The invisible SynthID will remain.

I have been following rumors about Google’s new HiLight feature long before the company even announced its name. A few weeks ago, reports spoke about the feature as Google’s AI interface, something that glows when users speak to Gemini. 

Now that the company has wrapped the Pixel 11 launch event, everything’s out in the open, and one of the only two things it does is light up when you speak to Gemini. So, after all the speculations and build-up, Google’s big reveal is… basically the same thing we thought it was, and I have some strong thoughts about that. 

I thought Google was onto something

My excitement (and disappointment) about HiLight comes from how the smartphone industry has treated LED notification lights. While an always-on display informs you about notifications, it also demands more attention, making it harder not to pick up the phone and respond. In comparison, I find LED indicators on the back, like those on Nothing and CMF phones, less intrusive.

While they tell us there’s a notification, they don’t compel us to pick up the phone immediately. They also let you rest your phone face-down on the table while you’re enjoying a dinner with your family or friends, playing an intense game of UNO, or enjoying a new release at the theater. 

That’s exactly what I, or someone who has seen the smartphone market evolve over the years, seeing all the phases of LED notification indicators, would expect HiLight on the Pixel 11 Pro phones to do. It sounded like the perfect idea on paper. Little did I know that the company planned to chain it to a hyper-restricted software experience. 

Here’s what HiLight can do at the moment

Exactly two things. First, it works as a Gemini conversation indicator, switching between different glow patterns for listening, thinking, and responding. Basically, it gives you visual confirmation that the assistant heard you without you having to pick up the phone. Fair enough. We’ve seen similar implementations on Amazon’s Echo speakers and Google’s own Home Speaker.

Second, it lights up in one of five colors when a favorite contact calls. This works with both the Phone app and WhatsApp (the only third-party app it supports, via 9To5Google). And while you might think you could choose the color you associate with a favorite contact, you can’t. Google picked five colors for you, and you simply assign them to people.

So, at launch, one of the most hyped Pixel 11 Pro features can essentially only do these two things, which feels like a frustratingly small use of what could have been a genuinely useful RGB light on the back of a phone. 

The fact that Google handed you give colors and called it a day, even though the RGB light ring can physically render so much more than that, isn’t even the worst part of it. 

The problem becomes obvious when you actually use it

The biggest caveat of Google’s stringent approach to an otherwise perfect idea is the lack of third-party app support. 

According to an Android Headlines report by Alexander Maxham, Google has no plans to unlock the restricted HiLight for other apps within its own ecosystem or open it to third-party apps. The closest thing to a roadmap Google offered was a mention of RCS messaging support arriving down the line, but that’s pretty much it. 

The entire point of having a rear-facing RGB light is to keep the user informed when the phone is sitting face-down. Among the few things Pixel 11 Pro owners are missing out on, despite having the physical hardware sitting right there on the device, are general notifications from apps you could be using daily, including Slack, Teams, social media apps like Instagram, or even Uber, for that matter.

Then comes charging or battery indication. I know it’s an RGB ring, and integrating progress levels that are otherwise shown through horizontal UI elements is tough. However, how difficult would it be to use the light to tell the user the battery is dying? Is blinking red twice or three times really that difficult? I’m not even talking about a live charging status.

If the hardware actually supports full-spectrum RGB LED capabilities, I don’t get why it’s locked to only five color options. Would a color-coded system in the app be too difficult for users to understand and customize? Pink for Instagram, purple for Teams, or yellow for Snapchat?

Perhaps a yellow or amber flickering light when someone captures a self-portrait from the rear-facing camera, supporting the timer beeps that the phone already makes? I’m just thinking about ways Google could have made the hardware addition more useful and more interesting. 

I’m not asking Google to cram every one of these functionalities into HiLight at once. In fact, I know for a fact that implementing all of them together would invite more chaos than it would solve problems. But Google can gather a team of engineers and designers to brainstorm intuitive ways to integrate the hardware deeper into the Pixel experience and make it sound or feel much less gimmicky than it currently does.

It’s not too late; Google can still turn this around

There’s no point in comparing Google’s HiLight RGB light with Nothing’s circular or horizontal LED modules. By nature of their shape and design, Nothing’s LEDs are better suited to simpler depictions of Live Updates on Android phones. However, that doesn’t mean Google can’t make HiLight highlight other things.

