Hisense XR10: test and review of the RGB laser projector.

The Hisense XR10 is a projector for people for whom a 100-inch screen is no longer enough. A triple RGB laser, optical zoom, a large range of lens shift and the built-in VIDAA system are meant to allow comfortable viewing at 150-, 200- and even 300-inch diagonals. The price of around PLN 22,000 used in our review, however, places specific demands on image quality. So we checked everything: brightness, contrast, colour reproduction and gaming capabilities, as well as how the XR10 performs in everyday use.

Hisense XR10 – Is it worth buying? Verdict

The Hisense XR10 answers the needs of someone who wants a really big image but does not plan to build a dedicated home cinema. The most impressive aspect is the combination of high brightness with an exceptionally wide colour gamut. On our 120-inch screen we measured around 300 nits in SDR in settings suitable for viewing. BT.2020 coverage reached 97.5%. That’s a solid foundation for achieving impressive HDR.

The projector also impresses with its equipment. Motorised zoom and lens shift make installation easier without digital image degradation. VIDAA is responsive, the built-in speakers let you run a screening without external speakers, and noise levels in standard settings are good. It also offers solid build quality and a carry case that’s genuinely useful for transport.

The main compromise remains black levels. A contrast of about 2500:1 with the iris open and about 5000:1 with it closed gives a good result, but in a dark room good LCoS projectors still hold a clear advantage. You should also consider the possibility of seeing the rainbow effect, the lack of 4K at 120 Hz, and the shared white balance settings for SDR and HDR.

We recommend the XR10 primarily for large-screen viewing in a living room where you can limit ambient light during a screening. At 150 to 200-inch diagonals its brightness, colours and ease of use make for a very attractive package. Those who prioritise black depth over other features should compare it with LCoS designs under conditions similar to their own room.

Hisense XR10 - Appearance and build

We've unpacked plenty of projectors, but the case supplied with the XR10 still made an impression. It's solid, well finished and feels more like proper travel luggage than electronics packaging. Inside you'll find the projector, a fabric carrying case, the remote, a power cable and the documentation. Importantly, the case remains useful after the initial unboxing. You can pack the whole kit into it and carry it easily. During our tests we also used it as a stand for the projector; its rigidity and height worked well for that. The XR10 itself also looks very good. The housing is solid and the finish suits equipment at this price point. It's a fairly substantial unit: about 11 kg in weight with a base measuring roughly 27 × 29 cm. It's a projector you can take with you, but day to day it's more likely to have a permanent spot in the living room.

Connections

There are enough ports to connect a console, a media player and a sound system without constantly swapping cables. eARC is particularly useful, as it makes connecting the projector to a soundbar or AV receiver easier.

Hisense XR10 – Installation and picture setup

Automatic adjustment

You can place the XR10, point it at a wall and let it do the rest. The projector autofocuses, corrects geometry and compensates for obstructions. In our tests it handled this smoothly; even when positioned at an angle we quickly got a rectangular image. It's handy when we move the kit elsewhere or just want to start a movie without much setup. For a permanent installation it's worth spending a few minutes on finer adjustment, because the XR10 has really good tools for that.

Zoom and lens shift

A motorised 2.5× optical zoom lets you get a 120-inch image from about 2.2 to 5.3 m. That's a lot of flexibility: the projector can sit behind the sofa or closer to the rear wall, depending on how the room is set up. It also offers optical image shift both vertically and horizontally. Lens shift lets you position the projection without tilting the projector. So we can place the XR10 below the screen or mount it on the ceiling and shift the image into the right place using the lens.

That's exactly how we'd set it up for everyday viewing: square to the screen, with geometry adjusted optically. Digital keystone correction uses only part of the available projection area, which reduces detail and can leave a dark border around the image. With optics this capable, it would be a waste not to take advantage of them. Finally, we fine-tuned the focus manually. The autofocus was close, but a small adjustment delivered an even better result.

Hisense XR10 – Contrast and black level

With the iris open we measured about 2500:1. For a DLP projector that's a very good result and a big step forward compared with older designs of this type. In dark scenes you can still see detail, the image remains clear, and shadows don't merge into a single blot. However, when you compare it with a good LCoS projector in a darkened room, you'll notice a difference in absolute black level. On the XR10 it remains slightly grey. That's the main compromise of this model and a trait that will be noticed primarily by people used to JVC or Sony cinema projectors.

The iris gives a clear improvement

With the iris fully closed the contrast rose to around 5000:1, roughly double. That's a change worth using for evening SDR viewing. There's more than enough brightness then, so we can give up some of it in exchange for deeper blacks.

Simply reducing the laser power works differently: it lowers the brightness of both the whites and the blacks. The iris allowed us in our test to improve the balance between them. There are seven manual settings and two automatic modes available: Cinema 1 and Cinema 2.

How does this look in an ordinary living room?

