The Hisense C1 is a 4k DLP laser projector. It's a standard throw projector with a fixed lens, but it has a digital zoom feature that allows it to project an image anywhere from 65" to 300". It's the first standard-throw projector from Hisense to implement a TriChroma triple laser engine, with a remarkably wide color gamut for HDR content and support for Dolby Vision, as well as two integrated 10W JBL speakers and Dolby Atmos support. Its all-in-one design is rounded out with built-in streaming apps through Vidaa OS, digital geometry correction features like auto keystone correction and obstacle avoidance, and a relatively portable design in case you want to move it from room to room.
Our Verdict
The Hisense C1 is a good choice for watching movies. The projector gets decently bright and has great native contrast, producing a crisp and pleasing image, though it's best suited for dark or light-controlled rooms. It also supports Dolby Vision HDR and has near-full coverage of the Rec. 2020 color gamut, making HDR content look vibrant. That said, SDR content can look oversaturated. Colors are quite accurate out of the box, though white balance issues can leave a reddish cast unless you calibrate it.
- Decently bright image, especially for dark rooms.
Very wide Rec. 2020 color gamut.
Very good native contrast ratio, especially in brighter content.
- Not quite bright enough for rooms with ambient light.
- SDR content can look oversaturated.
Contrast is poor in near-dark scenes, with noticeably lifted blacks.
The Hisense C1 is adequate for very casual play, but avoid playing anything fast on it, as its input lag is rather high, and the input delay is noticeable. There's also no way to lower the input lag, as the projector tops out at 60Hz. Still, image quality is solid for games: bright enough for a dim room, great native contrast, and a wide color gamut from the tri-laser engine. It also supports Dolby Vision, which is good for Xbox gamers.
- Decently bright image, especially for dark rooms.
Very wide Rec. 2020 color gamut.
Very good native contrast ratio, especially in brighter content.
- Not quite bright enough for rooms with ambient light.
- SDR content can look oversaturated.
High input lag at any resolution.
Limited to 60Hz.
Contrast is poor in near-dark scenes, with noticeably lifted blacks.
The Hisense C1's brightness is decent. It looks its best in fully dark rooms, but it can handle a dim light or two, although at the cost of some washing out. It has very uniform brightness, with no overly obvious vignetting.
- Decently bright image, especially for dark rooms.
- Not quite bright enough for rooms with ambient light.
The Hisense C1's contrast is very good. It excels in very bright scenes, but unfortunately, its handling of near-dark scenes is rather poor, with lifted blacks. Still, overall, it delivers a solid contrast performance.
Very good native contrast ratio, especially in brighter content.
Contrast is poor in near-dark scenes, with noticeably lifted blacks.
Changelog
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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.
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Updated Dec 16, 2025:
We mention the newly reviewed Hisense M2 Pro in the Supported Resolutions section of this review.
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Updated Nov 04, 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.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Hisense C1 projector comes in one color: Prussian Blue. It has been superseded by newer models: the Hisense C2 and the Hisense C2 Ultra. There's also a portable variant, the Hisense M2 Pro. The differences between each model are listed in the following table:
| Model | Light Source | Brightness (ANSI lm) | Throw & Zoom | HDR Formats | Speakers | Gaming Features |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hisense C2 Ultra | RGB TriChroma laser | 3000 | 0.9–1.5:1, 1.67× optical zoom; gimbal stand | Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HDR10 | JBL 2.1 (2×10W + 20W sub) | Up to 240Hz (1080p/1440p), ALLM |
| Hisense C2 (non-Ultra) | RGB TriChroma laser | 2000 | 1.2:1, digital zoom; gimbal stand | Dolby Vision, HDR10 | JBL 2.0 (2×10W) | Up to 240Hz (1080p/1440p), ALLM |
| Hisense C1 | RGB TriChroma laser | 1600 | 1.2:1, fixed lens (no optical zoom) | Dolby Vision, HDR10 | JBL 2.0 (20W) | 4k @ 60Hz, ALLM |
| Hisense M2 Pro | RGB TriChroma laser | 1300 | 1.0–1.3:1, optical zoom; compact gimbal | Dolby Vision, HDR10 (+ decode) | 2×10W | Up to 240Hz (1080p/1440p), ALLM |
Our unit was manufactured in June 2023.