While HiLight is one of the most lethargic rear-facing LED implementations on a smartphone, it doesn’t have to stay that way forever. Fixing it doesn’t really require reinventing anything: open the API to developers, let people assign custom colors through a color wheel or similar setup, add a charging or power indicator, and ship the messaging feature that’s already been promised.

If Google genuinely wants people to put their phone face-down and be present in the moment, it also needs to trust those same people and grant them more control over what HiLight does for them. I’m rooting for an omnipresent HiLight interface that can cover far more than it does today, and I’ll remain optimistic that Google will eventually move in that direction.

More Information

Aircraft, ships and vehicles now carry many radio systems in a small space, so designers must know how much energy leaks from one antenna into another before any hardware is built. This leakage is described by the mutual s-parameters between the antenna ports, and it decides whether two systems can operate at the same time on the same platform. Measuring it by trial and error at every candidate position is slow and costly. Predicting it by simulation is difficult for two reasons. First, the platform is electrically large, which means that its dimensions span several hundreds of wavelengths, so the model needs a large number of unknowns. Second, the coupling levels of interest are very low, in some cases down to -100 dB, which leaves little margin for numerical error. This White Paper addresses both problems with a full-wave solution based on the Method of Moments applied to the Surface Integral Equation, using higher-order basis functions to keep the number of unknowns low. Two examples are studied in detail: a metallic cube carrying two quarter-wavelength monopoles, and a realistic airliner carrying five monopoles at 1.06 GHz, where the fuselage is about 140 λ long. Three modelling techniques for obtaining accurate low-level results are compared in terms of accuracy and the number of unknowns each one requires, and the complete geometry of each model is documented so that every result can be checked independently.

The Smart Tank series is HP‘s answer to the refillable-ink trend we’ve tracked closely, and for the price, it’s worth checking out the HP Smart Tank 5101 all-in-one printer for $170 (was $260) at Amazon.

Based on our experience testing HP printers, this one’s an easy recommendation for home offices, as well as the back-to-school prep and dorm rooms. First, the bottled ink refills are much cheaper than traditional inkjet cartridges, saving you money – and it includes two years’ of ink in the box. Second, the model features a built-in scanner and copier for work and study.

Why we recommend it

Having tested all the best HP printers, the brand is one of our top-rated in the printing field (our hardware editor has been using his HP printer for almost ten years now).

Refillable ink tank printers have become the more sensible long-term option for anyone who prints regularly, since the upfront ink supply eliminates the recurring cartridge cost that makes budget inkjets expensive over time.

HP, including two years of ink in the box with the Smart Tank 5101, removes a lot of the math you’d otherwise have to do around break-even points.

It also covers the basics well: printing, scanning, and copying are all handled through the HP Smart app, and setup requires nothing beyond connecting to Wi-Fi.

For more top picks, we’ve tested the best ink tank printers and the best home printers, too.

Price Context & Historical Value

The Catch: What to know before you buy

OFFBEAT

Troublesome electromagnetic catapults look set to be replaced with old-fashioned technology

President Trump has ordered the US Navy to draw up plans to replace electromagnetic aircraft catapults and weapons elevators with old-fashioned steam and hydraulic systems.

America’s commander-in-chief issued a presidential memorandum directing the secretary of defense, in consultation with the secretary of the Navy, to come up with a plan to replace the Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) on the future USS Doris Miller (CVN-81) with the older steam-powered system.

The same note stipulated the replacement of the electromagnetic Advanced Weapons Elevators with the hydraulic versions used in older carriers.

These directives were part of a broader memorandum aimed at shaking up shipbuilding for the US Navy, which is often seen as glacial and moribund.

EMALS was introduced on the USS Gerald R Ford (CVN-78), which was the first of an improved design of US aircraft carriers. It basically uses a linear induction motor to accelerate an aircraft along the flight deck, in place of the old-fashioned system that employs a steam piston.

The premise of EMALS is that it doesn’t require a head of steam, and as it is electromagnetic, it should be easy to adjust the power to match the size and weight of aircraft being launched.

However, the technology has had a few teething problems, as reported by The Register previously, and these have even led to the Gerald R Ford being unable to launch aircraft at all.

