5 Frame TVs That Blend Form and Function

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Frame TVs are the tech world's newest answer to the age-old question, "How do we make the black mirror in our living room less of an eyesore?" When TVs were originally marketed to consumers, they had hand carved wooden details to add artistic value to the home. These days, TVs are designed to look like picture frames and artworks instead. These award-winning gadgets are the best way for home design lovers to not compromise their aesthetic visions.

First off, let's discuss the good parts of these TVs. The best example, the genre-defining example, is Samsung's The Frame. It's the only TV model that masquerades as an art piece on your wall. Got a date coming over? Switch that black screen to one of any classic artworks from Samsung's partnership with The Met. Plus, you can swap out the bezels to match your look. Other models from Samsung and LG don't take it this far, but they give you the option to display artworks for shorter periods of time.

The bad parts of Frame TVs are... well it's just the price. Buying a Frame TV is like buying designer accessories. You pay a hefty aesthetic markup. That said, if you're the type to spend extra cash to ensure your technology shows off your possibly pretentious taste in art, Frame TVs are a marvelous blend of form over function. To help you make the leap into designer TVs, our tech editors put the top models through rigorous testing. Our findings are compiled here, with the five best frame TVs on the market.

The Frame, 43-Inch

The 43-inch version of Samsung's The Frame is our favorite gallery-sized option. It's just a great size that works for smaller Like all The Frame TVs, it's designed to display art or personal photos in Art Mode when not used for watching content, aiming to complement your home's interior rather than stand out as a traditional television. Samsung's chief innovation with QLED is that the TV can display a single image without showing signs of burn in. On an OLED TV, displaying an image like this would cause it to "burn in" and always be visible on the screen.

Beyond that, The Frame features an anti-reflective matte display and offers options for customizable bezels, allowing for a degree of personalization in appearance. It's an interesting choice for those prioritizing both visual quality and the ability to integrate their TV into their living space's design.

The goal of The Frame is to blend into a room, to not be a giant black hole. That said, even with Art Mode, a lot of the larger models are a bit too imposing. We think the 43-Inch is the perfect size for displaying artworks.

G3 OLED, 65-Inch

LG haven't made a one-to-one matte-display competitor for Samsung's The Frame. The other South Korean TV giant is happy to put its energy and resources into developing fantastic picture quality. Still, the LG Gallery Series, which is now on the G3, is obviously trying to eat up a bit of the frame TV market.

The TV has a thin black bezel around the rim, so it achieves that picture frame look. You can display artworks on it, but because of the burn in issue on OLED TVs you should have it cycle through images.

Where the G3 wins over the frame is in the vividness of your picture. For accurate color and contrast, OLED is the best innovation on the market. It won't perform as well in bright light settings as The Frame, but for night time viewing, nothing is going to give you a more lifelike image. If you want a TV that can occasionally do the picture frame thing but is also able to give you the best picture on the market, this is that TV.

65-Inch The Frame QLED

When our editor made the jump to The Frame, this is the size he went for. If you want the best of both worlds—art TV and large display—this is the TV for you.

It's super clear and colorful because it uses special tech to make shows and movies look real. Again, when you're not watching TV, it goes into Art Mode which displays a classic work in a low-power-consumption setting. Your room is never left with a giant black screen, unless you specifically choose to turn it off, as you would at night.

The colors are vivd enough for most viewers, though if you're really picky about picture quality, you might want to spring for something like LG's G3. The Frame is for someone who cares about their home design as much as their actual TV experience.

QLED Q70C, 65-Inch

The Samsung Q70C is a Samsung's version of the LG TV on this list. It's a 65-inch QLED 4K TV that promises enhanced picture quality and gaming performance. There's a lot of fancy stuff here, but the main difference from The Frame is that this doesn't have that artsy matte display nor the Art Mode. It's just a classic TV with a vivid display.

The Q70C features Samsung's Quantum Processor 4K for upscaling content, Motion Xcelerator Turbo+ for smooth motion, and Dual LED technology for balanced colors. With 100% Color Volume, it aims to deliver vivid images. Users appreciate its picture and sound quality, though you should really get a soundbar for optimal audio. Brightness levels are suitable for different lighting conditions, but similar to the LG G3, this one will suffer in direct sunlight.

Overall, the picture quality is phenomenal. The QLED in this tTv produces a more classic display, but it's not at the level of that LG G3. That is, of course, why there's a $1,000 difference between the two models.

The Frame, 32-Inch

We'll round out this list by shouting out the 32-inch version of The Frame from Samsung. If you're putting a TV into a smaller space, like an apartment bedroom or studio bedroom, 32 inches is a perfect size. It offers that matte display that our tech editors love, the full Samsung Art Store, and customizable bezel. The fact that Samsung is dedicated to making its most buzz-worthy TV in a more manageable size is deserving of praise, if you ask us.

What to Consider When Buying a Frame TV

Here is what our tech editors looked at when trying Frame TVs.

QLED vs. OLED - If you're not into the tech lingo, LED has been the display standard for a number of years—OLED and QLED are new adaptations. OLED is the sports car of the TV world—sleeker, with black levels so deep, you'll find yourself staring into the abyss plus lifelike colors and contrast. But remember, with great quality comes a greater hit to your wallet. QLED is Samsung's answer to OLED. QLED offers similar performance, with a less hefty price tag. It's like choosing between a high-end cocktail and a top-shelf wine; both will get you a great buzz, but the experience (and price) will differ.

Smart Functionality - This is, of course, de rigueur. Samsung's built in interface is lovely to use, while LG's lags behind a bit. Compatibility with your chosen ecosystem—be it Alexa, Google, or some other digital overlord—comes standard with both. But, at the end of the day, you can replace either with a Roku, Amazon, or Apple interface, depending on your preference.

Art Mode - Samsung's The Frame has created a whole new class of TV, those which are always on. Instead of displaying a black screen, they go in to super-low-power Art Mode and add artistic value to your space. When we're talking Frame TVs, The Frame is the standard.

Energy Consumption - In art mode, we need to think about energy consumption. Incredibly, The Frame's Art Mode isn't any different than the normal ambient power your TV pulls.

Why Trust Esquire?

Finding the right TV can be tough with so many choices out there. We've done the hard work for you by spending years watching these TVs up close. We've seen them in action on showroom floors and in our homes. We've awarded the best of the best. And, we looked at LED, OLED, and QLED TVs to see which ones have the best picture, color, and design. Needless to say, we did all the heavy lifting for you.

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