We just bought our very first home and while that endeavor itself was expensive, I knew I had one other expensive home indulgence I had to have: a Samsung Frame TV.
I’m pretty sure I first caught a glimpse of this gorgeous tv on an Architectural Digest video tour of Hilary Duff’s home. I don’t even really consider myself a high-tech person, but a frame tv just looked so chic. I fell in love with the idea of a TV that simply looked like a beautiful picture frame displaying art.
Ringing in at darn near $2,000 for the larger sizes, the Samsung Frame TV isn’t exactly a budget find. We’ve had our TV for several months now, so I wanted to get up a full review to break down the pros, cons, how the TV works – and if I think the Samsung Frame TV is worth it.
All the details of the Samsung Frame TV.
Design and build.
The Samsung Frame is essentially an art TV – projecting beautiful artwork whenever you’re not watching your favorite show. The TV is designed to look just like any other framed, hanging piece of art in your home.
I’m the first one to admit I’m no tech expert. What I can say is movies, TV shows, and video games all look crystal clear on the Samsung Frame thanks to 4K Ultra HD. The Frame we have is part of the QLED Frame Series (QLED stands for quantum dot LED TV). BestBuy says, “quantum dots produce over a billion shades of color that stay true-to-life even in bright scenes” and says this is the format for most cinema screens and HDR movies for television.
Frame options.
The Sumsung Frame TV has several customizable bezel options to choose from. When purchasing your Frame TV, the default bezel color included is Charcoal Black (it was on ours, anyway). We haven’t swapped out the bezel on our TV, but you’re easily able to purchase bezels in white, black, brown, or beige.
Since we haven’t swapped our bezel out, I can’t speak to the ease of installation, but Samsung claims it’s an easy swap since the bezels all adhere via magnets.
Sizes available.
The Samsung Frame TV is offered in a variety of sizes, ranging from 32″ up to 75″. You’ll want to consider how the frame will look and feel in the space when selecting the appropriate size. Think about it in the same way you would choose a painting to hang on the wall.
For our living room, we opted for the 65 inch size. The frame tv fits beautifully over our fireplace mantle and, when not in use, looks like we hung a piece of art over the fireplace. Although our space could have fit the 75″ size, we chose to stick at 65″ to give the frame a fair amount of breathing room. The beautiful thing about having a framed TV is that it mimics real art, so at times it may make sense to go with a smaller size rather than overwhelm the space with the largest screen possible.
The unique wall mount.
The customizability of the Samsung TV frame is unique in itself, but it’s really the no gap wall mount included with the Frame TV that makes it hang as perfectly as it does. It’s the no gap wall mount that helps the frame sit fully flush against the wall – just like a real piece of art.
I do want to make sure to stress this point: a no gap wall mount is included FREE when you purchase a Samsung Frame TV. I still laugh a little remembering that my husband actually ordered one separately because the phrasing on the BestBuy website of, “no gap wall mount included” read to him like NO gap wall mount included.
Lolz. Whoops.
Art mode and the art store.
The art mode on the Samsung Frame TV is what makes it, well, THE frame. The TV essentially mimics real, hung artwork utilizing “art mode.” You’re able to browse, select, and purchase various art from the art store. There are some free pieces of art included, but admittedly the variety of the free artwork is fairly limited. The store itself does have a great deal of options. You can purchase art content either individually or via a subscription service.
Other smart TV functions.
A smart TV seems to now be one of the first purchases people make on their journey to a smart home. To be honest, most TVs now a day are fairly “smart.” Plus, the TVs that don’t have “smart” capabilities built in can be made semi-smart with the use of things like Chromecasts.
All that to say, the Samsung Frame TV is a smart TV packed with all the usual smart TV pizazz. Streaming services are easily accessed via the remote (which even has voice capabilities). The menu gives you access to everything from YouTube to Netflix – even to a whole health center including classes from Obé Fitness.
Pros of the Samsung Frame TV.
The TV looks discrete.
One of the biggest reasons to choose a frame TV over any standard TV is the fact that they end up looking far more discrete. I’ve never been a huge fan of televisions in “more formal” looking living areas. TVs can quickly become the focal point, detracting away from the decor and overall vibe of a home.