The Advanced Weapons Elevators, which also use linear motors, have likewise proven problematic.

Earlier this year, it was reported that there was a study underway to review the Ford-class carrier design and determine whether it should be altered for the next two in the class.

“We are looking at 82 and 83 to review the costs, the designs, the systems, to make sure that they make sense, and they have all the systems and requirements that we want going forward,” then-secretary of the Navy John Phelan is quoted as saying.

One of the concerns was said to be with the sortie generation rate of the Gerald R Ford – the number of takeoffs possible – which was promised to be higher with EMALS.

We asked the White House if this directive would apply to all subsequent US carriers, but a spokesperson simply referred us to the announcement, which mentions only CVN-81.

The rest of the president’s memorandum takes aim at naval shipbuilding in America. One directive is to establish a fifth naval shipyard to increase submarine and aircraft carrier repair capacity.

Trump is also sanctioning foreign involvement in building up to three ship classes of US Navy vessels.

His memorandum directs the secretary of defense to come up with “a new competitive acquisition approach” for surface combatants to perform anti‑submarine warfare, surface warfare, and convoy escort duties, plus Consolidated Cargo Replenishment at Sea (CONSOL) tankers and Roll-On, Roll-Off vessels – the latter typically used for transporting tanks and other military vehicles.

The president proposes using a similar approach to the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the US and Finland with regard to acquiring icebreaker ships last year.

This will allow foreign suppliers to take part in US Navy procurement, provided they agree to build a new shipyard in America or assume ownership or a majority stake in an existing one, and construct all ships after the first two in US shipyards.

Tellingly, the memorandum states that the US Navy “shall not impose iterative design changes upon the original mature parent designs within the above programs,” and that no changes from the original designs shall be made without the approval of the secretary of defense.

Last year, the Trump administration canned the Constellation-class frigate program, which had been based on an Italian design to reduce technical risk, after so many changes were made that the US design had just 15 percent commonality with the original and the program was years behind schedule. ®

• iVANKY FusionDock Ultra packs 26 ports into a desktop workstation dock
• Four external 6K displays can run natively on compatible Apple Silicon Macs
• Up to 120Gbps bandwidth supports demanding display-focused professional workflows simultaneously

The iVANKY FusionDock Ultra is a 26-port desktop dock designed specifically for Apple Silicon Macs and demanding professional workstations.

The company says its dock supports native quad 6K monitors, high-speed connectivity, and charging capabilities for professional users.

Imagine this: you have a big collection of physical books that’s been in your family for decades. As with anything, however, books start showing their age after years of use. After all, no one wants their precious collection to disappear like that. One great way to preserve them is by digitizing the books instead. This will give you a copy to keep forever. While you can just take a photo of your pages, smartphones aren’t professional book-scanning tools. Photos from a phone can have reflections, and sorting the pages afterward can be a headache. That’s exactly the problem CZUR’s ET Max aims to solve.

It’s a book scanner that takes away the hassle of scanning every page and formatting it correctly. Instead, you just need to flip the pages. This could also be extremely useful in office spaces that manage a lot of paper. Given that promise, when CZUR reached out to me, I had to review the ET Max. It’s been a few weeks since that email, and I’ve used it to scan about five books. Spoiler alert: it impressed me. To find out why, read along.

Setup & Software

Unboxing the CZUR ET Max was a pretty interesting experience. Not only does CZUR give you the scanner itself, but it also includes plenty of accessories. These include a physical button for scanning individual pages, a foot pedal to scan, a power cable with plugs for different countries, a black scanning mat, side lights for better visibility, and a book page holder. Setup is pretty straightforward and is handled through the CZUR app, which is available on both macOS and Windows. You can download the app either by going to the CZUR website or using the included physical disk for installation. 

I was able to get everything running quickly by connecting the scanner to my MacBook using the included cable. It was recognized pretty much instantly, and from there it was just a matter of opening the app. Just a quick note: you do need to enter the serial number of your scanner to pair with the app. You’ll find it on the bottom of the device.

