Today we want to talk about the new Samsung The Freestyle projector, a very versatile model that will let you project a screen of up to 100 inches anywhere you want.
The Samsung Freestyle gives you the freedom to watch your movies, series or whatever you want on any surface, because you can take it anywhere and watch anything on a screen of up to 100 inches. This is possible because it’s so small and lightweight that you can place it on any table or floor, and you can rotate it 360º to set it the way you want.
At the same time, it comes with the same Tizen operating system as Samsung TVs, so you can connect to a Wi-Fi network and access content from Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, and more.
But is the Samsung The Freestyle worth buying? Next, let’s take a look at all the features of the Samsung The Freestyle projector and what opinions we have about this new device.
Samsung The Freestyle review
- Portability for projection at any place
- 360° rotation
- Automatic alignment and focus adjustment
- Can be resized and positioned without having to move it around
- Good color reproduction
- Same smart TV as Samsung TVs with a variety of apps
- Allows you to view content on your TV and project it anywhere you like
- Alexa compatible
- Good quality of the built-in sound
- Easy remote control with USB-C charging
- Low brightness for rather bright environments
- The included power cord is a bit short
- Occasional tightening of the mount is required to fix it in the desired position.
Design
We begin the review by looking at the design of The Freestyle, which is one of the most outstanding aspects of this projector. It is a very portable and easy to carry device in which it does not require any type of fastening, so it can be adjusted to project from any angle. This way, you can enjoy the best screen quality anywhere.
You can place it on a table, on the floor, on the ceiling and even on the lamp by purchasing an optional accessory that the brand has released.
Samsung SP-LSP3B design
Weighing around 800 grams, you can take it anywhere and turn any room or surface into a screen. This is undoubtedly one of the features that sets the Freestyle apart from other projectors.
The dimensions of the Freestyle are very compact, as it is only 17.14 cm high and 9.52 cm wide. This allows you to place it anywhere and store it practically anywhere. It is small enough to fit in almost any backpack or bag and comes with a plastic cover to protect the lens.
Size of new Samsung The Freestyle projector
The main advantage of the Samsung SP-LSP3B, is that you can project anywhere and on any surface, indoors and out. Because it’s so compact and lightweight, you can take it anywhere, and even if you’re projecting onto a sloped surface, it will correct the leveling in seconds.
A carrying case is also available, so you can take it with you without worrying about it getting scratched or wet (IP55 waterproof).
Carrying case Samsung The Freestyle
Unlike traditional square projectors, the Freestyle’s base can rotate up to 180 degrees, so you can project video anywhere: on a table, on the floor, on the walls, or even on the ceiling, without the need for a separate screen.
Projecting on the ceiling with Samsung The Freestyle
The mount, as it is called, allows you to rotate the projector to project at the height you want, which makes it unique compared to other projectors. The downside is that the mount loosens over time and sometimes when you want to project at certain angles, the projector falls down and you can’t just leave it there. But you don’t have to worry because if you have this problem, there are two fasteners on each side that you can tighten with a flathead screwdriver or a 2- or 5-cent coin. Once tightened, you won’t have to worry about it for a long time.
The Freestyle projector stand
The Freestyle comes in white and is made of a smooth rubber material to protect the product and make it easy to use. If you want to give it a different touch, you can change the rubber coating and buy it in three different colors.
Available colors new projector by Samsung
On the front of the projector, you’ll find the projection lens, several capacitive buttons for the on/off switch and volume control, and two distance sensors.
The remote control is white and similar to the brand’s TVs, but is slightly smaller. It includes a voice assistant button that allows the Freestyle to access Amazon’s Bixby or Alexa assistants.
Samsung The Freestyle remote
The Freestyle also features automatic keystone correction, which ensures that a 16:9 screen can be displayed anywhere without distortion. The projector automatically focuses to ensure a clear screen and maintains that level to avoid viewing discomfort. This feature allows the screen to be viewed from all sorts of different positions.
It is possible to turn the projector into a mood light when it is used as a Bluetooth speaker. In this mode, the light changes in rhythm with the music, which gives the room a festive touch. All you have to do is put the Ambient Lighting prism cap on.
