CES 2025 is winding down, but the innovative magic it heralds will ring true throughout the year, and there's no better place to witness these tech advancements than in the many awesome projectors soon to hit shelves.
It's taken quite a while for projectors to reach the mainstream, and they are still limping on in the face of ever-advancing displays. When a good 4K projector often comes in at $3,000 plus, it proves rather difficult to recommend against any of the best OLED TVs.
But in 2025, several projectors are inviting exciting upgrades to give the conventional TV market a run for its money — even as TVs are getting bigger and bigger. From Hisense to Formovie, there's a lot to look forward to this year. Let's see just what these next-gen projectors have in store for 2025.
LG PF600U 3-in-1 projector
Have you ever thought to yourself, "I wish my lamp doubled as a 1080p projector"? Well, LG thought of one even better and decided not only to make a dual projector-lamp combo, but also give it a beefy Bluetooth speaker, as well. Meet the LG PF600U 3-in-1 projector, the answer to the age-old question: Why the heck not?
Part mood lamp — hitting five levels of brightness on nine different colors — and part Bluetooth speaker, corralling a set of stereo speakers with passive radiators, this 1080p projector has everything you need baked into it. With its 110-degree tilting head, the LG PF600U makes its dual-sided nature as a projector and lamp all the more streamlined. Plus, webOS baked-in means you have access to all of your favorite content across the best streaming services.
Sure, it might only hit 300 ANSI lumens, according to LG, but what lamp do you know offers a projected screen size ranging from 30 to 120 inches?
Formovie Theater Premium
Following nearly three years of silence, Formovie is finally bringing its Theater back in a whole new advanced chassis. Called the Formovie Theater Premium, this refresh on the 2022 4K UST projector is yet another stunning entry into the market.
It offers improved brightness, up from 1800 to 2200 ISO lumens, with Google TV fully baked into the system. The original Formovie Theater ran on Android TV 11, which doesn't support Netflix (among other things), so the introduction of Google TV brings a world of change to this platform. And a pair of second-generation Bowers & Wilkins speakers brings that oomph where it counts most.
Despite launching in 2022, the original Formovie Theater was one of my favorite gadgets of 2023 and I still occasionally use it when not testing new TVs. Like most projectors, the new and improved Theater Premium sports an exceptionally high price tag at $2,999, but at least it's launching $500 cheaper than its predecessor.
Xgimi Ascend
Xgimi's Ascend is an all-in one system that combines a rolling Ambient light-rejecting (ALR) screen with the Aura 2 to deliver one of the most sophisticated projector systems on the market. If you don't know what an ALR screen is, they typically enhance the picture quality quite a bit when used with a projector, significantly diminishing major problems with glare if watching in a sun-lit environment.
But the Xgimi Ascend isn't just a floor-rising ALR screen. It's also kitted out with an integrated Harman Kardon speaker system, ensuring you get movie theater quality audio while also saving your entertainment setup some space. We don't know what pricing looks like just yet, but I can assure you the Ascend won't come cheap — provided by the fact that it might well require the additional purchase of an Aura 2 or compatible UST projector.
Hisense L9Q
Taking just one look at the Hisense L9Q and you can already tell this thing belongs in a museum. It's crafted to look as impressionable as it is full of awesome surprises, like up to a 150-inch screen size at an ANSI-rated 5,000 lumens of brightness.
That's nothing to scoff at, though pricing on the Hisense L9Q will definitely make or break it. One thing that stands out on this UST projector is a purported 110% coverage of the BT.2020 color gamut, with many of the best TVs barely ever hitting past 80%. But, of course, Hisense has shoved a 6.2.2 surround sound system into this beauty of a projector, the first of its kind, one that supports both DTS Virtual X and Dolby Atmos.
While it might have Google TV, that's not even the most awesome part. Hisense has gifted the L9Q an ATSC 3.0 tuner, allowing you access to NextGen TV with 4K broadcasts. Very few 2024 TVs or even 2025 TVs will have this spec, making the L9Q a projector worth looking forward to — though, unfortunately, we don't have an official release date yet
Valerion VisionMaster Max
Never heard of Valerion? I didn't either, but the company is actually sister to AWOL Projector, dedicated specifically to designing far-throw models, like its new VisionMaster Max. It offers some serious firepower most especially against many alternative projectors on this list, as it can shoot a 4K image at up to 300 inches and is rated at 3,000 ISO lumens of brightness.
What really stands out on the VisionMaster Max is its Enhanced Black Level (EBL) technology, which aims to bring out more depth in darker scenes. And it's even got several gaming treats, like sub-4ms of input latency in 1080p at 240Hz, which isn't too common on premium projectors.
The VisionMaster Max also comes equipped with several smart home features, which are amplified thanks to its 4GB of RAM and 128GB of ROM (Read-only memory). Plus, with Google TV, you not only have access to all of your favorite streamers but also a slew of free content, which you'll probably be watching most after dropping $3,999 on this projector.
JMGO OS2 Ultra
With its N1 Ultra sitting at the top of our best projectors lineup, you already know JMGO's next design will be incredibly enticing. But instead of offering a slew of advancements that might drive up the price, JMGO instead set out to deliver one of the smallest UST projectors built on Google TV.
Despite its size, measuring about the same as a shoe box, the OS2 Ultra offers up to a 100-inch screen size on a 4K resolution. JMGO claims it can hit an estimated 2,500 ISO lumens, which is pretty respectable for such a little machine. It also spits out an image at a throw ratio of just 0.18:1, which means it needs just a little under 6 inches for its 100-inch screen.
The JMGO OS2 Ultra won't be released until the final quarter of 2025, and pricing has yet to be announced, so you'll be waiting a bit before getting your hands on this tiny beast of a 4K projector.
Dangbei MP1 Max
Although I personally like UST projectors a bit more over the far-throw models, Dangbei makes some of the best versions in this category, and its new MP1 Max is a shining beacon of this. Pushing out a purported 3100 ISO lumens on its new Qualas laser technology, the MP1 Max adds a whole new dimension to the projector setup.
Dangbei has kitted the MP1 Max out with some of the most advanced specs, leveraging an integrated gimbal stand that allows you up to 130 degree vertical tilt and 360 degree horizontal rotation, plus a dual speaker system offering 12W each on a 750ml sound chamber. It'll run on Google TV, but will only have two HDMI ports, one being eARC.
Like many on this list, the Dangbei MP1 Max doesn't have an official price yet, but you can bet it won't be cheaper than any of the best LG TVs.
Check out our CES 2025 hub for all the latest news from the show as it happens. Follow the Tom’s Guide team in Las Vegas as we cover everything AI, as well as the best new TVs, laptops, fitness gear, wearables and smart home gadgets at the show.
And be sure to check out the Tom's Guide TikTok channel for all the newest videos from CES!
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Ryan Epps
Staff Writer
Ryan Epps is a Staff Writer under the TV/AV section at Tom's Guide focusing on TVs and projectors. When not researching PHOLEDs and writing about the next major innovation in the projector space, he's consuming random anime from the 90's, playing Dark Souls 3 again, or reading yet another Haruki Murakami novel.
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