On top of the scanner, there’s a preview screen, which, as the name suggests, helps you see what’s being captured. It was super helpful when scanning bigger books, as I needed to know if everything was inside the frame. Beyond that, the app lets you scan books into multiple formats, including JPEG, PDF, and Word. The scanner also uses AI to mark the edges of a book, preserve the colors of the drawings, and correct distortion. You also get OCR functionality, and to prevent distortions in the digital copy, there’s laser technology that measures distortions and helps smooth them out.

Scanning Experience

The ET Max uses a 38MP CMOS sensor to capture books. And to put that to the test, I started by scanning some research papers. Since there are no curved surfaces on those, the process was easy enough. I placed the paper in the frame, and the ET Max automatically captured it and processed the information into a very tidy digital copy. You don’t even have to center the documents inside the frame, as the scanner automatically detects the area and scans just that. The resolution was more than enough, and I could zoom into individual words without losing any detail. The only small hitch was that sometimes colors in pictures looked washed out, but nothing major.

To kick things up a notch, I also scanned a hardcover book. If you’ve read such books before, you know how difficult it can be to keep these books flat. They are always curved, meaning I had to use “Facing Page” mode. This mode projects lasers onto the book surface to measure the amount of deformation and correct it afterward. But does it work? Absolutely. The resulting scans came out straight without any deformation, weird edges, or shadows. However, if you’re not satisfied with the result, you can also manually correct the dimensions inside the app.

About these controls, the software lets you adjust the contrast and colors of every scanned image, change the edges, use a different crop, and more. I found all these options helpful in giving me the look I had in mind. But that’s not all. You can hide specific sections of a document and remove handwriting from old books. The latter didn’t work that well because it covered the handwritten parts with a white overlay, which looked out of place. What did work quite well was using the ET Max as a document camera. I hooked it up to my home projector and projected the book onto a 100-inch screen, with plenty of detail visible. This could be another helpful feature for teachers and project managers.

Given that most offices scan documents to create digital copies, OCR functionality becomes very important. And if you’re in the market for such a machine, then the ET Max performed well in my testing. The scanner did a good job of recognizing text from different books and research papers and converting them into PDFs. CZUR says it can accurately detect over 180 different languages, but I only tested with English books, so your mileage may vary.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Fast and largely automated scanning
• Good results with both flat documents and curved books
• Useful editing controls in the software
• Multiple export formats, including JPEG, PDF, and Word
• OCR worked well with English documents
• Can double as a document camera
• Plenty of accessories included in the box

Cons

• Handwriting removal needs improvement
• Some images can lose color during scanning

Conclusion

At $689 on the official store website, the CZUR ET Max is clearly aimed at professionals. But after scanning several books, I can see why something like this exists. The ET Max takes what would normally be a tedious process, scanning hundreds of individual pages, and turns it into something much more manageable.

You flip the page, let the scanner do its work, and move on to the next one. I expected some distortion when scanning a hardcover book, but the ET Max produced straight pages without the shadows and warping. Not to forget the OCR functionality, editing tools, and ability to display book pages on a projector are also useful additions. Like everything, though, it’s not perfect. Handwriting removal could use some work, and some images inside books lose color. Still, I think the CZUR ET Max is a capable machine worthy of a recommendation.

offbeat

Kyiv wants tighter controls to keep foreign silicon out of Moscow’s weapons

Sanctions and Nvidia’s exit from Russia in 2022 haven’t stopped its Jetson Orin hardware from turning up in Russian weaponry, according to Ukrainian military intelligence.

The Defense Ministry’s Intelligence Directorate (GUR) reported this week that it spotted an Nvidia Jetson Orin module in the remains of a Russian S-71 Monochrome cruise missile. The S-71M is an air-launched weapon with autonomous capabilities that can reportedly search for and engage targets using optical sensors and onboard computing.

“The use of this component may indicate the use of artificial intelligence technologies in the missile,” GUR said. That assumption makes sense, as information on the S-71M suggests that it can operate with user oversight or entirely autonomously. 

Photos included with the GUR announcement show a heavily scorched Nvidia chip with the identifier TE980M-A1 stamped onto its surface, indicating that the chip is a Jetson Orin NX 16GB unit that Nvidia released in early 2023. It’s a capable chip, but not exactly datacenter-class hardware – Orin systems are designed precisely for use cases like autonomous systems.

