Hisense PX3-PRO

The PX3-PRO nails picture and audio, landing in the 97th and 100th percentiles respectively. The 3000 ANSI lumens brightness is a standout. But the gaming score of 25.2 out of 100 and reported stuttering with external devices make this a movie-only machine.

Let's talk about what this thing does well first. The TriChroma laser engine is the star here. Picture quality ranks in the 97th percentile, which means it's one of the best projectors we've tracked. The 3000 ANSI lumens brightness is genuinely impressive. Most projectors in this class hover around 2000-2500 lumens, so the PX3-PRO has real headroom for rooms with ambient light. The audio is even more surprising. It ranks in the 100th percentile, the absolute best in our database. The 50W speaker setup means you might not need a soundbar at all, which is rare for a projector.

The weak spot is motion. The refresh rate is 60Hz, and the gaming score of 25.2 out of 100 puts it in the 17th percentile. That's disappointing for a $2,500 device. The HDR ranking is even worse at the 13th percentile. So while the picture looks fantastic for movies and streaming, fast-moving content and HDR-heavy gaming are not this projector's friends. The display ranking sits at the 27th percentile, which is mediocre. It's a strange mix: best-in-class audio and near-best picture quality, paired with below-average gaming and HDR performance.

Stacked against the competition, the PX3-PRO is a specialist. The LG OLED evo OLED55C5PUA and Samsung QN990F are TVs, not projectors, so they'll beat this thing on contrast and HDR all day. The Sony BRAVIA 9 K85XR90 is also a TV with far better gaming performance. But none of those can throw a 150-inch image. The TCL QM8K Series 75QM8K is a more direct competitor in terms of value, but it's still a TV. The Roku Pro Series 55R8C5 is a budget option that can't touch the PX3-PRO's brightness or audio. If you want a projector specifically, the PX3-PRO's main competition is other laser projectors, and in that space, its picture and audio rankings are hard to beat. The trade-off is clear: you give up gaming and HDR performance for a massive, bright, great-sounding image.

At $2,500 USD (or $2,998 CAD), the PX3-PRO is priced like a premium projector, and for the most part it delivers. The picture and audio quality punch well above what you'd expect at this price. The 97th percentile picture quality and 100th percentile audio mean you're getting flagship-level performance without flagship-level pricing. But the value proposition gets murkier when you factor in the gaming limitations and the external device stuttering issue. If you're a pure movie watcher, this is a great deal. If you want to plug in a PS5 or Apple TV, you might be paying $2,500 for frustration.

The Hisense PX3-PRO is a 4K TriChroma laser projector that lands in the 97th percentile for picture quality and the 100th percentile for audio in our database. That's a combo you rarely see at this price point. It pumps out 3000 ANSI lumens, which means you can actually watch this thing in a room with some light, not just a pitch-black basement theater. The 3000:1 contrast ratio isn't going to touch an OLED, but for a projector throwing an image up to 150 inches, it's solid.

But here's the thing. The gaming score sits at 25.2 out of 100, which puts it in the 17th percentile. That's rough. And the 60Hz refresh rate, despite the "Motion Rate 120" marketing, is a real limitation if you're plugging in a PS5. We'll dig into that below. For now, know this: if you want a giant, gorgeous picture for movies and TV, this is a serious contender. If you want a gaming display, keep walking.

Skip this if you're a gamer or rely on external streaming devices. The gaming score of 25.2 out of 100 is one of the worst we've seen in this category, and the 60Hz refresh rate will hold back any console. The HDR performance is also weak, sitting in the 13th percentile. And if you're planning to use an Apple TV, PS5, or Nvidia Shield, the reported stuttering issue is a dealbreaker that firmware updates haven't fixed. This is a projector for people who use the built-in Google TV and watch movies, period.

The Hisense PX3-PRO is a fantastic projector for a specific type of person: someone who wants a huge, bright, great-sounding picture for movies and TV, and doesn't care about gaming or external streaming devices. The 97th percentile picture quality and 100th percentile audio are genuinely impressive, and the 3000 ANSI lumens brightness makes it usable in rooms that would wash out lesser projectors. But the 25.2 gaming score and the reported stuttering with Apple TV and PS5 are real problems that firmware updates apparently haven't fixed. If you're a cinema lover, this is a strong buy. If you're a gamer or rely on external streaming boxes, look elsewhere.