Samsung - The Freestyle FHD HDR Smart Portable Projector - White

I chose this projector because most of my electronics are in the Google or Samsung family. I don't have anything to compare this projector to (aside from the ones from school that were huge and mounted on the ceiling). Personally I've never had TVs in my bedroom so this is a really good compromise (there's no big black rectangle on the wall, I don't have to mount anything, etc) This was easy to setup and looks amazing in my bedroom. The only con I would say is that the fan can be loud, but honestly when the volume is at 40+ you can hardly hear the fan. I use the projector without a sheet or screen and it looks good. I haven't needed to hook up with projector to an external speaker but I would definitely consider this in the future. I heard that an updated projector would be coming out within the next year so I'll definitely be looking to upgrade when that happens.

I purchased this to help with displaying something for my church. Out of the box, the setup was rather lengthy. Right from the start, I didn't like how SamsungTV Plus would just play automatically without request. Anytime you go to settings after leaving an app like Netflix, Hulu, or Starz, the projector would automatically spin up SamsungTV Plus. Did I mention this is very annoying? Somewhere the projector lost its bearings and acted as if it had nothing installed, so I had to do a complete refresh/reinstall of the OS, which was very inconvenient. The Freestyle has a lot of ingenuity and is packed with tons of features, but the Samsung Tizen OS is overburdened with all of this, causing the projector to be sluggish not only at startup, but also during normal operation. Thankfully this performance issue isn't noticed during playback of items. Unlike other projectors, this one does have the full suite of streaming services (Netflix, Disney+, Apple TV, HBO Max, Sling, Alexa, Hulu, and more) either downloaded to the device or available for installation via the Samsun Store. On the bright of things, the projector has its on stand with 180 degree motion. It has only one micro HDMI port and that's it. The bottom of the projector is designed to outfit an extra capacity battery. It has a very intuitive smart remote that has to be recharged ever-so-often via USB-C and the projector also uses USB-C for operation, speakers are solid with option for the projector to connect to your bluetooth enabled device, and its portability is honestly the best part. Now to the picture quality. BBY's specs tout 550 Lumens (Color/White) with a 300:1 contrast ratio. In a real world setting, any ounce of light, even at night, washes out the picture. In my living room, daylight kills the image, even with blinds. So I can't watch it till nighttime in my home unless I black out my windows. I believe the projector is more like 300 Lumens and I do find myself at times having to sharpen the focus on the image (although I am shooting on a white wall and not a screen). High Notes: the projector does have auto focus and keystone which works well until something stands in front of it for too long and it reanalyzes the picture. I noticed there wasn't an easy way to pint the auto focus/keystone feature, so the only option was to restart the device. Overall, this is a very smart and unique device. I managed to find a price match on BBY's site which made it $599, and in all honesty, it should be cheaper. The picture brightness, focus and contrast ratio could be better. Portability and ease of use is excellent, excluding the lengthy setup. The OS latency/sluggishness and Samsung TV Plus running automatically is highly annoying, especially with it doing this as you attempt to navigate settings. Essentially, it attempts to emulate a TV, which is again understandably annoying. I'm still on the fence about keeping this device for we have a love-hate relationship. Of course, if none of this concerns you, and your only need is to have a portable, point and shoot at anything home media/theater projector; the Freestyle is a fair choice, if on sale.

We love it! We point it at our ceiling and watch movies in bed every night. We’ve also used it in daytime, it’s tolerable when the room is brighter but incredible in the dark. Purchased one month ago and no complaints at all. The auto focus and keystone correction make it fast and easy to change where we project it. Start up is fast, machine doesn’t make too much noise, it’s compact and really easy to use.

I really loved the picture quality of the projector. It automatically refocused when I would change its location such as in the bedroom versus using a projector screen. The only reason I did not give 5 stars is because it can not be used outside in broad daylight.So daytime football games are not an option. Overall it is easy to use, setup and the speaker quality is amazing!

After reading done negative reviews, I started to get nervous. But as soon as I turned it on I felt relief. This thing is super cool. Although I own two high end Samsung QLEDs which have unparalleled picture...I still am happy with this HD projector. The photos taken of it aren't actually as cool as it is in person. It's vivid and crisper than I was expecting. What truly surprised me was the sound. It's on par with the picture quality. If you want a projector that you can move around the house, inside and out, throw on ceilings or walls or to have a fun family movie night, this is for you. It's good enough that you won't be bothered that it's not your Magnolia level TV. However, if you want an every day use, to notch projector, go for the short throw 4k from Samsung. Now the little negatives. The thing seems too heavy as it does droop when tilted to anything close to perpendicular. I have to prop it up sometimes. That's my biggest issue. Now the menu is slow but only in the settings mostly but it's not a deal breaker. The auto keystone truly doesn't work. It tries but fails every single time. However if you tune it manually, then you're all set until you movythe projector again. These last two issues should be resolved by a firmware update so fingers crossed. The main drawback here is the drooping if the unit itself, the stand can't hold the weight of the cylinder. All in all I am pleased with the freestyle but I'm already fearing that 2.0 will be better. Meanwhile, it movie time.