Leica Cine Play 1 Review: Pricey but Worth Every Penny

For those who crave an immersive cinematic experience with colors that pop on the screen, the Leica Cine Play 1 is a top-notch choice. This short-throw laser projector from the renowned camera manufacturer ticks almost every box for tack-sharp picture quality, rendering Pixar films and the Avatar series with stunning vibrancy and detail. The Cine Play 1's design and build quality are reminiscent of Leica's high-end cameras, with a sturdy aluminum and glass construction that exudes premium feel.

The projector comes equipped with a convenient carrying handle, making it easy to move around the home. It runs on the intuitive VIDAA operating system, which ensures a seamless user experience. The Leica optical performance truly shines, bringing movies to life with breathtaking clarity.

At $2,995 after an $800 rebate, the Cine Play 1 is competitive with midrange home cinema projectors from Sony, Epson, and others. The only minor drawback is that it requires a mostly dark room to fully appreciate its brilliant color reproduction. In contrast, competitors like the Epson Pro Cinema LS9000 can perform well in both dark and well-lit environments.

The Cine Play 1 boasts a Leica Summicron lens with an outstanding optical zoom, renowned for its extreme sharpness and near-zero color fringing on Leica's storied cameras. The Summicron glass delivers similar benefits on the Cine Play 1, making it feel like having a high-end camera that projects a scene with added vibrancy. Notably, this is the first projector to bear Leica's branding, complete with the iconic red dot on the top, following a partnership with Hisense.