Hisense C1

Hisense's boxy beamer is a lot of fun, even if it isn't super subtle

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Hisense is making serious strides in the home cinema scene. Fresh from a What Hi-Fi? Award win with the excellent PL1 ultra-short-throw projector, it is now trying something new with the C1. This boxy unit with its own built-in streaming platform is designed to sit on a coffee table and offer cinematic thrills paired with maximum convenience. But can it capture the same magic that the PL1 did?

Boxing clever

Hisense has nailed the look of the C1, and that is important when you consider it might be a frequent fixture in your living room. Four of the six sides of this unit are made of sturdy aluminium and feature a pleasing brushed metallic teal finish. The other two sides are made of plastic, and there is a grille running along the bottom front edge.

The unit is pleasingly quiet in operation, with fan noise kept to a minimum (Hisense claims 31dB). The controller, however, isn’t as high quality. It feels notably plasticky in the hand, although it is certainly functional in operation. It features backlighting (if you press a button) and useful shortcut buttons for Netflix, Disney Plus, Prime Video and YouTube – just some of the many streaming apps on offer (iPlayer, ITV X, Channel 4…).