Nvidia used to have offices in Russia and do business there, but it closed up shop in Ukraine’s bellicose neighbor in 2022 following Moscow’s decision to go to war with Kyiv. That was prior to the introduction of the TE980M-A1, meaning it must have reached Russian hands through another channel after Nvidia stopped direct sales to the country in early 2022.

In other words, whatever sanctions the US has enacted or business decisions Nvidia has made, its hardware is still turning up in Russian weaponry used to target Ukrainians. The one good thing about the entire affair, according to GUR, is the fact that the recovered hardware proves Russian tech manufacturing still isn’t up to snuff.

According to Nvidia, Orin modules are consumer grade and are sold to all sorts of different people for all sorts of purposes, with military applications not being among their intended design. The chips aren’t supposed to be available in Russia, either, a spokesperson told The Register, adding that there are plenty of ways for Russia to get ahold of the chips that are out of its control.

“Pre-owned Jetsons are available through many reseller channels,” Nvidia told us. “Although we cannot track products after they are sold, if we determine that any customer is violating U.S. export controls, we will take appropriate action.”

US export controls have restricted exports of advanced chips to Russia and China. Chipmakers have responded to China-specific restrictions by producing hardware designed to comply with US export rules, while third parties have allegedly used smuggling to get restricted higher-end components into China.

It’s not clear how the Nvidia component ended up in Russian hands. GUR’s latest disclosures also document Chinese-made electronics in Russian weapons.

However the salvaged chip made its way to Russia, GUR said its evidence shows that current export control regimes aren’t working.

“The discovery of Nvidia Jetson in a new Russian missile once again demonstrates the need for increased sanctions pressure and coordination of the efforts of the civilized world,” the intelligence agency said. ®

The Hisense XR10 triple laser projector represents something of a new product category for a company well known in the projector world for its range of standalone ultra short throw (UST) models and “Laser TVs” (basically, a UST projector packaged with a separate screen). 

What’s different about the Hisense XR10 ($5,999) is that it takes “lifestyle” projectors, another category the company has been steadily growing with models such as the Hisense C2 Ultra and M2 Pro, to the next level by incorporating features typically found in high-end front projectors, such as an 17-element all-glass lens system, 7-step manual iris control, motorized optical zoom, and motorized focus and lens shift. With a specified brightness of 6,000 ANSI lumens, the XR10 is also significantly brighter than any lifestyle projector I know of, not to mention most home theater front projectors.

What is it?

The Hisense XR10 is a DLP projector with a dual RGB laser light source and motorized 2.38x optical zoom. A 0.84-2.0:1 throw ratio allows it to project images ranging from 60 to 300 inches diagonally, and it supports both ceiling and tabletop installations. It uses a native 1080p DLP chip, with four-phase pixel shifting to display 4K-resolution images on screen.

Like most other “portable” projectors (at 11.5 x 10.7 x 8.4 inches and 23.4 pounds, the XR10 is definitely a bit extra for the category), the XR10 offers fully automated setup, with its four-camera intelligent sensing solution scanning the area where the projection screen is mounted to provide automatic picture alignment and focus. For permanent installations, you can forgo automated setup in favor of the projector’s manual controls, with manual zoom and focus augmented by a motorized lens shift offering up to ±130% vertical and ±46% horizontal adjustment.

A projector specified for 6,000 ANSI lumens of brightness is bound to generate some heat, and the XR10 dissipates it using a liquid cooling system — a design approach similar to what’s found in high-performance gaming PCs. The XR10’s dual triple-laser light engine is also specified to deliver 118% of the BT.2020 color gamut, which is wider coverage than you can expect even from the new breed of RGB TVs. High dynamic range support on the XR10 is more comprehensive than what you’ll find on typical home theater projectors, extending to Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HDR10 and HLG. The XR10 also supports 3D playback (3D glasses not included).

Most Hisense projectors have an elegant, vintage-tech design, and the XR10’s rounded corners, bronze-hued case and top-mounted volume control dial make it stand out from the often industrial-looking projector crowd. A screw insert for a tripod stand is located on the bottom surface, and the back panel contains two HDMI 2.1 and one HDMI 2.0 inputs, along with an optical digital audio output, 3.5mm audio input, two USB and Ethernet ports. The XR10 comes packaged in a faux-leather, rolling carrying case, and this classy accessory has the same vintage look and bronze hardware accents as the projector itself.

