Hisense P1 Projector Review – Packs a portable punch!

Taking your TV or Movie viewing wherever you want has become a trend over recent years and while the idea of a dedicated “Cinema” room might be a stretch for most people, turning one room or your backyard into a Cinema? Now that sounds fun! That’s the focus of our Hisense P1 Projector review.

EFTM Snapshot: A properly portable triple laser projector that’s at its best after dark, and at around $1,400 it’s a sensational buy.

Apologies for the attempted alliteration there in the headline but this is the Hisense P1 Projector so “p” is the key right?

It’s a Projector, got that. But it’s Portable and that’s probably where the model name comes from.

Hisense is no johnny-come-lately to the projector game, they’ve been firing images onto walls for years with their range of both projectors and Laser TVs.

What they’ve done here is bring that down to the fundamentals, and package it so it is legitimately portable and most importantly affordable.

You’ll see a $1,799 price tag on this one, but keep an eye out for it closer to or less than $1,400 (JB HiFi) and frankly, it’s at that price when the Hisense P1 Projector really shines.

Customisable Big Screen with the Hisense P1

I tested this in our lounge room, looming on the other wall is a Hisense 100 inch TV and yes, I’d choose that every day and night for my movie watching, but what about when you’re on holidays, or you don’t have a mega screen like that? The Hisense P1 can project an image up to 150 inches!

That’s about the size I was getting with the P1 set up about three meters from the wall and you could use it for a 65 inch screen if you set it up about half that distance away.

There is an optional stand you can get for the P1, but let’s be real – we’ve all got a stool or coffee table that will do the trick – that’s what I went with.

What I did notice was the orange panel on the front corner of the Hisense P1 with “Zoom” buttons, and that allowed a little more customisation for how I wanted the picture to fit on the wall – sometimes you can’t place the projector right in the perfect spot, so this allows you to push in a little on the picture to frame it up in the ideal spot.

As with all great Hisense projectors there’s automatic key-framing, which is where a projector screen morphs the actual picture to square it up even if the actual projector is pointed up or on the side a little.

Worked well when front on at minor angles, but if I tried to do this at a bigger angle like I was able to with the Hisense XR10 that didn’t work. So “front on” is the best for the P1, with a variation of 20-30 cm each way able to be overcome by the key-framing software.

Hisense P1 Operating System

What’s most ideal about the Hisense P1, along with all Hisense projectors is the in-built VIDAA software. It’s the same system used on Hisense TVs so when you power this up it has a familiar “smart TV” look about it, and all the regular apps and connectivity. Setting up the Wifi was quick and easy, after which I could jump right into Disney+ and watch the greatest movie ever made (Cars).

There is a HDMI 2.1 input so if you wanted to get gaming, no issues with your PlayStation or Xbox.

The remote works with ease even when pointing at the wall – because that’s what your brain tells you you’re controlling.

it’s also got light up buttons for those evening movie nights!

How bright is the Hisense P1 Projector?

For your night-time party or personal movie night this is an awesome little projector.

Operating at 1000 ANSI Lumens it’s bright enough to replicate what you might see from many traditional TVs – no doubt.

And the picture isn’t lacking either with HDR10 though there’s no Dolby Vision or HDR10+ – I don’t reckon most people would even notice.

However, it’s a dark room/night time projector. Turn the room lights on and you can make out the image but you wouldn’t watch a show.

Backyard movie nights are awesome – just hang up a white bedsheet on the clothes line and you’re off.

Remember though, Sunset is later in the evening in the summer months, so you’re probably waiting till 8pm or later for the ideal lighting conditions.

Built-in Audio?

Built-into the body of the Hisense P1 are two 7W speakers, and what I found was that if you’ve set it up among your watch party you’re going to get a great sound experience.

No, it’s not some heavy bass booming surround sound system – if you want that, there’s plenty of options including ARC HDMI connection or Bluetooth.

But the sound is quite isolated, so sitting a distance from the projector will mean pumping the volume, and if there’s people between you and the projector they might not want it that loud. Plus, sitting off to one side makes it feel strange when watching what’s in front of you.

The best scenario is for the Screen to be in front of you all, the projector then between you and the screen so the sound comes from the projector at you, in the same direction as the screen.

Unplugged entertainment

Critically, this little gem the Hisense P1 can also operate without mains power. I honestly didn’t know this until I realised I had set it up in an upside down position. Twisting the included tilt stand around to fix it up I realised I’d have to unplug the power cord. I did that and the screen kept going! Boom.

Hisense say you’ll get 2.5 hours of video from the battery but that’s at a medium screen brightness, so consider it a one and done movie night if you’re operating off the grid.

Overall though, at the discounted $1,400 price this is a sensational unit. Big enough to pack the RGB Triple Laser system in along with decent sound, familiar enough to be easy to use as a normal “Smart TV”, and small enough to be portable. Take it room to room, or place to place.

Well worth a look!

Web: Hisense