Review: Hisense PX3-Pro Laser Projector

We all want a cinematic experience at home, but nobody with a sense for aesthetics wants to hang a gigantic TV in the middle of their living room, even if it can pretend to be art when you’re not streaming The Great British Bake Off.

Short-throw laser projectors, like the Hisense PX3 Pro, sit right on a TV stand and can project a giant 100 to 130-inch image onto a pull-down screen. That makes them a quick and hideable way to get a big-screen experience without cluttering up your visual space.

With its third generation, Hisense has once again made a simple, great-looking model that can act as an all-in-one for everyone from well-heeled average viewers to genuine cinephiles. Whether you’re looking to watch Dune or game at a high refresh rate, it performs as well (and is more convenient) than many superlarge TVs. If you've been considering a nice projector, this might be the one.

Short Throw

The PX3 Pro is an attractive gray box that has four white lights on the front when it’s in standby mode. It is a bit more rounded than the previous generations and looks like an old PC tower that’s been turned on its side, with a slit on the top for three lasers to shoot out at your screen.

The back of the unit features three HDMI inputs, Ethernet, and optical audio output, as well as a 3.5-mm port for headphones. There is also a USB charging port, should you want to plug in a streaming device like the Roku Streaming Stick. The unit is powered by a standard two-prong A/C cable, which makes it easy to plug in anywhere (no wall wart). Everything is controlled by a sleek backlit remote that’s long and slim, with a brushed metal exterior.

Short-throw projectors—projectors you can place just a foot or two away from the wall, rather than behind where you sit—were originally marketed as the solution to the problem of projector setup for good reason. Place the PX3 Pro on a TV stand, make sure it is level, and turn it on, and that’s about it. The PX3 Pro has a Google’s Android TV on board, and has Harman Kardon speakers that can even simulate Dolby Atmos object-based surround sound.

I’d go so far as to say that laser projectors like this are easier to set up than TVs in every single way, barring pulling down the projector screen when you want to view it. Once you tell the PX3 Pro what language you speak and log in to various apps (the projector automatically adjusts its focus and keystone alignment), you’re ready to stream whatever you want in no time.

On Screen

I have a 110-inch screen setup in my viewing space, and the PX3 Pro did a good job of filling all but the lowest part of the screen (I’d need a lower TV stand or a higher screen to achieve this).

With a claimed 3000 nits peak brightness, it’s more than bright enough for dimly and even moderately lit rooms, but I wouldn’t recommend using this over a TV if you aren’t in a space where you can cover the windows. Even though laser projectors like this one only have to shoot their image a short distance, they still do worse than most backlit displays when there is light in the room.

Turn the lights off, however, and you’ll be greeted by a very high-quality viewing experience, especially in Cinema or Filmmaker modes. The projector is capable of Dolby Vision HDR, which means it shows vibrant colors that I didn’t experience on prior Hisense models. I also appreciated noticeably better black levels than I’ve seen from the brand before, without as much washed-out gray at the far edges of dark scenes in Dune or The Dark Knight.

As with all screens, you’ll get the most out of this one when you connect an outboard disc player and break out the 4K Blu-Ray collection. I particularly appreciated how good the yellowy hues of my copy of Once Upon A Time In Hollywood looked on this model. It really brought me back to watching real film prints in theaters.

Gaming is a highlight, given that the projector can do up to 240 Hz in game mode, and made for a very smooth sim racing experience when I was playing F1 2023, though the native 4k refresh rate is still 60 Hz. You have to game in lower 1080p resolution to get faster refresh rates.

The onboard sound system is just OK—better than most sets of built-in TV speakers by a country mile—but if you’re dropping this kind of money on a visual experience, you owe it to yourself to spring for a nice soundbar system or other high-end home theater setup. If you want to keep things aesthetic, Sony’s Quad surround system (8/10, WIRED Recommends) is probably a perfect pairing for this tier of projector, and it looks great in well-designed spaces to boot.

As for competitors in the short throw projector space, Epson’s EpiqVision Ultra LS800 is a similar size and gets a bit brighter, but it doesn’t do Dolby Atmos or Dolby Vision, and it tops out at 120 inches. Samsung has also released a new model called the Premier 7 that has similar specs (and also lacks Dolby Vision and Google OS).

For now, I’d say the Hisense is the clear frontrunner, given it’s on its third generation with this product and it looks great. If you’re after an aesthetic way to get a huge screen in your house, the PX3 Pro is the projector most worth a peek.