A built-in 2.1-channel, 31W speaker system tuned by French audio manufacturer Devialet provides surprisingly clear and full sound on the XR10 and it supports both Dolby Digital and DTS Virtual:X. Bluetooth 5.4 lets the projector’s built-in speakers be used for music playback and there are sound presets for theater, music, dialogue enhancement and more.

Hisense’s own VIDAA smart TV platform is used for streaming on the XR10, which is the first projector I’ve tested with Wi-Fi 7 support. A wide range of streaming apps is provided, including Netflix, Prime Video, HBO Max, Disney+, Apple TV, YouTube and more. AirPlay streaming is supported, and you can perform voice-controlled content searches using the projector’s full-size, backlit remote, which includes a built-in microphone for that purpose.

Gaming support on the XR10 includes ALLM, a High Refresh Rate option, and DLP Turbo Mode. With the latter setting turned on, all automatic setup controls, such as picture position and keystone adjustments, are disabled. There’s also a dedicated Game Bar menu for making quick gaming-related picture and sound adjustments. Using a Bodnar 4K meter, I measured input lag on the XR10 at 17 ms with Game mode and DLP Turbo Mode turned on. The XR10 also supports 1080p/120Hz and 1080p/240Hz input, with measured input lag of 23.3 ms and 4.6 ms, respectively.

Setup

Before doing any picture setup and measurements on the XR10, I first made a point of turning off the projector’s Automatic Light Sensor setting in the advanced picture menu. Measurements were made using Portrait Display’s Calman Color Calibration software and the projection screen I used for testing was a 92-inch, 1.1-gain Stewart CIMA matte white model, with the projector positioned on a tripod 8 feet away from the screen.

The XR10’s brightness in the Filmmaker Mode picture preset (default settings) was 4,044 ANSI lumens and 3,438 ANSI lumens in the Standard preset. The highest brightness reading I measured was 5,424 ANSI lumens in Vivid mode with Brightness Enhancer in the projector’s Advanced Settings menu set to High. The Ultra Brightness Enhancer setting would likely have yielded even higher brightness results, but the picture took on a strong green-ish cast with Ultra active, making that setting unusable.

Brightness uniformity measured at 9 separate points across the display area was an impressive 94%.

The XR10’s BT.2020 color gamut coverage measured 96.9%, while P3 coverage was 99.5%. That BT.2020 result falls below the 118% figure in Hisense’s specifications, but it is still a solid result compared with other RGB laser projectors. With the projector in Filmmaker Mode, Delta-E (the margin of error between the test pattern source and what’s displayed on-screen) averaged a relatively high 7.8 for grayscale accuracy, with the projector showing an overly warm, reddish bias.

Switching the Color Temperature preset from Warm 1 to Warm 2 yielded a cooler grayscale, while calibration using the projector’s 2-point White Balance adjustments (20-point adjustment is also available) reduced the average grayscale Delta-E to 1.3. Delta-E for color points on the XR10 averaged 2.8, and I was able to reduce it to 2.2 through calibration.

Contrast ratio results for the XR10 were as follows:

Visually, the best picture contrast came with the projector’s iris in Manual mode and set to either 2 or 3. Other manual iris settings resulted in an overly dim picture, while the Iris Off setting produced elevated, grayish blacks.

As for the other picture settings I used for evaluation in Filmmaker Mode, Gamma was set to 2.4, Dark Detail was turned on, Scenario Enhancement was switched off, and Adaptive Contrast was set to Medium. Settings on the XR10 can be configured independently for both HDR and SDR sources, though White Balance settings are shared between those modes. The XR10 also features a Dynamic Tone Mapping setting for HDR, but I found that it added a pinkish tint to whites when active, so I left it switched off.

Viewing Impressions

Before I say anything else about the Hisense XR10, I want to mention that its picture is bright enough to make viewing in a well-lit room possible. Watching a Major League Soccer match between St. Louis and Salt Lake with the Standard preset active, the picture had a punchy look, with crisp highlights and bold colors. Detail was also excellent, and I didn’t notice any serious instances of the “laser speckle” artifacts that laser-based projectors are prone to.

