For gamers, the peak performance expected from the best gaming TVs so far has been a massive display with a 144Hz refresh rate. But a new 4K model from Hisense makes that look positively sluggish. The new 98-inch Hisense TV 98S57, which just launched in China, has an incredibly fast refresh rate of 264Hz – faster than any of the current console crop can deliver. And the firm has also launched a new, brighter Laser TV that's coming to Europe, and will probably roll out to the US later (via Notebookcheck).
The Hisense TV 98S57 is a remarkably affordable giant TV at roughly $1,400 / £1,100 / AU$2,150, and that means some corners have been cut in order to keep the price down while offering that fast refresh rate. The brightness tops out at 1,000 nits and there are fewer dimming zones (384) than in its flagship gaming TV, the Hisense 98UX. And the direct LED panel only delivers 95% of the DCI-P3 color gamut compared to the 98% of the 98UX.
The big question here is how exactly you'll benefit from that refresh rate: according to HDTVtest, there are just two HDMI 2.1 ports, and they appear to max out at 144Hz. So it's not the case that PC gamers with a massive GPU and the desire for super-fast response times will be able to make the most of the 264Hz refresh rate, but it could help keep any latency to the minimum possible, at least.
We're not expecting this particular TV to go on sale in the US, Europe or ANZ, but the firm's new Laser TV is expected to launch here soon.
Hisense PL2 Laser TV: key features
As the name indicates, the Hisense PL2 Laser TV is the successor to the Hisense PL1 Laser TV. Hisense's laser TVs are basically an ultra-short throw projector paired with a matching specialist projector screen, bought for a specific size. The new model is capable of near-4K resolution at sizes up to 150 inches wide (larger than the previous model), and has a lower throw ratio than the existing model: 0.22 instead of 0.25, so it can be situated closer to the wall: for an 80-inch image you can be 11.6cm from the wall, rising to 45.7cm for a 120-inch image. Peak brightness is 2,700 lumens and the light sources have a claimed lifespan of more than 250,000 hours.
Hisense says that the refresh rate for 2K signals has been improved, and the PL2 has support for HDR10+, HLG and Dolby Vision; its built-in upwards-firing 30W speakers support Dolby Atmos. There are dedicated Sport and Game modes, 4K upscaling, and the PL2 is compatible with AirPlay 2 and HomeKit. Smart TV apps include Netflix, YouTube, Disney+, Apple TV+, Prime Video, Rakuten, Paramount+ and more.
The Hisense PL2 will launch in Europe this month with a sticker price of €2,499, which is roughly $2,735 / £2,140 / AU$4,200, and will make it very competitive with the best ultra-short throw projectors. A US launch hasn't yet been confirmed but the PL1 laser TV arrived in the US shortly after its European launch, so we'd expect the same to happen this time around – perhaps we'll hear more at CEDIA 2024 in September.
If you can read German, you can find out more about the PL2 Laser TV on Hisense's German website here.
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