TCL Just Launched Its Rival to the Samsung Frame — And It's a Serious Competitor, Says Our Expert

There's one type of TV that's emerging in a big way this year, with new sets launched by many of the big TV brands.

Yes, one of the big TV trends of 2024 is televisions that hide in plain sight. And because most people likely won’t have the disposable cash to spend on a transparent TV when they roll out later this year, sets that can pass as wall art are a competitively priced compromise.

For years, Samsung’s The Frame has been largely unchallenged in this space, but 2024 seems to be the year that dominance will be contested. Earlier this year, Hisense threw its hat into the ring with CanvasTV, and now the Chinese giant TCL has unveiled NXTFrame TV.

But, how does it stack up against the competition?

TCL NXTFrame vs Samsung The Frame

With NXTFrame TV, TCL matches the Samsung TV in most of the specs that matter. Both boast a 4K resolution with a matte finish to make the built-in art look a bit less like a static image on a TV screen. Both are designed to sit as flush to the wall as possible, and both feature support for a magnetic wooden frame to really capture the gallery experience (though TCL includes one in the box — with Samsung it’s a paid extra).

But unlike Hisense, TCL hasn’t chosen to take the fight to Samsung on price with its cheaper models. Not only does Samsung offer a $999.99 43-inch model, but the 55-inch version is currently available for $1,299.99 — a good $200 saving on the price of the cheapest NXTFrame TV (which also happens to be 55 inches).

That does level out when you reach the larger models, though. Both the 76- and 85-inch models are due in September, and TCL says they will sell for $2,499.99 and $3,999.99 — $200 less than the 75-inch Frame and the same cost as the 85-inch version.

If you want to spend more, however, you can. Not only will TCL sell you an optional moveable floor stand for $699.99, but the company also has a Pro model available. The Pro is actually the same as the the regular version, right down to the available sizes, but it comes with a 3.1.2 soundbar and wireless subwoofer built with help from the audiophiles at Bang & Olufsen. This version starts at $1,999.99 for the 55-inch model and goes all the way up to $4,999.99 for the 85-inch version.

What are the key differences?

As our sister site TechRadar points out, there are three other ways that TCL may have the upper hand on Samsung, taking the specs on paper at face value.

The first is that The Frame doesn’t support Dolby Vision — an HDR format that adds richer color and improved tone mapping to supported content. It does have HDR10+ which does the same thing on video built for it, but not everything is. The TCL NXTFrame sidesteps this problem by supporting both HDR10+ and Dolby Vision.

The second point is a nerdy technical one about backlight technology. While both TVs are QLED panels and need their own backlighting, the way they provide this is different: The Frame has lighting round the edges, while NXTFrame opts for LEDs directly behind the panel. While the quality of both is down to the execution, the latter generally gives better results in terms of keeping picture quality consistent across the panel.

Finally, TCL offers an improvement for gamers. While both TVs support 4K 120Hz refresh rates (in other words, the image can refresh 120 times a second, rather than 60 as found on 60Hz panels), TCL also offers up to 144Hz VRR refresh rate. It even offers something called Game Accelerator 240, which promises up to 240Hz VRR refresh rate compatibility. You won’t care about these things if you’re not a gamer (and even then, the PS5 and Xbox Series X support 120Hz on a limited pool of games), but it appears to be another point for TCL all the same.

While all of this is definitely positive, it’s not all in the challenger’s favor. For one thing, Samsung has the rather sleek One Connect Box which can house all your cables neatly, enhancing the art-like effect. TCL doesn’t offer similar, so if you have a lot of HDMI devices to plug in, things might get unsightly fast.

For another, if you don’t buy the Pro version, the 20W speaker array in the NXTFrame is unlikely to match the 40W equivalent in The Frame, and here’s one other point to bear in mind. Although the magnetic wooden frame for NXTFrame TV is included in the box, it’s only available as a single color for now. While Samsung makes you pay extra for one, the company offers a variety of styles, and third parties like The Frame Bezel and DecoTV Frames offer custom versions.

Which should you buy?

Those pros and cons for each should give you some idea of which set to opt for, but as ever with TV buying, there really is no substitute for getting down to a retailer and seeing both models in person for yourself.

You can do that today for all six sizes of The Frame, but NXTFrame will take a little longer to roll out. While the 55 and 65-inch models are available to order right now, the 75 and 85-inch versions will arrive in September along with all four sizes of the Pro model.