TCL's 60 Phone Series Expands With 108-Megapixel Cameras, Bigger Batteries
The TCL 60 series first debuted in January at CES 2025 with the $200 TCL 60 XE NxtPaper 5G that will head to the US market later this year. The TCL 60 XE will be joined by several variations of both TCL's NxtPaper devices and phones with traditional displays that are set for release in Asia, Europe and Latin American markets.
Read more: MWC 2025: All the Phones, Wearables, Robots and AI Live From Barcelona
The TCL 60 SE NxtPaper 5G has a 6.7-inch display, 5,200 mAh battery, support for AI tools like a writing assistant, an IP54 rating for splash and dust resistance and 18GB of memory paired up with 256GB of storage. That phone will cost 189 euros, which roughly converts to $195.
The TCL 60 NxtPaper -- without any additional letters in its name -- has a slightly larger 6.8-inch display, a 108-megapixel main camera (which we rarely see in these price ranges) and up to 512GB of internal storage. Like the SE phone, it will also include 18GB of memory and a 5,200mAh battery. That phone will cost 199 euros.
TCL's non-NxtPaper devices range in price from 109 euros to 169 euros. On the low end of this price range is the TCL 605 which has 128GB of storage, a 50-megapixel main camera and a 5,200mAh battery. While on the higher-end are the TCL 60 5G and TCL 60 SE. The 60 SE has a 6.67-inch display, a 50-megapixel main camera, 8GB of memory and 512GB of storage. The 60 5G -- without any additional letters -- gets a 6.8-inch display with a 120Hz refresh rate, runs on a MediaTek Dimensity 6300 processor and has 6GB of memory along with 256GB of storage.
While most of these phones aren't coming to the US, this lineup does give a few hints about what could be coming to phones that cost $200 and less from TCL and other phone companies. For the last few years, phone batteries in these lower-cost phones have kept to 5,000mAh -- which as it is often last a full day -- but companies like OnePlus are starting to push those capacities even higher in more expensive phones. Its promising to see that lower-cost devices can start bumping up the battery capacity.
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Gizmodo
11 hours ago
- Gizmodo
TCL D2 Pro Review: This Fast Palm-Scanning Smart Lock Is No Jedi Mind Trick
I love and hate smart locks. On one hand, it's an undeniable treat to be able to get into my house even when I've forgotten my keys or make sure things are locked up when I'm away. But on the other, dead batteries, buggy software, and finicky wireless connections can evaporate that convenience, leaving me stuck on my porch, impotently stabbing my finger at a dead fingerprint sensor or waving my phone over a smart lock whose NFC reader just won't respond. The palm-scanning, Wi-Fi-connected TCL D2 Pro, a new smart lock from a company better known for its cheap TVs than anything else, almost totally eliminates that irritating experience. The D2 Pro is one of a few recent smart locks, and the second from TCL itself, that work by blasting your hand with near-infrared light, reading the unique pattern of the blood vessels therein. If it's a match for a vein pattern stored in the D2 Pro, then it'll unlock and let you in. TCL says the scanner is 99.9999% accurate and that it's more secure than a fingerprint sensor because blood vessels are under the skin. The lock features 'liveness detection,' which is to say that it only works with living hands—so nobody can flop your dead hand in front of the scanner to get into your house. Best of all, this biometric authentication data is stored on-device and works whether the smart lock has an internet connection or not. TCL D2 Pro Smart Lock The D2 Pro is a futuristic palm-scanning smart lock that's priced right but has limited smart home platform support. Pros Cons Practically speaking, palm vein scanning still has some of the weaknesses of other biometric authentication types like fingerprints or facial recognition, so if your hand is dirty or covered up with a glove, it won't work. I can live with that, and TCL has seemed to do a good job nailing the tech as well as anyone can right now; the D2 Pro worked reliably throughout testing to unlock my back door (and let me cheesily holler 'open sesame' while I did it). If only it didn't come with certain compromises. The boxy-looking D2 Pro isn't especially attractive or unattractive—although the outer portion has a whiff of Cybertruck vibes when viewed at an angle. The whole unit feels durable and its locking action is smooth. The smart lock is rated IP55, meaning it should be dust-resistant and capable of handling jets of water. If you've ever installed a deadbolt lock, smart or otherwise, the D2 Pro holds no real surprises and only took me around 15 minutes to stick on my door. It's hard to find compatible door dimensions for the D2 Pro on TCL's website, so here are the smart lock's specifications, from its installation instructions: Setup in the TCL Home app was a little more fraught than physically installing the D2 Pro. My phone connected to the smart lock without issue, and I had no problems configuring its Wi-Fi connection. (While Wi-Fi isn't necessary for things like palm scanning, it is for