Samsung’s Freestyle+ adds AI power to portable screens

Samsung has officially announced The Freestyle+, the company's new AI-powered portable projector ahead of CES 2026 in Las Vegas (6-9 January). Whilst it looks familiar at first glance, the Freestyle+ represents something more significant than just an incremental hardware update. The device builds on the playful, flexible design of the original Freestyle, but adds a layer of intelligence that reflects where consumer displays are heading: adaptive, AI-driven, and increasingly untethered from fixed spaces. This is a clear example of how AI is reshaping consumer displays, making them more adaptive, more personal, and far less dependent on fixed spaces.

AI that removes friction from everyday viewing

Right at the core of the Freestyle+ is AI OptiScreen, Samsung’s intelligent screen optimisation system designed around a “point to play” philosophy. Instead of asking users to adapt their environment to the projector, the projector adapts itself to the environment.

Using AI-driven features such as 3D Audio Keystone, real-time focus, screen fit, and wall calibration, the Freestyle+ continuously corrects distortion, adjusts clarity, and compensates for surface colour or texture. This matters because it turns projection from a technical task into a casual, everyday activity, something you can move from room to room without planning ahead.

Samsung’s broader Vision AI Companion platform further reinforces this shift. By combining an enhanced Bixby with AI services from global partners, the Freestyle+ moves toward conversational, personalised interaction with on-screen content, part of a wider trend where screens increasingly behave like intelligent companions rather than passive displays.

Portability without compromise

Portability has always been Freestyle’s defining feature, and the Freestyle+ doubles down on that identity. The compact cylindrical design is paired with a 180-degree rotating body, enabling projection on walls, ceilings, or floors without mounts or accessories.

Brightness has also been meaningfully improved. At 430 ISO Lumens, nearly twice that of the previous generation, the Freestyle+ is better suited for real-world lighting conditions, an important step if portable projectors are to move beyond niche use and into everyday smart living.

A standalone entertainment hub

Samsung is positioning the Freestyle+ as a self-contained entertainment platform. Built-in access to Samsung TV Plus, certified OTT services, and Samsung Gaming Hub eliminates the need for external streaming devices or consoles.

Audio is handled by an integrated 360-degree speaker, tuned to deliver room-filling sound from a compact form factor. For users already in Samsung’s ecosystem, Q-Symphony enables synchronised audio with compatible Samsung soundbars, reinforcing the company’s strategy of ecosystem lock-in through experience rather than hardware alone.

“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 optimises both the viewing environment and the content itself, The Freestyle+ makes it easier to enjoy a consistent, high-quality experience wherever you are.” - Hun Lee, Executive Vice President of the Visual Display Business at Samsung Electronics.

The bigger promise: screens that follow you

The Freestyle+ is all about the broader promise of screens that move with us. As homes become smarter and more flexible, workspaces more hybrid, and entertainment more fluid, fixed displays start to feel increasingly outdated.

Samsung’s message with the Freestyle+ is clear. The future of home entertainment is AI-driven adaptability, where displays understand their environment, their users, and the moment in which they are being used.

Samsung will showcase the Freestyle+ at CES 2026 next week, 6-9 January in Las Vegas, with a phased global rollout planned for the first half of the year. If this device is any indication, portable projectors may soon stop being "portable alternatives” and start becoming the default way many people experience content.