The device also has an Ambient mode, similar to what you’ve seen on Samsung TVs for a while now. In this “Ambient Mode” you can display all sorts of combinations of light and sound to create different visual concepts and atmospheres. You can also use the translucent lens cover mentioned earlier to project images as a form of ambient lighting. So, if you’re hosting a gathering or party with friends and family, you can give it a different touch with this projector.
In addition, the Freestyle’s design makes it a versatile device that can adapt to any lifestyle. For those who love camping, it can be easily and safely taken along when traveling. And for those who want to take the Freestyle on the road with them, they don’t have to worry about charging thanks to the ability to add an external battery.
External batteries supported by the projector are those with USB PD and an output power of 50 W/20 V or more. We will now examine this issue in more detail.
“The Freestyle is a unique projector in its class, aimed at maximum versatility and flexibility to suit consumers’ lifestyles.
It is a fun and versatile device that can be used however consumers want, without any spatial limitations.”
Simon Sung, Samsung Electronics
Connectivity
In terms of connectivity, since it’s a compact projector, it doesn’t come with a lot of ports, but it does come with the essentials plus Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity that you’ll probably use most often.
For starters, the Freestyle doesn’t have an internal battery, so you’ll need to plug it into an outlet using the included USB-C cable and charger. The length of the included cable seems a bit short considering this projector is meant to project from anywhere, and sometimes it’s the cable that limits usage. It is a standard USB-C cable, so you can always buy a longer one separately.
Although the device doesn’t have a built-in battery, you can add a powerbank with at least 50W, so depending on the model, you can use it for a few hours without having to plug it in.
Below is a list of external batteries that are compatible with the Freestyle.
External batteries compatible with the Freestyle.
Samsung will also launch a 32,000 mAh, 60W battery so you can use the Freestyle for up to 3 hours.
Samsung The Freestyle outdoor use with a powerbank
Besides the USB-C port, there is an integrated micro-HDMI port that allows you to connect, for example, your laptop, gaming console, or set-top box from Movistar or Vodafone. No cables or adapters are included, so if you want to connect these devices, you will need an HDMI-to-micro HDMI adapter.
Built-in inputs of the projector
But aside from the physical connections, this projector also includes Wi-Fi and Bluetooth connectivity. So you can connect it to your home Wi-Fi network and watch movies, series, etc. via the most popular apps like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, HBO Max, Apple TV and many others, as we’ll see later.
Samsung The Freestyle Full HD LED projector review
And of course, you can use it to mirror your phone or tablet to send the content you want and watch it on a big screen. You can duplicate the screen whether your phone is an Android or Apple device, since it supports AirPlay 2. So, if you want, you can play games on your phone, for example, but watch them on a 100-inch screen.
Also, if you connect the Freestyle via Wi-Fi to a Samsung Smart TV you already own, you’ll be able to watch that TV’s content anywhere, even if the TV is turned off.
With the Freestyle, you can take your TV content with you and project it anywhere, even if the TV is turned off.
Thanks to Bluetooth technology, you can connect headphones, speakers or soundbars without wires and enjoy enhanced sound.
Finally, there’s a switch that lets you turn the voice assistant microphone on or off.
Smart TV
Let’s now turn to the smart TV features that the Freestyle integrates. The operating system is Tizen in the new 2022 version, the same one included in this year’s Samsung TVs. You have a wide range of apps at your disposal, including the most popular ones like YouTube, Netflix, Disney Plus, Amazon Prime Video or HBO.
You also have a bundle of free channels that come standard with the Samsung TV Plus platform. You can watch them when the device is connected to Wi-Fi. You also have other platforms available for free content, such as Pluto TV or Plex.
Also, as mentioned earlier, you have the option to clone the screen of your iOS or Android cell phone to watch the content you want.
If your smartphone is a recent high-end Galaxy, you can also quickly and easily connect it to the projector using the Tap View feature. Just hold your phone up to the projector and the connection is instantaneous.
Since Apple supports AirPlay, you can clone the screen of a MacBook or play videos from an iPhone with just a few clicks. It also supports Samsung DeX, which means you can use a Windows-like desktop interface directly from a Samsung Galaxy phone.
It includes remote voice control, which lets you choose between different voice assistants when using it hands-free. You can perform various actions, such as opening an application, increasing the volume, asking about the weather, etc., without using the remote control.
