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Released in June 2025, the Hisense L9Q is the company's new flagship ultra-short-throw projector. Strengthening Hisense's Laser TV lineup with its brightest model to date, the L9Q is designed to deliver a premium cinema experience while maintaining strong performance in areas such as audio and gaming. With a suggested MSRP of $5,999.99, the Hisense L9Q positions itself as one of the brightest RGB laser UST projectors available today, offering 5,000 ANSI lumens of brightness, low input latency for gaming, full BT.2020 color gamut coverage, Dolby Vision and HDR10+ support, and compatibility with screen sizes up to 200 inches diagonally. For many, the Hisense L9Q could be the UST projector they've been waiting for.

Features

The Hisense L9Q, released in June 2025, is the latest addition to Hisense's line of Laser TV UST projectors. As the flagship model, the L9Q is positioned as a premium product, and it carries a matching premium price tag of $5,999.99 MSRP at the time of this review. As expected from a high-end device, the L9Q demonstrates excellent build quality and impressive performance.

The L9Q features Hisense's LPU Digital Laser Engine 2.0, a solid-state light source that utilizes RGB lasers, enabling the projector to deliver 25,000-plus hours of high brightness with 5,000 ANSI lumens and 110% gamut coverage of the BT.2020 color space. During testing, we measured 5,185 ANSI lumens in its brightest picture mode, Vivid—a result that is 3.57% higher than Hisense's 5,000-lumen specification. The measured color gamut coverage of the L9Q reached 95.6% (xy) and 97.17% (uv) when mapped to the BT.2020 color space.

The L9Q tracked BT.2020, P3, and Rec.709 color gamut well within the larger color space when set to Filmmaker Mode. Color accuracy was quite good, likely due to the projector's Pantone Validated and Pantone SkinTone Validated certifications, which ensure that colors and skin tones appear accurate and natural.

The L9Q features a 0.47-inch Texas Instruments DLP chip, making it a native 1080p projector that employs pixel shifting to achieve a full 4K UHD resolution of 3840x2160. It delivers an exceptionally sharp and detailed image that would be difficult to distinguish from native 4K. However, since the L9Q is a single-chip DLP projector, the rainbow effect may be visible to some viewers. During my testing, I noticed a very mild rainbow effect in certain highlights and subtitles.

Additionally, I observed a faint amount of laser speckle, which was primarily visible in white areas of the image.

The L9Q is listed as having a contrast ratio of 5,000:1. In our measurements, the L9Q achieved a contrast ratio of 3,900:1, which is quite good, though it falls short of the specified figure. However, when using the Brightness Enhancer, the L9Q can reach its rated specification—though the image becomes heavily green-biased, making it unsuitable for accurate viewing. While the L9Q doesn't fully meet its contrast claim, its overall contrast performance remains excellent.

With a throw ratio of 0.18:1, the L9Q can project an 80-inch image from just 2.2 inches away from the wall, and up to a massive 200-inch image from 21.06 inches. Thanks to its strong light output and support for larger screen sizes allows for the L9Q to deliver an impressively immersive, cinematic image.

Setup is quick and straightforward. The L9Q features four leveling feet—two in the front and two in the rear—and offers Auto Screen Fit, which uses built-in cameras to position the image on a wall or screen, Auto Keystone Correction, and Manual Keystone Correction with either 4-point or 8-point adjustments. Its motorized focus is also highly precise, allowing users to fine tune a sharp image quickly. It is worth noting that both keystone and 3D features are disabled when DLP Turbo Mode is enabled, as this mode is required to achieve the lowest input latency for gaming, which the L9Q does quite well. In our testing, latency measured 27ms at 60Hz Hz for 1080p and 35ms for 4K, 16ms at 1080p/120Hz, 18ms at 4K/120Hz, and 8ms at 1080p/240Hz.

The L9Q is on the larger and heavier side, weighing 28.4 lbs and measuring 24.6 x 6.5 x 12.5 inches (WHD), so the L9Q may be a bit larger than other available UST projectors. Supporting both front and rear, table, or ceiling installations, the L9Q should have no trouble fitting into most setups. For installation assistance, visit the ProjectorCentral Hisense L9Q projection calculator.

