2020 Samsung The Frame 75″ review: Blending style and technology

The lifestyle TV segment is fairly new to the TV market. The Frame is one of the first TVs to brand itself this way, and it has grown in popularity with those seeking to blend style and tech. With a frame that mimics the look of an actual picture frame and a display that produces paint-like artwork, this TV looks stunning in any room.

While there have been past efforts by TV makers to make their devices better looking, The Frame takes it to a different level. This Samsung TV aims to blend into your design aesthetic by blending in as a piece of artwork. Samsung is doing similar things with their Serif TV, Sero, and their latest, The Terrace. Lifestyle TVs aren’t for everyone but The Frame is an exception. I think this particular TV is appealing to a broad base of users, and therefore we’ve awarded it with an Editor’s Choice for lifestyle TV. Read on for the full review!

Specifications

The 2020 Samsung The Frame has the following features and specifications:

• Video
  • Screen Size: 74.5″ Measured Diagonally
  • Resolution: 3,840 x 2,160
  • Motion Rate: 240
  • Color: 100% Color Volume with Quantum Dot
  • HDR (High-Dynamic Range): Quantum HDR 4x
  • Picture Engine: Quantum Processor 4K
  • Quantum Dot Color: Yes
  • Upscaling: 4K AI
• Audio
  • Dolby: Dolby Sound
  • Sound Output: 40W
  • Woofer: Yes
  • Speaker Type: 2.2CH
  • Multiroom Link: Yes
  • Bluetooth Headset Support: Yes
• Wireless Connectivity
  • Wi-Fi: Yes
  • Wi-Fi Direct: Yes
  • Bluetooth: Yes
• Features
  • Smart Hub: Yes (incl. Sports, Music, and TV Plus – Easily access content and Apps through the intuitive Smart Hub menu system.) Apple TV+ is also compatible.
  • Processor: Quantum Processor 4K
  • Apps Platform: Smart TV Powered by TIZEN™ with Bixby Voice, Apps, and Full Web Browser
  • Voice Interaction (w/Bixby): Yes. It also works with Google Assistant and Alexa.
  • AI Technology: Yes
  • Auto Channel Search: Yes
  • Auto Motion Plus: Yes
  • V-Chip: Allows parents to block inappropriate movies and programs based upon their FCC rating.
  • Electronic Program Guide (Channel Guide): Yes
  • Game Mode: Yes
  • Ambient Mode: Yes
  • Auto Power Off: Yes
  • Closed Captioning: Yes
  • Easy Pairing: Yes
  • Eco Sensor: Yes (Technology that intelligently adapts the screen’s brightness to the intensity of the light in the room.)
  • Bluetooth: Yes
  • USB HID Support: Yes
  • Mobile to TV – Mirroring, DLNA: Yes
  • TV to Mobile (Mirroring): Yes
• I/O (One Connect Box)
  • 4 HDMI ports
  • 2 (v2) USB ports
  • Ethernet port
  • RF In (Terrestrial/Cable Input)
  • RF In (Satellite Input)
  • RS232C
  • Digital Audio Out (Optical)
  • Audio Return Channel Support (via HDMI port) ARC
  • One Connect
• Dimensions
  • Product Size (W x H x D) Without Stand in inches: 66.1″ x 37.8″ x 2″
  • Product Size (W x H x D) With Stand in inches: 66.1″ x 39.6″ x 12″
  • Stand Size (W x H xD) in inches:  0.5″ x 7.6″ x 14.2″
  • Shipping Size: 72.7″ x 44.1″ x 9.2″
  • Weight without stand: 85.5 lb.
  • Weight with stand: 86.4lb.
  • Shipping weight in box: 124.8 lb.
• Power
  • ENERGY STAR® Certified: Yes (Approval by Energy Star, a government program, ensures TV is eco-friendly and energy-efficient.)
  • Power Supply: AC110-120V 50/60Hz
  • Typical Power Consumption: 97W
  • Maximum Power Consumption:  235W
  • Standby Power Consumption: Under 0.5W
• Other Features
  • Vesa Wall Mount Compatible
  • Quantum Dot Color
  • Flat Glass Display
  • 4K UHD resolution
  • Ultra Viewing Angles
  • Samsung One Remote
  • Samsung Model Number: QN75LS03TAFXZA

What’s In The Box

• 2020 75″ Samsung The Frame 4K TV
• One Connect Box
• Power Cables
• One Connect cable
• Manuals/Documentation/Warranty
• Hardware
• Samsung One Remote

Design

I’ve really loved the design of Samsung’s TVs for a long time now. I think they do a phenomenal job of making their devices appealing and functional at the same time. The Frame is sort of a different story as it’s specifically meant to showcase its design as a way to blend into your lifestyle.

