I love projectors, but I don’t have the room in my house to keep one set up all the time.

I test a fair number of them, so I purchased a portable screen that I can put together and then stow away in the closet when I’m not using it.

I had been on a run of reviewing bigger and brighter projectors, but this week I’m looking at a mid-priced truly portable projector called the Dangbei Freedo.

It is not lost on me that Freedo is one letter from “Freedom,” because this is a battery-powered projector.

The Freedo is one of the easiest projectors to use once you get it set up, which only takes a few minutes.

It runs the Google TV operating system, so when you power it on, you can set it up on your Wi-Fi network or your phone’s hotspot and stream from virtually any streaming source. Like other Dangbei projectors, the Freedo has a licensed and pre-installed Netflix app for trouble-free streaming of all your Netflix favorites.

As you can tell from the photo, the Freedo has an interesting form factor. It is about the size and shape of a large drinking tumbler. It has an integrated stand that tilts up to 165 degrees. It can project downward up to 30 degrees and upward up to 135 degrees. It easily projects onto a ceiling for a unique video watching experience in bed.

The Freedo has a very minimalist design. There is only one button to turn it on or off. You interact with the projector via an included remote control.

The body of the projector has a small rubber cover over one HDMI port (with ARC) and one USB port so you can connect a gaming console or other HDMI source or play videos from a flash drive.

The projector is the first I’ve tried that can work with no wires at all, as it has an internal battery that will power it for 2.5 hours of video watching. It also has a 6-watt 360-degree speaker system on the back that can also act as a Bluetooth speaker with Dolby Digital Plus.

The Freedo uses DLP technology with an LED light source with a brightness of 450 ISO lumens. It projects at a resolution of 1,920 by 1,080 pixels with support for HDR 10 and HLG and it can handle 4K input, but you’ll be watching it in 1080P. The projection source is rated for a 30,000 hour lifespan.

The throw ratio is 12:1 and it can project an image from 40 inches up to 180 inches, but the recommended size is in the 60- to 100-inch range. The image looks really good in a very dark room, but the brightness will suffer in a well-lit room or one with a lot of windows during the day.

The Freedo can go a long way in making your video watching look good. It has auto focus and auto keystone correction. It also has intelligent obstacle avoidance, which will adjust the image location and size if it detects objects in the image path.

If you are projecting onto a wall, and there’s a light switch or picture nearby, the projector can sense it and physically move the image off to the side.

It can also automatically adjust the image size to best fit your screen.

Preinstalled apps include Netflix, YouTube, Prime Video, Hulu, Disney+ and it has the Google TV store to download virtually any streaming app. It can also accept wireless video sent from an Android or iOS device.

Most projectors have a power brick built-into their power supply cords, but the Freedo simply has a USB-C port for power and to charge the internal battery. It ships with a 65W fast charger, but it can also be connected to an external battery pack for extended wireless operation.

I was able to connect the Freedo to my iPhone’s Wi-Fi hotspot and stream videos quite easily. If you are within range of a Wi-Fi network, you can truly set it down and start projecting with absolutely no wires.

The image quality is quite good. The autofocus kicks in any time the projector senses it has been moved. The autofocus works, but I frequently found I needed to tweak the focus just a tiny bit to get it to look tack sharp to my eyes. Adjusting the focus manually is done via arrow buttons on the remote.

This is not a projector that will replace the TV in your living room, but it is perfect for backyard movie night or to toss in your computer bag to carry to your next meeting. It is perfect for a small meeting room or hotel room.

The Freedo ships in a molded carrying case that seems to be made of a very dense, but lightweight foam. It also includes a soft cloth carrying bag to project from getting scratched up in your backpack.

Freedo costs just $549 (us.dangbei.com), which is quite a bargain for a projector that runs on battery power. It is a self-contained movie night in a carrying bag.

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