Hisense PX3 Pro vs Epson LS800: Best Laser TV 2026

Hisense PX3-PRO vs Epson LS800: Which Ultra Short Throw Projector Should You Buy?

Ultra short throw projectors have matured into a genuinely compelling alternative to large-screen TVs, and right now two models sit at the top of the enthusiast conversation: the Hisense PX3-PRO TriChroma and the Epson EpiqVision Ultra LS800. Both carry PCMag Editors' Choice awards. Both use laser light sources and deliver 4K-class images. Both will occupy the same few inches in front of your wall. But they are built on fundamentally different optical philosophies, and that gap shapes everything from color accuracy to shadow detail to long-term usability.

This comparison pulls from hands-on testing data, independent brightness measurements, and real-world usage patterns to give you an honest answer on which projector earns your money — without hedging into meaninglessness.

Specs at a Glance

Design and Build Quality

The PX3-PRO arrives as a clear generational step up from Hisense's own PX2-PRO: sleeker, smaller, and meaningfully lighter at 19.8 lbs. That weight matters more than it might seem. UST projectors live permanently on a low cabinet or a dedicated UST stand — you're not moving them daily — but a sub-20-lb chassis makes initial placement and angle adjustment a one-person job. The LS800, at nearly 31 lbs, is a two-person lift for precise positioning.

Both units have a similar visual footprint: a wide, flat slab designed to sit inches from a wall. The PX3-PRO's dimensions of 4.8 × 21.7 × 11.7 inches skew narrower and lower than the LS800's slightly bulkier frame, which can matter if you're fitting either under a screen's ALR panel support structure.

Neither projector ships with a bundled screen — a deliberate choice that keeps the base price lower and lets buyers pair their preferred ALR (ambient light-rejecting) screen. If you're comparing projectors that do bundle screens, that's a different category entirely.

Image Quality: DLP TriChroma vs 3LCD

This is where the comparison gets genuinely interesting — and where buyer priorities diverge sharply.

Color and Contrast on the PX3-PRO

The PX3-PRO's TriChroma triple-laser system covers 110% of BT.2020, which exceeds the standard 4K color specification. That extra headroom shows up in highly saturated content — nature documentaries, animated films, and HDR-graded cinema — where colors pop with a vividness that competing projectors struggle to match. PCMag's reviewer described the first Dolby Vision test as resembling "looking out the window at actual nature." That's not marketing copy; it reflects what a wide-gamut RGB laser system can do when calibrated well.

The PX3-PRO also supports Dolby Vision, HDR10, HLG, and HDR10+ — covering every common HDR format in use today. The LS800 stops at HDR10 and HLG, which means Dolby Vision content from Netflix, Disney+, or Apple TV+ is tone-mapped rather than rendered natively. For critical viewers, that's a real concession.

DLP's inherent limitation is the rainbow effect — brief flashes of color fringing visible to sensitive viewers on high-contrast transitions. The PX3-PRO's triple-laser source reduces this compared to single-white-laser DLP designs, but it's worth considering if you know you're susceptible.

Color and Contrast on the LS800

The LS800's 3-chip 3LCD design eliminates the rainbow effect entirely because it uses separate red, green, and blue panels simultaneously rather than spinning a color wheel. 3LCD also delivers excellent color uniformity across the panel — no DLP color wheel artifacts, no color fringing. Epson's implementation hits 100% of BT.2020, which is excellent even if it falls short of Hisense's 110%.

Where 3LCD traditionally struggled — dark scene contrast — has improved significantly in laser-driven implementations, but DLP still tends to produce deeper perceived blacks due to its chip architecture. For dark-room home theater use, the PX3-PRO typically has an edge in shadow detail and black depth. In bright rooms, both projectors perform well, though the LS800's brightness advantage (more on that shortly) tips the scale toward Epson.

If you're drawn to the Epson ecosystem for image quality and want a longer-throw option for a dedicated theater room, our review of the Epson Pro Cinema LS12000 covers what Epson's 3LCD laser technology achieves at a higher price point. For a different perspective on 3LCD for home cinema, the Epson Home Cinema 5050UB remains a relevant benchmark for understanding the platform's strengths.

Brightness: Measured vs Rated

Brightness ratings from manufacturers are optimistic by design. Independent testing tells a more useful story.

The PX3-PRO carries a 3,000 ANSI lumen rating. In independent testing by The Smart Home Hookup, it measured approximately 3,475 lumens in its Brightness Enhancer High mode — but that mode produces unusable color accuracy. In standard mode with accurate color, the PX3-PRO measured around 2,900 lumens. That's still excellent for a UST projector, and it means Hisense's rating is legitimately close to real-world standard performance.

The LS800 is rated at 4,000 ANSI lumens and, critically, Epson claims equal color and white brightness — a 3LCD advantage over single-chip DLP designs that use a white segment to boost white brightness while sacrificing color brightness. Measured real-world output in accurate modes runs around 3,800 lumens, making the LS800 meaningfully brighter in practice. In living rooms with ambient light and windows, that gap is tangible.