The Frame comes with a no-gap wall mount that leaves virtually no gap between the back of the TV and the wall. Since this unit is going back to Samsung, we did not utilize the wall mount. Still, the idea here is for this TV to look like a picture frame hanging on your wall.

The chassis around the display certainly gives off the appearance of a picture frame. Because of this, the bezels around the display are slightly thicker than some of Samsung’s other 4K and 8K TVs. Putting these slightly larger bezels does a better job of creating the illusion that The Frame is indeed only a simple painting on the wall.

Our review unit is the 75″ variant and if you’re considering 75″ or larger, just know, it’s big. Be sure to check the dimensions in our specifications section above so you can plan accordingly for wall placement.

The back of the TV is fairly plain, the usual Samsung ribbed plastic back and the port for the One Connect cable. The One Connect cable goes down to the One Connect box that powers the TV and provides ports for peripherals.

Not much has changed with the One Connect box, it’s still a glossy black and still fairly large. I love it because it keeps all the cables neatly tucked away. The One Connect box ports are all listed in the specification section above and you should have everything you need for most use cases. The fiber optic cable it uses is pretty much invisible and easy to hide.

The remote included with The Frame is white instead of black as with most other Samsung TVs. I actually love this design choice and would have liked to have seen the One Connect box match the remote in this way. The remote configuration remains the same, only the color is different.

The Frame offers a variety of customizable, magnetic bezels so you can easily choose – or even change – your favorite color to best suit your space. These custom bezels are sold separately and, I think, enhance the illusion of this being nothing more than an actual picture frame.

Overall, the design of The Frame is top notch. The materials used are all premium and the One Connect box really helps achieve what this TV is trying to do. The Frame really does meet its goal of blending into your decor and makes itself at home by being just another piece of artwork.

https://youtu.be/USOw9Ie0Dgc

Display

If you know anything about Samsung you know that the company is well-known for its displays and display technology. Of course, they’re not the only ones in the game but they’re one of the best playing the game.

The Frame houses a 4K display that benefits from using the company’s 2020 technologies. This means you’re going to get much better color, better blacks, whites, and grays than if you were to buy a 2019 panel. Samsung is indeed improving their display technology every year and you can see that with each new TV they release.

Still, I’m not ready to say that you’ll benefit greatly from buying a 2020 The Frame over a 2019 The Frame. I think the average user won’t see a massive difference between the two panels, and if you can find a 2019 for a decent price and save some cash, then by all means take the deal.

That being said, the display on the 2020 model is stunning. Colors are wonderful and deep with whites being clean and not yellow or muddy. Blacks are deep, something Samsung keeps improving with its QLED technology. From my perspective, QLED tech has caught up to OLED and competes head to head for that pure black title.

In fact, I believe Samsung’s panels do a much better job with the grey areas providing much more details within the areas that aren’t totally black. OLED tends to black out a lot of the grey areas which can remove some details thus removing some of the context of the scene.

The majority of us (I’d say 99%) unbox a TV, find a picture mode we like, and start watching. Very few users go through the trouble and expense of calibrating and, frankly, there really is no need. Samsung does an excellent job of calibrating these TVs out of the box so well that it’s really splitting hairs at this point.

The Frame also offers up the ability to leave the screen on to display artwork and other content. You can choose from a bunch of pre-loaded pieces of art and find some in the Samsung art store. There’s a few adjustments you can make but, overall, this displays art making the TV into a wonderful piece of art.

Overall, The Frame continues to showcase Samsung’s display technology. Some may disagree and as with everything in tech, there are the QLED naysayers and the QLED fanboys. We’re pleased with the displays Samsung has packed into their premium TVs and we think they’re well worth the money.

Setup

So setup of The Frame for us wasn’t very difficult because we opted to use the stand instead of the included wall mount. Why? Well, because these TVs always go back to Samsung and it would be a wasted effort to mount them. So physically setting up this 75″ TV was basically like setting up every other Samsung TV. Remove from box, insert legs, and place on the stand. It did take two of us to accomplish the setup.

If you’re using the included no gap wall mount, I would recommend at least 3 people for 75″ and larger. This TV is not light, it is heavy. I know 85 lbs., at first thought, doesn’t sound like much but trust me it is. You also need to be aware of flex and how you handle the TV. Working as a team and communicating is essential so as to not twist or flex the display in such a way you risk breaking anything.