The L9Q utilizes the Google TV operating system, which many users will already be familiar with. Those who aren't will quickly adapt to its snappy and streamlined interface. It offers a wide range of features that users have come to expect, including Chromecast, Google Assistant, and access to the Google Play Store for apps. The L9Q also includes officially licensed built-in streaming apps such as Netflix, Disney+, Max, Hulu, Prime Video, and many more available through the Google Play Store.

This implementation of Google TV on the L9Q correctly recognizes color spaces and dynamic ranges, automatically switching between SDR and HDR as needed to display content in the appropriate color space. Because of this, there is no need for an external streaming device such as an Apple TV or Fire TV—the internal system handles content correctly. Additionally, the L9Q supports Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HDR10, IMAX Enhanced, and HLG.

The L9Q offers extensive I/O connectivity with plenty of ports to satisfy even the most demanding users. It includes four HDMI ports: two full 48Gbps HDMI 2.1 ports that support 4K at 120Hz, and two HDMI 2.0 ports, with eARC available on HDMI Port 3. Hisense's thoughtful implementation allows users to connect current-generation gaming consoles, such as the Xbox Series X or PlayStation 5, to the HDMI 2.1 ports for 4K/120Hz performance, while reserving the HDMI 2.0 port for eARC without occupying the higher bandwidth connections. Additionally, there are three USB ports—one USB 3.0, one USB 2.0, and one USB Type-C.

The remaining I/O includes an RJ45 LAN port, an SPDIF optical output, and an RF antenna connection. While fairly uncommon on UST projectors, this allows users to connect a coaxial cable or OTA antenna to watch live TV. The L9Q is also Control4 compatible, enabling integration into home automation systems for seamless control.

The L9Q's built-in sound system was created by Devialet, a French audio technology company founded in 2007 in Paris. Since its inception, Devialet has been producing high-end speakers and amplifiers. Hisense partnered with Devialet to develop a 6.2.2 speaker system for the L9Q, consisting of six front speakers, two upward-firing speakers, and two subwoofers, delivering a total output of 116 watts. The sound produced by the L9Q is full and robust, offering solid bass and clear detail. While the overall audio quality is impressive—and the L9Q supports both Dolby Atmos and DTS:X—it's not a complete replacement for a dedicated home theater audio system, though it could easily rival some soundbars.

The L9Q also supports 3D playback using active DLP-Link 3D glasses. Performance in 3D mode is strong, and I did not observe any crosstalk while watching clips from How to Train Your Dragon and Megamind. The image remained bright thanks to the L9Q's high light output, ensuring an enjoyable experience for 3D enthusiasts.

Additionally, the L9Q includes a backlit IR/Bluetooth remote, providing convenient access to essential functions within the menu system. The remote features buttons for switching between Google TV user profiles, activating Google Assistant, launching apps, selecting inputs, adjusting settings, and controlling volume. It also includes a customizable favorite button, which users can map to Inputs, apps, or a preferred function.

Performance

Picture Modes. The L9Q offers an impressive total of 22 picture modes across both SDR and HDR formats. Similar to other Hisense UST projectors, such as the PX3 Pro which Projector Central reviewed back in September of 2024, the L9Q provides seven picture modes for SDR, eight for HDR, three for Dolby Vision, four for HDR10+, and an additional mode for 3D content.

Each mode allows for independent settings and calibration. The available SDR modes include Vivid, Standard, Sports, PC/Game, Energy Saving, Theater, and Filmmaker. In HDR, the same mode names are used with the "HDR" prefix, except for PC/Game, which becomes "HDR Game." An additional "IMAX Enhanced" mode is also available in HDR. For HDR10+, the modes are labeled with the "HDR10+" prefix—Vivid, Game, Standard, and Theater. Dolby Vision modes follow the naming convention of Dolby Vision Bright, Dolby Vision Dark, and Dolby Vision Custom.

Basic picture adjustment options include Contrast, Black Level (commonly referred to as Brightness), Color, and Hue. Contrast and Black Level are located under the Laser Luminance menu, while Color and Hue are found in the Color menu. Sharpness controls are located in the Clarity menu.