app and smart home control—more on that later). But then the app prompted me over and over to update the smart lock's firmware, seemingly not applying it when I tried. The D2 Pro also appeared to fail when I tried to register my palm. I say it appeared to, because after I gave up trying, I found the smart lock had registered each of those attempts just fine. Eventually, the firmware updates went through, and I stopped getting error messages during palm-scan registration. The D2 Pro can be unlocked in six different ways. In addition to waving your palm in front of the smart lock, you can unlock it using a number pad, a physical key (it comes with two), a button in the TCL Home app, through Google Home or Amazon Alexa, and using a key card fob that, for now, isn't included in the box. TCL spokesperson Will Bright told me in an email that the company plans to ship the card with the smart lock later, and that early D2 Pro owners who didn't get the card can request one by emailing TCL's home security customer support at [email protected]. The palm vein authentication part of the D2 Pro really is the star of the show. There's a slight learning curve to properly positioning your hand, which needs to be between 4 and 6 inches in front of the scanner at the top of the smart lock. You'll know when you're in the sweet spot because you'll get the instant gratification of the door unlocking. (TCL says it takes 0.3 seconds to authenticate, which seems about right in my experience.) The D2 Pro won't work if you're wearing gloves or your hands are covered in dirt, but it had no problem identifying me when I dunked my hand in water or covered it with a clear plastic sandwich bag. When you approach the D2 Pro, a doorbell button lights up on the keypad. Tap the pad and more backlighting reveals large, easy-to-tap numbers for code entry and a lock button. TCL doesn't sell a doorbell chime to go with this smart lock, but its built-in speaker was loud enough by default that I could hear it clearly two rooms away. You'll tap the lock button after you enter a code to unlock your door, or long-press it to lock the door. I didn't like the long-press, which takes long enough to work—about three seconds—that I kept wondering if I had missed the button. Unfortunately, you can't tweak that in the app, so you're stuck with that long-press unless TCL changes it later. From the inside, you can lock or unlock the D2 Pro using its standard thumb turn or the button sitting next to it. Above these, a sliding cover hides the D2 Pro's 10,000mAh removable battery that's rechargeable via USB-C while in or out of the smart lock, and looks a lot like a small portable power bank. (Did I try charging my iPhone with it? Of course I did. Did it work? No, but that would've been fun.) TCL claims the battery can go for up to 10 months on a charge, and though I didn't spend that long with the smart lock, after a week of going in and out of my backdoor several times a day, the app still shows a 'High' charge. For those with battery anxiety, Bright said the company plans to sell spares on Amazon, as it does for the D1 Pro and D1 Max, starting in September. The D2 Pro falls down a bit when you get to the app control part of the equation. The TCL Home app does several things right, like notifying you quickly when your door has been locked or unlocked, or when someone is ringing the doorbell. And you can set a maximum number of failed attempts to unlock the D2 Pro before it stops responding, and for how long it waits to start again. The app also has a robust 'Events Summary' page for checking when, how, and how many times it's been unlocked, and an option to notify you if someone—your child, for instance—hasn't returned home after a set time and used their code or palm to open the door. Those are nice features to have, but the TCL Home app doesn't let you set up a locking schedule or geofenced automation that locks your door when you leave home. The D2 Pro does have an auto-lock feature that you can set to trigger anywhere from 10 to 120 seconds after unlocking the door, but that's time-based and the smart lock has no apparent ability to detect when the door has been shut, so it can trigger with the door open. It's better than nothing, but I'd prefer to be able to schedule when auto-lock is active. You can set up scheduling and other automations if you connect the D2 Pro to Google Home or Alexa—I tried with both and it worked as expected—but for now, there is no support for other smart home platforms. Bright told me that TCL has an Apple Home-specific version of this smart lock coming later, but splitting smart home devices like this up by platform increasingly feels out of step in a time when the Matter standard, which lets devices work with any of the major smart home platforms, is showing up in so many more devices. Another benefit of Matter is that the standard requires that Matter-connected devices support local software control even without an active internet connection, something that's not currently possible for the D2 Pro. That's crucial not just because it lets you control things when your internet goes down, but because it makes smart home devices snappier to use. According to Bright, local