Popular Projector Comparisons
The Hisense C1 is a good lifestyle projector for those seeking a relatively portable room-to-room projector to watch movies and TV shows. Although it lacks features like optical zoom or a gaming mode, it supports Dolby Vision, and its triple laser design produces vibrant colors and a fairly bright image. It's also relatively compact and has auto-adjustment features, making it a good fit for smaller spaces or room-to-room usage. However, as it doesn't have optical zoom, you'll ideally need to physically adjust its placement to get the best image for your screen. For gaming, it's limited: capped at 60Hz with ~39 ms input lag, and no 120Hz, so it's fine for casual single-player, not for anything timing-sensitive. Still, overall, it offers excellent value for those seeking an all-in-one home theater solution at this price point.
See our recommendations for the best projectors for home theater and the best home projectors. If you're looking for something more general, look up our list of the best projectors instead.
The Hisense M2 Pro is an upgrade over the Hisense C1. The M2 Pro has more accurate colors out of the box, as well as a much wider color gamut than the C1. It's also a much better gaming projector, supporting 120Hz refresh rates and with considerably better input lag across all resolutions. On the other hand, the C1 is a better multimedia hub with more ports and full eARC passthrough, in addition to being a notably brighter option than the M2 Pro.
The Hisense C2 Ultra is a noticeable upgrade over the Hisense C1. While the C1's contrast is just a hint better overall, the C2 Ultra is better in every other category: brightness, out-of-the-box accuracy, and colors. The C2 Ultra supports both Dolby Vision and HDR10+, while the C1 is limited to Dolby Vision only. The C2 Ultra also has a 1.67x optical zoom, making it easier to install compared to the C1's fixed lens. Finally, the C2 Ultra is superior for gamers, as it supports gaming at 240Hz in 1080p and 1440p, while the C1 is limited to 60Hz at all resolutions.
The Hisense C1 and the XGIMI HORIZON Ultra are both good all-in-one projectors with Dolby Vision support. The Hisense has better overall contrast and more vibrant colors, thanks to its triple-laser design. On the other hand, the XGIMI gets notably brighter, making it better for setups with ambient light, and its optical zoom gives you more placement flexibility.
The Epson Home Cinema 3800 is better than the Hisense C1. The Epson has a more traditional design, while the Hisense is aimed at those who want an all-in-one projector; that is, it's more compact and has a smart OS for built-in streaming. The Epson gets much brighter, making it better suited to rooms with ambient lighting, and its optical zoom gives you more flexibility with placement. However, in a dedicated room where you can control its placement, the Hisense has much to offer, including a sharp, vibrant image and Dolby Vision support.
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.
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Test Results
The Hisense C1 projector has decent peak brightness. It's rated for 1,600 ANSI lumens, though we measured closer to 1,000 in our light-controlled testing setup. It isn't the brightest projector out there, as it doesn't get nearly as bright as the XGIMI HORIZON Ultra, for instance, but it's still bright enough to look good in dark rooms. Thankfully, the brightness is also very uniform across the whole screen.
The table below lists the projector's uncalibrated picture modes. Some, like 'Dynamic', 'Sports,' and 'Standard', are brighter than our calibrated 'Filmmaker' mode, but at the cost of washed-out and inaccurate colors.
| Picture Mode | White Light Output (WLO) | Color Light Output (CLO) |
|---|---|---|
| Standard | 1,193 lm | 581 lm |
| Cinema Day | 992 lm | 920 lm |
| Cinema Night | 795 lm | 736 lm |
| Dynamic | 1,223 lm | 563 lm |
| Sports | 1,253 lm | 575 lm |
The Hisense C1 projector's contrast ratio is very good. It especially performs well in bright content, with good separation between elements. Its contrast is rather poor in generally dim scenes, however, with more noticeably raised blacks.
The Hisense C1 projector has a very wide color gamut, with nearly full coverage of the Rec. 2020 color space, making it a good fit for HDR content. That said, its color gamut exceeds the Rec. 709 color space used in SDR content, which can result in oversaturated colors.
