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Verbena Reynoso
If you have ever seen photos on Instagram where the person's TV looks like framed art, it's almost definitely a Samsung Frame TV. After seeing them all over the place, we finally purchased one for our family room and we had very high expectations. Now that we've had our first Samsung Frame TV for well over 3 years and our newest one for over 4 months, I wanted to share my unbiased review of this TV that looks like framed art with you.
We purchased our first Samsung Frame TV in 2021 and have loved it so we purchased our second Frame TV in November of 2023 to hang in another highly visible spot in our home. You can see the exact models we own below.
The Samsung Frame TV is a QLED HDR Smart TV (4K), so you can use it to stream from Netflix or any of your other favorite streaming services. The Samsung Frame TV is also equipped with Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, so you can use voice control features if you want to.
It uses a brightness sensor to detect when external lighting conditions change and responds by automatically adjusting screen brightness to keep the colors of your artwork consistent even when external lighting changes. And it uses a motion sensor to turn your artwork on and off based on motion (more on this later).
You can almost mistake it for a piece of original artwork hanging on the wall when you are not watching TV on it. I say almost because since it is backlit, it's never going to look like an original canvas or print hanging on a wall. But the resolution is stunning and you can adjust the white balance/tone to make it look as realistic and natural in your room lighting as possible. And without a doubt, it looks more like art than a big black box on the wall!
There are several unique features that are unique to the Samsung Frame TV, many of which I didn't even know about until after we hung it on our wall and started using it. First of all, the no-gap wall mount that comes with the TV is AWESOME. It mounts your TV directly onto the wall, exactly like a piece of art. Typical TV mounts leave several inches of space behind them.
The ability to display digital art on our Frame TV is definitely my favorite feature and it's what made it worth the price for our family room. I love, love, love how easy and fun it is to change the digital art display, and I do it pretty frequently. It's especially fun to change it up for the holidays! I added this colorful digital Christmas art to our Frame TV this past Christmas.
As I mentioned earlier in this post, you can almost mistake our 2021 Frame TV for a piece of original artwork hanging on the wall but because it is backlit, it's never going to look like an original canvas or print hanging on a wall. In addition to being backlit, the screen does result in some glare, much like a piece of glass over framed art would have. But the glare from the TV screen coupled with being backlit just results in a different look than a framed art print. So there will be a visible difference between it and other art in your home.
The latest Samsung Frame TV model features a new matte, anti-glare display that makes it look more like artwork hanging on your wall. It was made possible by Samsung switching from a semi-gloss screen coating to a matte, anti-glare screen coating.
The Frame TV hanging above our fireplace is the 2021 model (QN55LS03AAFXZA). When we purchased our second Samsung Frame TV in November of 2023, we chose the latest model (QN55LS03BAFXZA). Since we have one of each, we have a really good sense of whether the new anti-glare, matte display makes a difference.
I'm happy to report that the anti-glare, matte display is a VERY NICE feature that is a solid upgrade. Our new TV is situated by a large window that lets in lots of natural light, so glare could definitely be an issue. But I am thrilled to report that there is absolutely no glare when we are watching TV on it.
The One Connect Box runs the whole TV and acts as a hub for all of your cables and connections in one place. That means you can connect all your devices such as cable boxes, streaming devices (Apple TV, Fire Sticks, etc.) and more with the following ports:
Then the One Connect Box connects to the Frame TV with one tiny, fiber-optic cord that is referred to as an invisible connection. That cord is all you need to power it and connect all of your devices to the TV. It's pretty cool.
What you don't get for your money is a custom frame for your TV. Out of the box, the frame of the TV is black plastic and it doesn't look like a picture frame. I didn't realize that when we first started looking into it, so I feel it's worth mentioning. You can buy TV bundles that include a bezel, but you are still paying for it above and beyond the price of the TV itself.
So, we decided to make a DIY TV frame for our new TV! In the end, it cost us around $80 and I love it so much more than the frames you can order online. It's so substantial and the style is exactly what we wanted.