If you're setting up in a dedicated dark room, the PX3-PRO's 2,900 usable lumens are more than sufficient. If your "home theater" doubles as a family room with afternoon sun, the LS800's brightness advantage is a real differentiator.

Smart Features and Connectivity

Smart TV Integration

Both projectors offer integrated smart TV platforms with access to streaming apps. The PX3-PRO runs Hisense's VIDAA OS, which supports Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Apple TV+, YouTube, and the major streaming services. Connectivity is comprehensive: HDMI 2.1 (for 4K/120Hz gaming), HDMI 2.0 with eARC (for soundbars), Ethernet for wired networking, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, USB 2.0, and USB 3.0.

The eARC support on the PX3-PRO is a meaningful practical advantage — it lets you route audio from your streaming apps back through the projector to an eARC-compatible soundbar or AV receiver without a separate audio extractor. The LS800 does not include eARC, which means external audio routing requires HDMI splitters or a receiver in the chain.

Gaming: Designed for Xbox

The PX3-PRO carries a Designed for Xbox certification — a hardware-level verification that it meets Microsoft's standards for display quality, input lag, variable refresh rate support, and Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM). The HDMI 2.1 port supports 4K at 120Hz, making it viable for next-generation console gaming at full resolution.

The LS800 supports HDMI 2.1 as well, but without Xbox certification and with less emphasis on gaming optimization in its feature set. For projector gaming more broadly, our comparison of the BenQ X3100i covers a dedicated gaming projector approach that takes a different philosophy entirely.

For context on what DLP gaming projectors look like at a lower price point, the BenQ W4100i offers an interesting comparison for buyers who want gaming performance without the UST form factor.

Where Each Projector Wins

Choose the Hisense PX3-PRO if:

• You watch a lot of Dolby Vision content and want native tone-mapping rather than conversion
• You're a serious gamer and want Designed for Xbox certification with 4K/120Hz support
• You prioritize deep blacks and high contrast in a dark or light-controlled room
• The wider color gamut (110% BT.2020) matters for your content library
• You want a lighter, more maneuverable chassis at 19.8 lbs
• You need eARC for a clean audio routing setup
• Budget is a factor: $3,499.99 vs $3,999 is a meaningful $500 difference

Choose the Epson LS800 if:

• Your room has significant ambient light and you need every lumen you can get
• You're sensitive to DLP rainbow artifacts and want them eliminated entirely
• Color uniformity across the panel is a priority for your use case
• You prefer the 3LCD color rendering approach for film and video content
• You're already invested in Epson's ecosystem and service network

The Broader UST Market Context

The PX3-PRO and LS800 are the top-tier UST options without bundled screens, but they exist in a market that's evolved rapidly. The PX3-PRO directly replaces the PX2-PRO in Hisense's lineup, offering higher brightness, a sleeker design, and the expanded HDR support including Dolby Vision. If you're considering Hisense's broader laser TV lineup, our coverage of the Hisense C2 Ultra provides context on where the brand's technology sits across price tiers.

For buyers who don't need the UST form factor, the Epson Home Cinema LS11000 offers a different laser projection approach at a premium price — worth reading if you're still deciding between UST and traditional throw distances. On the Sony side, the Sony VPL-XW5000ES demonstrates what native 4K chips deliver at higher price points, a useful calibration point for evaluating the pixel-shifting approaches both the PX3-PRO and LS800 use.

The broader UST category has also expanded downmarket. Competing options from brands like XGIMI, JMGO, and NexiGo have pushed into the $2,000–$3,000 range, but independent brightness testing from The Smart Home Hookup shows that most of those alternatives fall short of their brightness claims in accurate color modes — often delivering 1,700–2,500 usable lumens versus the PX3-PRO's measured 2,900. The PX3-PRO's rated brightness, unlike many competitors, held up well under independent measurement.

Verdict: PX3-PRO Is the Better All-Rounder, LS800 Wins on Raw Brightness

For most buyers, the Hisense PX3-PRO TriChroma is the stronger choice. At $500 less than the LS800, it delivers Dolby Vision support, Xbox certification, eARC connectivity, a wider color gamut, and a lighter chassis — a package that covers more use cases more completely. PCMag gave it an Editors' Choice award alongside the LS800, but the PX3-PRO's feature set has moved meaningfully ahead of the older Epson in the categories that matter most to modern streaming and gaming households.

The LS800 isn't outclassed — it's a better projector for buyers who genuinely need that extra 900 usable lumens and want to avoid DLP artifacts. In bright living rooms or dedicated theater spaces where 3LCD's rainbow-free rendering is the priority, Epson's approach remains competitive and proven.

But if you're coming to this decision fresh and your room isn't unusually bright, the PX3-PRO's combination of image quality, HDR breadth, gaming credentials, and $500 price advantage makes it the default recommendation. Hisense has built something that doesn't just replace the PX2-PRO — it makes a legitimate case for being the benchmark UST projector in its class.