Samsung The Freestyle: A Smart TV Experience with Portability | Analysis / review

Samsung Released April 2022 The new portable projector The Freestyle in Brazil. It targets young audiences to deliver a smart TV experience with a compact body and the ability to take it wherever you want.

Does this product serve well what it suggests? And what are the main features it offers in daily use? TudoCelular unit tested it and let us know all the details in this full review.

Starting with the design, we see a fairly compact size of a projector. Its height is 17 cm and its weight is only 830 g. Any dimensions and weight are sufficient to transport it in a backpack without much difficulty.

The device has a white cylindrical body, with a metal body and a matte finish. There is a base that acts as a swivel support, with which it can move at an angle of up to 180 degrees.

At the top, in addition to the projector lens, you will find the two distance sensors responsible for adjusting the image and touch buttons for turning on and off, adjusting the volume or connecting to a mobile device.

On the base there are wall-mounting pins and a magnetic connector for mounting the portable battery, which is not included with the product. This is where the audio output is also located, but we’ll talk about that later.

Along the perimeter of the body, you will see several holes that are responsible for the ventilation of the product. And know that they produce a lot of heat to be dissipated through these vents. In the middle are the micro-HDMI connectors for connecting an external image source and USB-C where the power cable is connected, apart from the switch to activate or deactivate the three microphones scattered around the projector.

As for the internal connections, the most notable is the dual-band Wi-Fi, which makes it possible to connect a 5 GHz network to it. Not to mention Bluetooth 5.2, in case you want to use a wireless headset to listen to the content being played. The user can still make use of the Bixby and Alexa assistants built into it.

Its box comes with a power supply, USB Type-C cable, guides, a cover that protects the lens area, and a remote control. Speaking of the accessory, the size is very compact and it follows Samsung’s unique control style. In addition, it has an internal battery that can be charged via the USB-C port.

You can also, if you prefer, carry out all the commands through your cell phone, by connecting the projector to the SmartThings app.

The Freestyle is distinguished by its LED-based projection and provides a brightness of 550 lumens. We had a little difficulty seeing the pictures with the room lighting up. If you have a smart bulb, you can dim the brightness so you can see better without having to be completely in the dark. But the ideal is to turn off the lights.

Its image can be up to 100 inches, but for this you will need to place the notebook at a distance of about 3 meters from the wall. We did a very thorough test to see what volume was generated. At about 35 cm from the wall, it was only possible to get a 12-inch image. That is, it is always good to stay away from the viewing site.

This model only generates a Full HD image. We understand that a modern product like this should come with 4K support, especially since compatible streams offer a wide range of content in Ultra HD, and the HDR10 already in Freestyle can be explored further.

At least, the created image has vibrant colors and decent contrast. The projection uses an aspect ratio of 16:9, which is the same aspect you would get on regular TVs. Swivel allows it to project to the ceiling, for easy viewing while lying down.

The device also has autofocus, which allows you to leave it at any angle, which corrects itself to get straight edges. Sometimes this adjustment isn’t perfect, but you just have to move the monitor to recalibrate it. You can also configure the base size or the image size manually.

In terms of sound, the speaker has a power of 5 Watts RMS. But don’t be fooled if you think this number is small. It surprises by offering an experience that does not fall short of traditional televisions. This is thanks to the 360-degree audio, which allows you to hear the sound from all directions.

Also, you can choose from different profile options in the system settings. You can leave something standard, a sound that is adaptable to any situation, or even a mode of amplification and gain more sound. At least, the frequencies are well balanced, and the sounds always come out pure.

Freestyle was originally equipped with the Tizen operating system. This means that you can enjoy an experience similar to what you find on Samsung Smart TVs. But there are some differences.

The first is that the home screen is not accessible as a bottom bar on the screen. On this monitor, the interface requires you to exit the running application, to view other streams or enter settings, for example.

Although, here you will find all the applications available on the brand’s TV. Among the highlights, we find Netflix, Globoplay and Prime Video for on-demand movies and series.

You can also watch live channels via broadcast. Samsung TV Plus is integrated into the system, to provide you with free options. But there are also paid solutions, such as DGO and Claro TV Mais.

Perhaps this is where the experience resembles traditional television. This is because in on-demand streaming, you will not be able to explore as much of the title as possible, due to the absence of 4K. But live channels are already limited to Full HD, which makes this device a good alternative to watching your favorite team play on a big screen, for example.

Freestyle is not just about showing movies, series and live channels. It also has the ambient mode, to leave some picture or phrase on the wall as decoration. You can also place the cover over the light port while the projector is on. Thus, you will have a very powerful lamp to light up your room.

Any console or PC can still be connected to it through the micro-HDMI port. You will inevitably need your own adapter or cable, which does not come in the product package.

And speaking of what doesn’t come with it, there’s its own external battery. But calm down, there is a solution here. Freestyle also works when connected to a power bank. This makes it easy to use the projector away from a power outlet, even for a shorter time.

It is clear that the Freestyle projector is a product that meets the contemporary requirements of young people. It provides access to streaming services and live TV online streaming platforms. In addition, it allows the user to use it in a party in ambient mode, or even as a flashlight.

This versatility makes Freestyle a unique model on the market today. Not to mention the full Tizen system, and the sound that surprises with its power and quality.

But the product has its own caveats. One of them is low brightness, which will always require a dark place to get a decent view. The other is in Full HD. A product released in 2022, with a 100-inch output capability, should be at least capable of 4K resolution.

The micro-HDMI port is another difficulty, since an ordinary cable will not be able to connect a computer or video game console to it. And since it doesn’t come with an adapter in the box, you’ll have to shell out more for that.

At the very least, you can connect it to a power bank to use away from the outlet. It is an interesting way out from the manufacturer to not have to buy the external battery for the device itself.

Samsung The Freestyle has arrived in Brazil with a suggested price of R$7,000, but it can actually be found for nearly R$4,000 in the local market. It does not appear to be the type of product that is distributed among consumers, but it serves the target audience who wants a television experience, in a compact and easy-to-carry structure.

The lack of similar competitors also makes it difficult to expect a greater reduction in cost in the future, which would require spending more than would be useful in practice to obtain a product with these characteristics.

What do you think of the style of Freestyle? Are you thinking of buying one for your home? Please reply in the space below.