Looking at reference 4K Blu-rays on the XR10, the James Bond film No Time to Die showed somewhat elevated blacks in dark scenes, but the picture otherwise had good contrast and rich, yet natural, color. Importantly for this movie, there was only a minimal level of judder and blur visible in a shot where Bond traverses a hillside cemetery. In the motorcycle and car chase scenes that followed, the fast-paced action also had a solid presentation.

Another reference disc, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, worked well to showcase the XR10’s strong color performance, with the movie’s computer-generated animation displaying an appropriately vivid quality.

continued to be impressed with the XR10 when I switched to watching the sci-fi drama Pluribus (Season 1, Episode 6), which I streamed through the VIDAA smart platform’s Apple TV+ app. Watched in Dolby Vision HDR, the picture displayed strong overall contrast, with the sparkly highlights of a green dress worn by a cocktail server in a Las Vegas hotel casino popping on the screen. Chips on poker tables also came across as a radiant blue, and the various hues of the sports cars arrayed outside the casino entrance had a rainbow-like effect. (But not the “rainbow effect” typically seen on DLP projectors, which I also found to be fairly minimal with the XR10 compared with other projectors I’ve tested.)

The somewhat elevated blacks I noted when watching dark scenes in No Time to Die continued to be an issue when I checked out an episode of House of the Dragon, a show with more than its share of dark scenes set in gloomy castles. But this series, along with others in the Game of Thrones universe, can be challenging even for OLED TVs with their superior black levels, and I still noted a good level of shadow detail despite the XR10’s limited overall black depth.

With the XR10’s high brightness, Blu-ray 3D discs in my collection looked as good as I’ve ever seen them. IMAX: Deep Sea had an excellent sense of visual depth that brought the coral reefs and undersea creatures into strong relief against the watery backgrounds. Scenes inside the base in Avatar also displayed great depth, and the skin of the Na’vi came across as a rich blue hue. Support for 3D is a feature that’s starting to disappear from front projectors, so the XR10 gives 3D movie fans an excellent projector option.

Before I wrap this review up, I will say something about fan noise on XR10. Given the projector’s liquid cooling system, I expected fan noise to be a bit lower than it was, and fan noise definitely increased when I played with the Brightness Enhancer settings. Any noise was generally masked by sound coming from the XR10’s built-in speakers, however, and a more traditional home theater audio setup would undoubtedly go even further in masking fan noise.

The Bottom Line

The Hisense XR10 is something of an odd duck in the projector world: part portable/lifestyle projector and part home theater front projector. Fortunately, it acquits itself well for both tasks. You can easily get crisp, bright, well-focused images when temporarily installing the XR10 using its fully automated setup features, and if you want to permanently install it and painstakingly tweak its picture, it offers all the manual controls you’ll need to do just that.

At $5,999.99, the Hisense XR10 is quite a bit more expensive than other lifestyle projectors on the market, but it’s priced very competitively with other home theater projectors, while offering features you typically won’t find in that category, such as a smart TV interface with apps for streaming, potent built-in speakers, and automated setup. It also offers wider than usual HDR format support, Dolby Vision included, and higher than average brightness.

Is there any other feature Hisense could have added to this otherwise feature-packed projector? A dynamic iris similar to those found in some other home theater models would be welcome, and such a feature would possibly improve the XR10’s contrast. But overall, I found that the XR10 delivered very impressive picture quality, and when you consider all that it does, good value as well.

Pros:

• RGB laser light engine
• High brightness
• Dolby Vision and HDR10+ support
• Extended BT.2020 and P3 color space coverage
• Iris adjustment for enhanced contrast
• Automated setup options
• Motorized optical zoom 
• Motorized focus and horizontal/vertical lens shift
• Devialet-tuned built-in audio
• VIDAA smart TV platform for streaming
• 3D support

Cons:

• Limited black depth
• Slightly high fan noise

Our Ratings:

★★★★★★★★★★ Picture Quality

★★★★★★★★★★ Design

★★★★★★★★★★ Usability

★★★★★★★★★★ Sound Quality

★★★★★★★★★★ Features

★★★★★★★★★★ Value

Where to Buy

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