The Hisense C2 Ultra is a home theater projector with an added twist: it features a rotating horizontal and vertical swivel, allowing you to adjust the unit's viewing angle as needed. This easy positioning is helped by the unit's full suite of image correction features, such as auto keystone, auto object avoidance, and autofocus. The unit also has a 1.67x optical zoom. It uses Hisense's TriChroma triple laser engine and supports both Dolby Vision and HDR10+. It has a 40W 2.1 channel JBL sound system and supports DTS Virtual:X. The projector comes with the Vidaa Smart OS, with official Netflix integration. It's capable of projecting a 60-inch image at a distance of 4 to 6.7 feet, up to a 300-inch image at 20 to 32.5 feet.
Our Verdict
The Hisense C2 Ultra is awesome for watching movies. It's easily bright enough to be watched outside at night, even with some lights around. Its contrast is great, showing deep blacks in most scenes. It also has an extremely wide color gamut, even in HDR. Finally, the unit is also quite accurate right out of the box, even if it's a bit too cold; purists can easily calibrate the unit if it bothers them.
Easily bright enough for moderately lit rooms.
Deep blacks in most content.
Very wide color gamut.
Fully featured projector, with official Netflix, Dolby Vision and HDR10+ support.
A ton of image correction features, with a rotating stand, makes for easy portability.
Very easy to calibrate.
The Hisense C2 Ultra is a great gaming projector. The projector's brightness is very strong, so colors hold up even with a couple of lights on, and the laser light engine covers a very wide gamut. It also supports Dolby Vision when gaming on an Xbox console. Contrast is great, but the black floor still rises in very dark scenes, so shadow-heavy titles won't look very inky. It's also responsive at all resolution and refresh rate combos, and especially so at 1080p @ 240Hz, making it a solid pick for console and PC gamers alike.
Easily bright enough for moderately lit rooms.
Deep blacks in most content.
Very wide color gamut.
A ton of image correction features, with a rotating stand, makes for easy portability.
Has a ton of resolution and refresh rate combinations, with low input lag.
Supports both Dolby Vision and HDR10+.
The Hisense C2 Ultra is easily bright enough for a large screen in a living room, and it holds up well with a few lights on. Its image is very uniform, so you do not have to worry about dark corners or obvious hotspots. You still achieve the most cinematic look in a dim room, but you don't need to black out the space for it to look good.
Very bright even in its most accurate mode.
Fantastic brightness uniformity.
The Hisense C2 Ultra’s native contrast looks great in most real content, especially once you’re out of the near-black range. In mid-bright and bright scenes, it keeps shadows nicely separated, holds onto depth, and gives the image a punchy, high-contrast look that works really well for both movies and games, particularly in a dimly lit room. The main limitation is in very dark scenes with only small highlights, where blacks can look more dark gray than truly black, but outside of those edge cases it delivers consistently great contrast.
Excellent native contrast that gives movies and games a strong sense of depth.
Blacks are raised in near-dark scenes.
Changelog
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Updated May 11, 2026:
We've added text to some test boxes as a result of our latest test bench. We've also updated Inputs & Connectivity to include Bluetooth support checks, as well as the 3D test box.
- Updated May 11, 2026: We've converted the review to Test Bench 0.12, which adds new Judder, Screen Adaptation, Battery, Maximum Volume, Size, Mobility Features, and Physical Setup Features test boxes. We also updated Inputs & Connectivity to verify Bluetooth support with wireless speakers or headphones. See the 0.12 changelog.
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Updated Feb 20, 2026:
We mentioned the newly reviewed XGIMI TITAN in the Brightness section of this review.
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Updated Feb 12, 2026:
We implemented a settings page for this projector, and we updated the Post-Calibration Color Accuracy text box with a link.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
The Hisense C2 Ultra is currently the top model in Hisense's C-Series Laser projector lineup, which also includes the Hisense C2, the Hisense C1, and the portable Hisense M2 Pro. The table below highlights the differences between each model.
| Model | Light Source | Brightness (ANSI lm) | Throw & Zoom | HDR Formats | Speakers | Max Refresh Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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) |
| 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) |
| Hisense C1 | RGB TriChroma laser | 1600 | 1.2:1, fixed lens (no optical zoom) | Dolby Vision, HDR10 | JBL 2.0 (20W) | 4k @ 60Hz |
| 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) |
Our unit was manufactured in April 2025.
Popular Projector Comparisons
The Hisense C2 Ultra is an incredible projector. It can do it all: easy to move around due to its gimbal stand and full suite of image correction features, all while being bright enough and colorful enough to handle even moderately lit rooms. Its contrast is also excellent, so it looks very solid in darker rooms. It's also pretty accurate right out of the box, and is easy to calibrate for those who crave even more accuracy. Finally, it's also a great gaming projector, with low input lag and wide resolution support. At its price point, not much competes with it; you might opt for the Anker Nebula X1 if you crave a projector with a handle and don't mind that the Anker is quite inaccurate out of the box. Alternatively, if you prefer a more classic 'install and forget' projector, the Epson Home Cinema 5050UB is even more accurate than the Hisense, but it lacks features and performs less well in HDR. Ultimately, the Hisense checks most boxes for most people.
For more, check out our recommendations for the best 4k projectors, the best projectors for home theater, and the best portable projectors. If you're really looking for a product to use outside, consider the best outdoor projectors as well.
The XGIMI HORIZON 20 Max is a bit better than the Hisense C2 Ultra. The XGIMI is brighter, has better contrast, and runs a bit quieter. Both are excellent for gaming, but their strengths are slightly different: the Hisense is clearly faster at 60Hz, which is great if you mostly play 60fps console games, while the XGIMI is just a touch quicker at 120Hz and 240Hz, though that small difference is hard to notice in practice.
The Hisense C2 Ultra and XGIMI HORIZON 20 perform similarly in most ways. They have similar brightness, and while the XGIMI has slightly better contrast, it's close. The XGIMI is also a bit more accurate out of the box, but again, it's close. For gaming, it depends. The Hisense is more responsive at 60Hz, but the XGIMI is slightly more responsive at 120Hz and 240Hz. Ultimately, it might come down to whether you're shopping for a short-throw projector, like the Hisense, or for a long-throw projector, like the XGIMI.
The Hisense C2 Ultra and XGIMI HORIZON 20 Pro are very closely matched. The XGIMI has slightly better image quality, but just barely. The Hisense, in turn, is a bit better for gaming due to its lower input lag at 60Hz and 240Hz, although the XGIMI is a bit better at 120Hz. The Hisense has a wider throw ratio, giving you more options for where to place it around the room.
The Hisense C2 Ultra is an upgrade over the smaller Hisense M2 Pro. They both have very good contrast and a remarkable color gamut. However, the C2 Ultra is much brighter, leading to a more immersive viewing experience than the M2 Pro. It also has lower input lag at 4k @ 120Hz for a more responsive, high refresh rate gaming experience, along with full eARC passthrough and an extra HDMI 2.1, making it a better multimedia projector. On the other hand, the M2 Pro has better input lag at 4k @ 60Hz, while it also has much better color accuracy out of the box, though both projectors even out on this front after they're calibrated.
We've independently bought and tested over 80 projectors and published 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 methodologies are also public on our website, so you can validate the results yourself.
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