Why You Can Trust CNET Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED vs. Samsung The Frame TV
Amazon's newest TV displays paintings and fine art, but Samsung got there first. Here's how they compare.
- Although still awaiting his Oscar for Best Picture Reviewer, David does hold certifications from the Imaging Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Standards and Technology on display calibration and evaluation.
When you turn your TV off, you probably expect the picture to disappear and the screen to go black. Some newer televisions, however, are designed to show more. These big screens can display art, photography, a weather report and more when you're not actually watching TV.
The best known such TV is Samsung's The Frame, which has been around for a few years. The newest is Amazon's Fire TV Omni QLED, which debuted in the fall of 2022. They share some similarities, including access to thousands of museum-quality pieces of art, as well as some differences. Let's dive in.
The Omni QLED versions of the Fire TV Omni add QLED screens and other picture quality enhancements. They also have sensors to detect when you're in the room and automatically activate to show artwork, widgets or other content. If that sounds creepy to you, you're not alone.
The original "TV as art," Samsung's The Frame can look more like a painting than a TV. It offers numerous frame choices and the new 2022 version has a screen designed to reduce reflections and more closely resemble canvas.
The Frame: More sizes, more expensive, custom frames
The first thing you'll notice is that The Frame costs more than twice as much as the Omni QLED at the two sizes they share. On the other hand Samsung's TV is available in numerous other sizes, from 32 all the way up to 85 inches.
- The Amazon Fire TV Omni QLED TV comes in two sizes: 65-inch ($800) and 75-inch ($1,100).
- The Samsung The Frame QLED TV comes in seven different sizes: 32-inch ($600), 43-inch ($1,000), 50-inch ($1,300), 55-inch ($1,500), 65-inch ($2,000), 75-inch ($2,600) and 85-inch ($3,500).
Note that prices may fluctuate, but you get the idea.
Samsung also offers custom frames for The Frame, starting at $100.
Samsung's The Frame is designed to look like a painting, complete with custom, well, frames.
Art is free on Omni QLED, but not on The Frame
Both TVs allows you to display your digital photos and other files you own on the screens, as well as ambient modes that display clocks, as well as some mood and design screens. But a major feature for each one is a dedicated art mode that shows paintings and other fine art, some from major museums.
- The Amazon Fire TV Omni offers 1,500 pieces of art in its collection, and it's free.
- The Samsung The Frame QLED TV claims 2,000 pieces of art in the Samsung Art Store, and the subscription costs $5 per month.
Picture quality and other features
Most people aren't buying a TV like The Frame with image quality as their top priority, but it's worth noting a few other similarities and differences nonetheless. Both TVs have smart TV built-in -- Samsung's own system on The Frame and Fire TV on the Omni -- and use QLED technology for improved brightness and color. We haven't reviewed either TV, so we can't say how their image quality compares, but here are the major differences:
- The Fire TV Omni features full-array local dimming, a feature that typically improves contrast and HDR by independently controlling brightness in various areas of the screen. The Frame does not have local dimming.
- The Frame has a matte, anti-reflective screen designed to control reflections, and in past reviews Samsung screens have been excellent in this regard.
- The Fire TV Omni has a presence sensor that detects when you're in the room and automatically turns on. It also has a far-field mic so you can issue voice commands hands-free. The Frame has a motion sensor as well that can turn the TV off when you leave, but it only operates in Art mode.
- The Frame has a slim-fit wall mount included so you can hang it from the wall. The Omni QLED is wall-mountable as well, but you'll have to buy the mount separately.
Samsung's The Frame is available now and Amazon's Fire TV Omni ships in October.