Review-of-Samsung-The-Freestyle-(Projector)-in-the-UAE
Samsung Gulf introduced The Freestyle (Projector) for the UAE market in the 1st week of April 2022. I had the opportunity to review the device as soon as the product was launched on the market.
The device is created to attract the Gen Z crowd with features from smartphone mirroring, can be used with a USB Type-C Battery pack, easy to carry with the built OS which comes with pre-loaded Netflix, Prime and a lot more apps that can be downloaded.
Design and Specs
The Freestyle (Model- SP-LSP3BLAXZA) comes with a dimension of 102.4 x 172.8 x 95.2 mm and weighs 0.8kg. It can project images of 1920 x 1080 resolution on the screen. It can provide a screen size of 30 to 100 inches. It can provide the 550 Lumens brightness with the LED Bulb which has 20000hrs life. It is a DLP style display. It comes with a crystal engine and displays HDR10, it can contrast 100,000:1 and has film mode. As for the audio, is comes with a 5Watt built-in speaker with Dolby Digital Plus. It has Tizen for OS and has smart features with Bixby and a web browser. It has micro-HDMI, Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 5.2 and USB Type – C for the power port and it comes with a function button and volume rockers. It consumes 50Watt max and 0.5Watt of electricity on standby.
The Review
Samsung The Freestyle (Projector) comes in a cylindrical barrel design with a cradle stand. The front side has the LED DLP Bulb with focus and auto keystone sensors. The back panel is the 360degrees audio 5Watt speaker. The left side of the device has the micro-HDMI port, USB Type-C and mute switch lock. On the top you the basic control buttons Volume rockers and the function button. The Freestyle comes with the remote control (Model- TM2261S) which helps to control all the functions of the projector just like the Samsung TV.
The Freestyle projector comes in sustainable brown hard packaging with one black colour printing. The package contains the Freestyle projector with remote control, user manual and USB Type-C power cable with adaptor.
Once you connect the Freestyle with the power cable, download the Samsung Smart Things App from the Google Play Store and Apple Store. Follow up the procedure and connect the freestyle projector with the App.
Pros
The Freestyle projector comes with a cradle stand by which you can tilt the display up to 180degrees which means you can watch content lying down on your bed or floor facing towards the ceiling. You can manually adjust the size of the display or slightly move the display to the left or to the right without changing the position of the projector. The Freestyle comes with autofocus, auto levelling and auto keystone. So even on an uneven platform, you will get the perfect display. Another interesting feature is the auto colour correction for perfect colour representation.
So even you don’t require a pure white wall or cloth to display the projection. You still will get the perfect image on the screen. With the smartphone App, you can mirror your content directly on the projector. Also with the Smart Things ecosystem, you can connect your Samsung TV with your projector. The Freestyle comes with Tizen OS which is very easy to use and app interaction is good, just like the TV. The projector came with pre-installed Apps like Netflix, Amazon Prime, Shahid, YouTube, and Apple TV and I could install OSN TV App too.
The transition between the Apps was quick and the apps opened with ease. The remote control worked with ease and could control all the content just like the Samsung television. The Freestyle Lens cap which is white translucent can be used for dim lighting in the room. The boot-up of the projector is quick and fast. The resolution of the display is 1920 x 1080 (Full HD) and suppose to provide a max 550 Lumens display.
The projector comes with Bixby, so can use it as a voice assistant and control the volume, and play music from the connected internet. The projector can work with a 50Watt battery pack, so you can carry it with you anywhere also the device is compact and weighs only 0.8kg.
The projector comes with an NFC connection, so you can just tap the device and connect it with your smartphone. It comes with Alexa and Airplay2. You can create ambience in your room with the ambience mode and share photos, memes and a lot more. It comes with a mic mute switch on the side by you switch On/Off the Voice Assistant.
Cons
The cradle stand is supposed to tilt 180degrees but the tilting mechanism doesn’t work properly. Can’t get a fixed desired position sometimes, maybe due to the screw design which you can’t tighten too much as it may damage the structure of the cradle stand or the projector mounted on it. The projector comes with 550 Lumens but is still not very clear in daylight and the best viewing can happen in a dark room or at night. Sometimes the autofocus keeps shifting, especially if there is an object coming in front of the projector and the screen. The Freestyle projector doesn’t have an additional port for inserting a USB to view the content directly. You have to depend on the smartphone or internet connection for content. The unit has a USB Type-C port but it gets used for powering the device. The only remaining option is the micro-HDMI port for which you need to buy the additional cable and content source like a laptop, tablet or smartphone. The Freestyle compared to competitor brands is on the expensive side. For a similar price, you actually can buy a UHD 4K Television.
Verdict
The Freestyle Projector is compact, lightweight and easy to carry in your bag. A perfect Full HD resolution projector. It comes with Tizen OS and preloaded with Netflix, Prime Video, YouTube and a lot more apps can be loaded. The projector has a quick boot-up and works with a USB Type-C cable with a 50Watt battery pack. The remote is similar to the Samsung remote with Bixby. The cradle stand of the projector can tilt to 180 degrees, so you can view content even on the ceiling. It has autofocus which sometimes goes out of focus if there are any hindrances between the projector and display screen. It comes with Alexa and Airplay2. The projector does have an additional USB port for playing the content, the content has to be played from a source like a smartphone, tablet, computer or gaming console. The projector is great for dark areas or at night, during the day, the display is not great. The price is also on the expensive side compared to the other projectors available in the market.
Overall, it is a good product for consumers who would like to have a compact, lightweight, easy to carry projector. It connects to the Samsung ecosystem (Smart Things) and makes it easier for mirroring content from smartphones and TV.
Samsung the Freestyle projector is available in the UAE for the price of AED 3,499. It is available in three colours:- Pink, Green and Coyote Beige.
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