The Samsung The Freestyle+ is a 1080p LED projector that utilizes DLP imaging technology and is the successor to the Samsung The Freestyle 2nd Gen. It has a small and lightweight design that makes it very portable. It features a one-axis gimbal that lets you adjust it vertically, and its wide array of screen adaptation features, like autofocus, auto-keystone, and obstacle avoidance, makes it easy to set up quickly. Like most portable projectors, it doesn't have an optical zoom or lens shift, so you must align the projector to the center of your screen to enjoy the best image quality and physically move it to adjust the size of the image. It's limited to a 60Hz refresh rate and doesn't support advanced gaming features like VRR. Its built-in Tizen OS gives you access to a large catalog of streaming apps, and it's also cast-capable. It projects an image anywhere from 30 to 100 inches.
Our Verdict
The Samsung Freestyle Plus is bad for home theaters. Its poor contrast makes dark scenes look washed out, while bright scenes lack depth. It also doesn't remove judder from any sources, so motion can look choppy. Its color volume is mediocre, meaning most colors lack some vibrancy, although the image doesn't look overly dull. On the plus side, its out-of-the-box color accuracy is very good, so it stays close to the content creator's intent. Unfortunately, the noticeable rainbow effect can be distracting for those who are sensitive to RBE. Its poor brightness is another downside, since the image looks dim even in a pitch-black room. Fortunately, the fan is very quiet, so it isn't distracting during quieter scenes.
Very good out-of-the-box color accuracy.
Quiet fan.
Poor contrast leads to a washed-out and flat-looking image.
The image looks dim, even in dark rooms.
Doesn't remove judder from any source.
Noticeable rainbow effect.
The Samsung Freestyle Plus is a poor choice for use outdoors. It's a very dim projector, so it's only really suitable for dark backyards at night. Even then, the image looks a bit dim. Fortunately, its lightweight and small design makes it easy to carry around, but you need access to a power outlet or power bank since it doesn't have a built-in battery. It has a one-axis gimbal that allows you to adjust the image vertically, but you do need to center the projector to the surface you're projecting onto to get the best image quality, since it doesn't support lens shift or optical zoom. Fortunately, its wide selection of screen adaptation tools, such as autofocus, auto-keystone, and obstacle avoidance, help to make setup fairly easy.
Small and lightweight design makes it easy to carry around.
Fairly easy to set up thanks to auto keystone, autofocus, and obstacle avoidance.
The image looks dim, even in dark rooms.
No mounting holes, lens shift, or optical zoom
Doesn't have a built-in battery.
The Samsung Freestyle Plus is good for a bedroom. Its small and lightweight design makes it easy to bring into your bedroom, and its wide selection of screen adaptation features like obstacle avoidance, keystone correction, and autofocus make setup a pretty easy process. It also has a quiet fan that's not distracting when you're watching movies or shows at a low volume level. Unfortunately, it doesn't have an optical zoom lens or lens shift, so the projector needs to be centered with your screen or wall to enjoy the best image quality. Finally, the one-axis gimbal allows you to project an image onto your ceiling.
Small and lightweight design makes it easy to carry around.
Quiet fan.
Fairly easy to set up thanks to auto keystone, autofocus, and obstacle avoidance.
No mounting holes, lens shift, or optical zoom
Doesn't have a built-in battery.
The Samsung Freestyle Plus is bad for gaming. It only supports 1080p @ 60Hz, so you can't take advantage of the higher frame rates offered by modern consoles. It also doesn't support VRR to reduce screen tearing, and its high input lag means you feel a delay between the inputs on your controller and the action on screen. At least it uses DLP technology, so the amount of motion blur in fast-paced games isn't excessive. Unfortunately, the projector's combination of poor brightness and contrast means games look dim and flat. Colors don't look very vibrant, but the image is just colorful enough that it doesn't look too dull.
Very good out-of-the-box color accuracy.
No excessive motion blur thanks to its DLP imaging technology.
Poor contrast leads to a washed-out and flat-looking image.
The image looks dim, even in dark rooms.
Limited to 1080p @ 60Hz.
Very noticeable input latency.
The Samsung Freestyle has poor brightness. It's too dim to handle glare in a room with ambient lighting, so it's really only suitable for pitch black rooms. Even then, some viewers will find that the image looks dim. Brightness is mostly uniform across the screen, but the bottom corners are a bit dimmer than the rest of the image.
Brightness is mostly uniform across the screen.
The image looks dim, even in dark rooms.
The Samsung Freestyle has poor contrast. Dark scenes look washed out, and since the contrast ratio significantly decreases as scenes become brighter, well-lit scenes lack depth and look flat.
Poor contrast leads to a washed-out and flat-looking image.