It depends a lot on the room. Light-coloured walls and ceiling reflect light from the screen back onto its surface and degrade black levels. It's easiest to notice this in scenes where bright elements sit next to dark areas. That's why the advantage of a pricier projector with very high contrast won't always be as noticeable in a living room as it is in a dedicated screening room. The XR10 performs well in those conditions: it offers respectable blacks while still giving plenty of brightness headroom for viewing on a really big screen.

Hisense XR10 – HDR quality

Brightness is one of the main reasons the XR10 impressed us so much. On a 120-inch white matte Adeo screen with a gain of 1.0 we measured about 300 nits in SDR. These are settings you'd normally use to watch a film, not a mode tuned solely for the highest possible numbers. Converting the screen measurements gives about 3700 lumens.

Brightness reproduction in HDR

During bright scenes it quickly becomes clear why the projector has that headroom. The picture has real punch, and the brightest areas retain detail. Combined with a wide colour gamut, this yields very impressive HDR. The projector matches the material's brightness to its capabilities. On our screen a roughly twofold downscaling of luminance compared with the values encoded by the PQ curve worked well. After applying that scaling the EOTF curve was very close to the target. Put simply: the image maintained correct brightness relationships instead of over-brightening some parts and losing others. We left the additional tone mapping function turned off. In our setup it boosted the image too much. Without it we achieved a more orderly result, with good brightness and highlight detail.

Dolby Vision and HDR10+

Dolby Vision worked well. Dark and Bright modes are available, and in the material we watched the bright areas retained detail and didn’t wash out into a solid white patch. The XR10 also supports HDR10+. Both formats use dynamic metadata, which allows HDR rendering to be adjusted on a scene-by-scene basis. For a projector this is particularly important, because the available brightness range needs to be used as effectively as possible.

150, 200 or maybe 300 inches? How big a screen makes sense?

A generous amount of available light makes you want to increase the image size. Based on a measurement at 120″, we calculated how brightness would change at larger diagonals:

The calculations assume the same image format, screen gain and amount of light reaching it. In a specific installation the zoom setting will also matter. 150–200 inches looks like a very attractive range here. You get a huge image, and brightness is still enough for HDR to make an impact. At 120″ the effect will be stronger, while at 200″ the sheer scale of the projection plays a bigger role. You can balance the trade-off between those two depending on your room and preferences. 300″ can also be justified. The calculations then leave about 48 nits, which is a level associated with a classic cinema SDR screening. In a well-darkened room you can really push the diagonal.

Hisense XR10: Colours straight out of the box

Colours are produced by three separate lasers: red, green and blue. We measured 97.5% coverage of BT.2020 and full DCI-P3. That's one of the most impressive results in the whole test. The wide gamut lets it reproduce very intense colours encoded in HDR content. However, the XR10 uses it sensibly. For ordinary SDR content it narrows the colours to Rec.709, so we don't see everything with overly boosted saturation. It only shows its full capabilities when the content actually needs them.

For watching we chose Filmmaker mode. Even out of the box it provided a good starting point: gamma tracked close to the target, and the white balance was only slightly warm. The picture didn't require major tweaking for us to comfortably sit down and enjoy a film.

Hisense XR10 - Colours after calibration

Calibration went smoothly. In our unit a two-point white balance correction was enough to remove a slight warm tint. Other errors dropped to a level we didn't notice during normal viewing. There's also a twenty-point adjustment and a full colour management system. It's a good set of tools for fine-tuning the picture to a particular screen and room. This time we didn't need to use all the features.

Laser power and white balance

When setting up the XR10 you need to take one thing into account: white balance is shared between SDR and HDR, and the white point changes with laser power. At maximum power the image shifts more towards green. We calibrated the projector at maximum power, because HDR was our priority. If someone watches SDR with the laser heavily dimmed, and HDR at full power, a single correction won't be ideal for both settings. Separate white balance presets would really help here.

Hisense XR10 - Resolution and image sharpness

After manually setting the focus the XR10 looked very good. Small text, object edges and game UI elements were legible both in the centre and at the edges of the screen. We didn't have to choose between a sharp centre and blurred corners. From very close up you could spot faint coloured fringing on high-contrast edges. During normal viewing we paid far more attention to the good level of detail across the whole image.

How does 4K work here?

Inside is a 0.47-inch DLP chip with a physical micromirror count equivalent to Full HD. The projector uses the XPR mechanism to deliver 4K. The image is shifted very quickly between four positions, and in each one a different portion of the frame's information appears.

In this way the projector addresses more than eight million positions on the screen. On fine test patterns a good native 4K chip can separate the tiniest structures more clearly. In movies the difference is much harder to notice, especially from a normal viewing distance. In practice the XR10's level of detail is definitely closer to 4K than to Full HD. On a large screen this gives a well-refined, sharp image that invites watching high-quality content.

