One of the easiest ways to convince consumers to become early adopters is to make new technology affordable. Formovie hit the ground running in the UST Laser Projector category with its Formovie Theater UST Laser Projector which took home the top spot in the 2022 and 2023 Laser TV Shootouts.
Building on that foundation, it looks like Formovie is adding a lower-priced entry into the mix (the Formovie C3) and although it wasn’t a top contender in the 2023 Laser TV showdown (hard to match its bigger brother the Formovie Theater), it appears to be comparable in performance to the Hisense PL1 with a comprehensive feature set and lower price point.
One peculiar item is the that Formovie C3 does not yet appear on the company’s U.S. website; which many of us found peculiar considering it has already been tested by members of the press here in North America, including Editor At-Large, Chris Boylan.
Although the Formovie C3 is available to purchase, it may not be the final version intended for the USA Market. It is possible that a “final” version of the C3 might become available in 2024 with some additional tweaks (including more refined color management control) not available in this current version.
If these new enhancements are made and the unit remains at $1,899 USD, Formovie will have one of the best values in the category and that’s a huge win for the Chinese manufacturer.
Comparison
| Formovie Theater | Formovie C3 | |
| MSRP | $2,999 | $1,899 |
| THX Certified | Yes | No |
| Processor | MediaTek MTK MT9669 | MediaTek MTK MT9669 |
| RAM | 3GB DDR4 | 3GB |
| Built-in Storage | 64GB eMMC high-speed flash memory | 32GB |
| Imaging Chip | Single Chip DLP | Single Chip DLP |
| Resolution | 4K UHD via XPR Pixel Shifting | 4K UHD via XPR Pixel Shifting |
| Laser Light Source | Triple Laser with 20,000-hour use life (ALPD® RGB+) | Single Laser with 20,000-hour use life |
| Light Output (ANSI Lumens) | 2800 | 2200 |
| Native Contrast Ratio (Full On/Full Off) | 3000:1 | 3000:1 |
| Color Gamut | BT.2020 | 110% Rec 709 |
| HDR Support | Dolby Vision, HDR10, HDR10+ | HDR10, HDR10+, HLG |
| Screen Size | 80 to 150-inches | 80 to 200-inches |
| Motion Processing | MEMC smooth motion | MEMC smooth motion |
| Keystone Correction | Horizontal and Vertical (8 points) | Horizontal and Vertical (8 points) |
| Built-in Audio | 15 watts x 2 (Bowers & Wilkins) | 15 watts x 2 (Dolby Audio/DTS-HD support) |
| Dolby Atmos Passthrough | Yes | Yes |
| Smart OS | Android | FengOS |
| Gaming Support | ALLM | ALLM |
| HDMI | 3 x HDMI 2.1 eARC enabled | 3 x HDMI 2.1 eARC enabled. |
| USB | 2 | 2 |
| Headphone Out | 1 x 3.5mm | 1 x 3.5mm |
| Digital Optical Out | 1 | 1 |
| Ethernet | Yes | Yes |
| Wi-Fi | Yes | Yes |
| Bluetooth | Yes | Yes |
| Voice Control | Google Assistant | N/A |
| Fan Noise | 28 dB | 32 dB |
| Dimensions (HWD) | 4.23″ x 21.65″ x 13.74″ | 3.58″ x 17.95″ x 12.12″ |
| Weight | 21.6 lbs | 16.97 lbs |
Pricing & Availability
The Formovie C3 is available for $1,899 at ProjectorScreen.com.
Related reading: Every UST Laser Projector Compared