Another curious detail about this model is that it comes with Ambient mode, which we’ve already seen on the brand’s TVs. This Ambient mode includes a series of animated backgrounds and photos that you can project on the wall to create an atmosphere in your meetings and parties, or even help you relax.
Ambient Mode window animation
Sound
The Freestyle features a dual passive woofer for clear, deep bass without distortion and a 360-degree sound output that projects sound in all directions so you can hear it clearly wherever you are.
5W speaker with dual passive radiator – Samsung The Freestyle review
The output power is 5W and is sufficient for use in a normal room. The overall audio quality is, in our opinion, better than we would have expected given its size. It offers quite acceptable bass and good clarity from any point.
Of course, if you want to use it at home and enjoy high-quality sound, you’ll need to add an external sound system. The good news is that if you have a soundbar, home theater, or Bluetooth headphones, you can connect these devices wirelessly to the projector.
You can use the Freestyle as a Bluetooth speaker by sending music from your phone. When you send the music, you can choose to display an animation while the music is playing or turn off the screen and listen to the music.
Picture quality
Although the strengths of this projector are mainly its versatility, which allows it to project anywhere, and its connectivity, the Samsung The Freestyle is also good in the image quality department.
The Freestyle picture quality
The idea behind this projector, as we have seen, is clear and does not try to be the best projector in terms of image quality, because in this area there are other projectors such as the Premiere within the same Samsung or a variety of models from other brands. For the price of the Freestyle, there are projectors on the market with 4K quality that offer greater projection. However, they are far from the portability, freedom and versatility that the Samsung projector offers.
Just because I don’t strive for outstanding images doesn’t mean that the quality offered by The Freestyle is bad, quite the contrary. In fact, for the average user using this projector for the first time, we have no doubt that they will be completely satisfied.
The Samsung The Freestyle can project images between 30 and 100 inches in size in Full HD resolution. It’s true that there are already models with 4K resolution in this price range, but we found the resolution sufficient and the resolution fine.
Picture quality of the Samsung The Freestyle LED projector
It’s true that the image in the default setting is not the most correct, but if you adjust some settings, as we’re going to do now, the image gains realism and naturalness.
The brightness is 230 ANSI lumens, which is a very tight value and makes the image look washed out in brightly lit rooms. This is generally the main problem with projectors, but the Freestyle shows all its brilliance in completely dark or dimly lit rooms.
There are three picture modes that provide a more or less bright image at the expense of reduced or improved picture quality. These are Dynamic, Standard and Movie. By default, the unit is shipped in Standard mode, but we recommend that you select Movie mode and the following settings:
- Picture Mode: Movie
- Brightness: 50
- Contrast: 50
- Sharpness: 2
- Color: 25
- Hue: 0
- Dynamic contrast: disabled
- Hue: Warm 2
- Gamma: 2.2
- Shadow Detail: 0
- Color Scale: Auto
This setting is suitable if you are viewing the image in complete darkness. If you are viewing it in a room with some light, we recommend that you select Dynamic mode, which is the brightest mode. This mode degrades the image slightly and creates more artifacts and noise, but improves clarity in a room that is not completely dark. We strongly recommend setting the sharpness to a value of 2 and no higher, otherwise false edges and a less realistic image will result.
In terms of color reproduction, it offers good saturation and can display images with a depth of up to 10 bits. It features Pur Color Mapping, which is also found in Samsung’s 7 Series TVs. It supports HDR 10 format to display high dynamic range images, but it does not support HDR 10+ or Dolby Vision. Because of the brightness level, the difference when you watch something in HDR is minimal and doesn’t create much of an impact.
One of the most interesting features of the Freestyle, as mentioned earlier, is that it has auto keystone correction and auto leveling features. These features allow the device to automatically adjust the screen to any surface and angle, delivering a perfectly proportioned image every time.
The device also features autofocus, so you won’t have to manually focus when moving it from one place to another. This way, you can be sure that you will always have a sharp image on any surface, at any angle, and up to a size of 100 inches.
However, autofocus doesn’t always work perfectly and sometimes it’s better to adjust it manually. You can do this by going to the General/Projector Settings/Focus menu. When you enter there, a screen opens with a focus pattern that you can adjust manually using the left and right buttons on the remote control.