I mean, the standard TV is kind of ugly looking, no? Especially when it’s off.
My favorite thing about our Samsung Frame is that it’s discrete and doesn’t look like a TV when it isn’t in use. A picture frame TV keeps the focal point of the room off the television and onto pieces of decor that feel special and mean something. Or better yet, toss up your own photo or artwork onto the TV and make that the focal point – you and your family!
The bezel on the Samsung Frame also specifically adds to the discrete look of this. TV. There are plenty of ways to frame a TV and plenty of frames for TVs you can buy outright – but few look quite as sleek and discrete as the frames Samsung has designed.
I’ll be honest that I’m no DIY-er, so for us we needed to find a pre-built product rather than attempt any TV framing DIY ourselves. There’s no way we’d have been able to achieve the same discrete look building something ourselves.
Art mode is beautiful and realistic looking.
I love the art mode on the Samsung Frame. LOVE it. I really feel like artwork on the walls can make all the difference when it comes to decor. Art adds a focal point, can reinforce a theme or aesthetic, and can make a home feel more “homey.” Our initial idea was to hang a large painting over our living room fireplace…but then we realized we could have both art and function with a frame TV and art mode.
The Samsung Frame TV art mode does look very realistic. In average daylight, many of our guests actually don’t realize our frame TV is just that – a TV. Most people think the artwork we have on display on the screen is real framed art!
The only time of day I find the Samsung Frame art mode looks less than realistic is at night, because the screen is backlit in a way that real art isn’t. Does it look like real art at night? Not really. But does it still look really good? Heck yes.
Screen quality.
The picture quality of the Samsung Frame is unreal. I’d say in general most TVs these days are solid quality. We’re lucky that way! Even the baseline models of TVs are pretty good.
That said – the Samsung Frame is next level. Movies, TV shows, and video games alike come alive on the QLED 4K screen. We’re totally fine watching the casual show or YouTube video on our other TV, but if we’ve got a feature film to watch or a video game to play wow do we LOVE parking it in front of our frame TV. I’m not exactly a tech expert, but I can tell the picture quality difference when it comes to our Samsung Frame. It’s a clear winner.
Cons of the Samsung Frame TV.
Cost.
The biggest con of the Samsung Frame by far is the cost. These frame TVs dont come cheap! Here is a list of current pricing as of 2021:
- Samsung Frame TV 32 inch: $599.99
- Samsung Frame TV 43 inch: $999.99
- Samsung Frame TV 55 inch: $1,399.99
- Samsung Frame TV 65 inch: $1,899.00
- Samsung Frame TV 75 inch: $2,799.99
Do you want to throw up yet? Me too. The Samsung Frame is wildly expensive – there’s just no way around it. Part of this cost is likely the brand name. If you’re buying this TV, you’re buying Samsung THE frame tv. The one that started it all. The cost isn’t all brand name, the quality is definitely there, but you’re absolutely paying a premium if you’re in the market for this TV.
I do believe Samsung financing exists, either through their website or at retailers – so that is an option for those who really feel like they need this TV in their life. Home appliances in general are pricey and I’m typically not a fan of financing if I can avoid it. Unfortunately the cost of this bad boy just sort of is what it is – and it’s a huge con.
But don’t give up hope – the Frame DOES go on sale. Rather frequently, in fact! We actually snagged our Samsung Frame at a Black Friday sale and got a significant discount. If you’re really in love with the Frame but the price makes you sick, just be patient. A sale WILL come around sooner than later.
Limited frame/bezel options.
As of the time of this blog post, Samsung currently offers four different bezel options for their Frame tv. Our home has a relatively minimal meets boho meets Southwestern vibe, so I felt fine with the simple black bezel. There are plenty of people out there; however, who may want something a little fancier. Unfortunately Samsung really isn’t catering to the design world with its standard bezels as they all come in fairly simple neutral shades and finishes. If you’re the type of person who goes gaga over amazing picture frames, the standard bezels for the Samsung Frame may not wow you.
Most art requires an additional purchase.
I clearly was a tad naive, but when buying our frame TV I kind of assumed the artwork all came with the TV.