control is on TCL's roadmap but in the short term, the company has 'no plan to ensure that the TCL Home app can control the D2 Pro locally in the event of an internet outage.' That said, he added that 'all customer information is stored 100% locally for maximum privacy.' If you ignore my quibbles with the TCL D2 Pro's software and smart home compatibility, this is still a nice smart lock. That's thanks to its lightning-fast palm-based authentication, which was rock-solid reliable the entire time I tested it, and as someone who is tired of swapping out AA batteries in my existing Aqara U100 and August smart locks, I love the way TCL handled the removable, rechargeable battery. The D2 Pro is also relatively affordable at $189, which is far less than you'd pay for similar alternatives from well-known companies, such as the palm-scanning $399 Eufy Familock S3 Max, a smart lock that also has a built-in video doorbell and Matter compatibility. The fact that the palm vein-scanning feature of the D2 Pro doesn't require the internet to work helps the value proposition further—if you just want to be able to wave your hand over your lock like a wizard and have it respond no matter what (assuming its battery is charged), this is one of the cheapest ways to do that. But if you need a smart lock that also integrates with your smart home and you're already using Google Home or Amazon Alexa, consider how committed to your chosen platform you are; without Matter support, you could be stuck buying a new smart lock down the road, should you decide to switch things up. Still, TCL has me convinced that any future smart lock I buy must have a palm vein scanner, and one that works as fast as the D2 Pro's does. Maybe it's not as compelling as smart locks that use ultra wideband to detect when your smartphone is approaching and unlock your door before you even get to it, but it's certainly more fun. Now if you'll excuse me, I need to fulfill my fatherly duty and loudly exclaim 'OPEN SESAME' while unlocking my door.
CNET
11 hours ago
- CNET
TCL QM8K (2025) Review: Mini LED TV Takes On OLED for Less
CNET's expert staff reviews and rates dozens of new products and services each month, building on more than a quarter century of expertise. 8.6 / 10 SCORE TCL QM8K Pros Great picture quality Very few haloing artifacts New Filmmaker mode helps create more accurate pictures Cons Still bright, but dimmer than the TV it replaced Worse input lag with games TCL QM8K 8.6/10 CNET Score For the past few years, TCL's QM8 TVs have consistently been at the top of our most recommended models, thanks to their excellent image quality for their price. In 2025, the company appears determined to beat more expensive OLED TVs at their own game. And you know what? It's almost there. The latest QM8K TV looks great, especially in high dynamic range movies and games, and its new anti-halo technology helps to improve contrast. Even so, the TV wasn't as consistent with my measurements of standard dynamic range material, and I found this to be surprising in a flagship television. As I write this, the 65-inch QM8K is available for half its original retail price at $1,250, and that a really good deal, especially considering the LG C5 OLED is $1,800 right now. Even still, for the same price it comes up against some heavy competition from other mini-LED backlit TVs, especially the Hisense U8Q. Meanwhile, the TCL QM851 that preceded it is a better TV in a number of ways, especially in terms of brightness and saturation, but it appears to be out of stock in many places. That said, if you're trying to choose between the Hisense U8Q and TCL QM8K specifically, the TCL has the more cinematic look while the Hisense is better for gaming. Either TV is well worth your time, though, and if you don't have a strong preference for either one, my advice is should buy whichever is cheapest in the moment. Also read: Best TVs of 2025 TCL QM8K series TV sizes Ty Pendlebury/CNET I performed hands-on testing of the picture quality of the 65-inch TCL QM8K but this review also applies to the other screen sizes in the series. All sizes have similar specifications and should exhibit similar picture quality. Sturdy stand and a sweet remote The TCL stand packs flat and is easy to put together. Ty Pendlebury/CNET As TVs get thinner and less "bezelly" (I made up this word and I'm sticking to it), the outward appearance of a new television becomes a non-issue because it basically looks like all picture, especially if you're mounting it on a wall. If you're not, then the one thing designers can influence becomes even more important -- the stand. As a reviewer who regularly puts together TV bases, I appreciate a stand that doesn't require an extra set of hands or the need to consult the manual. The QM8K's pedestal stand was quick to assemble and relatively attractive as well. Ty Pendlebury/CNET The TCL QM8K features something that's rarer than it should be at this level, a backlit remote. It's a fairly plush model too, with a metal facade and dedicated input buttons (hooray!). It's a step up from the "Twix bar" that shipped with the previous model. Google your TV While Samsung's Tizen OS is the most popular smart TV interface that's