Advanced calibration controls are provided, including a 2-point white balance control for adjusting Gain and Offset, as well as a 20-point control that allows adjustments in 5% increments. Additionally, a full Color Management System (CMS) is available for fine-tuning primary and secondary colors, along with 20-point Gamma calibration controls.

I found the provided calibration controls to be too coarse in their adjustments; they should be made more granular to allow for precise fine-tuning. In addition, the 20-point controls did not function effectively in HDR picture modes, producing little to no visible change except at a few adjustment points.

Initial out-of-the-box (OOTB) picture modes were generally good, though some modes used cooler color temperatures, resulting in a noticeable blue bias. The Filmmaker and Theater modes were quite good OOTB and delivered the most accurate and natural-looking images.

I started calibration by measuring the Filmmaker picture mode with its default values using Calman Ultimate calibration software from Portrait Displays, a Colorimetry Research CR-300 Spectroradiometer, a Colorimetry Research CR-100 Colorimeter and a Murideo 8K Seven Generator. The L9Q was calibrated to 120-inch diagonal Elite Screens Kestrel Tab-Tension 2 CLR screen.

Pre-calibration measurements had low dE (DeltaE) errors. (DeltaE is the metric used to determine the visible error. It has been determined that anything over a dE of 3 is visible, anything over 2.3 is a just noticeable difference for trained eyes and anything below 2.3 should ideally not be seen to the eye.) Grayscale pre-calibration measurements of Filmmaker had dE errors between 2.3dE average and a maximum of 3.4dE. Color gamut color points for the Rec.709 color space had errors with an average of 2.1dE and a maximum of 3.6dE. Large color checker errors came in with an average of 1.4dE and a maximum of 3.4dE, and saturation sweeps had an average error of 1.6dE to 3.2dE maximum. When luminance was not factored into measurements BT.2020 and P3 color space had similar results.

Utilizing the white balance controls for adjustments, I targeted the production industry standard D65 neutral gray white point using the available Gain and Offset controls, 20-point white balance controls, and CMS.

Post calibration errors for Rec.709 were improved overall. Grayscale resulted in an average of 0.3dE and a max of 0.7dE, large color checker measured an average of 0.8dE and max of 2.6dE, and 10% saturation sweeps averaged 0.7dE and max of 2.7dE. HDR grayscale averaged 0.9dE with a max of 1.5dE, and large color checker averaged 1.02dE and a max of 2.44dE when luminance was not factored into measurements.

The devices I used for reviewing content post calibration were Panasonic UB820 Blu-ray player.

1080p/SDR. The first movie I watched was Oblivion on Blu-ray in SDR, which looked good overall. The image was sharp and detailed, with clean whites and accurate skin tones. During my viewing, I did notice some slight laser speckle in the sky when Jack is sitting on the mountain watering the plant. While minor, laser speckle was noticeable due to the amount of white in the sky. This effect was also visible in the following scene when he rides his bike across the wasteland. Later, as Jack descended into the library, contrast remained strong, and I didn't observe any fluctuations in brightness as the scene played out, though I did notice a bit of rainbow effect on the lights from the scavs. Aside from these small and infrequent instances, the L9Q performed well throughout the viewing.

UHD/HDR. The next movie I watched was The Secret Life of Pets on 4K Blu-ray. The image was vibrant, bright, and sharp, with nicely saturated colors and an impressive sense of depth thanks to the L9Q's contrast. While the overall picture quality was good, some detail appeared clipped even with dynamic tone mapping enabled. This was most noticeable during the scene where Gidget speaks to Tiberius on the rooftop, as much of the fine detail in her fur was missing. A similar issue appeared during the sewer scene with the rabbit, where the usual texture and distinction in the fur were absent. Aside from these instances, everything else was rendered beautifully, and the L9Q delivered a pleasing overall presentation.

UHD/Dolby Vision. The last movie I watched was The Matrix in Dolby Vision via 4K Blu-ray, specifically focusing on the white room and the scenes that followed. The white room exhibited a somewhat noisy appearance, resembling laser speckle or heavy film grain, which was not present in other parts of the film. Once Morpheus and Neo transitioned to the wasteland and various shots of the sky appeared, the skies showed no signs of posterization. In the following scene, when Morpheus is speaking with Neo in his room, shadow detail remained strong throughout the darker sequences. Scenes with predominantly white elements, such as the jump program and the white room, proved a bit more challenging for the L9Q due to the speckle effect. However, other scenes were rendered quite well overall.