Not the case.
There is a limited amount of free artwork for art mode in the Samsung art store, but when I say “limited” I mean limited. If you’ve got a particular home aesthetic, you’re going to find the free artwork in the art store underwhelming. I sure did.
Our home has a neutral color palette and a slightly Southwestern/boho vibe. So much of the free artwork in the art store was colorful in palette or traditional in nature (think like a Monet). I really wanted something that felt a little more on theme. Luckily we did find one free artwork that felt like it gave us that black and white, boho sort of vibe. But that was it.
If you’re wanting to really customize your frame tv artwork, you’re unfortunately going to have to pony up for a subscription to the art store. That said, if you’re really into the idea of changing up your artwork without the hassle of unhanging and rehanging actual art all the time – this could be an amazingly cost effective solve. Changing your art on your frame TV is way easier than changing the real art on your walls. So if this type of design change up sounds appealing, it might be worth it to buck up for the art store subscription and gain access to all the art your heart may desire.
Is the Samsung Frame worth it?
Ah, the big question – is the Samsung Frame TV worth it? To us, yes. We’ve loved having our Samsung Frame. The Frame is just absurdly stunning in art mode and really gives our living room a clean, elevated look. I also love that we were able to have a TV in this room – but have it looking so discrete. The former owners had their TV in this room, but on a massive entertainment center at the end of the room in front of one of the windows. Not only did this arrangement take up loads of valuable floor space…but it just sort of looked ugly to have a big entertainment center as the focal point of such a pretty room. By hanging our Samsung Frame above our fireplace we took back the extra square feet and also kept the space feeling elevated by displaying art – not an ugly black screen.
All that said, who am I to deny this frame TV is overpriced? It is. It’s expensive. “Worth” is a tricky concept to discuss in general, because items are worth different things to different people. Is the Samsung Frame a must-have? Probably not, given the cost. But is it a luxury that really feels like a luxury? Absolutely. We love ours and have no regrets about spending the cash – especially since we found it on sale.
How to weave your frame TV into your home decor.
Treat the TV as the centerpiece it (sort of) is.
The big benefit of a frame TV is that the art mode can make the television an actual centerpiece focal point when it comes to decor. In our case, our alternative option was to hang artwork over our fireplace. We’re still drawing the eye up to this space, just onto our chosen artwork in art mode instead of real artwork.
When it comes to decorating and choosing placement, treat your frame TV like a piece of art and not like a television. It might make more sense to stash a standard TV away in a corner or against a far back wall. A frame TV in art mode is more like a large piece of artwork than it is a TV, so it likely looks best to pull this piece front and center. Hang your Samsung Frame above fireplaces or in the middle of a gallery wall for that art-like impact.
Frame your frame with decorative items.
Focal point items are reinforced through complimentary accents that help draw the eye towards said focal point. If you’re hanging your frame TV in a gallery wall style, make sure to hang other framed artworks of varying size around it to draw the eye towards the biggest frame – the TV. If you’re going with our above the fireplace (or above an entertainment center) method, choose decorate accent items of various heights to display underneath your TV.
I added tall, sleek candlesticks along with a tall vase to either side of our TV. These items add length and draw the eye upwards, making the mantle and space feel grand. I didn’t want these taller items to feel stark and harsh, so paired them with other smaller decorative objects to add dimension. I’m also a huge fan of personalizing wherever you can – a home should feel like a home! We tossed up a little picture frame onto the mantle. I’m still deciding what photo makes the most sense there. Might be my good excuse for a professional family holiday photoshoot this year…
Opt for art that matches your overall home aesthetic.
Displaying artwork that fits with your overall home theme and vibe might mean bucking up for a subscription to the Samsung art store – but if so, it’s worth it. We initially were displaying a free artwork that just never felt quite right. The art was almost taking away from all the other on-theme elements in the room we had spent time and care selecting. Once we found a piece of artwork that fit the room aesthetic, the entire room came alive.
All in all – we’re huge fans of our Samsung Frame TV. It was expensive, but it’s gorgeous. No regrets.
Do you have a frame TV? Let me know your thoughts on this home decor trend in the comments down below!