designed in-house by a TV maker, Google TV also enjoys wide support from a number of brands including Sony, TCL and Hisense. After Roku took development of most of its TVs in-house, the majority of TCLs now feature Google's smart TV interface instead. Google TV does a great job of surfacing content, in a similar way to Amazon Fire TV, although you can set up shortcuts to feature your favorite apps as well. The latest version of Google TV will work with a Nest-based smart home and can display your cameras on the Home tab as well. Furthermore you can ask your Nest mini to play an episode of Alien: Earth, for example, and it will play on the TCL. TCL's Google TV interface is relatively zippy. If you want more power or customization, you could add a separate set-top from Apple or Roku -- although most people won't need to. The QM8K features Google TV onboard Ty Pendlebury/CNET Halo control, Master Chief approved (probably) The TCL QM8K is a 4K TV which includes the company's new "all-domain halo control technology." TCL claims the TV offers "contrast and color gamut comparable to OLED" via a mini-LED backlight. The TV has up to 35% more dimming zones than the previous model, which had up to 5,000 local dimming zones, though TCL did not respond immediately to my requests for clarification about the actual number of zones on the QM8K. Full-array local dimming allows the screen to dim and brighten different areas simultaneously and this ultimately increases contrast and therefore picture quality. The TV includes compatibility with Dolby Vision IQ (with room lighting detection), HDR10+, HDR10, HLG and Dolby Atmos. If you connect a console or PC to the TV via its HDMI 2.1 ports, you will find you have VRR capability as well as a 144Hz native refresh rate. New for the 2025 model is Filmmaker mode, and while I found it to be virtually identical to Movie mode, its addition is helpful for people familiar with the benefits of Filmmaker mode from other TVs. The TV has a speaker system by Bang and Olufsen, and though I don't have a formalized test for this, I did find that it sounded the best of the assembled TVs and had the the clearest dialog. Connections include: RF Input with ATSC and ATSC 3.0 tuners Ethernet 1x USB 2.0, 1x USB 3.0 4x HDMI (1x eARC) Optical digital audio Four HDMI 2.1 ports should handle most gaming setups Ty Pendlebury/CNET TCL QM8K vs Hisense U8N vs LG C5 vs TCL QM851 : Picture quality compared TV and movies Based on my testing, and taking into account TCL's claims about OLED-like pictures, I found that the picture quality gulf between the technologies has indeed narrowed. With the company's focus on improving black levels, and reducing "haloing," though, it was perhaps inevitable that the QM8K's light output would be affected. While this wasn't reflected in my test measurements, I did see this when comparing program material. For instance, when watching the extended chase scenes across the post-apocalyptic Australian landscape, last year's QM8 TCL looked better than both the new QM8K and the Hisense with better saturation and a higher brightness. When it came to the two contemporary TVs, though, it was a close match between the QM8K and the Hisense U8Q. They weren't equal in every respect, as the QM8K had a little more contrast while the Hisense looked more saturated. Next, with the 4K HDR version of the movie It, I found that the QM8K was able to uncover the most shadow detail in the early scene of Georgie descending the basement stairs. The QM8K had the best combination of black levels and shadow detail under the stairs, and the texture on the wall of the basement looked the most realistic. The QM8 (2024) exposed too much detail, so much so that picture artifacts appeared, and it was overly green. Meanwhile, the Hisense and LG had too little detail in this scene with the stairwell hidden by the murk. When viewing the Spears and Munsil HDR test disc the TCL QM8K had mixed results. When comparing the high-contrast scenes, the TCL looked great with very little blooming of the objects on the black backgrounds, and it held up well against OLED TVs. TCL's new anti-halo tech was also noticeable in transitions between scenes. For instance, the screens were grey on the QM8 (2024) but black on QM8K. The TCL also had the brightest highlights of all on test disk in general, but weirdly a sun was completely obscured during the test disk's image of a sunset -- all of the other TVs, including the LG C5, could display it. The Hisense didn't come out perfectly, though, as it crushed the detail out of the brighter scenes, particularly a snowy scene of horses. The TCL QM8K looked best overall during this test with a little more vibrant red and a touch more contrast. Taking into account the TCL's relatively poor showing in the white balance measurements below -- particularly at 80% bright grey -- I watched one of my favorite rock biographies: the black and white film Control. I watched the movie streaming in HD SDR on all four TVs and did find that the QM8K was a little green in palette, though not as green as the LG C5. Meanwhile both the Hisense and original QM851 looked more natural overall. Gaming The TCL QM8K isn't the fastest TV when it comes