Freedo might be a silly name, but there’s nothing silly about Dangbei’s latest projector offering. Portability is the name of the game when it comes to the Freedo, and that’s oftentimes crucial when it comes to projector needs. For those who just want to pop out their projector and watch something on YouTube or cast a video, this is one of the best projectors around. It’s also incredibly versatile for gamers, letting you create a little gaming space practically anywhere.
The portability of the Dangbei Freedo is what is initially eye-catching. It’s lightweight, compact, and easy to move around. It tucks together into a slim form factor that is a little like a very chunky water bottle. Then, when you want to get to viewing, you swivel the projector component and point it at the nearest available wall or screen. Depending on distance, you’re able to set the viewing screen to be anywhere from 40 to 180 inches.
Dangbei Freedo’s Ease of Use is Its Greatest Strength
After some initial setup the first time you use the Dangbei Freedo projector, there isn’t much more to it than that. The Freedo includes a built-in battery that offers roughly 2 and a half hours of use (depending on settings), and it can also plug into an outlet via USB-C adapter. Power draw on the Freedo isn’t significant enough that I could keep it going with a power bank. It includes built-in speakers withDolby Atmos supportto boot, but there is Bluetooth support for those who might want to customize their audio experience.
The portability of the Dangbei Freedo projector alone was enough to impress me, but what benefits the average consumer the most is its customization. Specifically, the projector’s tech does most of the work for you, automatically focusing to deliver clear picture and orienting the screen based on the angle of the device. You can point it at a wall or ceiling and within seconds get a screen that is a crisp 4K (via HDMI) without any distortion or weird, cutoff elements.
Obviously, you may dig into the menus to dial in the presentation to get it to your liking. If there is an obstruction and you only want to use a portion of the screen space, for example, you can set that up. You can also make visual adjustments if you’re projecting onto a non-white wall to get a more accurate picture.
Dangbei outfits the Freedo projector with an HDMI port so you can plug pratically any gaming device into it. I found that combining the Freedo projector, theBenQ Steam Deck dock, aSteam Deck, a Bluetooth controller, and a power source gave me a nice little portable gaming setup.
Hooking up a console via HDMI is the only way to get a 4K picture, but the projector delivers 1080p otherwise.
The Dangbei Freedo Projector is Great for Streaming Too
Although the Freedo is a great portable gaming projector, it features support for Google TV and all of the major streaming apps you could want. So, if you just want to pop the projector on and watch the latest episode ofSquid Game 2, it can do that too.
At 450 ISO lumens, the Dangbei Freedo is also plenty bright for its portability. This isn’t the type of projector that you should build a home theater system around, but for its $439 price, the Dangbei Freedo more than meets expectations in terms of visual presentation.
Dangbei Freedo Review: Final Thoughts
Dangbei has made one of the best portable projectors around with the Freedo. Its ease of use, form factor and portability, how quickly it can adapt to different setups, and its support for gaming consoles makes the projector appealing to gamers of all types, but even those who just want a solid projector to watch YouTube will find the Freedo rises to the challenge. The Dangbei Freedo projector is impressive tech and a versatile device for numerous situations.
Dangbei Freedo Portable Projector
The Dangbei Freedo is an entry-level portable projector that focuses on value for money, performance, and versatility while employing AI features to help it set up faster for users who often change environments on the fly.It offers concealed HDMI and USB ports, supporting BT and Wi-Fi connections as well as a complete Google TV OS that allows users to use it in both standalone mode as well as a display for a gaming PC, laptop, or game console.
The Dangbei Freedo Projector is available now for $549. Game Rant was provided a unit for this review.
