Samsung's The Frame smart TV isn't worth it

Summary

The Frame comes with a high price tag due to design elements and branding.
Some new smart TVs also offer slim builds and ambient or art modes.
Inferior contrast and a limited viewing angle aren’t ideal for enjoying content.

Samsung set off a lifestyle TV arms race when it first introduced The Frame. A smart TV designed to look great on the wall and effectively display works of art, it spawned countless other unique and gimmicky TVs as well as several copycats. Years later, The Frame and its ilk are still popular, with Samsung releasing an updated version this year and TCL looking to do the same.

For all the excitement though, I just don’t think it’s worth it for most consumers. Here’s why you should avoid investing in The Frame and its similar models.

Samsung FRAME QLED LS03 Series

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The Frame is an expensive smart TV

Value is a concern for the investment

To start, The Frame comes with a high price tag because of the technology required to display art as well as branding. I imagine more of the price has to do with the latter. It’s a well-known TV that comes with a certain air of sophistication or trendiness that some consumers may want to show off, and Samsung knows this. You’re also required to pay for a subscription to the Samsung Art Store in order to gain access to its impressive library of paintings. While it comes to $8 per month, that number can start to get pretty large when you consider any other entertainment service you’re paying for.

The money can be spent on a better TV. As of this writing, you can buy a 65-inch model directly from Samsung for $1,300, on sale from its $2,000 retail price. On Amazon, you can get the same-sized OLED TV by Samsung for $1,400. The price increases dramatically as you look at bigger sizes as well. There is better value to be had elsewhere.

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Other TVs have similar designs

Find a smart TV with the same style

It’s not just The Frame. Most new smart TVs are now designed to be mounted on the wall. They are built with slim frames and thin bezels so that they look great and sit flush on the wall instead of being placed on a TV stand. Some models don’t even come with stands anymore, further emphasizing the push for mounting.

While you won’t get the actual frame part of The Frame when you buy a regular smart TV, you’ll still be getting something that feels more like home decor than a bulky piece of electronics. Any wall-mounted TV will be less intrusive in a home, and allow you to better curate your setup with more room. You can also seek out transparent cables or opt for creative ways to hide cords hanging from the back of the TV, just like The Frame.

Color accuracy and range are impressive, but if you tend to watch content that is shot in a particularly cinematic style, especially newer series like Shogun or The Penguin, you might find you can’t see all the details during darker scenes.

What sets The Frame apart from other TVs is its matte screen, crafted so that the TV can hold up in bright rooms. This component isn’t needed if you’re watching TV in a dimly-lit room, or at least one where you can better control natural light. Consider the features you really desire with The Frame and see if some are available on other models.

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Other TVs have similar features

Plenty of smart TVs look good in the background

You don’t exactly need to invest in The Frame to get a TV that has some of the same features offered within. There are some smart TVs, including other options from Samsung, that offer an Ambient Mode or Art Mode. These modes typically lower the brightness and enhance color saturation so that you have something unique displayed on the TV that fits into the background. Typically, you’ll have options to display scenic or calming images or videos of nature, as well as patterns and geometrics designs.

Such options may not be available on every TV, but you may find similar modes on certain streaming services or apps as well. You can also use your TV’s USB port to plug in a hard drive loaded with photos and videos to display on the screen as well.

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The Frame isn’t ideal for film enthusiasts

Mixed results for mixed media usage

The Frame offers a quality experience for some forms of entertainment, but not all. While it features an array of worthy gaming features, including VRR and ALLM backed by HDMI 2.1, it only comes with one such port, which can limit versatility. Its high refresh rate allows for a seamless gaming experience, which is also conducive to watching live sports, but it can struggle when it comes to showing off prestige TV shows or cinematic blockbusters.

The screen struggles with contrast as well as peak brightness, which can mean some titles may not appear as good as they can be. Color accuracy and range are impressive, but if you tend to watch content that is shot in a particularly cinematic style, especially newer series like Shogun or The Penguin, you might find you can’t see all the details during darker scenes. And a lot of shows and movies have a lot of darker scenes. This is a result of the QLED screen; an OLED model is ideal for achieving true black and perfect contrast.

The Frame does feature Filmmaker Mode, an automatic setting that removes a lot of extra processing in order to more faithfully showcase specific titles. It’s a plus for movie fans, but there are better TVs available if you want to enjoy such titles to their fullest.

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Limited viewing and questionable additions

The focus on art creates new problems

One of the drawbacks to The Frame in particular and similar LED TVs in general is that they look the best when starring at them straight on. They are ideal for one or two people watching directly across from the center of the screen, but they struggle with preserving visual integrity at wider angles. They simply aren’t great at catering to a large crowd.

The other issue that might be of concern is the built-in sensors. The Frame has a motion sensor and brightness sensor, both of which are in the service of art mode. It will turn on and off depending on whether anyone is in the room, and the display will adjust based on the ambient light in the room. There are a lot of ways TVs collect data and information about you, and you get to decide where the line is drawn, but motion sensors seem a bit too far for me.

The Frame is a good TV, and its emphasis on style and art is welcome in the TV industry. However, for most viewers who actually want to watch TV, there is better value to be had with other TV that boast more versatile and useful features.