Hisense brings C3 Pro, C3 Ultra and C3 Ultra Max lifestyle projectors to IFA

From 3,000 to 5,000 ANSI lumens under one family name: Hisense used IFA 2026 to show the C3 Pro, C3 Ultra and C3 Ultra Max, three 4K lifestyle projectors that share an RGB triple-laser foundation, Dolby Vision, IMAX Enhanced, active 3D and gaming features supporting refresh rates up to 240Hz. The Ultra Max receives the most advanced lens arrangement.

The range is a useful framing for the category: entry-to-flagship differences are increasingly about installation freedom and usable light output, not resolution. All three can call themselves 4K; the lens, placement range and brightness separate the lived experience.

Same chip, three lenses

Hisense rates the C3 Pro at 3,000 ANSI lumens, the C3 Ultra at 4,000 ANSI lumens and the C3 Ultra Max at 5,000 ANSI lumens, according to specifications published by AVCesar and ProjectorScreen.com. All three use the same 0.47-inch Texas Instruments DLP chip with XPR4 four-phase pixel shifting to reconstruct a 3,840 by 2,160 image from a native 1,920 by 1,080 panel, and Hisense quotes contrast up to 5,000:1 with the mechanical iris engaged.

Optics scale with the tier. The Pro and Ultra share a 0.9-1.5:1 throw ratio, 1.6x optical zoom and plus or minus 100%/35% vertical and horizontal lens shift. The Ultra Max extends that to a 0.85-1.7:1 throw ratio, 2x optical zoom and plus or minus 120%/47% shift, and adds liquid cooling that the Pro and Ultra lack. Hisense says the image can run from 65 to 300 inches across the family, the laser source is rated beyond 25,000 hours, and colour coverage is quoted at 118% of BT.2020.

Gaming and audio are shared, not tiered

Unusually, gaming and audio hardware do not scale with price. All three C3 models support HSR240, variable refresh rate, AMD FreeSync Premium and auto low-latency mode, with input lag quoted under 1 millisecond and frame rates up to 1080p/240Hz. Each model also carries a 56-watt 2.1-channel Devialet speaker system and runs VIDAA with Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4 and AirPlay 2. A buyer choosing the entry-level Pro is not trading down on gaming latency or sound, only on brightness, lens flexibility and cooling.

Pricing and availability

French retail coverage from AVCesar and Clubic lists launch prices of 2,499 euros for the C3 Pro, 2,999 euros for the C3 Ultra and 3,999 euros for the C3 Ultra Max, with shipments expected in the fourth quarter of 2026 and the Ultra Max flagged for a November 2026 launch. ProjectorScreen.com lists US pre-order pricing at 2,297.97, 2,797.97 and 3,797.97 dollars for the same tiers, confirming the range is reaching European and North American retail rather than staying a show-floor concept.

Sources

• https://www.projectorscreen.com/blogs/insights/hisense-c3-series-compared-c3-pro-vs-c3-ultra-vs-c3-ultra-max
• https://www.avcesar.com/ifa-26-projecteur-trichroma-hisense-c3-ultra-max-5-000-lumens-refroidissement-liquide-et-son-devialet-2-1-48433
• https://www.avcesar.com/ifa-26-videoprojecteur-trichroma-hisense-c3-ultra-3-000-lumens-lens-shift-et-son-devialet-2-1-48432
• https://www.clubic.com/actualite-628318-hisense-c3-ultra-max-un-an-apres-le-c3-le-triple-laser-passe-a-la-vitesse-superieure.html