Description
What The Frame LS03B Is and Who It Suits
Samsung’s The Frame is a television designed to look like a framed picture when it is switched off. The LS03B is the 2022 generation, and this is the 65 inch version, model QN65LS03BAFXZA. Everything unusual about it follows from that single design goal: the matte screen, the flush wall mount, the swappable bezels, the motion sensor and the art subscription service all exist to make a television convincing as wall art.
The panel underneath is a QLED, which is worth defining precisely because the term is widely misunderstood. QLED is an LED backlit LCD with a quantum dot layer that converts backlight into more saturated primary colors. It is not an OLED. OLED panels are self emissive with per pixel light control and true black. QLED panels have a backlight behind an LCD layer. Both can produce excellent pictures and they achieve it differently, and no amount of marketing makes them the same technology.
The listing records a weight of 50.3 pounds, a charcoal black finish, a 65 inch screen at 16:9, 120 volt operation, a 2.0.2 channel speaker layout with a stated 40 watt RMS output, Bluetooth 5.2 and a standby power draw of 0.5 watts. The record shows 421 customer ratings averaging 4.0 stars at the time this data was captured.
Art Mode and the Matte Display
Why the Matte Screen Matters
The anti reflection matte display film is the single most important component of this product, more so than any picture specification. A glossy television screen showing a painting looks like a television showing a painting, because the reflections give it away. A matte surface diffuses room light and kills the mirror effect, which is what allows the illusion to work in a lit room. Samsung markets it as reducing glare, which is true, and the same property benefits ordinary viewing in bright rooms.
Art Mode Itself
Art Mode displays artwork or personal photographs when the television is not being watched, with a built in motion sensor that turns the display on when someone enters the room and off when they leave. Samsung is explicit in its own footnotes that the motion sensor operates only in Art Mode and that performance varies with lighting conditions.
The Art Store gives access to a library Samsung describes as over 1,400 pieces from galleries, museums and individual artists. Read the footnote carefully: “Art store fees apply for subscription service.” The Art Store is a paid subscription. Your own photographs and images can be uploaded and displayed without it, which many owners find sufficient, but the curated library is an ongoing cost.
Mounting and the Bezel
The Slim Fit wall mount is included in the box, which is unusual and genuinely valuable, since it is engineered to hold the panel flush against the wall rather than standing it off on a bracket. Samsung notes a small gap may occur if the wall is not flat or is built off angle. Cable clutter is handled by the One Invisible Connection cable running to a separate Slim One Connect box, so only one thin cable reaches the panel.
The customizable magnetic bezels are sold separately. Samsung says so directly, and also notes that the beveled style is only available in 65 and 55 inch sizes. Budget for a bezel if the framed look is the reason you are buying.
Picture and Sound
Samsung claims 100 percent color volume in the DCI-P3 color space, which the footnote defines as the format used for most cinema screens and HDR movies. That is a color gamut claim with a defined reference, which makes it more meaningful than an unqualified one. Quantum HDR is listed as the HDR system, and Samsung describes deeper blacks and brighter whites without publishing a peak brightness figure or a contrast ratio.
The speaker layout is 2.0.2 channel at a stated 40 watts, meaning two main channels plus two upward firing height channels for object based audio. That is a better than typical built in audio system, though a matte panel mounted flush to a wall is exactly the installation where a separate sound bar is hardest to place discreetly.
Highlights
- Matte anti reflection display, the feature that makes the framed art concept work.
- Art Mode with a built in motion sensor for automatic on and off.
- Slim Fit wall mount included in the box.
- One Connect box with a single thin connection cable to the panel.
- Quantum dot color with a claimed 100 percent color volume in DCI-P3.
- 2.0.2 channel audio at a stated 40 watts RMS.
- Alexa built in, plus multiple voice assistant support and Tizen smart platform.
- Bluetooth 5.2 and USB recording listed.
- Very low 0.5 watt standby power draw.
- Magnetic customizable bezels available to match a room.
Things To Consider
- Samsung records this model as discontinued by the manufacturer. The specification field says so directly. Later generations of The Frame exist, and a discontinued model means a shorter remaining support and accessory window.
- No native refresh rate is published. The only frequency figure in this listing is “Frequency: 60 hz” inside a bullet that otherwise lists Bluetooth version and standby power, which is an electrical context rather than a panel specification. Do not read it as the panel refresh rate, and do not assume a higher one either. Confirm with Samsung.
- Bezels are sold separately, and the beveled style is only offered in 55 and 65 inch sizes.
- The Art Store is a paid subscription. Your own images are free to display, the curated library is not.
- Matte screens trade some contrast punch for glare reduction. In a dark room a glossy panel will generally look deeper. That tradeoff is deliberate here and it is the right one for this product, but it is a tradeoff.
- No peak brightness or contrast figure is published.
- No port count is published. Connections run through the One Connect box, and the listing does not enumerate them.
- 4.0 stars across 421 ratings is a moderate score for a premium product, and the critical reviews are worth reading.
- Flush mounting requires a flat wall. Samsung says so in its own footnote.
Who Should Buy It and Who Should Skip It
Buy The Frame if the television is going on a prominent wall in a room where a black rectangle would be an eyesore, and you are willing to prioritize design. The matte display and the included flush mount are the two things that make the concept work, and nothing else on the market executes it as completely. Households comparing sizes should look at the 55 inch LS03B and the newer LS03D generation.
Skip it if outright picture performance is the priority, because a conventional set at this size will deliver more of it. Skip it also if you watch mostly in a dark room, where the matte finish works against you. Anyone wanting maximum picture from a Samsung panel should compare the Mini LED QN90A Neo QLED, and those planning a flush installation with a different set should read the Mounting Dream MD2296 wall mount review. The QLED TV category lists the rest.