Hisense XR10: Motion blur and smoothness

The XR10 displays 4K at 60 Hz and Full HD at 240 Hz. For films there is an additional single-slider motion smoothing control that lets you set the smoothness to your preference. At a moderate setting it worked well and did not introduce significant artefacts into the viewed content. So you can slightly tone down motion without straying too far from the cinematic character of the image. Those who prefer stronger smoothing also have scope to adjust. A Full HD signal at 120 Hz is accepted and displayed internally at 240 Hz with frame repetition. You get the most out of the highest refresh rate by supplying a native 240 Hz signal, for example from a computer.

Rainbow effect

The XR10 is a single‑chip DLP projector, so it displays colour components sequentially. Some viewers may notice brief colour flashes when shifting their gaze, especially with bright text or objects on a dark background. Sensitivity to this effect is highly individual. If you've already watched a DLP projector, you probably know how you react to it. When buying one for the first time, it's best to check this during a short demo with demanding scenes.

Hisense XR10 – Features for gamers

Playing on a very large screen is one of the most enjoyable ways to use the XR10. You have two main settings to choose from: 4K at 60 Hz when you want detail, and Full HD at 240 Hz when speed is the priority.

For graphically focused and more relaxed gameplay we'd pick 4K/60 Hz. Full HD at 240 Hz will be more appealing for people playing fast PC titles. The projector supports ALLM, so it can automatically switch to game mode when it detects the appropriate signal. 1440p at 120 Hz did not perform well in our tests — the projector accepted the signal but dropped frames. For that reason we'd stick with the two main modes.

Input lag

9 ms at Full HD and 240 Hz is a very good result. In this setting the XR10 delivers low latency that suits fast-paced gaming. At 4K/60 Hz we measured 35 ms, and with DLP Turbo enabled it dropped to 21 ms. The difference can matter in games that demand quick reactions. However, Turbo affects colours, so for more relaxed titles we'd stick with the standard mode and use the extra latency reduction where it's needed.

Hisense XR10 - Choosing a screen and watching in the living room

We tested the XR10 on a standard white matte Adeo screen with a gain of 1.0. Even on that surface we achieved a very bright image, so a good result did not require a higher-gain screen.

We also did not notice laser speckle on our screen, the fine, shimmering texture that can appear with laser light sources. This is an important observation, because such texture can distract from the film. Here the image was clean in that respect. When choosing a different projection material, it is best to check it with the projector, because the screen surface affects the visibility of this phenomenon.

How much light can remain in the room?

The high brightness of the XR10 gives you more flexibility for less demanding viewing, although the best contrast is achieved by reducing the light falling on the screen. For an evening movie it's enough to cover the windows and turn off lamps that illuminate the projection surface.

Hisense XR10: Operation, VIDAA system and apps

In everyday use the XR10 feels like a TV. You turn the device on, choose an app and start a movie. VIDAA runs quickly, and access to the major streaming services lets you use the projector without an external set-top box. This is especially convenient when you move it to another location. You don't need to set up the whole installation with a player and extra cables; to use the apps all you need is power and an internet connection. AirPlay is also available.

Remote well matched to the projector

The remote is backlit and has separate buttons for adjusting laser power and focus. These are little details you notice straight away, because they’re exactly the settings you reach for when preparing a screening. You don’t have to hunt for them deep in the menu every time. There are also shortcuts to streaming services, and the controls don’t require you to point at the screen. Overall, it’s comfortable and suits the device we often use in the dark.

3D support

The XR10 supports active 3D, including frame packing and side-by-side. Compatible DLP-Link glasses are required and, unfortunately, must be purchased separately.

The projector's high brightness is very useful here, since the glasses reduce the amount of light reaching your eyes. For those with a collection of 3D Blu-ray movies, it's a good reason to revisit your favourite titles, this time on a truly large screen.

Hisense XR10 - Sound

You don't usually expect much from a projector's speakers. The XR10 pleasantly surprised us: you can hear bass, it gets plenty loud, and you can comfortably watch a movie without connecting extra equipment. Inside are two 8 W speakers and a 15 W subwoofer, tuned by Devialet. The sound is more like a decent TV than the simple auxiliary speaker you often find in projectors. That kind of setup makes a lot of sense for occasional viewings or trips. For a permanent home cinema we'd add a soundbar or an AV receiver with speakers to achieve a wider soundstage and anchor dialogue to the screen. Connecting via eARC is a convenient solution here.

Operating noise and cooling

The XR10 uses closed-loop liquid cooling. The viewing experience is good: in standard modes the projector ran quietly, even at maximum laser power. From a seat on the couch its hum was barely audible. A noticeable change appeared after switching on the "brightness boost" function. The projector became louder and the picture took on a green tint. For movies we'd leave that function off, because the standard settings already provide plenty of light and a much more pleasing image.

Hisense XR10 - Technical specifications and test conditions

Watch the full Hisense XR10 test, including a presentation of the device and Maciej's discussion of the measurements, in our video review.

The projector for the test was loaned to us by Hisense. The manufacturer had no influence on the content of the review or the measurement results.