My favorite projector from Samsung doubles as a gaming hub, and it’s discounted for Labor Day

The Samsung Freestyle 2 projector is on sale for $341 off whenever you buy it at Walmart, making the brand new worth $459 over Labor Day weekend. 

ZDNET’s key takeaways

• The Samsung Freestyle 2 is a stable projector obtainable for $800. 
• Sharp picture high quality, an inner battery, and the power to play video games with no 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 on the subject of tech merchandise and their sometimes-pointless updates.

That mentioned, after experiencing the just lately upgraded technology of the Samsung Freestyle 2, this transportable projector could have taken the cake for one of the best tech gadget I’ve examined previously 12 months.

Evaluation: Samsung The Freestyle: A well-rounded projector, inside and outside

There aren’t many important variations between the unique mannequin and the second-generation projector, however listed below are a number of price noting. Sensible Edge Mixing allows you to use two Freestyle projectors to make one large picture with help 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, nevertheless, is the Samsung Gaming Hub.

Whereas I am no gamer, my husband is an informal one, so I put him to the check to do this function out. What’s cool in regards to 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.

You’ll be able to 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 capable of play Rocket League with a free membership to GeForce Now, and different free video games like Fortnite have been additionally obtainable. The general gaming expertise will rely in your Wi-Fi connection, however the graphics have been crystal clear, and the Freestyle 2 loaded the video games quick with nearly no glitches.

It was a novel expertise to have the ability to play video games exterior or solid them to our ceiling whereas mendacity down with out being tied to 1 particular room or a selected gaming console.

Gaming apart, the Samsung Freestyle 2 is a high quality projector. It’s tremendous straightforward to arrange and get going — all you want is a Wi-Fi connection. You additionally need not lug an extension twine round since its transportable battery simply connects to the machine, letting you utilize it nearly anyplace (which was good for our yard).

It comes preloaded with many streaming providers like Netflix, Disney+, Hulu, Prime Video, and extra, so you’ll be able to sign up to your accounts rapidly and begin streaming.

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, nearly as if we have 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 screen — and the general expertise of setup and streaming. To me, expertise ought to make issues faster and extra accessible, and this machine does simply that — particularly with its portability facet.

ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation

If you happen to’re a gamer and need to play quite a lot of titles with no console, the Samsung Freestyle 2 is a superb possibility that allows you to play video games whereas tenting, outside, or actually wherever. 

If, nevertheless, you are shopping for a Samsung Freestyle for the film expertise, the first-generation’s specs are comparable sufficient to this new mannequin and permits you to save a number of hundred bucks whereas nonetheless getting a prime projector. No matter mannequin you select, if you happen to’re on the lookout for a transportable or outside projector, that is, for my part, one of the best one available on the market.