Samsung
The Frame QLED 4K 2024
About the product
A living art piece and a 4K TV — all in one
Perhaps the most unique TV on the market, Samsung’s The Frame TV, is what the brand refers to as a “lifestyle screen.” When the TV is on, it serves as a modern 4K TV, but when it’s off, it can be used as an art piece that blends into your living space. With some upgraded features for 2024, like Pantone Art Validated Colors, which Samsung claims makes each on-screen work of art more closely resemble the real thing, The Frame is a one-of-a-kind product.
To see if it could live up to the hype, the BestReviews Testing Lab tested its art features as well as all its many 4K smart TV capabilities. We found that The Frame is a fine TV for casual use and would make a great centerpiece of any room, thanks to its impressive on-screen art gallery, but serious gamers and those wanting a superior home-theater experience may want to consider looking elsewhere.
What is The Frame?
Product specifications
Size: 32” to 98” | Refresh Rate: 120 Hz | Resolution: 4K | Connectivity: 4 HDMI (1 eARC), Ethernet, Wi-Fi, USB, Optical Audio
Samsung’s The Frame TV, which was first released in 2017, is a unique TV that seamlessly combines functionality with aesthetics. Unlike traditional TVs that often remain as unattractive black screens when not in use, The Frame transforms into a piece of art, blending into your living space harmoniously. When turned off, its matte screen displays customizable artwork, photographs or even personal snapshots, effectively camouflaging itself as a framed painting or picture on your wall.
However, when not used as an ever-changing art piece, The Frame serves as a modern 4K smart TV, with all the offerings you’ve come to expect from Samsung’s 4K TVs. While we thought this latest version of The Frame was slightly lacking compared to other high-end TVs when we tested it, it still performed admirably.
Price and where to buy
The Frame, which ranges in size from 43 to 75 inches, starts at $999 and can be purchased from Best Buy.
Why we like it
A living art piece
The Frame can act as a living art piece when not in use as a traditional TV. Samsung’s The Art Store offers more than 2,500 artworks from world-renowned museums and galleries.
Matte screen
The Frame boasts a beautiful matte display, which drastically reduces light reflections so you can clearly see what’s on the screen.
Energy efficiency
For buyers looking to cut down on electricity usage, The Frame uses a new dynamic refresh rate when enabled with Art Mode, saving energy.
What we don’t like
Lacking 4K screen
For a TV at this price range, it doesn’t perform as well as a daily-driver TV should — it works more as a display or art piece. During testing, we found The Frame lacked the extra oomph we expect from high-end 4K TVs.
Sharpness
While testing, we felt the sharpness was lacking. The finer details appeared muted, and overall it lacked the pop we would expect from 4K TVs in this price range.
An in-home art installation
When you’re not watching TV, The Frame goes into Art Mode, where you can display art you’ve subscribed to or purchased from the Samsung Art Store, which currently offers everything from masterpieces from the Louvre Museum to works by contemporary artists. You can also upload and display your own personal photos and artwork collection.
For 2024, The Frame comes with enhancements over the 2022 version, including Pantone Art Validated Colors, which makes the colors look more accurate and true to the artist’s original. Also new for 2024 is Samsung’s art streaming feature, which gives viewers a sampling of the Samsung Art Store’s collection — providing subscribers with 20 free hand-selected artworks each month.
Customize the look
The Frame has a truly unique design with its matte display and customized bezels that seamlessly blend into your living environment. The Frame comes equipped with a slim-fit wall mount that’s easy to install and adjust. The Frame also includes a One Invisible Connection, which hides unsightly wires. It can be connected to a singular cable and accompanying One Connect Box.
The Frame comes with an interchangeable magnetic bezel so you can match picture frames in your living space. Several options are sold separately from Samsung, so you could have a few on hand to fit your style or mood. We thought the bezels were very easy to install—just snap them on.
Brightness and motion sensors plus energy savings
While testing, we were impressed with The Frame’s built-in Brightness and Motion Sensors, which can detect viewers who are nearby to automatically turn the screen on and display artwork. This further adds to the personal art gallery feeling of The Frame
The Frame also comes with a Sleep After setting, allowing you to program the TV to switch off and save energy when motion isn’t detected in the room after a given time.
Dynamic refresh rate
New for 2024, The Frame features a dynamic refresh rate. While operating in Art Mode, the 55-inch-and-up models of The Frame can automatically reduce the refresh rate to 60 Hz. This saves energy while still displaying stunning works of art for you to enjoy all day long.
How does it compare to other 4K TVs we’ve tested?
The art features of The Frame are simply not found elsewhere in the 4K TV space. We were very impressed by the technology and the way The Frame can seamlessly blend into any environment. It’s also a great option for those who want quality artwork in their home without the trouble of procuring fine art. However, the conventional TV features are lacking compared to other 4K models. While the display certainly isn’t bad, we don’t think it matches dedicated OLED and QLED screens.
Testing The Frame
While testing The Frame, we viewed the TV from several different angles to get a sense of picture quality, including brightness, color accuracy, viewing angle, anti-glare and sharpness. We also used the TV in various formats to get an idea of the user interface.
To test gaming performance, we used a PS5 at max settings to see how it handled next-gen graphics, input lag and VRR. We tested games in various game modes that the The Frame offers.
We also tried installing different magnetic bezels to The Frame to gauge the ease of installation.
Should you get The Frame?
If you’re only a casual TV watcher and want your TV to fit in with your decor, The Frame is a wonderful solution. Its art features are unique and its low-profile, customizable design is ideal for buyers looking to avoid distraction.
While the quality of this display will be good enough for most people, those looking for a home-theater stalwart should look elsewhere. For the price, you can find a better-performing TV if you’re aiming to max out your next-gen console or get the most out of 4K streaming content.
But again, if dressing up your office, living room or kitchen with, say, a beautiful Van Gogh painting sounds appealing, The Frame is worth checking out.