The Hisense C1 projector's color accuracy is okay out of the box. It displays colors quite accurately, likely helped by its triple laser design, and gamma follows the 2.2 target curve closely for the most part. However, its white balance is very off, and the color temperature is overly warm, so the image has a reddish tint.
After calibration, the color accuracy is significantly better. Colors are further improved, with only minor inaccuracies. White balance and color temperature are also much better. The projector includes 20-point white balance calibration, allowing for more precise fine-tuning.
This is a DLP projector with a triple laser light source. Unlike a single laser projector, it uses three separate red, green, and blue lasers to produce its colors. Hisense rates it for over 25,000 hours of use, so you won't have to worry about the lasers dimming over time or needing replacement. The projector uses pixel shifting to display a 4k image, and though it isn't quite as sharp as a native 4k projector, it's the next best thing.
Unfortunately, it uses a fixed lens, making it a bit trickier to position correctly. However, it does have a digital zoom feature that lets you adjust the image to fit screens ranging from 65" to 300", as well as geometric adjustment features like keystone correction, though there's no lens shift feature.
The Hisense C1 projector is easy to place thanks to motorized lens controls: autofocus is quick, and there's auto-keystone for fast setup. There's no lens shift, and the zoom range is effectively fixed around a 1.20:1 throw, so plan to center the lens on the screen and move the projector to size the image.
Typical throw distances for a 16:9 screen:
• 70" image: 6.1 ft from the screen.
• 80": 7.0 ft
• 90": 7.8 ft
• 100": 8.7 ft
• 110": 9.6 ft
• 120": 10.5 ft
• 130": 11.3 ft
• 150": 13.1 ft
The Hisense C1 is billed as a "mini" projector, and though its boxy design isn't exactly compact, it is relatively portable and isn't too much of a hassle to move from one room to another. It's smaller and lighter than the BenQ X3000i and roughly similar in size and weight to the XGIMI HORIZON Ultra.
It has a range of automatic adjustment features, including auto keystone correction, autofocus, and digital zoom, making it fairly easy to move and set up in a new spot.
The Hisense C1 projector is quiet. At maximum brightness, you can hear a soft, even whoosh if you're next to it, but from a normal couch distance, it blends into the room and only pops up during very quiet scenes.
There are two HDMI 2.0 ports, including one eARC port. The projector also has one USB 2.0 port and one USB 3.0 port. On top of that, there's an ethernet port, an optical digital audio out port, and a 3.5mm audio out. However, there's no 12V trigger port to automatically drop or retract a motorized screen when powering the projector on/off.
This Hisense C1 projector's native resolution is pixel-shifted 4k with a hard 60Hz ceiling. It accepts 4k @ 60Hz and 1080p @ 60Hz, and you can get full 4:4:4 at 4k60, but only after enabling HDMI Format: Enhanced in the settings. 1440p is accepted but scaled; there's no support for 120Hz at any resolution.
If you're looking for a projector that accepts 120Hz signals across all resolutions, consider the Hisense M2 Pro instead.
The Hisense C1 projector's input lag is poor. It's tolerable for slower single-player or turn-based games, but it feels noticeably delayed in shooters, racers, fighters, rhythm games: anything timing-sensitive. For the lowest lag, use Game Mode + HDMI Format set to 'Enhanced' and keep your console at 4k @ 60Hz, as 1080p is slower.
The Hisense C1 passes through a ton of different audio formats. With eARC enabled and Digital Audio Out set to Pass Through, the C1 can send Dolby Atmos (DD+), Dolby TrueHD/Atmos, DTS-HD MA, and DTS:X, and it handles DD+ 7.1. However, multichannel LPCM over eARC is limited to 2.0, as our receiver reported 5.1, but only the left/right channels played, so consoles that output LPCM 5.1/7.1 will be down to stereo unless you switch them to bitstream (Dolby or DTS). Over standard ARC or optical, you're capped at Dolby Digital 5.1 or DTS 5.1.
- Power supply
- Power cable
- Remote control
- 2x AAA batteries
- HDMI male-female adapter
- User documentation
This projector runs Hisense's VIDAA OS smart platform and has several pre-installed apps, including Netflix and other major streaming apps. You can also cast content from your phone.
It has two integrated 10W JBL speakers and even supports Dolby Atmos, though you won't get nearly the same immersion as you would with dedicated speakers.