The Magcubic X7 home smart projector is a surprising package – not least because it's available for just over US$200. At first glance, it looks more like a portable unit limited in function. But from sound to connectivity and picture quality, this easy-to-use projector is serious value for money.
The X7 actually delivers a significant jump in image quality, brightness and processing power while keeping the compact, portable form that Magcubic does so well. Out of the box, the first thing you'll notice is how aesthetically pleasing it is. It reminds me of a TV studio light fixture, all silver and black and very sturdy. The outer chassis is actually made from solid plastic, but its aluminum-style matte finish and details would have you fooled into thinking it's all metal. The giveaway is its weight, with the unit coming in at just 1.9 kg (4.2 lb). The finish also repels fingerprints and other marks, very much unlike my gray XGIMI Elfin Flip projector.
Or, as my 90-year-old mother said when she saw it, "That actually looks like a real projector!" She's notoriously hard to impress, so that's some serious praise from someone who is normally just bemused by the technology I receive for testing.
Another instantly noticeable feature is how solid the base and hinges are; while it's designed to be a portable unit, unlike the Elfin Flip it won't tip over or be knocked over easily, and once your screen is in position, it's not going to move, even if you happen to bump it. The tightness of the hinges is deceptive, however, as the X7 offers 180-degree projection, so if you don't have the wall space, you can chuck a movie up on your ceiling. While one of its strengths is portability, it can be installed permanently on a wall or ceiling too. The chassis also houses an LCD cleaning chamber panel along its side that allows you to clear dust from the unit without disassembling any major parts.
Setup is simple – plug it in and position it between 1-3 m (3.3-10 ft) from the surface you're projecting onto. From here, autofocus, obstacle avoidance and keystone correction do the rest. The X7 offers projection of 40 to 130 inches (diagonal), which is about the range you'd expect from a solid "jack of all trades" unit. The home screen is fairly basic – a few standard apps like Netflix and YouTube ready to go, settings that allow you to change ratios, switch to low noise if needed, and more – but it's functional and intuitive.
Connectivity is just as straightforward: The X7 has USB, HDMI and 3.5-mm audio ports, as well as the DC power connection. But with Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.4, I skipped the wired business and jumped straight into wireless casting mode. You have the option of downloading streaming apps to connect to, with the unit running on the lighter Android 14 system, but bear in mind your setup might be a bit longer as you'll need to type login details via the onscreen keyboard using the remote control (which does have voice command capabilities, once you have your apps set up).
I was genuinely impressed by the brightness and the image quality, as well as the low latency while casting wirelessly from iOS. Magcubic says the X7's output is 1,000 ANSI Lumens, and without a way to measure this I'll take the company's word for it. But it is bright. Projecting on a wall in a small room, with a screen size of about 2.5 m (8.2 ft) in width, it's enough to light up the entire space as if another light has been switched on. This creates a dynamic and immersive viewing experience and lets you also see what's happening during night scenes in TV shows or movies. It also means you can still use the projector if some ambient light is filtering into the space.
It's noticeably brighter and better at handling night scenes than the Elfin Flip I've been using, but that XGMI model uses ISO Lumens grading, so its 400 ISO Lumens is hard to directly compare to ANSI Lumens. So regardless of the specific level of brightness, real-world testing using side-by-side comparisons, the X7 offers a superior and more adaptable viewing experience – especially if you want to watch or play anything in a room that isn't mostly darkened.
The X7 essentially offers 8K playback, but achieving this smoothly really depends on the source of your media. If you're casting, wired or wirelessly, it may not be as seamless as you'd like. With YouTube, I was able to play 8K video, but encountered some playback errors along the way. And I largely stream in 4K (1080p), which feels like the happy place for this projector.
Despite its Android system, casting from a smartphone or laptop is excellent. There are several ways to do it, depending on your hardware. The easiest I found was using AirPlay from my MacBook Air - which handled real-time streaming perfectly. And there was no mucking about with changing audio output settings, as doing so switched the sound to the X7's speakers and the wireless connectivity was faultless.
The speakers deserve a mention, too. I was surprised by not just the volume of the built-in 5-W Hi-Fi speaker but its crispness. You won't get the thundering bass of a home-theater audio setup, but it still punches above its weight in this projector category. I am yet to play it at maximum volume, too. Of course, the sound depends on the setting, and if you're taking things outdoors, or you want to let the neighbors know its action-movie night, you might want to connect extra speakers. However, it's a really solid performer on its own. In fact, when I first streamed an episode of Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed to it, I thought a cellphone ring was actually my phone. It's also done a great job with FIFA World Cup commentary, separating voices from crowd noises much better than the TVs in this house.
The X7 has three playback modes that affect how loud the unit is likely to be while projecting. I've been using it in low-sound mode, while projecting the large screen in a small bedroom, and it's surprisingly quiet given the power of the output and my proximity to the unit, at about 1.5 m (5 ft) from it. Standard and high-brightness modes increase the whirr, but even then it's more like a background fan. In a larger open room, high-brightness mode isn't at all distracting, and if you're projecting in a smaller space, you probably won't need that level of grunt for playback anyway.
If you want to use the X7 for gaming, it'll depend on what you play. I found that with an input lag of around 80 ms, it's great for casual or open world/adventure gameplay. Even Mario Kart passed the latency test. But it's probably not the best option for high-action shooters, as an example. Unfortunately the closest my games collection gets to that is Super Smash Bros, so not an ideal comparison.
The makers put the LED lifespan at more than 30,000 hours, which is a strong offering at this end of the market. So that's roughly 3.5 years of nonstop use. Power consumption is highest on the brightest setting at the largest screen mode, at around 140 W, but general use on the standard mode or lower, without maximum projection size, is more in the range of 40-80 W. So, while variable, you can expect the X7 to be more economical than a large TV unit.
I'll admit I am a bit of a novice when it comes to the world of projectors, however, I consume a lot of television – yes, I am a binge-watcher with poor self-control – and want the simple things: clear picture, big screen, crisp sound and ease of use. The X7 ticks all these boxes and then some, like how well it performs in wireless mode, even using iOS devices on its Android system.
The Magcubic X7 is currently on sale for $215 (normally $307). Check the website for regional shipping specifications.
Source: Magcubic
