Samsung The Frame TV 2023 vs 2022: what’s different?
New year, new Frame TV from Samsung. Samsung is back with a new version of the world’s best-looking TV. But what’s different for The Frame 2023 vs 2022?
Luke Hopewell is a gadget veteran of over 10 years. He’s reviewed over 100 TVs in his time, and been to the magic factory where they’re all made. Got a question for the author? Email me: [email protected].
What is The Frame TV from Samsung?
The Frame is a TV with hardcore aesthetics in mind. I love it so much I even own one as a bedroom TV.
It’s a TV designed to look like framed art when it is not in use. It is thin and lightweight, and can be hung on a wall and blend into your home.
When the TV is turned on, the screen appears within the frame and it functions like a normal TV. When it is turned off, the screen disappears and the frame displays one of a selection of pre-loaded works of art or photos, or a customised selection chosen by the user.
The Frame TV also has an ambient light sensor that adjusts the screen’s brightness and colour to match the lighting in the room, so that the displayed art or photos look as natural as possible.
Samsung powers the pictures on The Frame with its QLED technology. Take a look at our complete guide on QLED and what it means.
The Frame: 2022 vs 2023
Samsung has been making The Frame for almost five years now. In that time, progress has been a little slow. The 2023 model is no exception.
Instead of a resolution upgrade, new panel tech or a design revision, The Frame 2023 features only a few cosmetic and quality-of-life updates.
In terms of design, The Frame 2023 looks exactly the same. It’s still the thin and sleek model that blends in seamlessly with your wall. For 2023, The Frame can now be optioned with different metal bezels as opposed to just the wood options previously available.
Under the hood, the panel is the same QLED design we’ve come to know and love. And it still has the matte anti-glare tech that makes it look like a framed photograph on your wall.
Art lovers will be happy, as The Frame 2023 will support the new Samsung Art Store 2.0. The Art Store 2.0 will feature a redesign to make it easier to use, and feature support for NFTs. That way you can show off your digital collectibles at home.
The Frame 2023 will also feature a new software interface. It currently runs Bixby, and is already pretty simple to use. If it could improve its reliability, I’d certainly welcome it. The Frame 2021 model I have tends to misbehave, and needs a soft reset to fix more often than not.
The only other change to The Frame for 2023 is support for a wall-mounted bracket that can change the orientation of The Frame from landscape to portrait. Samsung has been experimenting with portrait orientation on its TVs for a little while – including with TVs like The Sero. The Frame 2022 supported portrait orientation in the smaller sizes, but now it’s coming to the whole range. And if you buy the new automatic wall mount, you can change the way you use your TV with the click of a button.
We’ll likely get prices for the new models in the next month or two. The Frame 2023 will be on sale in the first three months of 2023.
Is it any good?
The Frame has always been a remarkable TV to look at. New aesthetic enhancements will continue to make it the best-looking TV ever made.
But I’ve long hoped that The Frame would become more than just a good-looking TV. The 2023 model especially has few (if any) technical upgrades to the viewing experience.
Every year Samsung announces incredible new upgrades for all of its performance TVs. With every year that goes by, I hope that The Frame could become something that packs in a better, more attractive panel and a better sound experience. But alas, it stays largely the same.
There’s a lot of debate as to what the best picture frame TV is. LG continues to nip at Samsung’s heels with its GX Gallery OLED TVs, which feature better picture when they’re on but a worse art experience when they’re off.
Now that Samsung is packing its TVs with QD-OLED tech, we can only hope that 2024 will be the year that The Frame comes of age.
It’s still a great TV, but there is definitely room for improvement here from Samsung.
2022 vs 2023: which one should you buy?
The first three to four months of the year are always the best times to get TVs. It’s when last year’s models attract steep discounts as retailers look to clear room for new stock.
The Frame 2023 is almost identical to The Frame 2022, which is great news if you’re looking for a bargain. If you’re in the market for a Frame TV, buy the 2022 model (if you can find it).
You’ll get the same TV as the 2023 model (minus a few cosmetic changes) for a much cheaper price!
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Check out my eyes-on review of The Frame. It’s a TV that hasn’t changed much!