to displaying games, as my Leo Bodnar input lag tests suggested, but even so its Game Mode is only about 4ms behind the fastest TVs. In the real world this isn't noticeable, but what was more apparent was that this mode wasn't as color saturated as the LG C5 I tested it against. I played all sorts of games, including everything from shooters to platform games, and the TV was able to follow the action without blurring or tearing. Bright lighting and off-axis I watched the four TVs together with the lights on and found that all of the models had decent amounts of contrast in a lit room. I next turned on my phone's flashlight and held it up to each screen in turn -- to simulate how each TV dealt with lights or window reflections. The LG fared the best with the least amount of reflection, the Hisense TCL did the second best and the QM8s tied for last place with the most. Next I tested the off axis angle of both the Hisense U8Q and the TCL QM8K, and while the TCL was marginally better, colors still bled to grey the further from center I went. The LG C5 OLED, for instance, kept its contrast and color no matter what angle I viewed it at, and that's a relative problem that LCD may never overcome. Settings and picture mode notes The addition of Filmmaker Mode for 2025 is a welcome development, even though I didn't find it to be that different from Movie mode. While testing was great from a HDR perspective, things went awry when it came to testing the SDR modes. Though the gamma was good at 2.26 (leading to great shadow detail) almost everything else was a little out of whack. This was a common issue with all of the TCL's SDR picture modes. All of them measured poorly compared to other TVs of its type, and the "least bad" mode was Filmmaker. I wasn't able to see much effect of these readings on real-world material, it's worthwhile to say. Geek Box Test Result Score Black luminance (0%) 0.000 Good Peak white luminance (SDR) 3038 Good Avg. gamma (10-100%) 2.25 Good Avg. grayscale error (10-100%) 5.42 Poor Dark gray error (30%) 3.50 Average Bright gray error (80%) 7.26 Poor Avg. color checker error 3.08 Average Avg. saturation sweeps error 3.00 Good Avg. color error 7.23 Poor 1080p/24 Cadence (IAL) Pass Good Input lag (Game mode) 13.70 Good HDR10 Black luminance (0%) 0.008 Good Peak white luminance (10% win) 2746 Good Gamut % UHDA/P3 (CIE 1976) 96.78 Good ColorMatch HDR error 3.36 Average Avg. color checker error 2.86 Good Input lag (Game mode, 4K HDR) 13.27 Good Portrait Displays Calman calibration software was used in this review. How We Test TVs
Business Insider
a day ago
- Business Insider
The best art frame TVs of 2025: How do Samsung, Hisense, and TCL models compare?
TVs have become the centerpiece of many living rooms, but they don't always look great when they're not in use. After all, a big black rectangle hanging on your wall is much less appealing than a painting or a family photo. That's why Samsung's Frame TVs have steadily grown in popularity since their debut in 2017. The best Frame TVs are built to look like artwork when not in use as a traditional display. They have matte screens meant to resemble canvas, thin mounts that let them hang flush, interchangeable bezels with different styles, and access to paintings that can be displayed on screen. And now other manufacturers, like Hisense and TCL, are hopping on this trend with their own art TVs that double as design pieces. Over the last five years, I've spent my fair share of time with various Frame TVs, including the flagship Frame Pro, and I've been mostly satisfied, but I was curious about new models from competitors, especially since they're often cheaper than Samsung's offerings. Do the Hisense CanvasTV and TCL NXTVISION TV also look convincing as framed works of art? Do they cut any corners to keep their costs down? To find out, I put all of the best art frame TVs from Samsung, Hisense, and TCL to the test. Here's a rundown of what every model offers, along with details on their benefits, drawbacks, and what kind of user each is best suited for. Our picks for the best frame TVs Best overall Samsung 65-inch Frame TV (LS03F) Samsung's Frame TV is designed to look like a piece of art on your wall thanks to its flush mount, matte screen, and magnetic frame bezels. Its image quality is mediocre, but its style makes it a great pick for design-focused buyers. Check price at Amazon Check price at Walmart Check price at Best Buy What we like Art-frame design with matte screen and flush wall mount One Connect Box simplifies power and device connections Lots of bezels and accessories on the market Smaller sizes available Samsung's standard Frame TV is the best art TV for most people. It has all the bells and whistles that an art TV should have, and it has a few perks that cheaper options from other brands are missing. When it comes to art-style design perks and features, the Frame has all the usual suspects: a matte screen, support for magnetic bezel attachments (sold separately), a flush wall mount, and a motion sensor. That latter feature allows the TV to engage its art mode only when people are in the room. Because of its longevity in the market, the standard Frame TV has more bezel accessories