Samsung The Frame Samsung The Frame QN65LS03FA 65" 4K HDR Smart QLED Review
The Samsung The Frame TV is a design-first product that asks a big question: are you willing to trade some picture quality for a TV that looks like art? We dug into the data to find out.
The 30-Second Version
The Samsung The Frame QN65LS03FA is a 65-inch 4K QLED TV designed to look like a picture frame. It excels as stylish decor and a surprisingly good gaming TV, but its pure picture quality is just okay for the price. Buy it for the art mode, not as a home theater champion.
Overview
If you're looking for a 65-inch 4K TV that disappears into your wall when you're not watching it, the Samsung The Frame QN65LS03FA is basically the only game in town. This 2025 model is a QLED smart TV designed to look like a modern picture frame, with a matte anti-glare screen and a slim bezel. It's built for people who want a TV that doesn't look like a TV, offering access to curated art galleries through Samsung's Art Store. Under the hood, it's got a 120Hz native refresh rate, HDR10+ support, and all the smart features you'd expect from a high-end Samsung. Prices we've seen range from about $1,200 to $1,500, so it sits in that premium mid-range category where style is a major part of the price tag.
Performance
Our data shows this TV is a bit of a mixed bag in pure performance terms. Its gaming features are excellent, landing in the 93rd percentile. The 120Hz panel with FreeSync Premium and ALLM makes it a surprisingly capable gaming TV for a product marketed as art decor. Smart features are also top-tier, scoring in the 94th percentile thanks to the Tizen OS and support for all the major voice assistants. Where it starts to slip is in core picture quality, which sits in the 43rd percentile. That means while the QLED panel and HDR support are good, they're not the absolute best you can get for the money if your only priority is cinematic image quality. The anti-glare matte finish is great for reducing reflections in a bright room, but it can slightly mute peak brightness compared to glossy screens.
Pros & Cons
Pros
- Unique art frame design that blends into home decor 91th
- Excellent 120Hz gaming performance with VRR support 90th
- Top-tier smart TV platform (Tizen) with wide voice assistant compatibility 90th
- Matte screen effectively eliminates glare 90th
- Includes a slim-fit wall mount in the box
Cons
- Picture quality percentile is middling for the price 19th
- Requires a subscription to the Samsung Art Store for most artwork
- Audio performance is just average (71st percentile)
- The One Connect box is wired, not wireless like on higher-end models
- Can be tricky to set up in portrait mode for a multi-screen art wall
The Word on the Street
Specifications
Full Specifications
Display
| Size | 65" |
| Resolution | 3840 (4K UHD) |
| Panel Type | QLED |
| Aspect Ratio | 16:9 |
Picture Quality
| Color Gamut | Not Specified by Manufacturer |
HDR
| HDR Formats | HDR10+, HLG |
| Dolby Vision | No |
| HDR10+ | Yes |
| HLG | Yes |
Gaming
| Refresh Rate | 120 Hz |
| VRR | FreeSync Premium |
| ALLM | Yes |
Smart TV
| Platform | Tizen |
| Voice Assistant | Google Assistant, Alexa, Bixby |
Audio
| Dolby Atmos | No |
| eARC | Yes |
Connectivity
| HDMI Ports | 4 |
| USB Ports | 1 |
| Wi-Fi | Wi-Fi 5 |
| Bluetooth | 5.3 |
| Ethernet | Yes |
| Optical Audio | Yes |
| VESA Mount | 400x300 |
Power & Size
| Weight | 22.1 kg / 48.7 lbs |
Value & Pricing
You're paying a several-hundred-dollar premium for the design here. At $1,200 to $1,500 for the 65-inch model, you can get TVs with better pure picture quality, like Hisense's Mini-LED models or LG's OLEDs, for similar money. The value proposition is entirely about whether you want your TV to look like a framed piece of art when it's off. If that's a must-have feature, then the price makes sense. If not, you can get more TV for your dollar elsewhere. Keep an eye on sales, as we've seen the price dip to the lower end of that range, which feels like a better deal.
