I had to do a double take when I first saw the all-new Hisense L9Q laser TV at CES 2025. The set was on display at the Las Vegas Convention Centre and if I hadn't of known already, I could have sworn it was an actual TV from the level of brightness and clarity of the image it was displaying.
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According to Hisense, the laser TV can reach a blistering 5,000 lumens, which is why it looked so luminous – even while in a brightly lit up show floor. This amount of light isn't something you often see in the best ultra short throw projectors, which is essentially what a laser TV is but with added features that make it more akin to a traditional set.
Indeed, to put that figure into perspective, the brightest ultra short throw projector we recommend for sports and daytime viewing is the Epson EpiQVision Ultra LS800 and that taps out at 4,000 lumens. While we didn't report the nits in our review of the LS800, it's safe to say it is a lot less than what the L9Q is boasting.
Hisense claims the L9Q can deliver up to 1,500 nits of peak brightness when setup with its ambient light rejecting (ALR) screen – which the company says it has also improved by developing a new "nano-scale light enhancement" to help project even more light back – making it brighter than the best OLED TVs.
TechRadar's resident projector expert Al Griffin, who has tested the best display tech around, also thought it "looked super bright and had good contrast for a UST projector". That's another seal of approval that makes this absolutely worth shouting about as a highlight from Hisense's 2025 range.
What makes the next-generation of the L9 series a standout?
The L9Q laser marks a massive step up from the four star Hisense L9G TriChroma Laser 4K TV that we reviewed in 2022, which delivered 3,000 lumens. That's down to several improvements, including a new lens and ALR screen, which is what helps give the L9Q a 67% boost in luminance.
It's not just an increase brightness that makes the L9Q standout, though. It even takes on OLED TVs for their rich contrast with a 5,000:1 static contrast, making this a great option for gamers and movie nights. The blacks were incredibly bold and I didn't see any blooming, despite it being in a well-lit conference showroom.
Hisense has also been busy improving its TriChroma triple-laser light engine and has managed to increase its reach of the BT.2020 color space from 107% in the L9G to 110% in the L9Q, making the colors appear much more richer.
Outside of the incredibly bright, richly contrasted and vividly colorful image quality, there were a few other upgrades that the L9Q has had done to it, including a larger projection size, a brand new sound system, an upgraded smart TV system and an overall design refresh.
The big advantage of projectors is the large screen size you can get out of it, and the L9Q doesn't disappoint with five different sizes that extend from 100-inches all the way up to 150-inches. That's a step up from its predecessor, which stretched out to 120-inches.
The L9Q has also had a massive upgrade on the audio front, thanks to a new partnership with audio specialists Devialet, which is known for its hi-fi credentials. Quite impressively, Hisense has managed to squeeze in a 6.2.2 surround sound system.
This setup should give the L9Q's sound quality an immersive feel as it uses 15 degree titled speakers as well as supports Dolby Atmos and DTS Virtual X to make the audio sound as if it's coming from multiple directions. To be clear, I didn't get to hear the L9Q's sound system, but I suspect this will be just as impressive as the image quality, especially seeing as Devialet tuned it.
On the smart TV platform front, Android TV has been swapped out for Google TV, which means you can access more than 800 free channels, over 10,000 apps, including the best streaming services, as well as Google Home for all your smart home device needs.
As for connectivity, there's HDMI 2.1, eARC, Wi-Fi 6E and even ATSC 3.0 built-in so you can access the next-generation of broadcasts, offering a smorgasbord of ways to watch TV, play games or stream one of the best movies of 2024.
Stepping away from the specs, the L9Q has also had an incredible facelift that I think makes it look much more premium than the L9G. The shiny plastic cover and beefy curved edges from the L9G have been replaced with a neat metal finish and sharp rectangular edges, which makes it much more luxurious looking.
I also love the finer details, like the walnut decor panel, and it wouldn't look out of place in one of the best home theatre installations. As you can imagine, the L9Q laser TV won't be cheap when it launches.
We don't have any concrete details about when that will be, but will be sure to keep you updated with all the latest as soon as we hear it. Suffice to say, the Hisense L9Q laser TV is the projector to watch this year, as it's one of the best gadgets we saw at CES 2025.
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