Conclusion

The Hisense L9Q is a very strong projector thanks to its excellent build quality, impressive gamut coverage, accurate color reproduction, substantial audio performance, support for all HDR formats, and solid gaming capabilities. With its high brightness capable of illuminating large screens, the L9Q has a lot to offer—making it a very appealing choice for users in the market for a UST projector.

While the price is high, it delivers performance to match, ultimately making it quite reasonable in terms of price-to-performance value. Many UST projectors can support 150-inch screens or larger, but they often lack the brightness needed to fully light them up—especially when paired with negative-gain screens. This is where the L9Q shines, thanks to its 5,000 ANSI lumens. That alone makes it worth considering for prospective buyers looking for a larger screen experience.

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The L9Q performs well overall, though there's still room for improvement in certain areas. The contrast ratio, while good, falls short of Hisense's listed specification in standard picture modes when not using the high-brightness boosting mode, which introduces a heavy green bias. Ideally, it would achieve the specified contrast ratio in a mode like Filmmaker, where the image remains both watchable and accurate. Additionally, the calibration controls could use refinement, as they are too coarse and lack the granularity needed for precise adjustments.

Additional features, such as the built-in RF antenna, are a nice touch for users who plan to make use of them.

With its bright and sharp image, there is little to dislike about the L9Q given its strong overall performance. While the price may be high for some, the premium look and feel of the unit—combined with its excellent performance—make it a projector that serious enthusiasts should keep on their shortlist when shopping for a UST.

Measurements

Brightness. The Hisense L9Q is rated for 5,000 ANSI lumens. The brightest picture mode in both SDR and HDR was Vivid/HDR Vivid. This picture mode measured 5,185 ANSI lumens, which is 3.57% above Hisense's 5,000 rated lumen specification. Due to the variance in casual handheld measurements for ultra-short-throw projectors, some measurements may be slightly higher or lower than published specification.

Hisense L9Q ANSI Lumens

SDR/HDR Mode	Laser Luminance Level 10
Vivid/HDR Vivid	5185
Standard/HDR Standard	4854
Sports/HDR Sports	4674
PC/Game/HDR Game	4905
Energy Saving/HDR Energy Saving	4616
Theater/HDR Theater	4372
Filmmaker Mode/HDR FMM	4652
IMAX Mode	5061

Brightness Uniformity. The Hisense L9Q projecting a 100-inch diagonal image resulted in measured brightness uniformity of 78%. The brightest portion of the screen was the middle-top sector, and the dimmest the left-bottom. The difference in brightness on a full white screen wasn't noticeable nor was it noticeable while viewing content.

Fan Noise. Hisense L9Q did not have a published specification for audible noise at the time of review. Using Room EQ Wizard software and a Umik-1 microphone, my theater room ambient noise floor is 33.3 dBA. The Hisense L9Q measured a max of 35.1 dBA for audible noise in all picture modes and brightness settings. The measurements were taken at a distance of approximately three feet from the unit.

Left: 35.1 dBA
Right: 35.0 dBA
Rear: 34.4 dBA

Input Lag. Input lag measurements while using DLP Turbo Mode On and High Refresh Rate Mode On for 120hz:

• 1080p/60 = 27ms - DLP Turbo Mode ON and High Refresh Rate Mode ON
• 1080p/120 = 16ms DLP Turbo Mode ON and High Refresh Rate Mode ON
• 1080p/240 = 8ms - DLP Turbo Mode ON and High Refresh Rate Mode ON
• 2160p/60 = 35ms - DLP Turbo Mode ON and High Refresh Rate Mode ON
• 2160p/120 = 18ms - DLP Turbo Mode ON and High Refresh Rate Mode ON

Connections

• HDMI 2.1 (x2; 48Gbps; HDCP 2.3)
• HDMI 2.0 (x2; HDCP 2.2; eARC HDMI 3)
• USB 2.0 type A (x1; 5V-0.5A; Media Reader)
• USB 3.0 type A (x1; 5V-1A; Media Reader)
• USB Type-C (x1)
• RF Antenna (x1)
• 1 RJ45 Lan port
• S/PDIF (x1 Optical output)
• WiFi 6e (802.11 ax)
• Bluetooth

Final Settings

Calibrated image settings from any third-party do not account for the significant potential for sample-to-sample variation, nor the different screen sizes and materials, lighting, lamp usage, or other environmental factors that can affect image quality. Projectors should always be calibrated in the user's own space and tuned for the expected viewing conditions. However, the settings provided here may be a helpful starting point for some. Always record your current settings before making adjustments so you can return to them as desired. Refer to the Performance section for some context for each calibration.

