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.
We've independently bought and tested over 45 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.
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.
- Supports Dolby Vision.
- Very wide color gamut for HDR content.
- Great native contrast ratio, with punchy highlights and well-defined shadows.
- Not quite bright enough for rooms with ambient light.
- SDR content can look oversaturated.
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.
- Supports Dolby Vision.
- Very wide color gamut for HDR content.
- Great native contrast ratio, with punchy highlights and well-defined shadows.
- Not quite bright enough for rooms with ambient light.
- SDR content can look oversaturated.
High input lag at any resolution.
Limited to 60Hz.
Changelog
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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.
- Updated Oct 30, 2025: We've converted the review to Test Bench 0.10, which updates our Design tests, and adds a whole new suite of Inputs tests. We also added new gaming-oriented usage scores in Our Verdict. See the 0.10 changelog.
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Updated Aug 11, 2025:
We mentioned the newly reviewed Hisense C2 Ultra and added a mention of it in the Differences Between Sizes and Variants section.
- Updated May 21, 2024: Updated text throughout the review according to Test Bench 0.9, mainly in the Compared To Other Projectors and Contrast sections.
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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 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 everywhere else: 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 contrast overall and more vibrant colors, thanks to its triple laser design. On the other hand, the XGIMI gets notably brighter, so it's better for setups with ambient light, and its optical zoom gives you more flexibility with placement.
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.
The Hisense C1 and the BenQ X3000i are both great lifestyle projectors, though the BenQ is better suited to gaming thanks to its low input lag gaming mode. The BenQ also gets brighter, making it a better fit for moderately lit rooms, while the Hisense's edge in its contrast makes it better suited for dark rooms. The BenQ's optical zoom also gives you more flexibility with placement. Conversely, the Hisense is better for HDR content, with a wide color gamut and Dolby Vision support.
Test Results
The Hisense C1 has decent peak brightness. It's rated for 1600 ANSI lumens, though we measured closer to 1000 in our light-controlled testing setup. It isn't the brightest projector out there—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 Hisense Cube C1's contrast ratio is great. Highlights and shadows are well-defined, leading to a very pleasant viewing experience in darker rooms.
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.
The Hisense C1 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.
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 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 laser mini 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 Cube C1'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.
The Hisense C1 laser mini 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.