The new Samsung Freestyle projector is twice as bright
2-1-2026
Translation: machine translated
Samsung has improved the compact projector in one key area: the Freestyle+ projects an image that is twice as bright as its two predecessors. The software automatically adapts the image to sloping walls or uneven surfaces.
The new Freestyle+ is twice as bright as its predecessor, writes Samsung in a press release ahead of the CES tech trade fair in Las Vegas, which starts on 6 January.
A look at the specifications makes me wonder. The manufacturer specifies 430 ISO lumens as the brightness value. For the first and second generation of the device, Samsung writes 550 lumens. More lumens means more brightness, so something is wrong.
The confusion about projector brightness
The measuring methods are to blame for this confusion. Manufacturers often advertise with their own measurements, which are not comparable with each other. The 550 lumens are therefore a value collected by Samsung that cannot be compared with other projectors.
There has therefore been a standardised method for some time, which is given as ANSI lumens. It is based on a measurement method from the «American National Standards Institute». Now in stock, you will also find this information for projectors - as far as the manufacturers collect it. For the old Freestyle projector it would be 230 ANSI lumens.
As an alternative, the Geneva-based «International Organisation for Standardisation» offers a measurement method that is very similar, but is somewhat stricter thanks to more precise equipment. According to experts, ISO lumens are around 12 per cent lower than ANSI lumens.
With this conversion, we arrive at around 205 ISO lumens for the first and second generation of the portable projector. The third generation should actually be twice as bright with 430 ISO lumens. Why Samsung is now switching to ISO lumens, and what was measured before, remains an open question.
More importantly, Samsung is addressing the Freestyle's biggest weakness with the higher lumen figure. The predecessors were only usable in darkened rooms. A test will have to show how much this has now changed.
Source: Samsung
AI for automatic image adjustment
The rest of the hardware, design and operation remain the same. The software, on the other hand, has been upgraded to «AI OptiScreen». It is intended to further simplify image adjustment.
The Freestyle is primarily aimed at users who want to watch videos or films quickly and easily anywhere. No screen, no sophisticated setup, just in a friend's hobby room, on the kitchen wall at home or on the ceiling in a hotel room.
The better the projector can adapt to unevenness, sloping angles and surfaces of different sizes, the easier it is to operate. The AI is designed to simplify this and minimise the need for manual adjustments. Simply switch it on - and Freestyle automatically optimises the image according to the conditions. A test must also show how far this ideal image is achieved. You also need to bear in mind that such automatic corrections always reduce the usable resolution and may result in poorer image quality.
Samsung plans to launch the Freestyle+ on the market in the first half of the year. The exact prices are still unknown. The predecessor cost around 800 to 1000 francs at launch, but is now available for significantly less money.
Header image: Samsung
Lorenz Keller
Senior Editor
Lorenz.Keller@digitecgalaxus.chGadgets are my passion - whether you need them for the home office, for the household, for sport and pleasure or for the smart home. Or, of course, for the big hobby next to the family, namely fishing.
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