Samsung adds much needed brightness to its Freestyle projector

The Freestyle Plus all-in-one portable projector features 430 ISO lumens, or “nearly twice the brightness of the previous generation,” according to Samsung. Great! But also a little strange since both the original and second generation Freestyle projectors listed “550 lumens” on their respective spec sheets.

See, projector makers are notorious for playing fast and loose with the lumen spec. So much so that Epson has been on a legal rampage over the last few years. As a result, companies like Anker, Yaber, AAXA, Xgimi, AWOL vision… even Dr. J have all been forced to restate brightness measurements in industry standard ISO lumens. That’s good because having a consistent lumen spec makes it easier to predict how the projected image will hold up to ambient light that wants to wash out the viewing experience.

The Freestyle Plus still looks and acts very much like the original 1080p Freestyle projector that launched in 2022, maintaining its rotating barrel design, integrated speaker, and ability to stream your favorite services over Wi-Fi. Now it comes with all the automatic adaptation features common to modern portables, including keystone correction, focus, screen fit, and an ability to calibrate the image based upon the color and patterns of walls and ceilings. It still lacks a battery, however, although it can be paired with some power banks to maximize portability.

Samsung isn’t providing any detailed specs, a preorder date, or even pricing ahead of the big CES show. We found the original to be severely overpriced at $899, and that was in a pre-Trump-tariff world.