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Samsung’s new Freestyle projector is ultra-small, portable, and the perfect home accessory


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Samsung always brings crazy things to CES, and this year was no different. Free style is a small, $899.99 projector designed specifically for millennials.

Yes, it could be your TV with the ability to project onto a 100-inch screen on almost any surface – but it could also be a speaker, a light projector or a bright light. Plus, you can even screw it into a standard bulb socket to power it up.

There’s a lot to unpack here, so we’re going to break it all down and share some insights from our conversation with Dan Schinasi, Samsung’s Director of Product Planning for TVs and Lydia Cho, Head of Product Marketing for TV. Oh and if you’re sold, Freestyle is up for pre-order now for $899.99 and will ship on January 24th.

Much as Frame, imitate art, or Sero, flip from horizontal to vertical, Freestyle is the latest in Samsung’s line of enduring lifestyle home entertainment products. It’s been described as a “portable display,” which fits snugly.

The Freestyle itself looks like a boxy projector housed in a stand that can be rotated 180 degrees. It’s also pretty light at under 2 pounds and takes up much less space than a typical projector. We’ll need to see it in person to see how it measures Anker’s Nebula Projector, although. You can easily carry this device with one hand or put it in your pocket for easy portability.

And out of the box, you get everything you need to use it. Since the stand is built-in, you can position Free style to project onto walls, ceilings, or really any surface imaginable.

“I always imagine like, hey, what if you put the TV on the ceiling? Oh, that’s pretty dangerous, isn’t it? But now you can use their freestyle to just lie down and just know, watch it from anywhere,” Cho said.

The Freestyle is powered via USB-C, and when you plug it in, you’re ready to project onto a 100-inch screen. The smallest size it can project is 30 inches. It will autofocus for a clear view, and thanks to onboard sensors – like the gyroscope – it can also automatically level the screen. The Freestyle also offers a full 1080p HDR view, which is pretty impressive for a projector of this size. Samsung also promises powerful sound with built-in 360-degree audio.

There are also microphones activated for near and far voice control. This way, you can ask Bixby or Amazon’s Alexa to provide specific content to watch. You can also ask more smart speaker-focused questions like about the weather or an interesting event. And if privacy is a concern, you can mute the microphone.

“It has all the smart features you would expect from Samsung,” says Schinasi. That means it has a Tizen interface that supports major streaming services, gaming modes, and compatibility with AirPlay or Google Cast. You just need to make sure that Freestyle is using Wi-Fi. He also noted that The Freestyle will double as a SmartThings hub for smart home connectivity. And while the Freestyle doesn’t have many ports, you’ll find one micro HDMI port and one USB-C port.

It is also a lamp, a speaker and compatible with accessories

As we suggested above, The Freestyle can also be a lamp. Included with it is a lens cap that can act as a filter for a number of light shows – including starry night scenes or fascinating lava lamp effects. The light display can also react to sound, so it can sync with playlists for a fully immersive light show.

You can also connect and use The Freestyle as a standalone speaker. We haven’t heard the sound quality yet, but we imagine it could make a splash for our experience with other Samsung devices like TVs and soundbars.

The Free will only be available in white, with an aluminum and metal finish on the outside, so while it’s an interesting product, color choices are limited. If you want to mix things up, you’ll need to buy a skin from Samsung for $29. They will offer these in three colors: green, pink, and yellow. A Bespoke version of The Freestyle, like Samsung provides refrigerators and Galaxy Z Flip 3, would be pretty neat.

Samsung will also sell a $79.99 Base Accessory that lets you screw The Freestyle into a standard bulb socket. It’s unique to say the least and would seem to allow you to place this projector on top of a lamp. Since this projector is designed to go anywhere and everywhere, you can also power it via a USB-C compatible battery. Samsung will eventually sell one, but you can also pick up one from Anker for a lot less possibilities.

And for those who want to take it outside, Samsung is selling a carrying case for $59.99. Those who pre-order The Freestyle before January 24 will receive a free carrying case.

The Freestyle is certainly a unique and expensive product that feels like it is aimed at people who want one device instead of many. With so many accessories going for it as well as its function as a TV or speaker, it is truly designed for a generation of millennials. A person wants to spend $900 on a device.

We’re naming The Freestyle as a finalist for the most creative, TV and home entertainment accessory for CES 2022. It’s not the most affordable category in the TV space, but it offers plenty of benefits. profit at the price of $899.99. We’ll be sharing the full range of finalists this weekend, ahead of the top picks in each category.

If you’re already on sale, you don’t have to wait to pre-order. Samsung is taking pre-orders for The Freestyle now at $899.99 and the device will begin shipping to customers on January 24th. Until that date, you’ll also receive a carrying case at no additional charge along with pre-ordering the projector.

We’ll be back with a full and hands-on review of The Freestyle in the coming weeks.

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