CES 2026 NEWS – Portable projectors have always demanded too much compromise. You get the convenience of throwing a screen anywhere, but you pay for it with fussy keystone correction, washed-out brightness, and the kind of setup ritual that kills the spontaneity these devices promise. Samsung’s original Freestyle was fun but flawed, and three years later the category still hasn’t figured out how to make point-and-play actually work.
So the real question is: can AI-powered automatic adjustment finally make portable projection as effortless as it should be?
The timing couldn’t be more deliberate. Samsung’s unveiling the Freestyle+ just days before CES 2026, positioning it against a wave of compact projectors that are all chasing the same casual-viewing market. The difference this time is that Samsung isn’t just bumping specs. They’re betting that smarter software can solve the friction that hardware alone never could.
Add The Gadgeteer as a preferred source to see more of our coverage on Google.
What Actually Changed
The headline upgrade is AI OptiScreen, Samsung’s bundled suite of automatic adjustments that handles keystone correction, focus, sizing, and color compensation without manual input. Point the Freestyle+ at a wall, a ceiling, or even a corner, and the system figures out how to square the image. 3D Auto Keystone corrects geometry on non-flat surfaces, while real-time autofocus keeps things sharp if you bump the projector or shift its position mid-movie.
Wall Calibration is the clever addition here. The system analyzes the color and pattern of whatever surface you’re projecting onto and compensates so your content doesn’t inherit a yellow tint from that accent wall in your Airbnb. It’s the kind of feature that sounds minor until you’ve tried watching a film on beige paint.
Brightness jumps to 430 ISO lumens, which Samsung claims is nearly double the previous generation. The asterisk: the original Freestyle was marketed at 550 LED lumens, which measures differently and tends to inflate numbers. Still, reviewers note the Freestyle+ looks noticeably punchier in dim rooms, even if it won’t compete with dedicated home theater hardware in daylight.
The compact cylindrical body and 180-degree rotating stand carry over unchanged, so you can angle the projection onto walls, floors, or ceilings without extra mounts. Resolution stays at 1080p with a built-in 360-degree speaker, and Q-Symphony support lets it sync with compatible Samsung soundbars for fuller audio.
Samsung’s Smart TV platform runs the show, with streaming apps baked in alongside Samsung Gaming Hub for cloud gaming. Vision AI Companion layers conversational Bixby controls on top, letting you navigate with voice commands that feel slightly more natural than the usual keyword triggers.
Who Should Skip This
If you’re building a dedicated home theater setup with controlled lighting and a proper screen, the Freestyle+ isn’t trying to replace your ceiling-mounted projector. The brightness gains are real but still modest by enthusiast standards, and 1080p resolution feels like a holdover when 4K portables exist at similar price points.
If you already own the original Freestyle and mostly use it in dark rooms, the upgrade path is harder to justify. The AI features are genuinely useful, but they solve problems that careful positioning can also fix. You’re paying for convenience, not a fundamentally different viewing experience.
And if you need a projector for bright environments like backyard daytime screenings or sunlit conference rooms, even the boosted lumens won’t cut through. This is still a dim-room device dressed up in travel-friendly packaging.
Who This Is For
The Freestyle+ makes the most sense for people who want projection without the ritual. If you’re the type who throws a movie on the bedroom ceiling, sets up impromptu screenings at friends’ apartments, or travels with gear that needs to work in unfamiliar spaces, the AI optimization suite removes the friction that makes portable projectors annoying. Samsung hasn’t announced pricing yet, but expect it to land around the $800 mark when global rollout begins in the first half of 2026. For casual, spontaneous viewing, the Freestyle+ is finally delivering on what portable projectors always promised but rarely achieved. For anything more demanding, look elsewhere.
📡 CES 2026 Coverage
Want more from the show floor?
We’re covering the biggest announcements, wildest concepts, and gear that actually matters from CES 2026.
BELECO Fabric News Broadcast Backdrop - 5x3ft TV Breaking News Room Broadcasting Background - Journalist Portrait Photo Props
$9.88 (as of January 4, 2026 17:10 GMT -06:00 - More infoProduct prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.)
