In one more year Samsung makes TV art. But not only at a technical level, taking its QLED technology to a new level. It also does it literally by renewing its proposal The Frame. It is a TV that collects the technological advances of Samsung panels but in a most peculiar format: imitating a pictorial painting. It does this by replacing the black screen when the TV is turned off with a work of art that shows in great detail.
This is the perfect excuse for those who want the TV not to be just another household appliance in the living room, but just that: a changing painting with works of art. Something that in 2022 they have managed to improve thanks to an important detail or evolution: a matte screen. With this Samsung manages to show works of art on the screen without reflections or glare, approaching that ideal of pictorial work that has nothing to do with technology. Except the difference that you can choose from among the 1,600 works offered by its Art Store or, directly, watch your favorite series or movie. Among many other options.
Samsung The Frame Datasheet
| The Frame TV | |
| Diagonal | Available in 32, 43, 50, 55, 65 and 75 inches |
| Resolution and technology | 4K. 3840 x 2160 pixels. 100Hz refresh rate. Quantum HDR, 100% Color Volume with Quantum Dot, Supreme UHD Dimming, Auto Motion Plus, HDR 10+, HLG |
| Panel type | QLED |
| Processor | Quantum Processor 4K |
| Operating system | Tizen |
| Control | Samsung SolarCell Remote Control |
| Sound | 4 speakers. 40W RMS total. OTS and Q-Symphony compatible. |
| connections | 4x HDMI, 2x USB, Ethernet |
| wireless connectivity | Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 4.2 |
| Support | simple base |
| Others | Accessibility: Zoom / High Contrast / Multiple Audio Output / Color Inversion / Grayscale / Sign Language Zoom / Repeat. Automatic Channel Search, Ambient Mode+, Décor Mode, Adaptive Picture, USB Recorder, FreeSync Premium Pro |
| Assistant | Bixby, Google Assistant, and Alexa |
| Release date | Available |
| Price | From 480 to 2,170 euros, depending on size. |
Art Begins with the Frame
Although this 2022 edition does not break aesthetically with what we already knew about Samsung The Frame, you have to know that it is much more than a TV or a picture. The design part is really important in this case, and the user has the ultimate choice. Different frames can be purchased separately to customize the material and color of this TV. If we opt for the 32-inch model, the smallest, we can choose between black, white, beige, and brown. The larger options allow white, teak, and brown.
The key here is that these frames are magnetic, and are interchangeable by simply placing them on the contours of the TV. And they are removed in the same way. With these options, you can customize not only the aesthetics, matching the rest of the decoration or materials of the room, but also the lines of the device. Thus, we find different contours that vary slightly in this element. From the classic minimalist frame in teak to a more modern and futuristic one in white. But this is not the end of the story.
Beyond the frames of this TV, there is another important element in its aesthetics and use: the stand. As standard, Samsung’s The Frame comes with the Slim Fit wall mount, which attaches the panel flat to the wall. As you will understand, the result is as similar as possible to a hanging picture. And this is where this TV makes all its sense. However, more options are sold separately. There is also a Studio Stand with three legs that simulates a tripod for a painting. The most relevant, though, is the tripod and wall mount options with auto rotate or auto swivel. Thanks to these options you can not only enjoy The Frame horizontally, like a landscape painting, but it also automatically rotates to a vertical position. Ideal for portraits or for reviewing TikTok videos and Instagram Reels.
By the way, an interesting detail is that The Frame’s packaging, the box it arrives in, is made from recycled materials. And it can be reused to create elements such as a magazine rack, a small table, or any other decorative element with recycled aesthetics.
A Living Room or an Art Gallery?
The key to The Frame is its Art Mode, in which the screen changes from showing the TV signal, a Netflix series, or any YouTube content to displaying a static image as if it were a painting in an art gallery.
Of course, you must be subscribed to its Art Store, where more than 1,600 famous paintings of all styles from major art galleries around the world are collected. Paintings and photographs that are already a classic or modern history of pictorial art and that can be represented in great detail on this screen.
By the way, it is interesting to know that 2022 The Frame panel has been improved with a matte finish that avoids reflections and glare. As it is matte, only the image is displayed, simulating an even more realistic painting. And watch out because it does so by adapting to the different lighting situations of the scene. Thanks to the brightness sensor, it knows how much brightness to apply to the image to make it visible, realistic, and energy-saving. And if you are concerned about energy savings, you should know that this Art Mode automatically switches off when you leave the room. A motion sensor identifies if there is someone in the room to activate the screen and display the artwork or turn it off and save energy.
But beware, you can not only display art on this screen. It can also be transformed into a picture or frame for your photos. Simply transfer them on a flash drive via a USB port or do it in The Frame app. Thus, you can choose a collage or an image and place it with a matte background as if it were an exposed photograph. Or even a triptych. Ideal to customize the room and avoid the black screen.
A QLED Panel to a New Level
Of course, to represent realistic and detailed images of works of art you need a good base technology. Samsung implements in The Frame its QLED system with Quantum Dots to enhance the LCD panel by filtering and boosting colors and brightness. However, as we said above, this year they have implemented an important improvement: a matte panel. No glare or reflections that reveal that it is a TV or a panel, simulating more reliably that it is a painting.
It also helps that these Quantum Dots allow 100% of the DCI-P3 color spectrum to be represented. So the works do not lose an iota of the original tones, representing more than a billion different colors without any problem and in all its variety of light and dark.
More than A Painting and More than A Television Set
Nor should we forget the extras and additions offered by this panel, which is still a smart TV. All its technologies are driven by the QLED 4K processor, which scales any content to that 4K resolution and applies Artificial Intelligence to enhance the color, brightness, and shapes of all the elements that appear on the screen. The result is the best possible picture frame by frame for all content played on the panel.
But it also allows the use and enjoyment of all kinds of applications and games. HBO Max, Netflix, Amazon Prime, Apple TV, Dazn, and many other apps and services to watch all the streaming or Internet content you want. And not only this. It also has the power to transform this screen into a mirror of your computer to work at a large size or in the living room. Or use the Multiview function to play two contents at the same time on the screen.
All this can be done using the SolarCell Remote Control, created with recycled materials and charged thanks to a photovoltaic cell located on the back. In other words, it is recharged by sunlight. Or using the voice to perform actions such as searching for content, and changing the volume or channel. The Frame supports the Bixby assistant, but also the Google Assistant and Amazon’s Alexa.
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