Last year I reviewed Samsung’s first portable projector, The Freestyle and it was a great first attempt at creating a fun new product category that could display a great image up to 100-inches from almost any position, but it had a few minor issues which have been rectified in the 2023 mode (or 2nd gen).
In terms of the raw specs, it’s still the same portable projector. It can project up to 100-inches at 1080p/60 FPS with the same brightness, it still has fantastic speakers for the size and the actual projector is still insanely portable and can run off a power bank if you’re wanting to take it outside.
The thing I loved most about the Freestyle (and most Samsung products on the market) is that it runs the Tizen OS that is almost one for one in what you get with your TV meaning that it already has all of your favourites apps such as Netflix, Prime Video, Apple TV+, Stan as well as all of the FTA apps such as 10 Plus, 9Now and 7 Play as well as the super excellent Samsung TV Plus that I’ll keep singing praises about as it just has so much great content for free.
THE CHEAPEST PRICE: $1,299 FROM THE SAMSUNG STORE
Whilst the original unit had a lot of this, it was quite sluggish with the new model having upgraded ram, so it feels much more in-line with the TV experience. It’s a lot faster, never sluggish and just a genuine joy to use.
Samsung has added the Xbox Cloud Gaming app within its Samsung Gaming Hub tab and like I spoke about in my article about that here, it’s just not something that I think is spoken about enough. Within minutes I had my Xbox controller connected wirelessly, and was playing my Forza Horizon 5 save almost flawlessly over the internet on the wall in front of my at near 100-inches, so it’s even more remarkable than the experience on TV somewhat, as you can create this experience anywhere.
In a way, it’s almost as good as having a portable console with you as the Freestyle is super portable to chuck in a bag, so if you’re traveling you can take it and your controller and have your Xbox with you at all times.
One of things I loved most about the Freestyle is that you can point it at any wall at any angle and the auto keystone and auto focus will give you a near perfect straight display each and every time. I compared the 2nd gen model to my original model and it was not only remarkable faster and auto adjusting, it also did a much better job at getting a perfectly straight and level display each and every time.
Because of the unique rotating stand of the Freestyle, you can point it up, down, or even at the roof in order to get a display that works for your situation and it’s really tough going to more stationary projects that just don’t have the same flexibility.
In line with other Samsung products, the 2nd gen Freestyle also has the SolarCell One Remote, which means that it charges from light energy and other signals within your house. I’ve never had to charge my TV remote, so can only assume that it’ll be the same here.
Something unique to The Freestyle is also the ability to mirror your TV display even when it’s turned off, which is great for streaming your PS5 or console from your main TV to your projector if it’s in your bedroom or another area of your house. Similarly, you can also project from your phone over AirPlay or via the SmartThings app as well. If you’re rocking a Samsung Galaxy, you can just tap to mirror the content as well.
@shannongrixti Being able to play Starfield and other Xbox games directly on your TV without a console is a big win for Xbox #Xbox #XboxCloudGaming #Starfield #XboxSeriesX #XboxGamePass #Samsung @Samsungau @Xbox ANZ
Something also unique to the second iteration of The Freestyle is the ability to pair a second 2nd gen unit to up your screen size to 160-inches. This is a pricey exercise at $1,300 a pop, so I can’t really see why people would want to do this, but if you happen to be traveling with someone that also has a unit it’s great to have the option there.
When it comes to connections on the device you’ve got the USB-C connector (for power) as well as Micro HDMI port, so you’ll need a Micro HDMI to HDMI adaptor to connect a gaming console or the like (roughly $10).
At $1,299 there are definitely still brighter portable projectors on the market, but if you’re somebody who wants a portable projector that just works. it’s still hard to go past Samsung’s The Freestyle, as it just has every app that you could ever need built-in, and just works on any surface with little fuss.