Hisense C2 Ultra vs C2 Pro vs C2: Which Hisense Laser Projector Should You Buy?

All figures below come from Hisense USA's own product listings unless noted.

Before we get into the differences, it helps to know how much these three actually share. Every C2 model uses a red, green and blue laser light source, which Hisense calls TriChroma, and every one is rated for 110% of the BT.2020 color space. That's a big part of why these little cube projectors look so saturated next to lamp or single laser models.

They all project from 65 inches up to 300 inches, all run Hisense's VIDAA smart platform, and all sit on a rotating stand so you can aim the image at a wall, a screen or the ceiling without propping the thing up on books. On the C2 Ultra, Hisense quotes 360 degrees of horizontal rotation and 135 degrees of vertical tilt.

None of them is native 4K. Projector Central's review of the C2 Ultra notes it uses a 0.47 inch DLP chip with native 1080p resolution and four phase pixel shifting to produce a 4K UHD image, and the C2 Pro uses the same 0.47 inch chip size. That's normal at this price and it looks sharp from a sofa, but it's worth knowing.

Brightness is the biggest practical difference, and the one you'll notice every single day.

Hisense rates the C2 Ultra at 3,000 ANSI lumens, the C2 Pro at 2,600 and the C2 at 2,000. When Projector Central measured the C2 Ultra, it hit 2,779 ANSI lumens in its brightest mode, about 7% under the claim. That's a respectable result; plenty of projectors miss by much more.

What does that mean in your room? If you watch at night with the lights off, all three will look punchy on a 100 inch screen. If you watch sport on a Sunday afternoon with the blinds half open, the extra headroom on the Ultra is what keeps the picture from looking washed out. The C2 Pro sits comfortably in between. The original C2 is the one I'd only put in a room you can properly darken.

This is the spec people skip and then regret.

The C2 Ultra and C2 Pro both have a throw ratio of 0.9 to 1.5:1 with a 1.67x optical zoom. In practice, for a 100 inch 16:9 image (about 87 inches wide), you can place either projector anywhere from roughly 6.5 feet to about 10.9 feet from the screen and still fill it, using real glass zoom rather than shrinking the picture digitally.

The original C2 is listed by Hisense at a fixed 1.2:1 throw, so a 100 inch image needs it about 8.7 feet away. If it's closer, you get a smaller picture. If it's farther, you can shrink the image with digital zoom, but that throws away pixels and brightness. For a coffee table setup where the distance is fixed by your furniture, optical zoom is a genuine quality of life upgrade.

None of these is an ultra short throw projector. If you want something that sits a few inches from the wall on a media console, skip to the PX3 Pro and PX4 Pro section below.

The C2 Ultra and C2 Pro both support Dolby Vision, HDR10, HDR10+ and HLG, so whatever your streaming service sends, they can read it. Hisense's listing for the original C2 names Dolby Vision, HDR10 and HLG. The C2 Ultra also carries IMAX Enhanced certification.

One honest caveat from Projector Central's testing of the Ultra: native contrast measured around 1,600:1, and the reviewer noticed a mild rainbow effect in some scenes. That's typical of single chip DLP, and some people never notice it, but if you've been bothered by rainbows on DLP projectors before, try to see one in person first.

If you're not adding a soundbar, this might decide it for you.

The C2 Ultra has a 40W JBL system, which Projector Central describes as two 10W stereo speakers plus a 20W subwoofer built into the base of the stand. The C2 Pro and the original C2 each have 20W of JBL stereo sound and no subwoofer. Heimkinowelten's review of the C2 Pro described its audio as a JBL 2.0 setup and found the Ultra's 2.1 design noticeably fuller.

Tom's Guide still found the Ultra's deepest bass out of reach, which is fair; physics is physics in a box this size. But for a bedroom, a holiday rental or a backyard movie night, the Ultra is the one that sounds like a proper TV.

All three can run 1080p at 240Hz, and all three have one HDMI 2.1 port with auto low latency mode (ALLM). The differences are in how fast they actually respond.

• C2 Ultra: Projector Central measured 9ms at 1080p 240Hz, 21ms at 1080p 120Hz, 21ms at 4K 120Hz and 33ms at 4K 60Hz, using the High Refresh Rate and DLP Turbo modes.
• C2 Pro: Heimkinowelten measured 12ms in DLP Turbo mode, with 4K at 60Hz and 1080p at up to 240Hz supported.
• C2: Son Vidéo's review reports input lag of around 30 to 40ms depending on resolution.

For casual console gaming, all three are fine. If you play fast shooters and care about every frame, the Ultra and Pro are clearly better, and the Ultra is the one with official Designed for Xbox branding.

Here's what our tracking showed at Best Buy, checked 25 September 2026:

• Hisense C2 Ultra: $2,299.99, against a listed original price of $2,499.99. In stock.
• Hisense C2 Pro: $1,725.98. Currently out of stock at Best Buy.
• Hisense C2: $1,997.97. Currently out of stock at Best Buy.

A couple of things jump out. First, the original C2 is listed at Best Buy for more than the C2 Pro, which makes no sense for a buyer. If both come back in stock at those prices, get the Pro. Second, when I checked Hisense USA's own store, it listed the C2 Ultra at $2,499.99, the C2 Pro at $1,699.99 and the C2 at $1,499.99. So Best Buy is currently the better deal on the Ultra, while Hisense's own store is cheaper on the other two. If you'd rather buy from Best Buy, it's worth reading our guide to the Best Buy price match policy before you check out.

If what you actually want is a TV replacement that sits against the wall, the C2 family isn't it. Hisense's ultra short throw models are the step up, and we track two of them.

The Hisense PX3 Pro is rated at 3,000 ANSI lumens, projects from 80 to 150 inches, uses TriChroma triple laser, runs Google TV and has 50W of Harman Kardon speakers with Dolby Atmos support. It's $2,999.99 at Best Buy, down from $3,499.99, and in stock (checked 25 September 2026).

The Hisense PX4 Pro goes further: up to 3,500 ANSI lumens, 80 to 200 inches, RGB triple laser, a six speaker system with up to 66W and Dolby Atmos, VIDAA, and up to 240Hz at 1080p with FreeSync Premium. It's $3,999.99 at Best Buy and in stock.

Both need a proper ambient light rejecting screen to look their best, so budget for that too.

The names are close enough that it's easy to buy the wrong one, so here's the plain English version.

Buy the C2 Ultra if you want one box that does movies, sport and gaming in a room that isn't pitch black, and you don't want to buy a soundbar. It's also the only one in stock at Best Buy right now, at $200 under its listed original price.

Buy the C2 Pro if your room gets properly dark, you already own a soundbar or AV receiver, and you want optical zoom and fast gaming for less. Watch for it to come back in stock at Best Buy, or check Hisense's own store.

Buy the original C2 if you can get it well under the Pro, your projector will live at a fixed distance that suits its 1.2:1 throw, and you mostly watch at night.

The Hisense C2 Ultra is the best all rounder of the three, and at $2,299.99 at Best Buy it's the easiest to actually buy today. The C2 Pro is the value pick if you have a dark room and your own speakers, but only when the price gap to the Ultra is real. The original C2 is a fine projector that's been overtaken by its siblings; I wouldn't pay close to Pro money for it.

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every brand we track in depth

These are the brands with enough tracked products to be worth a price history page of their own.

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