No matter what, you should know that you will need to buy (or make) a frame for your TV if you really want it to look like a picture frame with art on the wall and the price of the frame you choose needs to be factored into the overall price, which is expensive to begin with.
We were lucky that we already had an electrical outlet above our fireplace. So in the end, we wound up cutting a hole in the drywall behind our TV and installing a recessed media box to hold our One Connect Box and other components. You can see a photo of the hole we cut in our drywall and the box we installed below. It does mean we will need to take the TV off the wall if we ever need to reset the box for any reason, but the TV is not difficult to remove from the bracket, so we are okay with that.
I have not subscribed. I prefer to buy my high-definition digital art on Etsy for between $2.50 and $5.00 each. I find the selection to be wider and it's easier to find pieces that suit my particular style. You can see some of my favorite picks below!
If you need a TV that you only look at when you are watching it or that you spend very limited time looking at when it's off (like our primary bedroom TV) I would recommend saving your money. Just use this method to display art on your basic smart TV! We've done it in our bedroom and our bonus room (see below).
Hi Jennifer! We used the mount that comes with the Samsung Frame TV. It does not tilt at all and sits very flat to the wall so that it mimics a framed piece of art as closely as possible. I hope that helps!
One question I have is with regard to the heat management of the One Connect box. The Samsung blurb says that the box needs to sit flat to dissipate the heat and that, if mounted in cabinet, adequate space for ventilation needs to be allowed for.
I have been considering the frame tv so I was glad to see your post this morning. When entering our house you can see the wall the TV is mounted on from the side so the fact that it sits flat to the wall is a plus for me. Thanks for your review and information!
For cord-cutters, shifting from cable to streaming can be a wise financial move. Because you're able to sign up for monthly plans, it's easy to jump into a streaming service and jump out when prices increase or content gets dull. But according to Deloitte's 2024 Media Trends report, the average US household spends $61 a month on streaming. The main reasons people cancel their streaming subscriptions are due to price and availability -- or lack of -- engaging content. Media companies call this behavior "churn." We're calling this the rotation method, and you should try it.
The incentive? You save your coin and avoid content droughts. Let's say a series like Percy Jackson or Reacher is set to premiere on a streaming service. Find the total episode count and wait until they're all available at once on a platform. You cancel Netflix, Hulu, Disney Plus or other service and then, once all the episodes are available, resubscribe to catch up. Alternatively, you can start streaming a show midseason to cut costs. My monthly guide on which streaming services to cancel can help you keep up.
The downside? You won't have immediate access to every show you want to watch and will have to wait until the full season airs. And since many streaming services release new episodes weekly, you might not be caught up at the same time as your friends. If you're someone who prefers to watch episodes immediately when they drop, you may decide it's worth it to have multiple subscriptions at a time. If you have patience, however, you can save some money.
The strategy can also work if you have a live TV streaming service to watch a particular sport or major event like the Super Bowl. Once the season wraps, cancel the service or move to a cheaper platform with fewer channels, like Sling TV.
Set calendar reminders for your billing cycle and upcoming TV show or movie release dates. Give yourself enough warning to begin or end a subscription. Apps such as JustWatch, TV Time and Hobi help you track when and where TV shows and movies appear on a streaming service. And JustWatch added a tracker specifically for sports. If you have a smart home device from Google or Amazon, you can set reminders for specific dates and allow a voice assistant like Alexa to notify you of an upcoming bill or streaming release date.
Look for discounts on streaming services. For example, Starz regularly offers months-long deals that slash its $10-per-month price. You can also take advantage of the Disney Bundle, which provides access to Disney Plus, Hulu and ESPN Plus in a single package for a reduced price. And eligible Hulu subscribers can add on Disney Plus for $2. Lastly, be sure to look for student discounts and check with your mobile carrier to see which ones offer free streaming subscriptions.
Subscribe to one or two must-have services for the year, and select only one or two more options to fit your monthly budget. Rotate the bonus service(s) according to what you want to watch, ensuring you don't miss your favorite shows while sticking to your monthly spending cap.
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