Considering getting a Samsung Frame TV? This one’s for you!

After contemplating getting a Frame TV for the past couple of years, we finally decided to bite the bullet and get one this past winter. Despite the work and expense involved to install it (which was significant–not gonna lie), I would do it again in a heartbeat. Overall I have LOVED our Frame and can’t imagine going back to a regular TV in our living room.

Before I delve into the pros and cons, I want to highlight some specifics about our space, since I think your home situation is a major factor in deciding whether a Frame TV is right for you. We live in a townhome that’s split across three levels, and each level is rather small. Although we have a playroom and media room with a second TV in our finished basement, we spend most of our time on the main level in the living room. Maybe this will change when the kids get older, but for now, when we’re all home, we’re pretty much all together in this space. This means the living room serves as a playroom, family room, gathering space for guests, etc. It’s also one of the first things you see when you enter our home. Long story short, I was tired of looking at an ugly black box and a mess of cables! The old TV just ruined the aesthetics of the space. If we had a bigger house and separate family room and living room, I probably wouldn’t have gone through the trouble of installing a Frame TV. But since our living room is one of the main focal points of our house, it was 100% worth it for us.

Now, on to the pros and cons:

Pros

• Visual appeal: This is the biggest pro in my opinion and the main reason I assume most people get a Frame TV. You can have a TV that looks like a piece of art when not in use, not an ugly box! Since the TV sits flush against the wall (like art), you see no cords, cables, etc. Who wouldn’t want that?
• Customization options: Once you have the TV installed, you can switch up the look by swapping out different frame styles. The frame pieces are magnetic and snap on and off easily. As for the art itself, there are SO many options to suit any style, mood, season, etc. When I’m sick of the current art, I just go onto Etsy and find a new piece that fits the vibe I’m going for. It’s so fun being able to change the art during the holidays and to suit the different seasons. I’ve even put up special art when it was each kid’s birthday, and they got a kick out of that! Cost wise, the art is very cheap, at least on Etsy where I buy it.
• Screen quality: The screen is 4k and has a very nice picture quality.

Cons

• Installation can be costly: I didn’t realize that installing a Frame TV in our space would be such an ordeal, but it required a lot of work and expense to set up properly. I should note that I think our situation was on the extreme end. Most people don’t go through the process that we did for the installation, but definitely think through how you’re going to set things up before you buy this type of TV and determine if it’s the best fit for you. The main consideration: where are you going to put the control box (i.e. the “One Connect Box”)–the box that provides one connection hub for all cables? In our case, we chose to mount the TV above the fireplace and although we have a mantel, we have no built-ins or furniture around that wall. This meant we didn’t have anywhere to put the control box that wouldn’t be super obvious. As a solution, we decided to run the wires through the wall and have the control box sit on a shelf in our basement. This required the work of an electrician to set up, and a handyman to repair and repaint the affected walls. In other words, it was an investment! Most people choose to simply have the box sit in a media cabinet or on a built-in shelf under the TV, which is a much, much easier and cheaper route if you have that option.
• Remote can be a bit wonky at times: This could just be our experience, but the remote is a bit finicky from time to time, and this can be frustrating. If you click on things too fast, it sometimes trips up the remote and it goes haywire. This doesn’t happen often and the best way I’ve found to avoid it is to just take your time and be patient.

Because a picture’s worth a thousand words, here are a few before and after photos:

BEFORE

AFTER

All in all, I am thrilled with our Frame TV and love how it has completely transformed our living space. Some people might think we’re nuts for going through the trouble to have it installed the way we did, but I look at it as an investment that we will enjoy for years to come.