than any other art TV, with options that range from simple to extravagant. However, these bezels cost extra, and the TV does not include any in the box (it just has a black border by default). The Frame comes with a wired One Connect Box, which simplifies power and device connections through a single cable that runs from the screen to the box. Thanks to this design, I don't have to move the TV if I want to connect an antenna to it or add a new game console, as I can just plug components into the box and keep the box out of sight. The wired cable is thin and transparent, which makes it easy to navigate fireplaces and other structural inconveniences. I keep mine hidden by a plant on my media console. Samsung's Art Store is packed with high-quality images that can be displayed on the Frame TV. The selection is much more comprehensive than the free offerings provided by Hisense and TCL. But while Samsung does offer a limited stream of free curated artwork, to get access to the whole collection, you need to sign up for a paid subscription. The TV's anti-glare, matte screen does a great job of keeping it visible in sun-filled rooms — both in art mode and when watching content during the day. But like most art TVs, the Frame's image quality is nothing special. Brightness is limited to about 500 nits, and contrast is relatively low compared to a typical midrange TV meant for home theaters. The TV's edge-lit backlighting is often visible across scenes in movies and TV shows, causing elevated black levels. In the dark, this uneven lighting can be downright distracting. However, it's important to remember that the Frame isn't built for picture quality aficionados. It's built for design-focused buyers who want a TV that doubles as a piece of art in their living room. And in that sense, it excels. I also love that it's available in several screen sizes. The latest 2025 model ranges from 43 to 65 inches, but you can still find older versions of the TV in sizes ranging from 32 to 85 inches. Check out our guide to all of the best Samsung TVs. Best high-end model Samsung Frame Pro QLED 4K TV The Frame Pro is an upgraded version of Samsung's popular gallery-style TV. It has a thin wall mount, matte screen, and interchangeable bezels, which make it look like a piece of art on your wall. The Pro model is brighter than the standard one, but it still can't match the image quality of Samsung's best QLED TVs. Check price at Amazon Check price at Walmart Check price at Best Buy What we like Best picture quality of any art frame TV Thin wall mount and interchangeable bezels Matte screen reduces reflections and mimics canvas Wireless connection box expands placement options The Frame Pro is Samsung's new high-end art-style TV. It's the most advanced option on the market and offers a noticeably bolder, brighter image than any other display in this guide. This model carries over all of the essential features found on the standard Frame TV, including a matte screen, support for attachable bezels, a flush wall mount, and a motion sensor. What sets this model apart from Samsung's cheaper Frame is its wireless connection box and local dimming backlight. Like the standard Frame TV, the Frame Pro uses a separate One Connect Box to house its video ports. But the Frame Pro goes one step further by making this connection box wireless. It still needs to be plugged into an outlet, but it doesn't require a physical connection to the TV itself. This greatly opens up placement options and has a legitimate shot at revolutionizing how people work around obstacles in their home so they can mount their TV in spots that were previously too tricky to work. When it comes to picture quality, the Frame Pro uses Samsung's Neo QLED technology with Mini LED local dimming, which gives it a big technical advantage over the regular Frame TV and rivals from other brands. Every other art TV uses a standard edge-lit LED backlight without dimming, which greatly limits contrast and brightness. But the Frame Pro's Mini LEDs help it achieve a peak brightness of around 1,000 nits, which is about double what the standard Frame, Hisense Canvas, and TCL NXTVISION can output. This higher brightness allows the TV to produce bolder highlights when watching high-dynamic-range (HDR) videos and helps it overcome ambient light in rooms with many windows. The Mini LED backlight can also produce deeper black levels than other art frame TVs, so dark scenes don't look as washed out and uneven when watching TV with the lights off. That said, there are still some caveats that prevent the Frame Pro from being a complete slam dunk for everyone. The biggest consideration, quite literally, is its size. The Frame Pro is only offered in 65-, 75-, and 85-inch options. Those large sizes won't work for everyone. Additionally, though the Frame Pro's Mini LED backlight is an improvement over a regular LED panel, I still noticed some light blotches and uneven dimming during some dark scenes in nighttime viewing. So while this is the best frame TV for picture quality, it still can't match the image performance of most traditional midrange QLED and OLED TVs. Finally, it's also important to remember that access to Samsung's full Art