Samsung's The Freestyle projects a 1080pHD screen at up to 100-inches and boasts auto-focusing.

It’s time for take two on Samsung’s ultra-compact, place-a-screen-on-any-surface Freestyle projector. Officially teased and promised at the 2023 Consumer Electronics Show, Samsung is finally unveiling the Freestyle Gen 2 and opening up preorders if you’re already sold.

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For Generation 2, the Freestyle is sticking with an $800 price and a nearly identical design. What is new, though, is a faster processor and some new gaming chops, which makes this more than just up to a 100-inch screen to watch your favorite flick on.

Of course, Samsung’s also pairing the preorder window with a deal. Ahead we’re breaking down how to preorder and everything new with Samsung’s Freestyle Gen 2.

How to preorder Samsung’s The Freestyle Gen 2

Samsung’s Freestyle Gen 2 is up for preorder at $800 and will begin shipping on August 31. That’s the same price as the original when it first launched, and no price hike is a good thing.

Furthermore, if you preorder by the end of the day on August 30, 2023, you’ll score a free case for The Freestyle. It’s a $60 value and lets you add a pop of color to Samsung’s projector, which only comes in a sleek shade of white. If you plan on bringing The Freestyle outdoors—potentially to a park or projecting it on the side of your house—the case makes it safe to do so as it’s IP55 rated for resistance against water and dust.

• The Freestyle Gen 2, $800 at Samsung

If you’re not interested in the new gaming experiences, Samsung’s original Freestyle projector will still be sold at retailers like Amazon for a lower price of $600. In fact, the first-generation is discounted to $598 at Amazon right now.

• Samsung The Freestyle, $598 (was $600) at Amazon

Samsung The Freestyle Gen 2: What you need to know

In our review of the original Freestyle, we found it a pint-sized smart projector that offered a vibrant view and access to many content sources. That’s still the case with the second generation, and the same goes for the looks.

The Freestyle Gen 2 is still plenty portable at under two pounds and pint-sized at just seven inches in height. One of the hallmarks of the design is the built-in combination stand and cradle, which lets you rotate The Freestyle a full 180 degrees to project it on any surface imaginable.

You can still cast up to a 100-inch screen on any surface, and The Freestyle Gen 2 still does all of the hard work to ensure a clear, level, and punchy picture. It’s still a 1080pHD experience set with a resolution of 1080 x 1920 and keeps automatic leveling, keystone, and focus for the best picture possible.

All of this is great and ensures a robust visual experience that ranges from 30-inches to 100-inches on almost any surface. And that’s the real appeal; you can cast the massive display onto a wall for a mini-move theater experience but also get creative and have the ultimate sleepover party with it on the ceiling.

Samsung’s Tizen smart interface is still powering the experience, and just like on The Frame TV or a Neo QLED, it provides access to all the major streaming services. The Freestyle Gen 2’s main improvement is extra RAM, which will speed up the navigation experience and better equip the projector to start content quickly. In our testing, the original could hang up here and there, and Samsung is solving this.

The other big change is that The Freestyle now does gaming, specifically game streaming services, out of the box. With Samsiung’s Gaming Hub, you can use Xbox Game Pass, Amazon Luna, and Nvidia GeForce Now, among others, to stream games onto any surface.

This should be a really fun experience and eliminates some need for a physical console. You can cast the screen and play your favorite titles with The Freestyle Gen 2 and a gaming controller, like Amazon Luna’s controller or an Xbox Wireless Controller. We’re eager to go hands-on with this and try it out.

Furthermore, Gaming Hub will let you play your favorite games and use another application like Spotify, YouTube, or Twitch at the same time.

Alongside The Freestyle projector itself, you’ll get one of Samsung’s compact mini remote controllers with a solar cell on the back, meaning that you won’t need to charge all that often or ever as it will charge from natural and artificial light sources. You also get a lengthy USB-C cable and a wall plug to power the projector. Remember that while it is ultra-portable, there is no integrated battery.

Let’s recap Samsung’s Freestyle Gen 2

Samsung’s Freestyle Gen 2 is a nice follow-up to the original with a clear focus on expanding what you can do with the projector, mainly gaming, and speeding up the experience with increased RAM. It’s not a giant leap forward with an integrated battery or improved visuals, but for the price, it still delivers a compelling, unique watching experience that can be catered to your needs.

Prices are accurate and items in stock at time of publishing.