100-inch: Samsung's compact projector - a surprising product, but the price even higher

Get the benefits of a big screen from anywhere, without having to carry it with us: The South Korean technology giant's new projector turns any wall or ceiling into a movie screen, and features an excellent interface.

You will not have to compromise on image quality and sound, but there is another problem: the price

Yinon Ben Shoshan

05/07/2022

Tuesday, 05 July 2022, 07:00 Updated: 07:36

• Share on Facebook

• Share on WhatsApp

• Share on Twitter

• Share on Email

• Share on general

• Comments

  Comments

Freestyle Projector (Photo: Walla! Technology, Yinon Ben-Shoshan)

Last week I watched TV, Netflix and YouTube on the living room wall, as well as on the ceiling, using the Samsung Freestyle - a new, compact projector the size of a can.

It allows you to project an image up to 100 inches in size, supports Full HD viewing quality and includes the Tizen operating system (and no, it has nothing to do with Android).

The projector was launched in Israel last week through the official importer "Smeline", at a recommended price of NIS 3,790.

Is it worth the investment and what is the downside that you should know?

Here is the full review.

More on Walla!

From Field to Spoon - What is important to know about baby food?

In collaboration with Gerber

Samsung Freestyle (Photo: Walla! Technology, Yinon Ben-Shoshan)

Weight and structure

This is a projector that is also a smart speaker that weighs only 830 grams and allows you to easily turn any space into a screen.

Unlike standard and bulky projectors, Freestyle allows you to rotate up to 180 degrees, so you can project whatever you want anywhere - on tables, floors, walls or even ceilings - without the need for a separate screen.

Freestyle also includes a Micro HDMI input - for connecting an external source (such as a computer or tablet), as well as a switch for turning the built-in microphone on or off.

If you want to take it with you everywhere, you will surely be happy to know that it is compatible with a portable external battery.

Next to the lens are touch buttons - like volume and on and off.

Weighs only 830 grams and allows you to easily turn any space into a screen (Photo: Walla! Technology, Yinon Ben-Shoshan)

interface

After the initial run there is a short registration, then just place the projector where you want - and play.

The cable is not very long, so keep in mind that you will need to place the projector on a flat surface in the appropriate area, and of course check that you have a smooth enough wall that can be projected on it (and as mentioned, it is also possible on the ceiling).

The operating system is Samsung's proprietary TizenOS, which is integrated in all of the manufacturer's TV screens - and includes most of the apps you need: Netflix, Spotify, Disney Plus, Amazon Prime, Apple TV Plus, YouTube and also NEXTTV (from Hot), Cellcom TV, Partner TV and Sting TV.

Just place the projector where you want it - and play.

Also on the ceiling (Photo: Walla! Technology, Yinon Ben-Shoshan)

In a slightly different direction, the Tysen operating system allows you to stream from the smartphone any application, content or video you want from your device, for example, Tiktok and project it.

.

This means that content can be transmitted from the devices to the projector, and it just works great.

However, there is one compromise that is important to dwell on:

.

The combination of the relatively weak processing power, contrary to what you will find in Samsung TVs, together with the not very successful operating system, causes the interface to stutter a bit.

While this does not interfere with the great viewing experience, the flow of the menus is not similar to what you will get on TV, but it is perfectly fine.

Tizen operating system (Photo: Walla! Technology, Yinon Ben-Shoshan)

Watch: A quick look at Samsung's Freestyle

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Inon Ben Shushan (@inon_ben_shushan)

Viewing quality and sound

Along with the advantage of compactness, the quality of the projection itself is very surprising - the Freestyle provides good resolution, but as with any projector, to get the full and best experience you need (almost) complete darkness, which can be a disadvantage.

Respectively, the minimum size and the maximum size that the projector is able to produce in optimal quality remains pretty much the same - with a sharp image, accurate colors and faithful to the original colors and without excessive lighting.

Another part I really liked is the autofocus - I did not have to break my head in tiring attempts to straighten and fax the picture on the wall manually, and the lens just knows how to do it automatically and in a great way.

And it is important to remember: if you want a picture of the maximum size (100 inches) you will need a suitable space in the house.

At the back is a speaker (Photo: Walla! Technology, Yinon Ben-Shoshan)

A prominent plus is in the built-in speaker at the back of the projector, which provides great sound.

It's less of a perfect cinematic experience in watching series and movies obviously, but for most users who are not audiophiles it's probably enough.

The projector can also be connected to an external speaker via Bluetooth.

There is also a sign

Another big and beautiful plus is reflected in the remote that comes with the projector.

Beyond its clean design in white, one that is both fun to hold in your hand and fun to watch.

In the center is a button for quick transition to the home screen, a "back" button and an on / off button.

At the bottom are quick navigation buttons for browser, Netflix, Disney Plus (which recently arrived in Israel) and Amazon's streaming service - Prime Video.

Convenient to operate with buttons for popular applications (Photo: Walla! Technology, Yinon Ben-Shoshan)

Bottom line

The Freestyle is sold at a recommended price of NIS 3,790 - less than a new OLED screen, but much more than a TV with Full HD resolution.

In any case, some people will see the product as a replacement for TV, for example, but this projector is especially suitable for those who need a large screen on the go, in the office and compactness is important to him.

There are certainly more powerful projectors than it, of course it is only Full HD quality - but they are also significantly larger and more expensive.

• technology

• Reviews

Tags

• Freestyle

• Samsung

• projector