vs Competition
The most direct competitor is really any TV you'd hide in a cabinet, but if we're talking about TVs you actually look at, the LG G5 OLED is a key alternative. The LG will destroy The Frame in contrast and picture quality (OLED vs. QLED), but it has a glossy screen that acts like a mirror when off. For a similar 'disappearing' effect with better performance, check out the Samsung Neo QLED QN90F. It has a brighter, more vibrant picture but still looks like a black rectangle on your wall. The Hisense U6 Series Mini-LED offers incredible value and great HDR performance, but again, zero effort is made to disguise it as decor. The Frame exists in its own niche.
| Spec | Samsung The Frame Samsung The Frame QN65LS03FA 65" 4K HDR Smart QLED | Sony BRAVIA 5 Sony BRAVIA 5 98" 4K HDR Smart Mini-LED TV | LG OLED evo - G5 series LG - 77" Class G5 Series OLED evo AI 4K UHD Smart | Hisense U65QF Mini-LED Hisense - 75" Class U6 Series MiniLED QLED UHD 4K | Samsung S95 Samsung S95F 77" 4K HDR Smart OLED TV | Roku Mini-LED QLED 4K - Pro Roku - 55" Class Pro Series 4K QLED Mini-LED Smart |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Screen Size | 65 | 98 | 77 | 75 | 77 | 55 |
| Resolution | 3840x2160 | 3840x2160 | 3840x2160 | 3840x2160 | 3840x2160 | 3840x2160 |
| Panel Type | QLED | Mini-LED | OLED | Mini-LED QLED | OLED | Mini-LED QLED |
| Refresh Rate | 120 | 120 | 120 | 144 | 120 | 120 |
| Hdr | HDR10+, HLG | Dolby Vision, HDR10, HLG | Dolby Vision, HDR10, HLG | Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HLG | HDR10+ | Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HLG |
| Smart Platform | Tizen | Google TV | webOS | Fire TV | Tizen | Roku TV |
| Dolby Vision | false | true | true | true | false | true |
| Dolby Atmos | false | false | true | true | true | true |
| Hdmi Version | - | 2.1 | 2.1 | 2.1 | 2.1 | 2.1 |
| Compare | Compare | Compare | Compare | Compare |
Common Questions
Q: Is the Samsung The Frame good for gaming?
Yes, surprisingly good. With a 120Hz native refresh rate, FreeSync Premium, and Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM), it scores in the 93rd percentile for gaming in our database, making it a great choice for console or PC gaming.
Q: Do you need a subscription for the art on The Frame?
You can upload personal photos for free, but access to the curated gallery of professional artwork from museums and artists requires a subscription to the Samsung Art Store.
Q: Can you mount The Frame TV vertically?
Yes, the TV supports a portrait orientation, which is how you'd set up multiple screens side-by-side to create a large, vertical art display or video wall.
Q: Is this the 2025 model of The Frame?
Yes, the model number QN65LS03FA corresponds to the 2025 version of the 65-inch Samsung The Frame TV.
Who Should Skip This
Skip this TV if you're a home theater purist who watches movies in a dark room. The matte screen and middling picture quality percentile mean you won't get the deep blacks and eye-searing highlights of an OLED or high-end Mini-LED. Also, if you don't care about the art frame design at all, you're literally paying for a feature you won't use. In that case, look at the Hisense U6 Series or an LG OLED for better pure performance at a similar price point.
Verdict
Should you buy the Samsung The Frame? Only if its unique design is your top priority. This is the TV you get when you care more about how your living room looks when you're not watching TV. The gaming features are a fantastic bonus, and the smart system is slick. But if you're a cinephile who watches in a dark room and wants the absolute best picture quality for your budget, you'll be disappointed. There are better performers for the money. But for turning a blank wall into a dynamic art gallery that can also play the latest Xbox games in 120Hz, it's a compelling, if expensive, solution.