The Samsung Freestyle 2 projector is on sale for $341 off while you buy it at Walmart, making the brand new value $459 over Labor Day weekend.
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ZDNET’s key takeaways
- The Samsung Freestyle 2 is a stable projector accessible for $800.
- Sharp picture high quality, an inner battery, and the power to play video games and not using a console make this projector ultraportable.
- The second-generation function upgrades are geared towards gaming, which is probably not related for all customers.
There is a saying that goes one thing like, “Do not repair what is not damaged.” I firmly consider in that — particularly with regards to tech merchandise and their sometimes-pointless updates.
That mentioned, after experiencing the not too long ago upgraded technology of the Samsung Freestyle 2, this transportable projector might have taken the cake for the best tech gadget I’ve examined previously 12 months.
Assessment: Samsung The Freestyle: A well-rounded projector, inside and out
There aren’t many vital variations between the unique mannequin and the second-generation projector, however listed below are just a few price noting. Sensible Edge Mixing allows you to use two Freestyle projectors to make one large picture with assist for widescreen content material at a facet ratio of as much as 29.3:9, there is a photo voltaic distant as a substitute of a battery-operated one, and also you get extra reminiscence for quicker efficiency. Essentially the most notable distinction, nonetheless, is the Samsung Gaming Hub.
Whereas I am no gamer, my husband is an informal one, so I put him to the take a look at to do that function out. What’s cool concerning the Samsung Gaming Hub is you do not want a bodily console to play a sport, however simply the Freestyle 2, web entry, and a sport controller.
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You possibly can subscribe to cloud streaming like Xbox Cloud Gaming, GeForce Now, Luna, and others, however there are additionally free video games you’ll be able to play proper off the bat.
My husband was in a position to play Rocket League with a free membership to GeForce Now, and different free video games like Fortnite had been additionally accessible. The general gaming expertise will rely in your Wi-Fi connection, however the graphics had been crystal clear, and the Freestyle 2 loaded the video games quick with just about no glitches.
It was a singular expertise to have the ability to play video games exterior or forged them to our ceiling whereas mendacity down with out being tied to at least one particular room or a selected gaming console.
Gaming apart, the Samsung Freestyle 2 is a top quality projector. It’s tremendous straightforward to arrange and get going — all you want is a Wi-Fi connection. You additionally needn’t lug an extension twine round since its transportable battery simply connects to the machine, letting you utilize it just about anyplace (which was excellent for our yard).
It comes preloaded with many streaming companies like Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, Prime Video, and extra, so you’ll be able to sign up to your accounts rapidly and begin streaming.
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The sound impressed me probably the most: It comes from the built-in, 5W 360-degree speaker, and for such a small speaker, it packs a punch. Throughout a really windy outside nighttime film streaming, we might hear the sound clear and loud, virtually as if we had been indoors and the sound was surrounding us.
The Samsung Freestyle 2 impressed me with each picture high quality, the power to autofocus — whether or not it was projecting onto a slanted ceiling or a projector display — and the general expertise of setup and streaming. To me, know-how ought to make issues faster and extra accessible, and this machine does simply that — particularly with its portability facet.
ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation
In case you’re a gamer and need to play a wide range of titles and not using a console, the Samsung Freestyle 2 is a good possibility that allows you to play video games whereas tenting, open air, or actually wherever.
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If, nonetheless, you are shopping for a Samsung Freestyle for the film expertise, the first-generation’s specs are related sufficient to this new model and permits you to save just a few hundred bucks whereas nonetheless getting a prime projector. No matter mannequin you select, in the event you’re searching for a transportable or outside projector, that is, for my part, the perfect one in the marketplace.
Whereas many gross sales occasions function offers for a selected size of time, offers are on a limited-time foundation, making them topic to run out anytime. ZDNET stays dedicated to discovering, sharing, and updating the perfect presents that will help you maximize your financial savings so you’ll be able to really feel as assured in your purchases as we really feel in our suggestions. Our ZDNET group of specialists continuously screens the offers we function to maintain our tales up-to-date. In case you missed out on this deal, don’t fret — we’re at all times sourcing new financial savings alternatives at ZDNET.com.
