The Hisense PX1-PRO is an Ultra Short Throw (UST) 4k HDR laser projector. It's capable of projecting content at an extremely short distance from the screen or wall: it projects a 90" image at a distance of 10.7" and up to a 130" image at a distance of 19.3". Its two HDMI 2.1 ports—one of which doubles as the ARC port—have 4k @ 120Hz support. It has Bluetooth and Wi-Fi support and comes with the Android TV smart interface with full Chromecast integration and an integrated 30W Dolby Atmos sound system.
Our Verdict
We bought and tested the Hisense PX1-PRO. This projector has no variants, but it has a higher-end model, the Hisense PX2-PRO. The two projectors are very similar, although the PX2-PRO has a higher brightness rating, has Dolby Vision support, and comes with three HDMI ports instead of two, although one of the three is an HDMI 2.0 port.
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Wide color gamut that looks especially good in HDR.
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Fully featured projector with Android TV, two HDMI 2.1 ports, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
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Ultra Short Throw capabilities, so you can place it very close to the wall or screen.
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Not bright enough to make colors pop.
- 7.3 Movies
- Updated Mar 18, 2024: We mentioned the newly-reviewed Formovie THEATER in the Contrast section of this review.
- Updated Feb 13, 2024: Review published.
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We bought and tested the Hisense PX1-PRO. This projector has no variants, but it has a higher-end model, the Hisense PX2-PRO. The two projectors are very similar, although the PX2-PRO has a higher brightness rating, has Dolby Vision support, and comes with three HDMI ports instead of two, although one of the three is an HDMI 2.0 port.
Compared To Other Projectors
The Hisense PX1-PRO is a decent Ultra Short Throw (UST) projector, but it's extremely expensive. You can get projectors with better image quality for less; the XGIMI HORIZON Ultra, Epson Home Cinema 3800, and even the Epson Home Cinema 5050UB are cheaper than the Hisense with better image quality. The XGIMI, in particular, is quite comparable to the Hisense as it's a modern projector with a full suite of smart features, while the Epsons are barebone projectors for home theater use. If you want a UST projector, the Epson EpiqVision Ultra LS300 is cheaper and better than the Hisense PX1-PRO. Ultimately, the Hisense isn't a great value, and there are better options.
The Epson EpiqVision Ultra LS800 is better than the Hisense PX1-PRO. They're both Ultra Short Throw (UST) projectors, but you can place the Epson even closer to the screen or wall than you can with the Hisense. The Epson is much brighter than the Hisense, so it's more versatile when it comes to room lighting conditions. While both projectors are decent regarding out-of-the-box accuracy, the Hisense has more calibration options, so it looks much better than the Epson after calibration. The Hisense also has a wider color gamut, but it's not bright enough to really make colors pop.
The Hisense PX1-PRO is a bit better than the Formovie THEATER, although the Formovie has much deeper contrast, so it looks punchier in pitch-black rooms when watching movies. Otherwise, the Hisense is much more accurate before and after calibration, has a slightly wider color gamut, and has better gaming features than the Formovie due to its two HDMI 2.1 ports, which can do 4k @ 120Hz.
The Hisense PX1-PRO is better than the XGIMI AURA. The Hisense is a bit more colorful due to its wider color gamut and is much more color-accurate both prior and after calibration. However, the XGIMI has better contrast and looks better in a dark room.
The XGIMI HORIZON Ultra is better than the Hisense PX1-PRO. The XGIMI is much brighter and has better contrast, so it provides better image quality in a variety of contexts. The XGIMI is also more accurate pre-calibration, but unfortunately, unlike the Hisense, you can't improve its accuracy through calibration. The Hisense has the edge regarding features, as it has two 4k @ 120Hz capable HDMI 2.1 ports, but it's just not bright enough to provide a graphically pleasant gaming experience.
The Epson Home Cinema 3800 and Hisense PX1-PRO are somewhat different projectors, but the Epson has the Hisense beat regarding pure image quality. The Epson is much brighter and has better contrast than the Hisense, so it's the better-looking of the two, even if the Hisense has a wider color gamut. The Epson is also vastly more accurate out of the box, so you don't need to worry about calibration. The Hisense has way more features than the Epson, but it can't compensate for the image quality gap.
The Epson Home Cinema 5050UB is much better than the Hisense PX1-PRO. The Epson is much brighter, has better contrast, and has slightly better colors, so it has the edge in image quality. The Epson is also vastly more accurate out of the box, so you don't need to worry about calibration. The Hisense has way more features than the Epson, with an integrated smart OS, Wi-Fi, and Bluetooth support, but it can't compensate for the image quality gap.
The Epson EpiqVision Ultra LS300 is better than the Hisense PX1-PRO for watching movies. They're both Ultra Short Throw projectors, but the Epson is significantly brighter, with much better pre-calibration accuracy. The Hisense has a much wider color gamut but can't emphasize its colors due to its low brightness. The Hisense is a 4k projector with HDMI 2.1 ports, while the Epson is limited to 1080p, so the Hisense is enticing for gamers. Still, it's not bright enough to provide a graphically pleasant experience.
The Hisense PX1-PRO is better than the Samsung The Premiere LSP7T. The Hisense is brighter, has better contrast, and is more accurate pre and post-calibration. Outside of the Samsung projector's sleeker visual design, there isn't much reason to choose it over the Hisense.
Test Results
The projector isn't meant to be portable as it's quite heavy and lacks an integrated battery, so you need to plug it in. The projector has a feature for auto keystone correction, but it doesn't work well, so you'll need to adjust the image geometry manually, and it also doesn't have autofocus. It has a 30W speaker system, so you won't need to worry about connecting it to a soundbar if you move it.
This projector uses a laser light source, which requires no maintenance and will last for 25,000 hours or more, according to Hisense. It's not a true 4k projector, as it uses pixel shifting to create a higher-resolution image. This offers better quality than a pure 1080p projector but isn't as good as a native 4k projector. It's an Ultra Short Throw (UST) projector, so it's capable of projecting a 90" image at a distance of 10.7" and up to a 130" image at a distance of 19.3".
The Hisense PX1-PRO's peak brightness is alright. Its white light output and brightness uniformity are decent, but its color output is only mediocre; colors don't pop on this projector.
The projector has decent contrast, so it looks fine when watching content in a dark room, although its blacks aren't very inky. If you're looking for a similar projector with better contrast, consider the Formovie THEATER.
The Hisense PX1-PRO's pre-calibration accuracy is decent. However, its white balance is only alright; blues are underrepresented in most shades of white, giving whites a red hue. The projector's color temperature also leans very warm. Thankfully, its color accuracy is good, although whites and cyans show a fair amount of accuracy errors.
This projector has full 20-point white balance calibration and color calibration. Its color accuracy after calibration is excellent, although most colors are still slightly oversaturated, more so for reds. Its white balance accuracy is fantastic, with barely any errors, and the color temperature is now exactly on target.
The projector has a wide color gamut. However, it's oversaturated in the Rec. 709 color space used with SDR content. Thankfully, it does a fantastic job with the Rec. 2020 space used in HDR.
The projector has two HDMI 2.1 ports, with one of them doubling as the eARC port. It has one USB 2.0 port on the side of the device and one USB 3.0 port on the back. It also supports Bluetooth.
The projector has Android TV built-in, and it's smooth and fast to use. The projector has full Chromecast integration, so you can play content from your phone directly on the projector. Finally, the projector has an integrated 30W Dolby Atmos sound system.