Samsung The Freestyle manual focus
The size of the screen depends on the distance you place it. For example, if you place it one meter away from the wall, it will reflect a small 30″ screen. If you place it at a distance of 2.70 meters, you will get a screen that corresponds to 100 inches, which is the maximum size.
We found that the automatic keystone correction works well most of the time, as the Freestyle adjusts the material when I project on uneven surfaces.
You can also move the projected screen up, down and to the sides and control the size of the screen. All you have to do is go to the menu and adjust the scale and position.
Samsung The Freestyle conclusions
Samsung The Freestyle projector opinion
As we have seen, Samsung The Freestyle is a projector with a number of very interesting features that will let you watch the content you want indoors and outdoors. On summer evenings, you can take it to the terrace and watch a movie in cool surroundings.
It is especially interesting for those who travel a lot and want to watch it while traveling, for those who don’t want to put a TV in their bedroom for aesthetic or space reasons, and for those who don’t want to pay what a TV with more than 85 inches costs.
What we liked most about this Samsung The Freestyle is the ease with which you can set it up anywhere and start projecting in a few seconds. You can project on a wall, ceiling, or table, and even take it outside with a compatible external battery.
It comes with all the popular streaming apps for movies and series, and you can always play your phone’s screen, whether Android or iOS, thanks to AirPlay support.
We think that the image quality is more than adequate, even if it’s not the projector with the best quality, and that’s not necessarily what Samsung wanted to achieve with the Freestyle, so considering its purpose, we rate it positively in this regard. Although it’s true that we would have liked it to achieve a higher brightness, as this limits its use to completely dark environments.
We were pleasantly surprised by the sound and are grateful that it has Bluetooth so you can connect it to speakers or soundbars.
There are some aspects we hope Samsung can improve in future versions, such as a quieter ventilation system, a better mounting system so you don’t have to tighten it every so often to keep it from moving out of the desired position, and the inclusion of a USB cable that is longer than the current cable.
Overall, though, the Samsung The Freestyle is a device that we liked a lot, and we think it can meet the needs of many people who don’t want a traditional projector and want to enjoy a smart TV screen anywhere without hassle. Its price is not the lowest, but in return it offers you a versatility that no current projector can give you.
Below you’ll find the best stores where you can buy Samsung The Freestyle at the best prices and with the best return and exchange service.
See Samsung The Freestyle prices
For Indoor and Outdoor Home Theater Big Screen Experience with Premium 360 Sound
For Indoor and Outdoor Home Theater Big Screen Experience with Premium 360 Sound
For Indoor and Outdoor Home Theater Big Screen Experience with Premium 360 Sound
For Indoor and Outdoor Home Theater Big Screen Experience with Premium 360 Sound
For Indoor and Outdoor Home Theater Big Screen Experience with Premium 360 Sound
The Freestyle accesories
IP55 Weather Resistant, Scratch Resistant, Compact, Sleek, Tube Shaped Design with Clip
Samsung The Freestyle alternatives
The Samsung The Freestyle is a unique projector in terms of its size, 360º rotation, and a host of other features, but it has strong competitors in the portable projector space like the Xiaomi Mi Smart Projector 2 or the XGIMI Halo LED. The latter are larger and heavier, losing some of the portability that only the Freestyle offers, and are intended more for home use. They allow for the projection of a larger screen, and the XGIMI Halo LED has a built-in battery.
Overall, we would choose the Samsung The Freestyle for its ease of use, the way the operating system works, and the many options it offers.
Frequently asked questions
Like most LED headlights, the Freestyle’s light source has a lifespan of 20,000 hours. This means a lifespan of 7 years if you use it 7 hours a day. Please note that this is the estimated lifespan, but it does not mean that other failures and damage may occur before then.
Samsung projector The Freestyle is compatible with batteries that support USB-PD and 50W/20W output power. Please check the models listed above for compatibility. Samsung has also launch a dedicated battery for this projector.
An antenna connection is not available, but you can watch some free TV channels through Samsung TV Plus. And of course, you can stream movies and series through the apps from Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, etc.
Yes, you can adjust the size and position of the screen without moving the projector. However, keep in mind that for a 100-inch projection, you need 2.70 meters between the installation location and the wall. But from here you can reduce the scale and move the screen up and down and to the sides.