Store requires a subscription fee, and that magnetic bezel attachments cost extra. But while this all adds to the price, the Frame Pro is easily the best art TV for premium performance. Check out our full Samsung Frame Pro TV review. Best Frame TV alternative Hisense 65-inch Canvas S7N QLED 4K TV If you're looking for a more affordable alternative to Samsung's Frame TV, Hisense's Canvas is a solid option. It has a similar matte screen, slim mount, and bezel system. That said, it lacks the Frame's One Connect Box, and its viewing angles aren't great. Check price at Amazon Check price at Best Buy What we like Has a matte screen, slim mount, and magnetic bezel Free artwork included Good amount of art mode settings The Hisense CanvasTV is a strong Frame TV competitor, and does a solid job of matching most of the standard Samsung Frame's features and design perks. It has all the essentials that make an art TV an art TV, including a matte screen, support for magnetic bezel attachments, a flush mount, access to digital paintings, and a motion sensor. I also like that Hisense offers a solid assortment of free paintings and photos without a membership. In fact, Hisense doesn't currently offer a premium subscription option. That said, the selection of photography and art prints isn't as wide as what you'd get with Samsung's paid Art Store, so if you're often trying to switch up the mood in your room, you won't have as many options. However, I never had that problem and found more than enough free choices that I liked. The biggest complaint I have about the CanvasTV is that all of its connection ports are built into the back of the display, just like a traditional TV. This is in contrast to Samsung's Frame models, which use a separate connection box. So if you have lots of media devices you want to hook up, you could be left with multiple cables hanging down your wall, which hurts the TV's ability to mimic a framed painting. Of course, you could hide cables with some sort of cover or by feeding them through your wall if you're able to do some drilling, but Samsung's solution is a lot more user-friendly and versatile. On the plus side, I like that the TV comes with a magnetic bezel that looks like a wood frame. You'd have to pay extra for that when buying a Samsung model. However, alternate magnetic bezels are difficult to track down through Hisense or third-party retailers. The most common search results are for those from sellers on Etsy. In contrast, there are tons of styles available for Samsung Frame TVs. In terms of picture quality, there's not much separating the CanvasTV from the standard Frame. The 4K QLED display offers decent pop in both dark and light room conditions with similar brightness capabilities. Watching movies with the basic settings most people will use, I couldn't easily tell a difference between the two products when it came to black levels or color saturation. That said, I did find the CanvasTV's viewing angles to be more limited, especially when watching TV during the day in bright light. But even with its drawbacks, Hisense's CanvasTV is the best Frame TV alternative for anyone who wants a more affordable art TV that mimics most, but not all, of the features you get on Samsung's model. Best on a budget TCL 65-inch NXTVISION TV TCL's NXTVISION TV is the brand's take on an art-frame style TV. It has a matte screen, magnetic bezel support, and lots of free digital art pieces to choose from. However, it lacks a motion sensor and doesn't include a stand. Check price at Amazon Check price at Walmart Check price at Best Buy What we like Matte screen and flush wall mount mimic framed art Light wood magnetic bezel included in box Lots of free art pieces to choose from Thanks to its matte display and thin frame, the TCL NXTVISION is convincing enough as an art-style TV. It's missing some features found on the Samsung Frame and Hisense CanvasTV, but it earns some extra points in overall value. This model is often the most affordable art TV of the bunch, with frequent discounts bringing the 65-inch model down to just under $900. The NXTVISION TV comes with a light wood-style bezel that attaches easily with magnets. Unfortunately, I had a hard time finding replacement colors or different options through online searches. This could change, but at the moment, Samsung has a clear advantage when it comes to bezel accessories. TCL offers 100+pieces of free art to display when the TV is off, as well as some screensaver-like choices with motion and the option to show details like the time. Though the selection is solid, it's smaller than those offered by Hisense's free gallery or Samsung's paid service. I didn't have any trouble finding art to use, but ask me again in a year or two, and the limited selection may be more of an issue. Like the Hisense CanvasTV, the NXTVISION keeps its connection ports built into the panel rather than having a separate box. This means that you might have to deal with multiple wires hanging down your wall if you mount the TV. Sadly, this model is also missing a motion sensor to turn the TV on and off when people are or aren't around. Both the Samsung Frame/Frame Pro and the Hisense Canvas TV have motion sensors. I was