Samsung's Freestyle Is More Than Just Another Portable Projector
Samsung had a number of interesting things to show at CES 2022 and one of them is a cute little projector called The Freestyle with an interesting design and tons of features. A lot of products announced at CES are usually concepts that show what is possible. There is also a fair amount of finished products but that won't be available until later in the year. It is always exciting when a product is not only cool but can be purchased almost immediately.
There are tons of projectors available on the market and they come in different shapes and sizes. Some projectors can only work by connecting them to a source device like a TV or computer while there are those that come with pre-installed software such as Android TV, thus eliminating the reliance on an extra device before they can function.
The Freestyle tries to stand out with its looks and it does a good job at that. Samsung has designed it to be portable and specifically says it is targeted at Gen Z and Millenials who are known for their nomadic lifestyle. The projector is shaped like a stage light and sits in a cradle that allows for 180º rotation. There are two sets of grilles on the body along with a number of microphone holes to pick up Bixby voice commands. For ports, it packs a Micro-HDMI port and a USB-C port on the side. It also has a microphone mute switch and a couple of touch controls around the lens. There are contact pins at the bottom and they are for an accessory that allows the projector to be connected to an E26 light socket. It comes in at just 830 grams, and unlike most projectors that come in a single color, Samsung drabs it in a coat of four cool colors including green, brown, and peach.
Samsung's Freestyle is not only a projector but also functions as a smart speaker and an ambient lighting device. Starting with its projector function, it runs Tizen, the same operating system on Samsung's smart TVs, and comes pre-installed with several streaming apps including Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Prime Video, and Spotify. It also supports mirroring and casting from a compatible Android and iOS device. Samsung has added auto keystone and auto-leveling features that allow the projector to automatically adjust the screen to fit a surface regardless of the angle. It can display clear and sharp images up to 100 inches in size and its 180º cradle means it can be directed to project on the wall or ceiling or even the floor or table when hanging from an E26 light socket.
If you're bored of watching TV shows and movies, the Freestyle works as a smart speaker, and its 360º speakers provide enough output to fill a room. It can also project visual effects on a surface that match the music being played or provide ambient light effects with its translucent lens cap. While it comes with Bixby and has far-field voice control, Samsung says users can choose the voice assistants to use. There is also a cute white remote in the box for those who prefer a physical controller. The projector can also be powered by a USB-PD power bank with support for 50W/20V output and above. Samsung has put a price tag of $899 on The Freestyle and it is already available for pre-order in the United States.