Samsung Electronics announced the global launch of the Freestyle+, an AI-powered portable projector engineered to deliver flexible and personalized entertainment across diverse spaces.
Unveiled ahead of CES 2026 in Las Vegas, the device represents a significant refinement of the original Freestyle, incorporating advanced artificial intelligence capabilities, substantially improved brightness, and expanded entertainment features that enable users to enjoy content with minimal setup or adjustment.
The Freestyle+ builds upon the distinctive cylindrical design of its predecessor while introducing a generation shift in automation and usability. Hun Lee, Executive Vice President of the Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics, underscored the product philosophy: "The Freestyle+ reflects Samsung's vision to create displays that adapt naturally to how people live and move between spaces.
By combining true portability with intelligent AI that optimizes both the viewing environment and the content itself, The Freestyle+ makes it easier to enjoy a consistent, high-quality experience wherever you are."
AI OptiScreen: Intelligent Automated Optimization
The core innovation distinguishing the Freestyle+ centers on AI OptiScreen, Samsung's proprietary AI-powered screen optimization technology designed to automatically adjust picture quality across different surfaces and environments.
This eliminates the traditional friction associated with portable projectors, allowing users to simply point the device, place it, and begin viewing without extensive manual calibration.
AI OptiScreen encompasses four complementary technologies working in concert. Three-dimensional auto keystone correction automatically straightens the image even when projected onto uneven or non-flat surfaces such as corners, curtains, or angled walls—conditions that historically required manual adjustment. Real-time focus continuously refines clarity as the projector moves or rotates, maintaining sharp, stable images without blurring or visual noise.
Screen fit automatically adjusts image dimensions to match compatible projector screen accessories, optimizing the viewing area without overscan or letterboxing. Wall calibration analyzes the color and pattern of the projection surface to minimize visual distractions, ensuring content remains legible and properly rendered regardless of wall texture or hue.
Beyond these hardware-driven optimizations, the Freestyle+ integrates Vision AI Companion, Samsung's personalized AI platform for screens. This system combines enhanced Bixby—powered by large language models—with AI services from global partners to enable natural, conversational interaction with on-screen content.
Users can inquire about actors, plot points, locations within displayed content, receive personalized recommendations based on viewing preferences, and engage the chatbot to answer questions while maintaining conversation context.
Brightness as a Practical Differentiator
The Freestyle+ delivers 430 ISO lumens, nearly doubling the 230 ISO lumens specification of its predecessor. This substantial brightness increase addresses a critical weakness of earlier portable projectors: visibility in everyday living environments with ambient light.
The original Freestyle, while innovative in form factor, required darkened rooms to deliver satisfactory image quality. The Freestyle+ shifts the paradigm by enabling clear, engaging content display in typical household lighting conditions.
The practical implications extend to usage flexibility. Users no longer need to blackout windows, adjust room lighting, or compromise on when and where they deploy the projector.
This brightness enhancement effectively expands the device's utility from specialty entertainment to everyday portable display, facilitating viewing during daylight hours or in naturally lit spaces.
Form Factor and Mechanical Design
The Freestyle+ retains the iconic compact cylindrical form factor that defined the original Freestyle, maintaining portability advantages that enabled its market differentiation.
The device weighs less than one kilogram and can be transported between rooms or relocated as lifestyle needs dictate. Its 180-degree rotating design enables projection at virtually any angle—walls, floors, or ceilings—without additional mounts or external accessories.
This mechanical flexibility transforms projected content from a fixed installation challenge into a dynamic spatial solution.
The rotating mechanism permits ceiling projection for overhead viewing, floor projection for alternative angles, or traditional wall mounting, adapting to room configurations and user preferences without requiring permanent infrastructure changes.
Integrated Entertainment Ecosystem
Unlike external projector solutions dependent on set-top boxes or streaming devices, the Freestyle+ incorporates direct access to Samsung TV Plus, certified over-the-top service partners, and Samsung Gaming Hub.
This all-in-one architecture eliminates cable dependencies and simplifies the user journey from casual viewing to active gaming without external hardware.
Samsung Gaming Hub integration enables cloud-based gaming through popular platforms including Amazon Luna, Microsoft Xbox Cloud, NVIDIA GeForce Now, and Utomik.
For streaming households accustomed to service proliferation, this consolidated approach reduces decision friction when selecting viewing sources and gaming experiences.
Audio Architecture and Spatial Sound
The Freestyle+ incorporates a 360-degree speaker tuned to deliver room-filling sound within its compact form factor.
Samsung's engineering approach prioritizes spatial audio distribution rather than directional projection, creating ambient sound coverage throughout viewing spaces rather than concentrated audio from a single vector.
For users embedded within Samsung's ecosystem, the projector supports Q-Symphony, enabling wireless synchronization with compatible Samsung soundbars and wireless audio devices.
This integration creates a cohesive soundstage by layering the projector's built-in speaker with external audio equipment rather than forcing selection between single output sources. For home theater enthusiasts, this approach facilitates modular audio expansion without sonic compromise.
Software Platform and Smart Features
The Freestyle+ operates the latest Tizen operating system with Samsung's One UI interface, aligning software experience with the broader Samsung TV ecosystem.
Beyond core streaming and gaming functions, the projector includes Ambient Mode for aesthetic display during idle periods, AirPlay 2 for multi-device content casting, Bluetooth connectivity, Samsung Health integration, SmartThings home automation compatibility, and Smart View device mirroring.
A solar-powered remote control ships with the unit, reducing battery dependency for routine operation.
Additional features include Tap View for screen sharing and Wi-Fi connectivity for streaming across residential networks without hardwired connections.
Positioning and Market Context
The Freestyle+ positioning reflects a strategic industry shift toward casual, roaming displays rather than dedicated home theater installations.
The device targets scenarios where permanent projection infrastructure proves impractical or aesthetically undesirable—bedroom streaming, kitchen entertainment, living room gaming, or guest room viewing. Its portability and automated setup philosophy prioritize friction reduction over maximum brightness or resolution capabilities.
This approach acknowledges that not all viewing scenarios demand 4K resolution or darkened theater environments. For apartment dwellers, frequent movers, or users seeking flexibility to repurpose spaces, the Freestyle+ offers practical entertainment delivery without installation complexity.
The previous-generation Freestyle established this product category; the Freestyle+ evolution demonstrates market validation and manufacturer commitment to refining the category rather than abandoning it.
Availability and Timeline
Samsung will showcase the Freestyle+ at CES 2026, taking place January 6-9 in Las Vegas, serving as the global launch platform. A phased rollout across global markets is planned for the first half of 2026, with specific regional availability to be announced at the trade show.
Pricing remains undisclosed; market observers anticipate a pricing position consistent with or moderately above the previous generation's approximately $800 launch price point, pending official announcement.
The Freestyle+ announcement positions Samsung to further establish its pioneering role in the portable projector category while addressing historical product limitations through incremental but meaningful technological advancement.
The combination of substantially improved brightness, automated surface optimization through artificial intelligence, and integrated entertainment services reflects engineering prioritization toward practical everyday use over marginal specification gains.
