If you are looking for a quality projector that can go wherever you are, sports high definition and a not too shabby built-in speaker, the Samsung Freestyle is an option you should consider.
Portability is the key here, and the Samsung Freestyle can project high resolution screens with minimum space required. With a throw ration of 1.2 you can place the Samsung The Freestyle 80 cm from a wall and you get a 30” picture. Move it back to 2.7m and you get a 100”. The best thing is that you don’t need to position it perfectly aligned to the wall as it will automatically adjust level and focus. You do have access to a tool for manual adjustment but I hardly needed to use it.
The remote control is very small and light. What’s more it’s rechargeable via a USB-C port.
The Freestyle runs the same Samsung Tizen system used on other smart Samsung TVs. You can use the remote control to connect to your WiFi network and from there you have access to a variety of streaming service apps – I used it with Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, TVNZ+, YouTube, Disney+, Acorn and Plex. But the list doesn’t stop there. You will also find Neon, Spark Sport, Apple TV, Tubi, Facebook Watch and Funimation.
It also comes with the new Samsung TV Plus service, a streaming platform with dozens of channels available for free on Samsung smart devices.
On top of this it has a micro-HDMI connection with support for eARC (HDMI 1.4) so you can plug in laptops, gaming consoles and other source devices.
Moving around the menus I found support for Samsung SmartThings and Dex platforms. This mean I could use my Samsung phoner running the SmartThings app to manage and remote control the projector. This app also allowed me to create a map of my home and position other devices (TV, projects, tags) around the rooms so I can control individual rooms if needed.
The Dex platform worked flawlessly. It allows me to wirelessly connect my Samsung phone to the projector and create a desktop view. All my mobile apps are available there and I can move them around, resize windows, copy and paste – everything I do on a desktop computer, on my phone. Pair a Bluetooth keyboard and mouse with your projector and you have a very usable computing device right there.
It also comes with built-in Remote Desktop client and a browser so you can access other web-based services if wanted.
The sound is pretty good, with Dolby Digital Plus support and the built-in fan doesn’t interfere with the overall enjoyment.
In terms of picture, the 1920 x 1080 (HD, HDR10) 550 lumens LED-based Freestyle doesn’t seem as bright as the laser-based Samsung Premiere. You definitely get better results on a darker room.
You can power The Freestyle with any USB-C device that supports PD (50W/20V) and I had no problem using my preferred power supply.
At 800g it certainly is very mobile – and Samsung offers accessories like case and colour skins, to make it more personal. The only thing that disappointed was the menu response time, sometimes lagging when moving between options. But when streaming or playing from its HDMI input, the performance was solid.
