Why I recommend this Hisense model over the Samsung Frame TV – even if it wasn't $1,000 cheaper

For years, the Samsung Frame TV has been one of the most popular lifestyle TVs on the market. Converting a TV into a framed piece of artwork when left idle was, and still is, a contentious idea that many either love or hate. But if there’s one thing that any consumer can agree on, it’s that competition is a beautiful thing. Enter: the Hisense Canvas TV.

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Like Samsung, Hisense’s Canvas TV is a QLED set that’s treated with matte, anti-reflection layering and wooden borders to make it look as close to a piece of art decor as possible. You’re limited to 55 and 65-inch sizes compared to Samsung’s 32 to 85-inch range, but that shouldn’t be a problem for most houses. In fact, after testing a model for the past month, I’m convinced that I wouldn’t want anything bigger.

That’s partly because, unlike the Frame TV and its One Connect Box, a separate transmitter case that you can connect gaming consoles, speakers, and other peripherals, the Canvas TV has all of its I/O ports and processing components built into the body, resulting in a bulkier build. 

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The whole system still looks like a piece of artwork when mounted onto a wall — Hisense’s UltraSlim wall mount comes included in the box and does a great job keeping the TV flush — but when it comes to installing everything and plugging things in and out, Samsung’s approach is much more accessible. That’s why I wouldn’t want a larger Canvas TV size, even if they offered one.

In some ways, the lack of a One Connect Box means the Canvas TV looks more minimal, with the one power cord dangling out from underneath. (A TV cord hider is your best friend here, by the way.) You don’t have to forcibly tuck all your cables and connectors behind the TV back box or in-wall conduit, which is often a pain point for folks who are renting or living in confined spaces.

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Turning on the Canvas TV instantly revealed its biggest benefits and drawbacks to me. I’ll start with the bad news since it’s really par for the course with midrange lifestyle QLED TVs. My Hisense model had some noticeable inconsistencies with visual uniformity, whether it was the imperfect blacks (because, again, this isn’t an OLED TV) or various blotches of darker pixels. 

You notice it right away when the TV turns on, and it’s on the Hisense boot logo screen. The viewing angles are also not the best, with colors quickly fading away if you’re not directly facing the center of the TV.

The effects of the uniformity mostly go away as you start viewing more vibrant content like sports, movies, and gallery pieces, as the TV gets just bright enough, even during the daytime. It helps that Hisense’s Hi-Matte coating disperses incoming ambient light like windows and lamps, though not completely to the point where you won’t see any rings of white on the screen. The advantage of having a matte display is mostly felt when you’re in Art Mode, with the illusion of staring at an actual art piece going into full effect. More on that later.

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When you put pricing into perspective, while the Canvas TV won’t deliver the same level of pop and contrast as Samsung’s Frame TV, I found the picture quality to be plausible, especially when I was catching up on a March Madness game between Alabama State and Saint Francis. While I expected the Canvas TV to almost blend the Pearled Ivory color of the Alabama State jerseys with the wood floor and basketball, everything was depicted with excellent color separation and accuracy.

The Canvas TV experience is underpinned by Google TV software, which I’ve heard more people praise than criticize. From having tested various operating systems over the past month, including Samsung’s TizenOS and LG’s WebOS, I can confidently say that Google TV is the best choice for most users. It strikes the ideal balance of app availability, home screen layout, and user-tailored content. 

Save for some Hisense bloatware, most of which are connectivity features that leverage your phone and the companion app, you’re looking at a fairly user-friendly interface, something the Samsung Frame TV lacks.

I’ll also give a point to Hisense for not charging a subscription to access its catalog of Art Mode content, which there’s a good collection of (120 preloaded images, to be exact). While I never considered myself an art connoisseur, seeing the various pieces of artistry displayed on the Canvas TV and in my living room was like discovering a new hobby. I just had to stand still, observe the details, and walk around like my TV was another piece of artwork hung at the MoMA. 

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I also appreciate the abundance of settings that come with Art Mode, including timers for motion detection (which puts the TV into sleep mode when it doesn’t detect any movement in the room for a given time), gallery rotations, defaulting to display painting information, and applying digital mat boards of varying sizes.

ZDNET’s buying advice

At almost half the price of the Samsung Frame TV, the Hisense Canvas TV (currently $400 off) is a fantastic alternative that does several things better. I’d recommend the model to users who want a similar TV-artwork hybrid experience but don’t mind the bulkier design (which you’ll quickly get used to), lack of smaller and larger sizes, and slightly inferior picture quality. 

Running on Google TV instead of a more bloated TizenOS operating system is a big advantage for TV purists, and getting access to high-quality artwork at no extra charge is a win for everyone. Of course, you can always upload your own media to the TV.