By Godsom Umejiego, Senior Correspondent USA

With powerful first-of-its-kind technology, Samsung Electronics’ all-new portable screen and entertainment device, The Freestyle, is proving a hit in markets around the world including North America, Latin America and South Korea. Known for displaying crystal-clear images up to 100 inches in size with seamless Samsung sound quality, The Freestyle has the capability to be used anytime, anywhere.

To learn more about the process in creating this captivating device, Samsung Newsroom sat down with four of the product experts behind the planning and development of The Freestyle: Seungyeong Ian Jeong, who worked on product planning, Sooyeon Chung, who worked on service product management, Jenny Jung, who worked on UX design and Dami Baik, who worked on product launch marketing.

An All-New Device Blending Practicality with Personality

Beginning at the drawing board with the initial planning stages of The Freestyle, Samsung’s product experts came together with idea of developing an all-new product encouraging customization. Built for on-the-go individuals pursuing unique lifestyles and not afraid to speak out and express themselves, practicality meets personality with this device.

The changes in lifestyles brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic also played a large role in the background for product planning. People began to spend more time in their own personal spaces, and it became more important to bring entertainment into areas previously used for relaxing, such as the bedroom. At the same time, outdoor leisure activities, have been becoming more common.

“The concept of The Freestyle is its frameless portable screen that is ‘with me anywhere,’” explained Jung.

Creating an Exciting TV Experience to Show-Off Unique Lifestyles

As a completely new product with no precedent, it is difficult to describe The Freestyle using only one word. While some users will use it as a screen, others will use it as an interior mood light, or even as a digital display. The very name of the device demonstrates how the purpose of the product changes in freestyle along with the unique lifestyle of each user.

When discussing the secret behind the popularity of The Freestyle, each of the four product experts pointed to the enhanced product experience when utilizing the Samsung Smart TV platform.

“The Freestyle provides all kinds of major OTT apps with built-in streaming services certified by partners so that you’re never behind on the best in content and screen experiences,” elaborated Chung. “Moreover, smartphone mirroring can very easily be undertaken with both Android and iOS mobile devices.”

Collaboration Across Ages Driving Innovation

The development stage naturally included some hurdles as product experts aimed to create a first of its kind portable device for lasting entertainment. “Since it is the first product of its type being developed by Samsung, there was no defined reference for us,” explained Jung. “It wasn’t easy for us to plan the product’s features and to design its experiences from zero.” Whenever doubts arose about the direction of the product, the team resorted to feedback from the community board for Samsung employees.

This collaboration transformed The Freestyle into a multi-purpose device used to not only stream content, but to showcase individual personalities through unique images and creations on display. The Freestyle’s ambient mode and translucent lens cap allow for mood lighting when content is not playing. Additional feedback regarding the high-quality audio offering resulted in the device also becoming a smart speaker pairing visual effects with music to be projected onto a variety of surfaces.

“While we were thinking about the sound specifications of the device, we paid attention to the opinions being shared about how the sound quality should not be compromised,” noted Jeong.

Endless Possibilities with Convenient Portability and Usage Options

Small enough to fit into a purse and weighing only 830g, The Freestyle is the perfect device for individuals always on-the-go. To ensure picture perfect viewing, the device automatically adjusts auto keystone correction, leveling and focus. Through the Scale & Move feature, users can adjust the projected screen size and position it without having to physically move the projector around.

The Freestyle

The Freestyle also allows users to directly access settings while watching content that doesn’t require them to go through any menu by simply pressing and holding the home button. Users can also utilize voice recognition with noise reduction to control the Freestyle .The Freestyle also lets users continue to play music and engage in virtual assistant features even when the screen is off.

A Versatile Device to be used Anytime, Anywhere – On Your Terms

With the endless possibilities of the The Freestyle, Samsung Newsroom turned to the product experts to discuss some of their favorite features.

“I enjoy using The Freestyle to listen to music in high-quality sound while projecting my favorite album cover image in the background,” said Jung. “I also enjoy projecting a video of the stars shining brightly onto my bedroom ceiling before I go to bed. When I feel like falling asleep, I can just turn off the device using my voice.”

“My kids really like it when we install The Freestyle on the headboard shelf and watch content projected onto the ceiling while lying in bed together,” added Baik. “Since the device can be used freely in any way you want, it is receiving rave reviews from users of all ages, including those who are using The Freestyle as a family.”

Whether you opt for a fun backyard movie night with family or use the device for background music and visuals at a dinner party with friends, the Freestyle’s compact design and convenient usability makes it one of the most fun and versatile devices available today.

“We want to present a user experience that meets users’ diverse preferences and needs anywhere, anytime, by going beyond the limitations of a space,” said Jeong. “Our goal is to establish The Freestyle as a personal, movable, smart screen that can be truly utilized to the fullest.”