Samsung The Frame (2023) review: Both a TV and a work of art

Best Prices Today: Samsung The Frame (2023)

The Frame is a Samsung 4K smart TV that can double as artwork when hung on the wall, thanks to a unique matte screen and clip-on picture frame bezels.

Despite this obvious novelty, The Frame doesn’t compromise when it comes to big-screen basics. This is a fully-fledged QLED with an excellent specification.

The Samsung Frame comes into its own when you augment it with an optional artwork-style frame.

2023 updates to The Frame take some unpacking because they’re less than obvious.

The 32-inch Frame, the only 1080p HD iteration of the lifestyle screen, promises an improved Art Mode experience, thanks to the addition of a motion sensor, and increased memory capacity. There’s also a change to the physical backside layout.

For the 4K Frame fans, which start at 43 inches, the primary difference is one of power consumption. 2023 models are less power hungry, but does this mean picture quality has been affected?

This review is part of TechHive’s in-depth coverage of the best smart TVs.

Time to put the very latest version of The Frame on our test bench and see what kind of a picture it paints.

Design & Build

• Customisable bezel
• Matte screen
• 120Hz HDMI support

Straight from the box, The Frame looks much like any other Samsung flatscreen. It has a slim black plastic bezel and comes with slot-in feet for those who want to stand it on AV furniture. It’s slim, but not overly so, as it has a full-array LED backlight.

Design-wise, the set comes into its own when you augment it with an optional artwork-style frame (hence the name). There’s a wide variety available, including a new modernistic metal frame for this season. 

There’s also the option of a tripod-style Studio Stand, if that’s more your style.

Connectivity comes via an external One Connect box. Everything plugs into this unit, rather than the back of the TV. A single connection runs from the One Connect box to the screen taking with it pictures, sound, and power.

There are four HDMI connectors (HDMI 3 is HDMI-eARC), plus a digital optical audio output, ethernet (which offers a wired alternative to the set’s dual-band Wi-Fi connectivity), two USB ports, and a CI (Common Interface) card slot if required. There’s also the choice of terrestrial or satellite tuners.

The Frame comes with two remotes: a solar-powered Bluetooth controller and a standard zapper. Both have shortcut buttons for Prime Video, Netflix and Samsung TV Plus (UK model tested).

Specs & Features

• Tizen Smart TV platform
• Game Hub
• Art Store

Smart functionality is excellent. The Frame runs Samsung’s well-established Tizen OS, which offers a comprehensive selection of streaming services, including Samsung’s own linear IP delivered channel selection, as well as a dedicated Game Hub, and SmartThings dashboard.

There’s voice control via Bixby, Google Assistant, or Amazon Alexa, as well as support for Apple AirPlay 2. Smartphone viewing modes include Multi-View and screen mirroring.

Navigating the Tizen OS is quite intuitive. You get a well-stocked app bar, followed by multiple rails of curated content, so you’re never too far from a show to watch.

The Ambient Mode features a JPEG gallery with a variety of still images and animations, but what you really need is a subscription to Samsung’s Art Store service ($5.99 monthly), which offers a wide range of licensed art content. Want to display the best of The Tate, or something more seasonal? It’s there.

There’s also a dedicated Game Menu with an overlay for relevant gaming info, such as VRR, HDR, and input lag.

There are actually two Game mode settings: original and Game Motion Plus, which applies some extra processing for additional picture enhancement. Input lag was measured at 10.7ms (1080p/60fps) in Game mode, and 13.7ms (1080p/60fps) in Game Motion Plus.

Picture quality

• Bright HDR
• Less power hungry
• HDR10+

If you’re looking for a significant uptick in picture quality on this 2023 The Frame edition, you’ll be disappointed. It’s very much comparable to The Frame 2022. The performance jump relates to an improvement in power consumption, rather than image processing.

The 2023 55-inch Frame I tested consumes 84kWh/1000h, compared to 103kWh/1000h on the 2022 model–any luckily, this power savings hasn’t diminished the image in any way. In its default Standard preset, pictures remain characteristically bright and color-rich.

Picture-quality wise, the set stands in comparison with the brand’s regular QLED models, albeit without that extra level of shine you tend to get with non-matte screens.

Part of The Frame’s visual appeal is the matte display, which absorbs reflections and creates a more painterly appearance with digital artworks.

Black level performance is fine, particularly if you view The Frame in a room with a low level of ambient lighting.

Watch in a fully dark room, though, and you’ll inevitably see the backlight at work. While watching Puss in Boots: The Last Wish (streaming in UHD HDR) the letterbox bars on the widescreen presentation were slightly greyed out.

As we’ve come to expect from Samsung, there’s no support for Dolby Vision, although HDR, HLG and HDR10+ are all available.

Sound quality

• 40W of power
• Object Tracking Sound
• Dolby Atmos

The set’s audio performance is enhanced by 40W of amplification, and a quartet of speakers in a 2.0.2 configuration. My expectations were admittedly low, but this flatscreen offers more than a perfunctory listening experience.

Samsung’s Object Tracking Sound system, which on this set features speaker drivers placed both low and toward the top of the screen, gives an impressive sense of movement. For everyday listening, and even uncritical movie watching, it’s surprisingly good.

That’s a good thing, given that adding a soundbar–even a neatly executed wall-mounted model–would undermine the screen’s gallery style.

Price & Availability

We’re testing the 55-inch The Frame 2023 (UK edition) in this review. You can buy the US version of The Frame 2023 from Samsung as well as the likes of Amazon, Best Buy, and Walmart.

Besides the 55-inch version, The Frame is also available in 32-, 43-, 50-, 65-, 75-, and 85-inch screen sizes.

Should you buy Samsung’s The Frame (2023)?

The Frame (2023) can be thought of as a polite update to what has been a top-selling line for Samsung for many years. It’s less power hungry than its predecessors, but manages to deliver virtually the same picture and sound performance.

The provision of a matte screen makes digital artwork look surprisingly convincing.

The set comes with a polished smart platform, in the shape of the latest Tizen OS. In addition to a wide variety of streaming services, there’s a handy dashboard for control of SmartThings devices.

The lack of Dolby Vision support would normally warrant an automatic demerit, but the gallery nature of The Frame means it’s less likely to appeal to home cinema fans, so we’ll give the set a pass. 

With its newfound energy efficiency, I remain a fan of The Frame. This lifestyle screen still comes highly recommended.

Specs

• QLED LCD display technology
• Resolution: 4K (3840 x 2160)
• Dimensions: 48.7 x 27.9 x 1 inches (WxHxD) 
• Weight: 37.3 pounds
• HDMI: x4
• HDR support: HDR10+, HLG, HDR10
• Tizen smart platform
• Freeview tuner

Best Prices Today: Samsung The Frame (2023)