Samsung has announced the latest version of its small, cylindrical projector at CES 2026, now called The Freestyle Plus, where the "Plus" is the addition of current buzzword: AI. In this case, most of the device's AI features are actually fairly standard fare for projectors in 2026, including automatic keystone correction, automatic screen fit, and some less-common tricks which are manual in other projectors.

Like previous Freestyles, the Plus has a gimbaled base that lets you easily aim it in a variety of directions to project on most surfaces. The speaker emits audio in 360-degrees so the angle of the projector has minimal effect on the sound. 

A 'suite' of AI features

As Samsung describes it, "the Freestyle Plus builds on the distinctive design of the original version of The Freestyle, while introducing smarter AI capabilities…". These AI capabilities are part of a "suite" of features that together are called AI OptiScreen. This includes the aforementioned automatic keystone and screen fit, both of which are fairly common among portable projectors. 

Meanwhile. a real-time focus feature is less common. Typically, projectors with autofocus verify the said focus when you first turn them on or when they detect movement. I'm not sure what the benefit of ongoing focus adjustments is, or what AI has to do with it. The last feature is Wall Calibration, which adjusts the image based on the color of the wall the Freestyle Plus is projecting on. This is also fairly common among portable projectors, but is usually a feature you set or activate manually.

Watch this: Samsung's 'The First Look' Highlights at CES 2026

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The Plus also has Vision AI Companion which, according to Samsung, results in more natural interactions: "Vision AI Companion delivers a more natural and conversational experience that understands context and offers follow-up questions, enabling more fluid interactions that feel like a real conversation -- no commands, no menus, no typing." 

I wouldn't say that an AI companion is necessary in a projector, but what is necessary is a Samsung account to access any streaming features in the Freestyle Plus. Otherwise you can't install apps and only the single HDMI connection will work.

I reviewed the first-gen Freestyle in 2022 and found it underwhelming for the price. The biggest issue was the brightness, rated at a fairly mediocre 550 lumens and 197 as measured. The Freestyle Plus doesn't seem like it will be improving that, as it's rated at 430 lumens. However, these are ISO lumens so it's possible/likely that it won't be any dimmer. Samsung says this is twice as bright as the most-recent generation, which I didn't review, that was rated at 230 ANSI lumens. Regardless of the actual numbers, this is a small projector that's not very bright. That'd be fine if the Freestyle wasn't pitched as a higher-end display. 

The Freestyle plus will be available globally in the first half of the year. No pricing yet, but the original Freestyle was $900. The second-gen model is currently priced at $800, so expect the price to land somewhere around there. Alternately, check out the TCL PlayCube which is brighter than the previous Freestyles and has a built-in battery.