also disappointed by the NXTVISION TV's general lack of art customization. You can add a mat to prints, but the aspect ratio of those mat choices is limited and doesn't help a piece of art look any more convincing. Both Hisense and Samsung outdo TCL in this area as well. The TV doesn't come with a stand, but a slim wall mount is included in the box. If you need a stand, TCL sells one with wheels and a rear shelf to hold the remote and small devices like an Apple TV. I was able to test this stand, and it's a nice option. However, this stand is expensive, and I do wish a basic one were included with the TV. General picture quality is similar to that of the standard Frame and Hisense CanvasTV, though this set is a tad dimmer. Its viewing angles are a bit wider than Hisense's TV, though, as I observed at different times of the day. Though there are a few places where TCL's NXTVISION comes up short compared to other art TV options, it's typically the most budget-friendly display of this kind. Sizes range from 55 to 85 inches, and the 55-inch model is often on sale for as low as $698, which undercuts the typical street price of the Frame and CanvasTV. The TCL NXTVISION is best for people who want a stylish TV but only have a passing interest in the art mode. It's a decent art TV on a budget, but its lack of customizations and motion sensor puts it a step below the competition. Art frame TVs compared Samsung Frame Samsung Frame Pro Hisense CanvasTV TCL NXTVISION Typical price (65 inch) $1,800 $2,200 $1,000 $900 Matte screen Yes Yes Yes Yes Flush wall mount Yes Yes Yes Yes Motion sensor Yes Yes Yes No Stand included Yes Yes Yes No Magnetic bezels Yes (sold separately) Yes (sold separately) Yes, teak included Yes, light wood included Separate connection box Yes (wired) Yes (wireless) No No Local dimming No Yes No No Sizes 43 to 65 inches 65 to 85 inches 55 to 85 inches 55 to 85 inches How we test art TVs To find the best frame TVs, we tested all of the major models from Samsung, TCL, and Hisense. We focused on how each display performed as a design-oriented frame TV and paid careful attention to any differences in overall quality and features between them. The primary reason people buy art frame TVs is for their unique design. So, while picture quality is still important, that aspect is secondary to other elements, like painting realism, the amount of included artwork, accessories, interface, and other software features. I've bought several Samsung Frame TVs over the years, and I went hands-on with each of the models included in this guide. I used them to watch movies and TV shows and play video games. They were all tested in similar, well-lit rooms with lots of sun to evaluate the glare and anti-reflective displays. I used the same movie at the same volume percentage to try to get a sense of the image and speaker quality on each TV. Art TV FAQs What is an art frame TV? An art TV is designed to look like a framed work of art when it's "off" and not being used to watch TV. To accomplish this, all of the best art TVs include a few key features that set them apart from most traditional TVs. These include: An anti-reflective matte screen meant to resemble canvas A thin profile and flush wall mount so they can hang like a picture Support for magnetic bezel attachments in different art-frame styles Access to a curated gallery of art and photographs that can be displayed when the set isn't used as a TV Some, but not all, art TVs also include additional features that help them to further mimic the look and feel of a framed painting: A separate connection box so you can keep your wall free from cables A motion sensor to turn on the TV's art mode only when people are in the room Can you access art gallery services on other TVs? Most TVs have some kind of screensaver feature that can display various images when you're not watching a movie or show. However, these modes aren't as full-featured as those found on the best frame TVs, and the selection of images is often more limited. That said, Samsung now offers access to its Art Store on all of its 2025 Neo QLED and QLED TV models. Those displays don't have all the design features of a Frame TV, but they can showcase the same images, so long as you have an Art Store subscription. Are art TVs good for home theater enthusiasts? Art TVs place a heavier emphasis on design than they do picture quality. Generally speaking, most midrange and high-end traditional TVs offer better image performance than even the best frame TVs. This is especially true when it comes to contrast, brightness, and black levels. While casual viewers may not notice the backlight limitations found on most art frame TVs, those with a keen eye will see uneven lighting with distracting patches of brightness. If you're a home theater enthusiast looking for a TV with picture quality in mind, we don't recommend buying a frame TV. For traditional TV recommendations, check out our full suite of buying guides: Best TVs Best smart TVs Best 4K TVs Best OLED TVs Best sports TVs Best budget TVs Best TVs under $500 Best 100-inch TVs Best 85-inch TVs Best 75-inch TVs Best 65-inch TVs Best 55-inch TVs Best 50-inch TVs Best 43-inch TVs Best LG TVs Best Roku TVs
