Samsung FRAME TV Review (2020)
Today we’re taking a look at Samsung’s The Frame, a QLED TV that becomes an art piece when it’s turned off. The Frame features an interchangeable art style bezel, a mount to get your TV flush to the wall, and the One Invisible Connection cable that eliminates the need to run all of your devices back to your TV.
In the box you’ll find the TV, the no gap wall mount, the One Connect Box, as well as your box of accessories including the remote, manuals, and the One Invisible Connection Cable.
This cable allows you to turn this sad TV into this happy TV — with only a single wire doing all the work. Samsung managed to create a single fiber optic cable that can transmit all of your video, audio, and power.
Keep in mind that fiber optic cables can break if they are bent too sharp, and this one will cost you $300 to replace, so be careful if you’re in charge of set-up.
Installation and Setup
Installing The Frame in this invisible style is not the easiest thing to do, depending on your situation. For us, we wanted to set it up over this fireplace, with no indication of any cables.
We had to drill a 1in diameter hole through wooden wall panels, perform an endoscopy on our house, and find the right path to fish our one connection. Keep in mind that we are comfortable with DIY projects and had all of these tools on hand — So if you are worried about your installation process, we recommend paying a little extra for a professional to come help.
The invisible connection hooks into the One Connect Box, essentially the main brain of the TV, that houses 4 HDMI inputs, in addition to your usual outs and ins. Having the connect box separate from the actual TV is what really sets The Frame apart from others.
If your setup allows for it and you’re able fish your invisible cable through the wall, you can achieve a classy and minimalist design for your entertainment space. In case you ever wanted to confuse your guests about what’s art and what’s not — now you can! (This one is the TV by the way).
Features and Functionality
And that’s the whole point! It’s not meant to sit on your TV stand covered in fancy LED lights as the centerpiece of the room. Instead — this TV quietly and cleanly stays up on your wall until it’s needed.
The Frame has built in motion detectors that will turn your TV to art mode when you enter the room — displaying your favorite classic artworks or any image that you want to preload into it. You can choose from a variety of pieces as a free option, but of course you also have access to an entire library with an additional membership fee.
Keep in mind that Art Mode uses about 30% of the power it would take to stream a movie or show. If you press and hold the power button on your remote, the TV will turn all the way off.
Art mode automatically detects the ambient light in the room and adjusts accordingly, but you do have the option to adjust the white balance and the brightness to your liking. You can also add a customizable digital matte bezel to the piece being displayed — while the actual bezel of the TV is also interchangeable. Samsung offers a variety of options that you can choose from starting at $99, depending on the size of your TV.
Picture Quality and Specs
Now despite the fact that The Frame makes a good art and conversation piece, it is — for the most part — still a TV — so let’s take a look at the actual functionality!
The Frame runs on Samsung’s Tizen OS — which will run you through your usual streaming apps that can be organized to your liking.
In terms of picture quality — This is a 4K TV, but it is labeled as a QLED TV, which can get confusing. QLED is Samsung’s improved LCD technology that still backlights each pixel on your TV, but now with Quantum-dot Light Emitting Diodes. Simply put — although this is improved LCD tech from Samsung, you won’t get as clean and crisp of an image compared to an OLED TV — like the LG CX we reviewed last month — but the image quality is still VERY good for everyday use.
Gamers will also be happy to hear that The Frame does include VRR Freesync and HDMI 2.1 — and models at 55inches and larger also display at a frequency of 120Hz — making this a viable option for next gen consoles.
The built in sound is also good enough for most regular users, with great bass and dynamic range that may not need additional speakers. Though, one of the HDMI inputs does include eARC technology to send higher-quality audio to your soundbar or receiver if you need to.
Overall. Is this TV for everyone? No definitely not. You may need a certain style in your home to make it worth the purchase. This isn’t just a TV and should also be considered as part of the decor. If it makes sense with your entertainment set-up, then the Samsung Frame is not only a great choice for entertainment, but will also freshen up and declutter your space.
That’s it for now — for even better picture quality, be sure to check out our review of the LG CX OLED TV.
