Hisense vs Samsung Projector 2026: Which Laser TV Should You Buy?

Quick Answer: Hisense and Samsung both sell ultra-short-throw “laser TV” projectors, but they don’t even measure brightness the same way — Hisense publishes ANSI lumens, Samsung publishes ISO lumens, and the two standards aren’t directly comparable. At the identical $5,999 flagship price, Hisense’s L9Q ships bundled with an ALR screen while Samsung’s Premiere 9 (LPU9D) sells the projector alone. One tier down, Hisense’s triple-laser PX3-PRO (~$2,799) undercuts Samsung’s triple-laser Premiere 9 by over $3,000, while Samsung’s similarly priced Premiere 7 (LPU7D) is single-laser. Samsung answers with Tizen’s more polished smart-TV software; Hisense answers with Google TV, licensed Netflix, and a lower price per laser tier.

Hisense and Samsung are the two biggest names pushing the “laser TV” concept — a projector meant to replace a living-room flat-panel, not hide in a dark theater room. Both sit on a media console inches from the wall and throw a 100-to-200-inch image onto an ALR screen. But a side-by-side spec sheet is more misleading here than with most brand comparisons, because the two companies’ published brightness numbers come from different testing standards. This guide breaks down what each brand actually ships, at what price, for what. If you want the full UST field beyond these two, see our best ultra short throw projector guide; for each brand’s complete lineup, see best Hisense projector and best Samsung projector.

By the numbers: Per Hisense’s own specs, the flagship L9Q is rated up to around 5,000 ANSI lumens and typically ships bundled with a matching ALR Daylight Screen as part of its $5,999 package. Per Samsung’s own specs, the flagship Premiere 9 (LPU9D) is rated at 3,450 ISO lumens at the same $5,999 MSRP, sold as the projector alone — retailers including Vividstorm and Peter Tyson sell matching ALR screens as a separate add-on, and Samsung has run post-registration screen-discount promotions specifically because the screen isn’t in the box. One tier down, Hisense’s triple-laser PX3-PRO street-prices around $2,799 (MSRP $3,499) with ~3,000 ANSI lumens and 110% BT.2020 color coverage, while Samsung’s similarly priced single-laser Premiere 7 (LPU7D) runs $2,999–$3,499 street with 2,500 ISO lumens — meaning at nearly the same money, Hisense’s engine is a laser tier up.

Hisense vs Samsung at a glance

Where Hisense and Samsung actually differ

The brightness numbers don’t use the same ruler. Hisense publishes ANSI lumens, the long-standing 9-point averaged-screen method. Samsung publishes ISO lumens, measured to the newer ISO 21118 standard. Multiple projector-industry sources (including manufacturer explainer blogs from AWOL Vision and Dangbei) describe ISO figures as generally running lower than ANSI for comparable real-world output on the same hardware — though there’s no single agreed conversion factor, and the two standards’ exact relationship is murkier than either brand’s marketing implies. The practical takeaway: don’t read “5,000 ANSI” vs. “3,450 ISO” as a straight 45% brightness gap. It’s partly a different measuring stick, not purely a different projector.

At the identical $5,999 price, only Hisense includes the screen. The L9Q typically ships as a complete laser-TV system — projector plus a matching ALR Daylight Screen — for $5,999. Samsung’s Premiere 9 sells for the same $5,999 as the projector alone; retailers and Samsung’s own screen partners sell a matching ALR screen separately, and some regions have run post-registration discount codes specifically because the screen doesn’t come in the box. A quality ALR screen can run several hundred to well over a thousand dollars on its own (see our best projector screen guide), so “same sticker price” doesn’t mean “same total cost to get watching.”

Samsung’s smart platform is the more complete, TV-grade experience. The Premiere line runs full Tizen — the identical software, app catalog, and Gaming Hub as a Samsung flat-panel TV — which matters most to households already inside Samsung’s ecosystem. Hisense’s flagships run Google TV with officially licensed Netflix (a real native 4K app, not a sideloaded phone mirror), a strong platform in its own right but a different one than Tizen. Neither is objectively worse; it’s a question of which ecosystem you’re already using elsewhere in the house.

Hisense undercuts Samsung by a full laser tier at the value price point. At roughly $2,799, Hisense’s PX3-PRO is a triple-laser (RGB) engine with 110% BT.2020 color coverage. Samsung’s similarly priced Premiere 7 (LPU7D), at $2,999–$3,499 street, is single-laser — a real step down in color-engine complexity, even though both are 4K UST laser TVs at a comparable price. To get a triple-laser Samsung, you have to jump all the way to the $5,999 Premiere 9. Hisense’s triple-laser engine starts more than $3,000 lower.

Best Hisense picks by use case

A laser TV this bright deserves a real soundtrack playing while you set it up — try Amazon Music Unlimited free for 30 days and queue something up through a connected speaker.

For the biggest, brightest picture Hisense sells, the L9Q (about 5,000 ANSI lumens, up to 200 inches, $5,999 with a bundled ALR screen) is the step-up pick — covered in full in our best Hisense projector roundup, alongside the portable C2 Ultra (roughly $2,299).

Best Samsung picks by use case

For Samsung’s closest match to Hisense’s triple-laser flagship, the Premiere 9 (LPU9D) (3,450 ISO lumens, $5,999 MSRP, AI upscaling, 40W Dolby Atmos speakers) is the brand’s complete flagship — see our best Samsung projector roundup, alongside the portable Freestyle+ (~$1,199.99).

Which should you buy? Quick verdict by use case

The honest verdict: Hisense wins on price-per-laser-tier and what’s actually in the box, Samsung wins on software polish and total-package audio/upscaling. The PX3-PRO undercuts anything triple-laser Samsung sells by thousands of dollars, and the L9Q is the rare flagship that bundles its own screen. Samsung’s case rests on Tizen being a genuinely more complete smart platform and the Premiere 9 adding AI upscaling and a serious built-in speaker system most buyers would otherwise pay extra for. Before comparing the two brands’ lumen numbers at face value, remember they’re not measured the same way — judge the picture, not just the spec sheet. For the full rankings within each brand, see our best Hisense projector and best Samsung projector guides, or compare both against the wider field in our best ultra short throw projector roundup.

Verified October 2026: Hisense’s ANSI-lumen figures and Samsung’s ISO-lumen figures are each brand’s own published specs — the two standards are not directly convertible, and figures here should be read as each brand’s own claim, not a normalized apples-to-apples brightness ratio. L9Q screen-bundling and Premiere 9 separate-screen-sale details are drawn from Hisense’s and Samsung’s own retail packaging plus third-party screen-partner listings (Vividstorm, Peter Tyson) as of this writing — always confirm current box contents before buying, since bundles can change by region and retailer.