Our previous report exploring the possibility that Samsung could be developing a smart display/speaker sort of came true earlier today, though with a big twist. Meet The Freestyle — Samsung's latest smart speaker equipped with a projector — or projector equipped with a smart speaker, if you prefer. Either way, Samsung's calling it The Freestyle, and it's presenting it at CES 2022 as “a portable screen for entertainment wherever you are.”
The Freestyle can be described as a cylindrical smart speaker on a cradle, featuring a projector that can display crystal-clear images “on any surface, at any angle, up to 100 inches in size.” The device achieves this image quality by using auto keystone correction and auto-leveling technologies.
The cradle offers 180-degrees of rotation, and the device has an ambient light mode. The smart speaker functionality integrates with the projector, and thanks to this unique combination, The Freestyle can analyze music and project visual effects.
The Freestyle offers Samsung Smart TV streaming services
Samsung is touting The Freestyle as having TV features that are usually available on its smart TVs, such as built-in streaming services and mirroring capabilities with Android and iOS devices.
The company hasn't mentioned any specific streaming services yet, but The Freestyle is the industry's first portable projector to be certified by global major OTT partners, which probably means that Samsung TV Plus is available out of the box. We'll keep you updated as soon as we find out more.
This new product achieves a couple of other “firsts” in several categories aside from its OTT partnership:
- The Freestyle is the industry's first portable screen that can connect to a standard E26 light socket (feature limited to the USA initially).
- The Freestyle is the first projector to boast far-field voice control.
Samsung has designed its smart projector/speaker to be carried and used everywhere with ease. This cylindrical tech marvel weighs 830 grams, and aside from working with E26 light sockets, it's compatible with batteries that support USB-PD and 50W/20V output or above.
The Freestyle is available for pre-order in the USA starting today, January 4. So, for the first time, it looks like Samsung is finally releasing its smart speaker technology for customers outside of Korea. The Galaxy Home and Home Mini weren't as lucky.
Samsung plans to bring The Freestyle to the global market “in the following months.”
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