Samsung The Freestyle

amazon Samsung The Freestyle reviews

As the leading company in the TV market for many years, no one thinks of Samsung when there is a need to buy a projector. However, it seems Samsung is looking to change that. Last year, it launched the premium Premiere three-laser projector line and just recently added The FreeStyle micro projector.

A pico projector is a compact projector that can be easily held in the hand and usually uses an LED light source. This projector is easy to use, allowing images to be projected onto a wall or a variety of surfaces. Samsung’s The FreeStyle projector has all the features of an ultra-small projector but adds an integrated sound system and Smart TV software platform, allowing you to watch content like a Smart TV anywhere.

Compact design, flexible adjustable stand

Samsung The Freestyle has a small cylindrical size, the length is only nearly a hand and the diameter is about 10 cm. The weight of the projector is light, only 0.8kg. With such a small and light size, you can carry this projector anywhere with ease.

Outside the chassis is a white, rough rubber layer. When held in the hand, the chassis feels sturdy and well-finished. Inside the perforated holes on the chassis is a 360-degree speaker system and a fan to dissipate heat.

The control key ports on the projector are not many, including a USB C port for power, a Micro-HDMI port for connecting to external devices, and a built-in microphone trigger switch. At the top where there is an opaque white plastic cover, you will have some basic touch controls including power on and off, and volume up and down buttons.

The projector’s base is made of metal, keeping the projector steady when placed on flat surfaces. This stand is flexibly adjustable, which can project the projector directly to the ceiling or the wall at any angle in a 180-degree semicircle.

Overall, The Freestyle’s design is compact, portable, and has flexible projection direction control thanks to its adjustable stand. If there is no main power, you can use a standard USB-PD battery with a capacity of 50W/20V to use The Freestyle.

Connections and controls

Samsung The Freestyle offers basic connections enough to watch today’s popular types of content. Specifically, you have a Micro-HDMI port for connecting to peripherals. This port supports the features of the HDMI 1.4 version but can display HDR content and supports the eARC standard for high-quality audio transmission.

In terms of wireless connectivity, the projector supports Wi-Fi 5 (including both 2.4Ghz and 5Ghz bands), Bluetooth 5.2, and Apple AirPlay 2. Like most Samsung devices, The Freestyle supports the SmartThings app (Android and iOS) to transfer (mirror) content from your phone to the projector, use your phone as a remote control or voice control via Bixby, and Alexa thanks to the projector’s built-in microphone.

The Freestyle comes with the same solar-powered remote as those for Samsung TVs. The inside of the projector is integrated with the Tizen operating system platform along with popular content applications such as Netflix, YouTube, Apple TV, and even a browser like Samsung Smart TVs.

The interface of the homepage is also arranged simply like on Samsung’s Smart TV. So, experiencing The Freestyle is no different from a Samsung Smart TV.

In addition to the familiarity of the Smart TV experience, The Freestyle’s basic projector functions are also designed to be simplified. The functions of adjusting frame distortion, sharpness, and screen surface are all done automatically, users do not need to manually adjust like some projectors of other brands.

Adjustment of the projection screen size and position of the projection screen can also be done via remote control or phone without having to move the projector. Of course, you can increase or decrease the projection screen size from 30 inches to 100 inches by moving the projector position. At a distance of 0.8 meters, the projection screen size is 30 inches, 1.5 meters away is 55 inches, and increased to 2.7 meters to reach a maximum size of 100 inches.

Picture and sound quality

Samsung The Freestyle projector uses DLP technology with Full-HD resolution and an LED light source. According to the manufacturer, the maximum brightness of the projection screen is 550 lumens and the lifespan is up to 20,000 hours.

In actual use, I find The Freestyle will have difficulty viewing in office lighting environments. Therefore, for the best image quality, you should turn off the lights, draw the curtains to block outside light, or use it at night.

When viewed in a low-light environment, the image quality displayed is quite good, and the colors are bright and detailed. The machine also has 3 color display modes: standard, vivid, and movie mode. In particular, the film mode reproduces the most standard colors of the 3 modes. Moving images are also handled smoothly, without blurring even with fast action sequences in movies like “Fast and Furious”, “robot war” or “Spider-Man”.

The Freestyle supports HDR10 and HLG, two HDR content formats supported by the most popular content services. However, due to limited brightness, the projector does not take full advantage of the image quality of HDR. HDR content has slightly more vivid colors than regular content, but the difference is not much and not as pronounced as when viewed on a TV screen.

You can connect a gaming device to The Freestyle via the Micro-HDMI port. In-game mode, the input lag is 44ms. This is too high a level of latency for “try hard” gamers, but it is fine for casual users who want to enjoy gaming on a large screen with good detail and smooth moving frames.

In terms of sound, the projector has a built-in 5W speaker system and emits from 360-degree directions. The sound quality is really impressive for the compact size of the projector. The volume of the speaker is large, without distortion when increasing the volume to a high level. Of course, we can’t compare it with the sound from the soundbar, but the built-in speakers in this projector are completely enough to meet the needs of watching movies or watching TV in a room space of under 20 meters.

Summary

The Freestyle is a compact projector with a solid build quality that can be easily carried anywhere. It’s also designed for ease of use, with basic projector features such as framing and focusing all done automatically. You can project onto many surfaces with large projection images from 30-100 inches, vivid colors, good detail, and smooth motion handling.

With the Tizen operating system platform fully integrated with popular content applications, remote control, and control via the Smartthings application on the phone, The Freestyle experience is no different from Samsung Smart TVs. The sound quality is also quite impressive considering the compact size of this projector. However, compared to TV, the brightness of this projector is more limited, only good at night or in rooms with lights off and curtains closed.

Overall, this is a projector that offers almost the full experience of a 100-inch Smart TV that can be pocketed to take anywhere, convenient for entertainment needs when going on a picnic. In return, its price is also quite picky, similar to a 55-65 inch Smart TV today.

where can you get a Samsung The Freestyle online

SAMSUNG 30”- 100” The Freestyle FHD HDR Smart Portable Projector for Indoor and Outdoor Home Theater Big Screen Experience with Premium 360 Sound with Alexa Built-In (SP-LSP3BLAXZA, 2022 Model): Buy it now

SAMSUNG 30”- 100” The Freestyle FHD HDR Smart Portable Projector for Indoor and Outdoor Home Theater Big Screen Experience with Premium 360 Sound with Alexa Built-In (SP-LSP3BLAXZA, 2022 Model): Buy it now

SAMSUNG The Freestyle Carrying Case for Smart Portable Projector, IP55 Weather Resistant, Scratch Resistant, Compact, Sleek, Tube Shaped Design with Clip, VG-SCLA00NG: Buy it now