Samsung's The Frame has some competition — HiSense and TCL just entered the arena
Samsung's The Frame has dominated aesthetically-driven TVs that blend functionality and décor. Now Hisense and TCL are entering the field with more affordable lifestyle TVs.
We love our TVs, we need our TVs. But for the aesthetically-minded among us, incorporating a TV into our home décor can be...a challenge. Samsung answered this dilemma with The Frame TV. The brand's line seamlessly turns TVs into works of art when turned off, plus, this spring, Samsung launched a Frame speaker that looks just another picture frame on your gallery wall.
Until this year, Samsung didn't have much competition since it launched The Frame in 2017. Back in 2022, Amazon embraced aesthetic multitasking with its line of Omni Fire TVs. Now, TV leaders Hisense and TCL are entering the field with new lifestyle TVs.
Meet the HiSense CanvasTV
Launched in July 2024, the Hisense CanvasTV offers an immersive Art Mode. Right on par with The Frame, Art Mode on the CanvasTV shows a collection of pre-loaded artwork as well as personalized photographs when not in use. So rather than the boring black screen you're used to, the CanvasTV shows beautiful images of your choosing.
While the immersive Art Mode is the big draw of The Frame-style TVs, they're also really good at their main function. The CanvasTV is 4K QLED and features Hisense's Hi-Matte tech for anti-glare viewing. Plus, it's loaded with surround sound — no extra sound system needed. It's a Google TV as well, providing access to your favorite streaming apps.
It's available in both 55- and 65-inch models. The CanvasTV comes with a teak frame, with additional frames available for purchase. The best part of the Hisense CanvasTV is that it is significantly cheaper than Samsung's The Frame. The 65-inch Hisense CanvasTV costs just $1,299.99, while Samsung's same-sized model is $1,999.99.
The latest competitor — the TCL NXTFRAME TV
And just this week, TCL announced its NXTFRAME TV. Like The Frame and the CanvasTV, it's all about merging décor with the functionality of a TV. The NXTFRAME TV boasts an exceptionally thin design (apparently the thinnest TV ever), just 1.1-inch deep (1.2-inches on the 85-inch model). It mounts flush to the wall to blend into your gallery and comes with a curated Art Library. It also features a personal photo gallery mode and has AI Art capabilities, an interesting choice considering how controversial AI art has been.
TCL has also entered a licensing partnership with Bang & Olufsen, giving NXTFRAME TV Pro models audio by Bang & Olufsen. Like the other art TVs available, it's 4K QLED with a matte anti-glare screen. It comes in four sizes: 55-, 65-, 75-, and 85-inches. Like Samsung and Hisense's TVs, it comes with a swappable wooden frame.
The 55-inch and 65-inch NXTFRAME TVs are supposed to be available now but still listed as coming soon on TCL's website. The 75- and 85-inch models are coming in September. Models start at $1,499.99 for the 55-inch model, the exact same price as Samsung's 55-inch The Frame. However, TCL's NXTFRAME TVs are cheaper than Samsung's as the models increase in size, saving you several hundred dollars.
