Today’s smart TVs offer high resolutions, rich colors, and lightning-fast frame rates. Yet, when the TV is turned off, it looks like a big black box in the middle of your living room. But that’s not your only option. Some TVs can display art when idle, allowing you to keep the visual splendor going infinitely. This clever feature started with Samsung Frame Series TVs, and now other manufacturers have jumped on board.
The team at Pocket Lint is composed of the most passionate and knowledgeable tech nerds out there. Together, we’ve covered all sorts of smart tech, and smart TVs sit at the center of our expertise.
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Through experience and testing, we have a solid understanding of what makes a smart TV worth the investment. Thus, we’ve collaborated to draw up this list of the best art-display smart TVs in 2024 to let you keep your room fashionable even when you turn the screen off.
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Best TV for art display overall
1. Best overall smart TV for art display
Samsung ‘The Frame’ 55-inch QLED 4K TV
The pioneer leads the pack
Samsung’s Frame Series proves that this original innovation in art display and smart TV tech is the strongest on the market, and we find the 4K 55-inch model is the best overall.
- Beautiful built-in frame looks great
- 4K resolution with 120Hz refresh rate
- Thin profile with easy installation
- Fantastic value for the price
- QLED produces billions of colors — but not as bright as OLED
- Apple TV support can be spotty
The first of The Frame Series was released in 2017, and it was a novelty. And though it was met with its share of criticism and skepticism, it’s proved its worth with each cutting-edge release. Today’s models offer 4K resolutions, billions of colors, and beautiful frames that display artwork, photography, TV shows, and movies elegantly. This 55-inch Frame Series TV puts all of those strengths up front and center. The built-in frame can be customized with several different bezel and color options, while the Art Mode display uses a built-in motion sensor to activate its gallery when idle. This conserves power when no one is around to see its images, boasting a big advantage over TVs with simple screensavers. It’s minimalist in style that fits in with most decor.
But looks aren’t everything. This smart TV has all the best tech from Samsung, including a 4K QLED screen, Bluetooth support for wireless listening, and every streaming app you could want. The interface allows you to quickly navigate between YouTube, Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, Hulu, web browsing, and much more. We even love the Samsung Smart TV remote, which comes with Alexa and Google Assistant pre-installed and ready to follow your voice commands.
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Best premium TV for art display
2. Best premium smart TV
LG G3 OLED evo
The cutting-edge isn’t cheap
This high-end smart TV from LG has an OLED screen and an Art Gallery mode to display artwork and photographs, delivering bright, gorgeous imagery at a premium price to match.
- Great for gaming with a 4K resolution and high refresh rate
- Fast, AI-powered processor for quick responsiveness
- Gallery Edition makes displaying artwork easy
- Simple straightforward installation
- Stunning color depth and brightness
- Expensive
- Setup will require updates and firmware downloads
When the LG G3 evo was first released less than a year ago, we tech-nerds were blown away. The LG G3 has unprecedented power in terms of both brightness and color contrast. This is thanks to a couple of new fancy technologies, like the AI-powered Brightness Booster Max, which optimizes brightness and contrast in response to the lighting of the room. It works in conjunction with a layer of microscopic lenses in front of the OLED screen to boost visibility and amplify the richness of the colors. Add LG’s widely-lauded HDR tech on top of that, and you get a jaw-dropping image.
With so much beauty to behold, you can enable Gallery Mode to cast an array of artwork and photographs. It might not have the literal frame of Samsung’s Frame Series, but LG’s G3 evo makes up for it with a revolutionary display.
In our review, we even commented that the “LG G3 doesn’t just take OLED technology to another level — it elevates it to a whole new universe.”
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Best value TV for art display
3. Best value for the price
Samsung 43-Inch Class Frame Series Smart TV
Huge savings on a huge screen
Coming in at less than $1,000 and delivering all the elegance of Samsung’s Frame Series smart TVs, this 43-inch option offers the best bang for your buck.
