Samsung The Freestyle

A breakthrough product that may well bring portable projectors into the mainstream, but it has rough edges

- STEPHEN LAMBRECHTS

PRICE £833 (£999 inc VAT) from samsung.com

The Freestyle launched in acascade of publicity, beingarguably the flagship product of Samsung’s CES 2022 campaign. Aimed at a young audience that may never have considered buying a projector before, it’s loaded with numerous features to lend it extra appeal. Think built-in streaming services and funky effects to add atmosphere to a room.

It’s hugely flexible, with a sturdy aluminium stand that allows the projector to swivel through well over 180° of tilt. That means you can easily project an image onto practically any surface. While Samsung won’t thank me for this comparison, it’s roughly the size and weight of a large tin of dog food, meaning you can toss it in your backpack at a moment’s notice.

You don’t need to remember to recharge The Freestyle before you go, but that’s only because it doesn’t come with a battery; this is a little surprising, as rivals such as the £400 Acer C250i portable projector (see opposite) include a power pack within the body. Instead, you must plug The Freestyle into a power socket or plug in a compatible power bank that offers 50W/20V output and USB-C power delivery. There’s also a mini-HDMI port, which you’ll need to connect a games console.