Hisense M2 Pro

Price

The Hisense M2 Pro (AKA the M2TUK Pro) sells for £1099 in the UK. Stateside, the projector has a retail ticket of $1299, while in Australia it goes for AUD $2495. Consider this good value, particularly when compared with XGIMI’s Horizon S Pro model which has a similar form factor, but lists for £1799.

The M2 Pro is ranked somewhere between the Hisense C2 Ultra, and the C2 and C1, which are a tad larger, and use brighter RGB lasers.

Design

• Adjustable, attached stand
• Single HDMI connector
• Bluetooth and wireless connectivity

Finished in silver-grey and mounted on an adjustable stand, the cubular M2T Pro looks on the right side of premium. The cosmetics may be plastic, but the overall ensemble looks reassuringly substantial, and quite contemporary.

The integrated stand allows for wide vertical adjustment, even allowing for ceiling projection.

Fully erect, the ensemble stands 230mm tall, 193mm wide and 218mm deep. That’s compact enough for a sideboard or shelf placing, and at 3.9kg, it’s not going to trouble your flat pack table nest.

With a 1.0 – 1.3:1 optical zoom, you can cast that huge 200-inch image from a distance of 4.4m. Obviously you’ll need a correspondingly large, clear white wall for that. If a 100-inch display seems more doable, you’ll need a distance of at least 2.2m.

Reflecting its wireless raison d’etre, there’s not much in the way of physical connectivity. The rear offers a single HDMI 2.1 port, which supports eARC and ALLM, plus a USB capable of media playback. Wireless options are more generous, with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, AirPlay 2 and Apple HomeKit.

The TV-style remote control has dedicated buttons for Netflix, YouTube, Prime Video and Disney+, and is backlit for convenience.

Features

• Extensive AI optimisation
• ALLM Game Mode
• DLP Turbo mode

When it comes to niceties, the M2 Pro’s cup runneth over.

Setup encourages point and project use. A 1.0 – 1.3x motorised optical zoom enables image scaling without the need for physical repositioning, and autofocus, obstacle avoidance and keystone correction all help the projector settle into a space quickly.

Managing everyday usability is the VIDAA U9 smart TV platform. This is home to a host of apps, including Netflix, Disney+ and Prime Video, alongside local Catch-up services and Freely, the IP-delivered equivalent of Freeview in the UK (no TV aerial required).

The VIDAA interface is content focussed and straightforward to navigate, using a familiar rail structure for content discovery and app selection.

Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) is supported out of the box and is activated automatically in Game Mode. High Frame Rate gameplay isn’t available, although input lag (quoted at 12ms) is effective for casual button bashing.

A selectable AI toolkit includes AI Picture Optimisation, AI Colour Booster and AI Natural Face, automatically adjusting image characteristics based on content type and scene analysis.

While I generally opt for manual picture control, these embellishments, selectable from the Picture menu, seem well judged and will suit many.

Traditional picture presets include Filmmaker Mode, Cinema Day, Cinema Night, Dynamic and Sports.

Motion interpolation options comprise Smooth, Standard, Clear, Film and Custom. There’s also a DLP Turbo mode that reduces processing time and input lag by disabling DLP-Link 3D support, a sensible trade-off for most gamers

Picture Quality

• 1300 lumens peak brightness
• 1000:1 contrast ratio
• Dolby Vision and HDR10+

The M2 Pro fills whatever wall space it can with dynamic, colour rich imagery. In a dimly lit, or fully dark space, it’ll knock your socks off.

The projector is rated at 1,300 lumens, but subjectively looks brighter.

The triple-laser engine earns its corn with rich, slightly over-saturated colours and tangible depth. The pixel count may be the result of DLP chicanery, but subjective sharpness is high, both with native 4K content sources and Freely HD linear streams.  

While I never really felt the M2 Pro was giving me an authentic, true to creator-style viewing experience, the obvious big-screen bang for bang was plenty of compensation.

Of the various picture presets on offer, Cinema Night and Filmmaker Mode became my chosen defaults.

While I did occasionally spot rainbow artefacts in high-contrast scenes, a known limitation of single chip DLP, they’re infrequent and I suspect unlikely to trouble most viewers.

Interestingly, the M2 Pro supports both Dolby Vision and HDR10+. While HDR in projectors isn’t directly comparable to flat panel displays, it does indicate that there’s some judicious brightness and contrast management going on under the bonnet.

While 4K resolution is achieved via Texas Instruments’ XPR pixel-shifting technique, it does look extremely sharp at size. You can see this clarity in foliage, textured surfaces, and skin tones.

The Netflix sci-fi original Atlas provides an appropriate workout, the film’s ambitious colour palette, shifting from flashy space battles to alien landscapes. Vegetation and alien flora display convincing nuance, while the rendering of the pivotable ARC Suit has a believable sense of metallic density and reflectivity.

Black level performance is good enough. In fully dark rooms, the projector lays down shadowed detail with depth, though widescreen black bars appear more as dark grey than true black. Contrast, quoted at 1000:1, doesn’t approach the deep blacks of far more expensive LCoS (Liquid Crystal on Silicon) projectors, but it’s just about high enough to preserve shadow detail and depth in moody scenes.

When Aaron Taylor-Johnson stages his opening reel breakout in Kraven The Hunter (Netflix 4K), it’s just about possible to see him heading into the ice storm; Cinema Night mode offers the best tonal balance in low light scenes, when the lights are dimmed.

In brighter rooms with ambient light, colour and contrast quickly thin out, but find a sweet spot and you’ll still be able to enjoy the projector while snacking with the lights up.

Sound Quality

Expectations are never high when it comes to audio on projectors. It’s typically functional at best, and outside of some extremely well specified Ultra Short Throw models, owners are usually left to find a solution with some extra external kit.

However, the built-in 2x10W speaker system on this Hisense bucks that trend. Dialogue is clear, volume is (relatively) ample, and there’s a surprising sense of body for an all-in-one solution.  

DTS Virtual:X processing, bass enhancement and dialogue modes are available, and while there are limitations to what can be achieved given the form factor, I think the end result is rather good. It’s certainly fulsome enough to service day time telly, casual games and even the odd movie or two.

If you want to upgrade, the single eARC HDMI connection allows you to pair the projector with a soundbar or AV system, but it only outputs a stereo feed.

Should you buy it?