I learned after using a Google TV projector in my bedroom for 30 days

When I finished reviewing the XGIMI Mogo 4, I figured it would go back in its box after testing. It was bright, portable, and competent, but I already had a TV in the living room and a portable projector for the occasional movie night. I also have an iPad and a smartphone for small-scale viewing. Where else did I really need a screen? The answer, it turns out, was my bedroom. A month later, I learned that convenience can completely change how and where I watch TV.

Like a lot of people, I don’t have space for a proper TV setup in my bedroom. I don’t even have room for a second nightstand, so my partner has to fend for himself after hours when looking for somewhere to drop his glasses, Kindle, or the contacts he forgot to take out before getting comfortable. I also don’t have any spare wall real estate for a mounted TV, thanks to closet doors, a window, and a gallery wall of photos I’ve taken over the last decade. But a projector fits into the room’s rhythm perfectly.

After setting up the Mogo 4 one night to watch La La Land, the device now has a permanent home in the space. Most often it’s mounted on XGIMI’s aluminum stand, which offers backup power and lets me pop it neatly in a corner. Occasionally, it’s perched on a shelf if I want to run our robot vacuum without risking toppling the whole setup. Most importantly, it’s battery-powered, which means I can set it up anywhere without hunting for an outlet or tripping over cords in the dark.

On slower mornings, it beams the news or sports highlights onto the wall while I get ready. I’m typically only listening while making the bed and getting dressed, so I don’t mind the smaller display. The device’s 5 W Harman Kardon speakers are surprisingly full, and most importantly, they’re conveniently built-in.

At night, I use the projector to beam straight onto the ceiling, which unsurprisingly has no competing artwork or furniture, just a ceiling fan to aim around. The result is cozy, cinematic, and blissfully effortless. Whether I commit to a full movie, catch up on an episode of The Diplomat, or throw on a feel-good rerun to fall asleep to, it takes a lot of the effort out of staying up. Because it runs Google TV, everything I watch is already right there, plus the Play Store if needed. I don’t need to plug in a streaming stick or juggle inputs. I can pick up exactly where I left off in the living room.

I realize this all makes me sound incredibly lazy, and honestly, that’s fair. But there’s something undeniably nice about closing down the house, brushing your teeth, and climbing straight into bed to watch a show. Whenever I stay up late watching TV on the couch, one of three things happens:

• Scenario A: I hate myself at 2 AM when I have to wander around, turning off lights and locking doors, and reminding myself that adults don’t skip flossing just because they’re tired.
• Scenario B: I’m pleasantly awake by the end of the show, but my partner isn’t, so I get to spend ten minutes gently guiding him to bed (read: frustratingly prodding him over and over). Then I brush my teeth, floss, and fume.

A projector in the bedroom gives me the unique option to sneak in a little TV time without imploding my bedtime routine. It also means my partner and I are more likely to bond over a shared experience than scroll independently on our phones until one of us puts on white noise. We don’t use the projector daily, but on the occasions that our schedules and energy reserves overlap, it’s nice to fall asleep watching a movie right where I’d fall asleep otherwise.

What’s made this setup work so well isn’t just the concept. It’s the execution. The Mogo 4’s minimalist cylinder design and integrated kickstand let it fade into the background until I need it. Sometimes I even pair my phone to the projector over Bluetooth and play Spotify while I’m cleaning or reading in bed, another small reminder that it’s more than just a screen. It’s part of the room’s rhythm now.

The remote deserves a quick mention, too. It’s compact, intuitive, and responsive, and when I inevitably lose it in the sheets, the secondary mini remote that clips to the projector itself is a godsend. It’s a small but thoughtful design detail that feels like someone at XGIMI actually lives with their products.

When the time comes, auto-focus and auto-keystone correction mean I never fuss with alignment. The whisper-quiet fan lets me keep late-night viewings at a low volume so I don’t wake my infant in the next room, and the 400 ISO-lumens brightness is plenty for dark-room use and good enough for morning content, even with light sneaking in around my blackout curtains.

The magnetic filters are another example of playful practicality. I don’t equip them often, but they add fun character, like the night I beamed the moon onto the ceiling to broach the topic of Halloween decorations and whether we should skip them this year because, lazy.

Of course, there are limits. Even with its brightness bump over older models, the Mogo 4 still performs best at night or with the blinds drawn. Daylight viewing isn’t its strength. And while Google TV keeps everything cohesive, there’s still the occasional pause when hopping between apps or adjusting volume mid-stream.

Still, the convenience outweighs the quirks. The portability, rotating built-in stand, and optional secondary stand make it easy to love the setup. After 30 days,  the XGIMI Mogo 4 is just part of my space now, a small, smart cylinder that fits where a full-size TV never could.