SDR Settings

Image Mode: Filmmaker

Laser Luminance

Laser Luminance Level: 10
Contrast: 40
Black Level: 0
Dark Detail: Off
Gamma: 2.4
Active Contrast: Off
Brightness Enhancer: Off
HDMI Dynamic Range: Auto
HDR Enhancer: Off

Color

Color: 50
Hue: 0
Color Temperature: Warm 1
Color Temperature Adaptation: Off
Color Space: Auto
Dynamic Color Enhancer: Off

Clarity

Sharpness: 4
Smooth Gradient: Low
Super Resolution: Off
Noise Reduction: Off
MPEG Noise Reduction: Off
Motion Enhancement: Off

Calibration Settings

Color Tuner

Hue	Saturation	Brightness
Red	1	0	0
Green	0	0	1
Blue	0	1	0
Yellow	0	1	0
Cyan	0	0	0
Magenta	0	0	1

White Balance

2 Point
R-Offset = 0
G-Offset = 0
B-Offset = -1
R-Gain = 0
G-Gain = -7
B-Gain = -3

20 Point: On

Red	Green	Blue
Level 5	0	-6	-17
Level 10	-3	-7	-12
Level 15	0	-4	-6
Level 20	0	-4	1
Level 25	0	-1	-1
Level 30	2	0	0
Level 35	1	-2	0
Level 40	2	-1	0
Level 45	0	-2	0
Level 50	0	-1	0
Level 55	1	0	-1
Level 60	1	0	0
Level 65	-0	-1	0
Level 70	0	0	0
Level 75	1	0	-1
Level 80	1	0	0
Level 85	0	0	0
Level 90	0	0	0
Level 95	0	0	0
Level 100	0	0	0

HDR Settings

Image Mode: Filmmaker

Laser Luminance

Laser Luminance Level: 10
Contrast: 40
Black Level: 0
Dark Detail: Off
Gamma: St.2084
Active Contrast: Low (or Off)
Brightness Enhancer: Off
Dynamic Tone Mapping: On
HDMI Dynamic Range: Auto
HDR Enhancer: Off

Color

Color: 50
Hue: 0
Color Temperature: Warm 1
Color Temperature Adaptation: Off
Color Space: Auto
Dynamic Color Enhancer: Off

Clarity

Sharpness: 0
Smooth Gradient: Low
Super Resolution: Off
Noise Reduction: Off
MPEG Noise Reduction: Off
Motion Enhancement: Off

Calibration Settings

Color Tuner

Hue	Saturation	Brightness
Red	0	2	0
Green	0	1	0
Blue	0	0	0
Yellow	1	0	0
Cyan	1	0	0
Magenta	0	1	0

White Balance

2 Point
R-Offset = 0
G-Offset = 0
B-Offset = -1
R-Gain = 0
G-Gain = -7
B-Gain = -4

20 Point: On

Red	Green	Blue
Level 5	0	0	0
Level 10	0	0	0
Level 15	0	0	0
Level 20	0	0	0
Level 25	0	0	-1
Level 30	0	0	0
Level 35	0	0	0
Level 40	0	0	0
Level 45	0	0	-2
Level 50	0	0	-1
Level 55	0	0	0
Level 60	0	0	0
Level 65	0	0	0
Level 70	0	0	0
Level 75	0	0	0
Level 80	0	0	0
Level 85	0	0	0
Level 90	0	0	0
Level 95	0	0	0
Level 100	0	0	0

For more detailed specifications and connections, check out our Hisense L9Q projector page.

To buy this projector, use Where to Buy online, or get a price quote by email direct from Projector Central authorized dealers using our E-Z Quote tool.

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