Samsung The Freestyle review, password ‘Flexibility’

Have you ever thought about getting yourself a small outdoor cinema on the terrace of the house? Until recently the idea might have seemed bizarre to most due to the costs, the space required and the time needed to assemble and disassemble everything. As with many other things, however, technological evolution brings new solutions that solve many of the problems mentioned above, allowing us to greatly simplify these operations with costs that are all in all “normal”.

One of the products that could be useful in this sense is undoubtedly the recent one Samsung The Freestyle, which for convenience from here on we will only call Freestyle. It is a small portable projector which stands out from the competition for a particular design that adopts a solution, not only aesthetic, capable of making it extremely easy to install and decidedly ergonomic. What am I talking about? you will find out below.

Flexibility, this is the first word that comes to mind when I think of Freestyle, and no, we are not talking about folding smartphones like Z Fold4 and Z Flip4 but about a portable projector. So how can a portable projector be considered flexible? Simple, one of its main features is the simplicity with which you can adjust the aiming of the image.

Most portable projectors have a fixed lens, which cannot be moved except by physically rotating the projector to the right or left. To raise or lower it, it is necessary to physically tilt the projector up or down using special stands or more artisanal methods such as the classic stack of books. Freestyleon the other hand, due to its design which is characterized by a fixed base and a central body which can be tilted up or down, can effectively solve this problem in most situations in a few moments.

This is precisely one of the strengths of Freestyle which has on its side, again compared to many of the competitors in this category, a decidedly more captivating and particular design. The cylindrical shape is absolutely characteristic and in general we are talking about a product that is not only cared for in aesthetics but also in materials and assembly. The rubberized finish, the stability of the base, the perfectly calculated center of gravityare all elements that allow the user to always have the feeling of being in front of a quality product.

If we really want to be picky, what lacks this Freestyle is a slightly more complete set of doors. The only physical connections that we find on board the projector are in fact a micro HDMI and a USB-C port. The first is useful for connecting external sources, but you will have to buy an adapter that is not in the package, while the second is designed only for recharging; Sin, being able to transfer data via USB-C would have made it much easier to connect sources like notebooks. The possibility of smartphone mirroring remains thanks to WiFi and Bluetooth connections, which work with both Android and iOS devices.

A USB-C port that will always be busy due to the power supply. The Freestyle does not in fact integrate a battery inside the body but you can always connect the compatible one via the USB-C on the side. But what if you want to use a power bank? You can do it but you need a power bank with power delivery and a power of at least 60W-20V, not exactly common and cheap.

In the front part, right around the projection lens we then have gods touch controls that can replace the supplied remote control. A bit uncomfortable to be honest, especially because when you go to operate them it is inevitable to put your hands in front of the lens, obscuring the projection. Not bad, however, as mentioned earlier there is still the remote control that will allow you to control the Freestyle in all its functions. The latter is really small, so be very careful where you store it as losing it may be easier than expected.

But let’s go back for a moment to versatility and flexibility because it is certainly the feature that most impacts on the user experience of this Freestyle. In recent weeks in the company of Samsung’s portable projector we have really enjoyed ourselves and indulged ourselves taking it literally everywhere. We organized a small outdoor cinema on the terrace of the office, we used it in the meeting room for a presentation and it was our faithful companion for evenings under the stars even when we went to the Stelvio to take pictures with our smartphone.

In all these situations, as already highlighted above, the common denominator was the simplicity with which we found a place to place it to obtain our projection. The picnic table, a banal chair, the desk; with the fact that the body of the projector can be tilted up or down as desired, then two strokes of adjustment of the trapezoid and focus are enough to have the image perfectly “in bubble” without any effort.

Well, so far so cool, but there will be some compromise right? Yes, of course there is, as indeed in all portable projectors, and this Freestyle is no exception. Particularly in the case of the Samsung projector, the biggest limitation lies in the brightness of the projection. The company declares 550 Lumen LED, a measure linked to the perception of brightness which indicates a value that is actually lower than the equivalent in ANSI Lumen. Precisely for this reason we are faced with a projector that manages to give the best of itself in environments where the light is very little.