That being said, I can’t speak to wall mounting as we did not actually mount it. I just know it took two of us to stand mount it and that was a challenge.

Setting up the TV interface is super simple. I won’t go over the entire procedure as I’ve done this many times in other Samsung TV reviews. Just follow the prompts on screen and you’ll be up and running in no time. My favorite feature of setup is being able to use my Samsung account to back up my other TVs. This allows me to use a backup from my Samsung account to set up the new TV. This way I get all of my apps loaded up without having to go look for them. The only bummer is, you’ll need to sign in to all the apps. I’d love to be able to have the backup keep usernames and passwords so it’s just all there. Maybe someday.

Overall, setting up The Frame is super simple and you’ll be up quickly watching and streaming your favorite content.

Software

When I first started reviewing Samsung TVs my only experience with Samsung TV software was with my 2015 65″ Samsung which I purchased at Target for $499. It was a 1080p TV and it was on the lower rungs of Samsung’s models. It’s been awhile since I’ve had to use those lower rung Samsung’s as the user experience back then was pretty bad. Fast forward to 2017 when I reviewed my first Samsung TV with the new user interface, I absolutely loved it.

That’s not changed much with The Frame and the Samsung Experience UI that’s on it. The interface has been redesigned a bit from last year with tiles turning to squares instead of rectangles and some color elements changing. Other than that, this is the same great interface that’s been on these TVs since I started reviewing them.

I love the interface so much that I stopped using my Xbox One X as my streaming device and just use Samsung’s interface for all my content. The Xbox is now strictly used for gaming. I’ve used other interfaces like the Roku interface on TCL TVs and have found that I really prefer Samsung’s experience much better.

The menus and paths to get to things are clearly marked and easy to use. Overall, I have no complaints about the interface here. It is one of the best in the TV market.

Sound Quality

Samsung’s speakers on their TVs have gotten so much better, the last two TVs I reviewed were amazing. The Frame also has some good sound quality but not quite up to par to some of Samsung’s other offerings. I’m not sure why this is the case but The Frame’s speakers seem weaker than something like the Q90 or Q800.

That doesn’t mean these speakers are awful, they are actually very good. What I will say is, if you want really good sound then you should think about a soundbar or sound system. The speakers here are a little thin on the low end and not as enveloping as some of the other speakers on other Samsung TVs.

Now, this TV is designed to be flat against a wall so the sound could be much better once mounted on a wall. I can only give you my feedback when The Frame is on a TV stand using the included stand.

Overall, I think most users will be very happy with the sound. It could be better but it’s not awful. Movies and music are enjoyable at normal volume levels. If you’re looking to rumble the room, then you might want an external system.

https://youtu.be/00Y0zvIydiQ

Performance

The Frame uses Samsung’s 4K Quantum Processor. Samsung makes its own chips for its TVs and they’re excellent. I found no lag when moving through menus and apps loaded fast. Testing 4K movies from Vudu and Netflix, everything ran smoothly and without stutter.

It’s important to note that your network connection does matter. The number of devices on your network matters. I have Gigabit speeds and I generally have 20-24 devices on my network and The Frame had no issues loading up apps, movies, or moving through the interface.

4K movies look amazing and Samsung’s upscaling does work well giving you a nice detailed and clear picture. 1080p movies and TV shows also look really good here.

Overall, as with past higher end Samsung TVs I’ve reviewed, the performance is always spot on.

Price/Value

The Frame starts at US$599 for the 32″ version and goes up to US$2,599.99 for the 75″ version we have. I really think the 65″ is the sweet spot for most users which is priced at US$1.799.99. The Frame is priced well and affordably for what it is. This is a lifestyle TV which I think is more of a niche product and not for everyone. I think for those looking for something that will mimic artwork yet deliver the entertainment they desire, this is worth it.

Wrap Up

The Frame is a unique TV and the market for it is probably thin. Samsung loves to step out on a limb and try to satisfy those niche markets. They do it time and again across their product lines. I say The Frame is by far the perfect “lifestyle TV” on the market right now. Does it do all the TV-type things perfectly, no probably not. But what it does do is give you enough of that TV experience and adding in style hanging on your wall that you can be proud of.

In some of our articles and especially in our reviews, you will find Amazon or other affiliate links. Any purchases you make through these links often result in a small amount being earned for the site and/or our writers. Techaeris often covers brand press releases. Doing this does not constitute an endorsement of any product or service by Techaeris. We provide the press release information for our audience to be informed and make their own decision on a purchase or not. Only our reviews are an endorsement or lack thereof. For more information, you can read our full disclaimer.

Last Updated on February 3, 2021.