Samsung The Freestyle beamer is also a smart speaker

Two popular gadgets have been combined in the Samsung The Freestyle: a portable beamer and also a smart speaker. How do you like this combination?

What is the Samsung The Freestyle?

In terms of appearance, the Samsung The Freestyle beamer resembles a stage spot most of all. it is a cylinder with a handle, which at the same time serves as a stand. This is very useful if you want to take the device with you.

You can aim the image in the right place. The device automatically adjusts the image so that it projects sharply as a rectangle.

Difficulty with connecting cables is not necessary. You only have to plug the electricity cable into the socket. The device communicates completely wirelessly with, for example, your smartphone or with another streaming service. Set up is smooth and hassle free.

Do you like to declutter? Then this gadget is perfect. It is not only a projector but also a smart speaker. This way you can give the device commands, just like the popular Google Alexa. That, of course, for a price. Because the Samsung The Freestyle, with a sales price of around $900, is not cheap. On the Dutch market, Samsung even uses a suggested retail price for this projector from 1028 euros. Then you get an extra power bank, with which you can watch 3 hours of movies

Strengths of the Samsung The Freestyle

But then you get a lot in return. The device is compact and lightweight, the speaker has a 360-degree range and is quite loud. The device can be raised and lowered 180 degrees, which basically means you have almost every angle for the projector image within reach. The setup process, which is quite difficult with many other devices, achieves the user-friendliness of Apple, for example.

The compact form factor, measuring 173 x 10.4 x 9.5 millimeters and weighing only 800 g, is a strong point. The high resolution of 1920 x 1080 pixels and a fairly low power consumption of 65 watts make this a projector that you will want to use often.

Certainly, because you can also use it as a smart speaker for different platforms. This allows you to use voice assistance via both Amazon Alexa and Bixby.

With this you have also immediately bought a smart lamp, if you place the optional light-diffusing lens hood. In short, a versatile three in one device.

Weak points

Nothing is perfect and that also applies to the Samsung The Freestyle. For example, some beamer functions could be improved. Autofocus and auto keystone do not work perfectly. So you have to adjust this manually in some cases. With the cheaper and older projectors, you have to do that anyway.

With 550 lumens, the light output is not impressive, for daylight you actually want to see a value four times higher. On the other hand, the device can be compared with other portable beamers.

It is not possible to set the device using buttons on the Samsung The Freestyle, everything has to be done via your smartphone. Furthermore, the built-in processor noticeably struggles to keep the Tizen OS quite demanding in terms of hardware running smoothly.

Conclusion

As we are used to from Samsung, it is a nicely balanced and well-oiled device that is quite handy. It’s not really cheap, but you get a lot for it. A smart lamp, a beamer, a smart speaker, a compact home entertainment system and an easy portable travel beamer to take with you for all your presentations.