However, once this obstacle has been overcome, the projection is certainly of good quality, both in terms of the intensity of the colors and the fluidity of the images. The maximum resolution is FullHD, which is 1920×1080 pixelswhich are sufficient to obtain a good definition up to a measure of 80-90 inches, especially if we look at the screen from the right distance. In general I can say that my experience has been absolutely satisfying in this sense, always obviously considering the nature of the product.

There is also the HDR support, which is read correctly in most formats and is also recognized and played by streaming apps, including YouTube. Of course, considering all that has just been said about the maximum luminance, you too can easily guess that the effect obtained will not be so evident and it will not differ so significantly from the rendering of an SDR content. Having said that, well there is, its presence lays the foundations for an improvement on this front in any future models.

Speaking instead of the performance of the smart component, I must say that I have had to deal with solutions that are a little more reactive, here. Now, don’t get me wrong, it still remains a pleasant product to use and absolutely complete in all those functions related to the Smart component but, at the same time, take into account that you can run into some lag every now and then.

And another of the aspects that absolutely convinced me of this Freestyle is software. It convinced me both in terms of ease of use and in terms of completeness and richness of possibilities in terms of applications and functionality.

At the base there is Tizen OS and the software offers an interface very similar to the one we find on board the most recent Samsung TVs. Compared to the latter the TV tuner is missing, a problem that can be remedied with streaming apps but, honestly, you just have to want to watch TV to miss it. In fact, if you are looking for entertainment, this little projector truly offers everything you could want. There is the Netflix application, that of Dazn, Prime Video, Mediaset Infinity, Disney Plus, NOW and so on and so forth.

In short, Unless you have tastes that are practically impossible to satisfy in Freestyle you will really find everything that’s right for you. And precisely this completeness is another of the elements that contributes to making Freestyle an absolutely versatile product.

It is then possible via the projector settings adjust all the main parameters, from the inclination of the trapezoid to the focus, all in an extremely simple way and with a few clicks, exactly what is asked of a product that is aimed at non-expert users.

The ambient light function is also nice which essentially transforms freestyle into an all-round piece of furniture. In fact, we can project on the wall of the house the image of a beautiful fireplace or a starry sky on the ceiling of the bedroom or, by applying the lens cover present in the package, we can transform the freestyle into a colored lamp to change the atmosphere in a few moments. of an entire room

Could we then be without voice assistants? Of course not, or rather yes, but not for Samsung: that’s why Tizen OS is compatible with Alexa and Bixby, but I will be honest, good that there are but given the nature of the product that you will hardly leave on all day, perhaps it is not a fundamental feature. Once again, however, the direction is that: to offer a complete product.

So let’s take a moment to sum it up. After spending some time in the company of the new Samsung The Freestyle I can say that I was convinced by several aspects of this projector, to starting from its ease of use and the ease with which it is possible to position it and obtain a good quality projection. In a few simple steps we can really set up a small outdoor cinema or organize a meeting in any corner of the office, or even make the atmosphere inside a room of our home more evocative by using the special mode.

Simplicity and versatility therefore, which however have an important cost. In fact, the price list of this small projector reads 999 euros which, fortunately, have already dropped a little over the course of these months. On the official Samsung website we are at 929 euros which, in my opinion, are still a lot, in an absolute sense but even when compared to some competitors. These days you will also find a promo which, with the purchase of the projector, allows you to get the case and the portable battery as a gift (for a commercial value of over 200 euros). For what concerns the third-party retailers, the prices are instead between 700 and 900 euros; certainly better, but I would wait a little longer, let’s say from 600 euros downwards. In any case, it should be emphasized once again how this The Freestyle still offers a series of unique features compared to its competitors; ambient mode, flexibility in positioning, Tizen OS are just some of the aspects that differentiate it and that for some may be worth more.