Dangbei Freedo portable projector review

REVIEW – I reviewed a projector last year (Heyup Boxe Lite Smart Projector) and called out a missed opportunity by not having the option to be battery-powered. Having a small, portable, and fully wireless option (no power cable, no HDMI or signal cable), would make these types of portable projectors even more desirable. When the Dangbei Freedo Projector came up for a review, my interest peaked when I read it has an internal battery. Is this the prime example of what a truly portable projector looks like? Read on to find out why I think so!

⬇︎ Jump to summary (pros/cons)
Price: $549.00
Where to buy: Dangbei

What is it?

The Dangbei Freedo is a portable projector featuring a built-in battery, speaker, and Google TV.

What’s included?

• Freedo Projector
• Remote Control
• AAA Batteries (2)
• 65W Power Adapter
• Portable Bag
• User Manual
• Hard Carrying Case

Tech specs

• Display Technology: DLP
• Display Resolution: 1920 x 1080
• Throw Ratio: 12:1
• Speaker: 6W 360º Dolby Audio compatibility
• Inputs: HDMI 4K (supports ARC), USB 2.0
• Power Supply: USB-C 65W (up to 2.5 hrs of movie playback)
• Tilt Angle Range: -30º to +135º
• Brightness: 450 ISO Lumens (90%+ DCI-P3 color coverage)
• Size: 50 – 120 in
• Temperature: D65
• Bluetooth Verison: 5.1
• Wi-Fi: Dual Frequency 2.4/5.0 GHz
• Dimensions (LxWxH): 131 x 109 x 239 mm (51.6 x 4.29 x 9.4 in)
• Weight: 1.4kg / 3.08lbs
• Case: Shockproof

Design and features

The Dangbei Freedo Portable Projector has everything needed in a compact hard case. The projector is about the size of a 24oz ThermoFlask insulated water bottle, just a little shorter and a little bigger in diameter. It sits on a rotatable base and each of the two hinge points contains the USB-C power plug and power button respectively. The only other break in the design is under a rubber flap that includes a USB A port and an HDMI port to connect external devices optionally. The bottom of the projector is the Bluetooth speaker, covered in fabric, similar to other smart speakers from Amazon and Google. Overall, the look of the projector is more aesthetic and streamlined, different from the normal boxy projectors.

Included is a 65W GaN quick charger. The USB C cable is permanently attached to the AC charging brick. I did confirm that the Dangbei Freedo Portable Projector can also be powered by a USB-C connected power bank, like the UGREEN Nexnode Fast Charging Bank, but opt for the higher capacity version to keep the projector powered up for longer. According to the documentation, the projector can run on battery power for up to 2.5 hours. To test this, I set the projector to ‘Standard’ brightness, picture mode to ‘Movie’, sound to ‘Movie’ at volume level 30 (plenty loud for a medium-sized room) and played Guardians of the Galaxy Volume 3 with an official runtime of 2 hours and 32 minutes. Also to note, Wi-Fi was enabled as I was streaming the movie through the installed Disney+ app so that may have impacted battery life a bit. Once the battery was at 100%, I unplugged the power and started the movie. The 20% remaining warning popped up after 2 hours and 25 minutes, during the credits. After all the credits were done, the projector still had 15% battery remaining. But, it looks like when I unplugged the power at the start, the projector switched to ‘ECO’ brightness by default. This can manually be overridden, if preferred but the movie was enjoyable in a dark room at that brightness. I can see changing the setting if it isn’t dark though.

The remote is critical to configuring the Dangbei Freedo Portable Projector, as there are no other buttons on the projector itself besides the power button. The remote may also be minimal with 10 buttons, a rocker switch for the volume, and a control dial for navigation. The small, red button on the side of the remote is the shortcut to perform the autofocus process. Generally, it does a good job of getting close to perfect focus, but I needed to adjust a few more clicks before it was dialed in. It wasn’t a big deal and I appreciated the fact the projector did most of the heavy lifting. There are dedicated shortcut buttons on the remote for YouTube, Netflix, and Prime Video. I was able to install Disney+, Hulu, and Max after signing into my Google account.

Besides the autofocus feature, the two other functions that impressed me were the Automatic Keystone Correction and the Intelligent Obstacle Avoidance feature. My home doesn’t have very many flat walls without some sort of obstacle, whether that be an AC/heat vent, windows, shelving, or angled feature. With the Keystone Correction, I didn’t need to worry so much about placing the Dangbei Freedo Portable Projector perfectly perpendicular to the projection surface where it might be in the walkway or doorway. The projector would automatically square up the image! And the Intelligent Obstacle Avoidance feature worked amazingly! The projector would automatically resize the picture to fit into the big uncluttered area. Yes, this meant that the projection would be smaller to fit without broadcasting over an obstacle, but I would rather watch the movie a little smaller than over a vent or shelf.

Assembly, Installation, Setup

Setup was straightforward and required only for the projector to be plugged in, to fully charge the internal battery. Then it was a matter of pairing the remote and walking through the onscreen setup tutorial. All in all, I was able to start watching YouTube in less than 10 minutes. The Dangbei Freedo Portable Projector is remarkably easy to use. 

Final thoughts

Realistically, when inside the house, watching TV and movies on a 4K TV just makes more sense. Using a projector would be suited for use outside of the home, maybe watching movies at the park or poolside, camping or vacationing…someplace where the quality of the audio and visual isn’t the most important thing, it’s more about being social and making memories of sitting together, enjoying the experience together. And I think that’s where the Dangbei Freedo Portable Projector shines.

Having a device that doesn’t require external power, that can stream wirelessly, and has a sharp picture with automatic setup and configuration is a dream. I have a friend who has a camper van and can’t wait to borrow the projector to watch movies against the side of his van while sitting by the fire with his family. I’ve already started thinking about projecting Disney’s Monsters Inc. movie on the side of our house for Halloween (for the trick-or-treaters).

The Dangbei Freedo Portable Projector is a definite “buy” for me!

What I like about the Dangbei Freedo Portable Projector

• Portable, completely self contained
• Can be powered by battery power bank
• Automatic adjustments for keystone and obstacle avoidance

What needs to be improved?

• No single button on the remote to access all the picture settings (requires multiple steps)
• Autofocus seems to be always be a little off, requiring manual micro adjustments

Price: $549.00
Where to buy: Dangbei
Source: The sample of this product was provided for free by Dangbei. Dangbei did not have a final say on the review and did not preview the review before it was published.

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