The Samsung Freestyle has great portability, mainly because it's lightweight and easy to carry around. It has a one-axis gimbal that makes it easy to adjust vertically, and it comes with screen adaptation features like autofocus, obstacle avoidance, and keystone correction, so setting it up is pretty quick. However, the image looks soft when the projector is off-center from the screen because it lacks optical zoom and lens shift. You also need access to a power outlet or power bank since it lacks a built-in battery.
Small and lightweight design makes it easy to carry around.
Fairly easy to set up thanks to auto keystone, autofocus, and obstacle avoidance.
No mounting holes, lens shift, or optical zoom
Doesn't have a built-in battery.
The Samsung Freestyle has decent colors. Its color volume is mediocre, and most colors in movies, shows, and games look fairly vibrant, but dark colors do lack saturation. Fortunately, its out-of-the-box color accuracy is very good. Whites look cooler than they should, and most colors are oversaturated, but most people will be satisfied with how closely it follows the content creator's intent.
Very good out-of-the-box color accuracy.
Doesn't properly display dark colors.
The Samsung Freestyle has bad responsiveness in its dedicated gaming mode. Its input lag is high, so you feel a delay between the inputs on your controller and the action on screen. This really only makes it suitable for slower-paced games. It's also limited to 1080p @ 60Hz and doesn't support VRR to help reduce screen tearing, so it doesn't take advantage of the features offered by the Series X|S, PS5, or Switch 2. Fortunately, its DLP imaging technology means the amount of motion blur isn't excessive.
No excessive motion blur thanks to its DLP imaging technology.
Limited to 1080p @ 60Hz.
Very noticeable input latency.
Performance Usages
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We bought and tested the Samsung The Freestyle+, which is only available in one color: White. There are no variants of this projector, but it is the successor to the second-generation model that shares a similar name.
| Model | Screen Adaptation Features | Mounting Holes |
|---|---|---|
| Freestyle+ | Autofocus, Auto-Keystone, Post-Movement Correction, Obstacle Avoidance, Auto Screen Fit | No |
| Freestyle 2nd Gen | Autofocus, Auto-Keystone, Post-Movement Correction | Yes (proprietary mount) |
Our unit was manufactured in China in April 2026.
Popular Projector Comparisons
The Samsung The Freestyle+ is a portable projector that's very easy to carry around thanks to its small and lightweight design. It has Samsung's Tizen OS built in, and its wide selection of screen adaptation tools makes it pretty easy to set up quickly. Unfortunately, aside from the addition of obstacle avoidance and auto screen fit, it doesn't offer many noticeable upgrades over its predecessor, the Samsung The Freestyle 2nd Gen. It's also quite expensive for what it offers, and you can get superior contrast, brightness, and color volume from cheaper portable projectors like the XGIMI Elfin Flip Laser and the XGIMI Elfin Flip 4K. If you like the design of the Freestyle+ and just want something cheap that gets the job done, you can get the XGIMI Vibe One for a fraction of the cost, so the Freestyle+ is a very hard projector to recommend to almost anyone.
For more options, check out our recommendations for the best projectors under $1,000, the best outdoor projectors, and the best portable projectors.
The Samsung The Freestyle+ is a bit better than the Samsung The Freestyle 2nd Gen. The Freestyle+ has auto screen fit and obstacle avoidance, so it's a bit easier to set up quickly. The Freestyle+ is also a bit brighter and has better contrast, which leads to slightly deeper blacks, but the difference is hard to notice in most real content. Outside of that, the two projectors are almost identical, so go with whichever one you can get cheaper.
The XGIMI Vibe One and the Samsung The Freestyle+ are similar overall, but they each have their own strengths. The XGIMI displays much deeper blacks in all scenes thanks to its superior contrast ratio. On the other hand, the Samsung is a bit brighter and displays significantly more accurate and vibrant colors. The XGIMI has a built-in battery, while the Samsung needs to be plugged in, making the XGIMI a bit more portable and better for outdoor use. Neither projector is very good for gaming, but the XGIMI does offer lower input lag.
The XGIMI Elfin Flip 4K is superior to the Samsung The Freestyle+ in almost every way. The XGIMI offers significantly lower input lag, supports VRR, and offers 1080p @ 120Hz, so it's the much better option for gaming. The XGIMI's image quality is also a massive step up, since it's a lot brighter, has much deeper blacks, and offers better color vibrancy. The XGIMI also has a motorized zoom lens, which allows you to adjust the size of the image without physically moving it, and it has a lower minimum throw ratio, so you can place it closer to your screen.
The XGIMI Elfin Flip Laser is significantly better than the Samsung The Freestyle+. The XGIMI is a lot brighter, displays much deeper blacks, and it displays colors that are a lot more vibrant, so it provides a significant step up in overall image quality.
We've independently bought and tested over 80 projectors and published detailed results for each, so you can decide which one to buy. These have all been tested under the same standardized methodology, allowing you to compare them side by side. We still have all these projects in our lab, so we can continually go back and compare them to ensure our reviews are still accurate. All our test methodologies are also public on our website, so you can validate the results yourself.
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