Samsung’s The Frame is much more than a simple smart TV: The stylish television acts as a digital picture frame in art mode. At CES, the Korean display specialist introduced its Pro version, which, like Samsung’s Neo QLED TVs, now integrates a locally dimmable LED backlight with evenly distributed diodes behind the LCD layer. The rear frame models have a so-called edge LED backlight, with LEDs lined up on one side of the panel. Well-made straight LED backlight promises more uniform display illumination.
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The new backlight should make the display significantly brighter and achieve higher contrast, especially with HDR content. The Frame Pro aims to keep pace with the Korean manufacturer’s high-quality Neo QLED displays when playing HDR videos. The image quality of SDR content, for example when watching television, remains essentially the same, as the same optimizations have already been used in Neo QLED.
In Gallery mode, the frame automatically activates a saving mode.
personal picture gallery
In Picture Frame mode, local dimming is deactivated and brightness is reduced. The issue here is that the display looks as if it is illuminated only by ambient light. The result is astonishing: thanks to the fine matte finish on the display surface, digitally displayed works of art can only be distinguished from analog images if you look closely. Samsung’s NQ4 Gen3 AI processor handles image optimization. It compares the brightness on the screen to the ambient brightness and uses sensors to detect whether there is anyone in the room – if there is no one, the frame switches to power-saving mode.
The small One Connect box connects to the television via WLAN.
To complete the “digital illusion”, the Frame Pro now receives video signals wirelessly via WLAN 7 from a small One Connect box. The WLAN box contains all the connections and can disappear, for example, into a drawer. According to the manufacturer, a reliable connection up to ten meters is guaranteed. This means you only have to run one power cable to the digital picture frame, but no bulky HDMI cables. The predecessors were connected by a semi-transparent cable between the box and the display. With interchangeable frames you can also customize the television to your individual needs.
even more art
Samsung has also expanded its Art Store: it now includes more than 3,000 curated works of art from renowned galleries and museums such as MoMA, Musée d’Orsay, Tate, and the MET. The art collection will also be available on most Neo QLED and QLED models starting this year. TV must be able to freely display more than 370 works of art each year; Access to the entire art collection is subject to fee. If you want to see The Frame Pro in action: Samsung is a partner of this year’s Art Basel art fair, which will use The Frame Pro as an official display for works of art.
Heise Median is the Official Media Partner of CES 2025.
Note: Samsung paid for the author’s travel expenses to CES 2025. There is no consensus on the type and scope of our reporting.
(UK)
