Skip to main content

Samsung revs up the picture quality of its high-fashion TVs for 2019

Image used with permission by copyright holder

The Samsung Frame TV and its exclusive, high-fashion cousin, the Serif TV, are both getting significant updates to their picture quality for 2019. The announcement from Samsung comes just ahead of January’s CES trade show, which will be home to these TVs and many others.

Not wanting to give too much information away, Samsung hasn’t disclosed TV sizes or pricing for the 2019 models, but it did offer up some product shots, and the following fact: Both the Frame and the Serif TV are getting the company’s flagship QLED display technology.

Recommended Videos

It’s an update that makes a lot of sense. Buyers of these TVs put a heavy emphasis on how their homes look, and they do not want aesthetics compromised by the need to have their flat screen TVs placed prominently in their living areas. Most importantly, they’re willing to pay a premium for a TV that can blend in. The better the display, the better able a TV is to offer that tough compromise.

Please enable Javascript to view this content

QLED displays, with their deeper blacks and highly accurate colors, are the perfect canvas for the art and photography that Samsung’s lifestyle TVs show when not in use, and it’s unlikely that the higher price of these panels will be a deal breaker for those who value this feature.

Speaking of art, Samsung said its Art Store now has a collection of over 1,000 pieces to choose from, including items from the Uffizi
Galleries in Italy, the Van Gogh Museum in The Netherlands, and Te Papa in New Zealand.

The Frame TV is also getting a little smarter, too. While it has always had a voice-capable remote, the new model for 2019 will be equipped with Samsung’s Bixby A.I., proving that the company is determined not to cede the A.I. space to competitors like Amazon and Google. Given that the Frame TV is designed to occupy more conspicuous parts of the home, we can see why having Bixby on-board is important to Samsung, though users may not necessarily appreciate Bixby’s abilities.

If you’ve been keen to get up close and personal with the Serif TV, but can’t seem to find a store that carries it, that’s about to change. Samsung said the high-style model will now be sold in electronics stores, in addition to the previously exclusive arrangement it had with furniture shops and department stores.

Simon Cohen
Simon Cohen is a contributing editor to Digital Trends' Audio/Video section, where he obsesses over the latest wireless…
Samsung S95C OLED hands-on review: it’s time to get excited
Samsung S95C OLED.

What could be worth traveling 3,000 miles in a cramped airplane to New Jersey? The chance to go hands-on with not one, but three of Samsung's most hotly anticipated TVs for 2023.

I got up close and personal with the 65-inch QN95C Neo QLED, the 75-inch QN900C 8K Neo QLED, and the 77-inch S95C QD-OLED. I had Samsung representatives on hand to address questions as I had them, and I got the opportunity to make some comparisons among the TVs that I don't often get a chance to do so soon after the TVs have been announced.

Read more
Samsung accidentally reveals price of its 77-inch QD-OLED TV
The Samsung S95C on display at CES 2023.

Usually, when new TVs are announced at CES, it can take months for companies to reveal pricing and availability. And perhaps Samsung was planning to do just that with its 77-inch S95C, its largest QD-OLED TV to date. But the company seemingly let the cat out of the bag on January 26, by including the new model -- and its price -- on its U.S. website, according to Sammobile.

The S95C details are no longer on the website, so Digital Trends can't verify the information, however, a screenshot taken at the time shows a price of $4499.99, making the larger model $1,500 more expensive than its currently available 65-inch S95B, which sells for $3,000. If this seems like a bigger gap in price than we're used to for models that exist in both 65- and 77-inch sizes, it could be because the S95C is going to be Samsung's premium 77-inch QD-OLED, with the planned S90C arriving in a 77-inch size but with fewer features.

Read more
Roku will start making its own Roku TVs and OLED reference design
A Roku-branded smart TV.

Your next Roku TV may well say Roku on the front. After years of leading the smart TV industry by licensing its operating system to other manufacturers, Roku announced its own Roku Select and Roku Plus Series televisions — the first to bear the Roku name from front to back -- today at CES 2023.

While the names are slightly confusing, the gist is this: There are 11 models spanning from 24 to 75 inches. The Select lineup will top out at 1080p resolution and include a basic Roku Voice Remote, while the Plus Series will sport 4K resolution panels and include the Roku Voice Remote Pro, which is rechargeable. Prices start at $119 on the low end and and top out at $999.

Read more