Hisense PX4 Pro UST Projector: High Color Accuracy for a High Price

If you’re looking for a high-end ultra-short throw projector, then the Hisense PX4 Pro can project a massive, high-brightness image at just 6 inches from a wall. The PX4 Pro has excellent color accuracy, decent brightness and speakers that make voices easy to understand.

The Hisense performs better than some other DLP-based UST projectors, like the Xgimi Aura 2 and AWOL Aetherion Pro, but it also costs a lot more. It costs a little more than the Epson Lifestudio Grand Plus, which is even brighter.

So if you want something sharper than the Epson and with more light than less-expensive USTs, the PX4 Pro is a potential option. It will cost you, though.

Specs and such

• Resolution: 4K 
• Lumens: 3,500 (claimed)
• Zoom: No
• Lens shift: No
• Image tech and light source type: DLP, 3 laser

The PX4 Pro is rated at 3,500 lumens. In its most accurate mode, which was extremely accurate, I measured 1,644. That’s in the same range as most of the 4K projectors I’ve reviewed in the last few years. It’s brighter than the two other DLP USTs I’ve reviewed, but not as bright as the LCD-based Epson. If you want to sacrifice color accuracy, you can bump up the Hisense’s brightness to 2,747 lumens with the fairly green Brightness Enhancement set to Ultra. While it’s rare for any projector to match its brightness specs, and there are many ways to measure a projector’s light output, that’s over 20% off from spec and a bit outside normal measurement differences. Not egregiously so, but classifying this as a “3,000 lumen” projector would be more fitting. 

Geoffrey Morrison/CNET

Contrast was equally odd. Well, not odd as much as impossible to measure accurately. When I test projectors I measure a small white box and then a black screen in a single picture mode, and the difference between the two is the contrast ratio. Most projectors have little tricks to try to boost that number, typically by reducing the laser power or closing an iris with dark images. If they do this it’s called a dynamic contrast ratio and it’s not what you would see at any given moment. Take, for example, a shot of two well-lit actors with the night sky behind them, a projector with a great native contrast ratio would have a dark sky. A projector with a bad native contrast ratio might dynamically dim the whole scene to make the night sky less grey, but make the actors unnecessarily dark. Native contrast is arguably the most important single measurement and tells you a lot about how a projector will look. 

The Hisense doesn’t let you turn off the light-changing dynamic contrast features, and to be fair it’s not alone in this. So I was unable to get an accurate native contrast ratio measurement, despite having all those features well labeled in the menu. Turning them on or off does nothing to the image or the measurements. I suspect this is a firmware issue. If I trick the projector into thinking there’s an image on screen (i.e. not a fully black image but one with some light) it measures somewhere under 2,000:1, which is roughly how it looks when subjectively compared to other projectors. That’s a lot of words to say, the contrast is fine.

 Connections

• HDMI inputs: 4
• USB port: 2
• Audio: eARC, Optical, Bluetooth, 6 speakers (66W total)
• Internet: Ethernet, Wi-Fi 7
• Streaming interface: VIDAA 

The PX4 Pro has a generous 4 HDMI inputs, one of which has eARC. If you want to connect a streaming device, there’s a USB connection on the back to power it. It’s nice to see a wired Ethernet connection in case you want to take some of the strain off your Wi-Fi or ensure less buffering if the projector isn’t close to your router. 

The Hisense has six speaker drivers with 66 watts of total power. Hisense describes this as a 4.0.2 setup, implying four speakers and two subwoofers. I didn’t see any drivers onboard that I’d even charitably call a “subwoofer” but that description is fairly common for smaller devices. Overall sound is decent, with more midrange than is really neutral, but prioritizing the vocal range makes sense for a product like this.

It can play loud enough to fill a midsized room, but there isn’t much bass. Multiple sound modes can change which frequencies are boosted, though all still have extra midrange. There’s enough treble for high frequencies to sound sufficiently clear. If you really want to fine tune it, there’s even a seven-band EQ, though don’t expect miracles out of small drivers in a small box with only 66W. 

Geoffrey Morrison/CNET

Hisense’s own VIDAA OS is a rarity in the projector world, where nearly everything runs on Google. It’s… fine. You can get all the major streaming services and probably most of the minor ones. If you regularly watch something that’s not typically US-mainstream (non-English programming, and so on), it’s worth checking if it’s available on VIDAA before you buy. Or you can just use a streaming device.

The PX4 Pro, like all UST projectors, can be a challenge to set up compared to traditional projectors. They need to be a precise distance away from, and below, the screen. Differences of fractions of an inch can result in huge shape and size issues with the projected image. You could use keystone correction, but that reduces image quality and exacerbates light spill issues. It’s important to use the setup or installation instructions to know exactly where you need to place the projector for it to work correctly.

Picture quality comparisons

Epson Lifestudio Grand Plus

The Epson Lifestudio Grand Plus is a large, LCD-based UST with a suggested retail price that’s close to the PX4 Pro. It’s bulkier, and less aesthetically pleasing to my eye, but has some serious overall performance. I connected them both to the same source via a distribution amplifier and watched them side-by-side on a 1.0-gain screen. Like all UST projectors you should absolutely get a dedicated, CLR or ALR screen. I’ve viewed both of these projectors extensively on an ALR screen, but for measurement consistency and ease of testing setup, I used a traditional screen here.

Geoffrey Morrison/CNET

Not surprisingly, both these projectors are quite bright. The Epson is one of the brightest projectors I’ve ever tested, but the Hisense also held its own. They were fairly similar when it came to contrast. The Hisense’s blacks were a little lower, but that was at least partially due to just being a little dimmer overall. The Epson measured 1,420:1 and I suspect the Hisense was higher than that and closer to the two DLP USTs I reviewed a few months ago. Both the Hisense and Epson performed well, though not as good as the best traditional projectors. 

Color is probably the biggest difference between the two. As I mentioned earlier, the Hisense has some of the most accurate colors I’ve measured in recent memory and a very natural image in most cases. The Epson, however, is capable of a greater range of colors, so HDR content looks more vibrant. Skin tones on the Epson look healthier, and there was just more “wow” to the Epson’s HDR colors. 

The next-biggest difference is sharpness. DLP just tends to look more detailed than LCD, and that was noticeable here. Wrinkles, hairs, textures, all just looked more noticeable on the Hisense compared to the softer Epson. On its own, the Epson doesn’t look soft, but the DLP system used in the PX4 Pro gives it an edge.

Geoffrey Morrison/CNET

While I didn’t compare them side-by-side, the Xgimi Aura 2 is worth mentioning. It’s not as bright at 1,200 lumens, and its color isn’t as accurate, but it’s significantly cheaper. As of this writing it’s $1,700, or just 42% of the PX4 Pro. Subjectively, it’s probably 85% of the performance.

Hi-cents, am I right?

The PX4 Pro has a classy, understated design, decent speakers and fantastic color accuracy. It’s fairly bright with OK contrast. The main issue is the price. The Epson Lifestudio Grand Plus is brighter and more colorful, and to the eye the contrast ratio is fairly close. The Hisense is definitely sharper, but that’s less of an issue as it seems given the other factors. The retail price on the Epson is slightly less than the PX4 Pro, but it’s regularly on sale for far less. If the Hisense cost under $3,000 then maybe I could say it was a pricey-but-interesting upgrade compared to the Xgimi Aura 2 and AWOL Aetherion Pro, but as is the performance doesn’t justify the price.