Hisense’s CES pivot: premium polish or polished PR?

I’ll be blunt: I respect a company trying to change perceptions. Hisense has spent years being the affordable option, and now it wants to look premium — new exec hires, micro LED bravado and a weirdly charming FollowMe display on wheels. That’s a bold pivot, but I’m skeptical until the engineering backs it up.

The product list is flashy: a 6,000‑lumen laser projector that can hit 300 inches, a FollowMe display that literally follows you room to room, and ConnectLife AI that promises to tune HVAC, washers and ovens like a smart concierge. Those are the sort of demos that play great on a CES stage — the real question is how well they perform when the lights are off and the family dog is in the way.

I’m especially wary of ConnectLife’s AI laundry agent and other home‑facing features. If Hisense wants to move upmarket, it has to show privacy‑first design, firmware longevity and real partner ecosystems. Fast product cycles are great for scaling, but not if they mean rushed software that’s never properly secured or supported.

• Highlights: S6 FollowMe display (mobile TV), XR10 & PX4‑PRO laser projectors (up to 6,000 lumens, 300″), ConnectLife AI platform across appliances.
• Business play: New CMO and CCO signaling a push toward premium branding and faster go‑to‑market execution.
• What I want to see: independent image quality tests for projector/micro‑LED panels, durability reports for the FollowMe hardware, and transparent privacy/security disclosures for ConnectLife.
• Where to watch: Hisense’s CES livestream and press page: hisense.com.

My Verdict: I like the ambition. Hisense trying for premium status makes the market more interesting — more competition can mean better prices and faster innovation. But charm and specs don’t equal trust. I’ll only believe the pivot when I see long‑term software support, solid privacy practices and hardware that survives real homes, not just the show floor. Would you trade a familiar budget brand for a bold new premium lineup, or do you wait for real reviews and security audits first?