- 4K resolution
- Over 1,400 pieces of art and photography available for display
- Built-in Alexa for voice commands
- Motion sensor can activate art display when the TV is idle
- More advanced models exist, though they’re more expensive
- Mounting the TV needs a second pair of hands to help
We’ve praised The Frame Series of smart TVs before, but the various options are worth comparing. The price difference between the 2021 and 2023 models, for example, is significant. To get the most bang for your buck, we recommend this 43-inch 2021 model. It has all the advanced features that put The Frame Series on the map, and the price is surprisingly affordable for a 4K smart TV. The artistic frame is as elegant as ever, and you can choose between several color and bezel options to match your home decor. For artwork selection, there’s a Samsung Art Store with over 1,400 images, many of which are classic paintings whose originals hang in the Guggenheim and the Louvre. It also has a built-in motion sensor to activate the art display when you come within range and turn it off when the room is vacant.
Ultimately, the 43-inch Samsung Frame Series is a great deal, even before you account for its art-display capabilities. The 4K QLED screen is rich in color and sharp in definition, while the interface and built-in Alexa voice controls make browsing a breeze. And although there are fancier models in the series coming out every year, the 2021 remains a top-tier smart TV.
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Best budget TV for art display
4. Best smart TV for art display on a tight budget
Amazon Fire TV 55″ Omni Series 4K UHD smart TV
A beauty of a bargain
This 55-inch Fire TV is less than half the price of comparable models, and displaying beautiful artwork via its “Ambient Mode” takes just a few simple clicks.
- Super inexpensive for such a large 4K screen
- Built-in sensor adapts the image automatically for the ideal brightness
- Smooth and intuitive interface
- Excellent HDR for rich color contrast
- 4K upscaling isn’t very consistent
- Comes preloaded with bloatware, though you can delete it
Amazon Fire has always dominated the budget-smart-TV market. With first-rate interfaces, convenient smart features, high-res screens, and excellent color, these smart TVs have some of the lowest prices for such widescreens and powerful hardware. The 55-inch Amazon Fire Omni QLED series continues the legacy, with a price hovering around half that of expensive options. The specs speak for themselves. A 4K resolution, advanced HDR10+ support, QLED screen, Alexa voice commands, and high-quality audio all combine to deliver an incredibly immersive experience. It also boasts a vast library of streaming services and apps, all powered by a fast processor for speedy browsing.
For displaying art, you can employ the Fire TV Ambient Experience. It turns the TV into “a canvas for displaying over a thousand pieces of free artwork.” It’s customizable, too, allowing you to upload your own photos and images. The display is boosted further by the Adaptive Brightness tech, which uses a light sensor to optimize the screen’s brightness. The result is a simple yet beautiful art display that offers all the affordability and customization of Amazon Fire TVs.
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The bottom line: What’s the best smart TV for displaying art?
Our top recommendation is the Samsung 55-Inch Class Frame Series. Besides its gorgeous QLED screen, 4K resolution, and powerful AI-driven hardware, it also has a frame (hence the name) that adds some extra elegance to the display. Best of all, the price is reasonable for the quality. Another great option is the LG G3 Series 55-Inch Gallery Edition. This premium pick costs a bundle, but the bright OLED screen and 4K resolution prove its worth. And for those on a budget, the Amazon Fire TV 55″ Omni QLED Series is an excellent choice, and setting it up for art display is easy.
Editor’s Choice
Samsung ‘The Frame’ 55-inch QLED 4K TV
$1179 $1398 Save $219
How we chose the best TVs for art display
We consulted a professional drone pilot and photographer with expertise in A/V tech. Between them and our team at Pocket Lint, these are the key considerations that guided our search.
TVs with gallery modes:
If you want your TV to display art, images, and photos while idle, you’ll need something with the right settings to do it. Samsung set the precedent with The Frame in 2017, a series of smart TVs that have handsome frames and beautiful displays.
These days, there are other TVs that can do the same thing. For example, LG’s G3 Series includes a “Gallery Edition,” which allows you to upload images via the LG Thinq app or a flash drive. Other smart TVs may not come with the software, but you can tweak some settings to achieve the effect. Fire TVs, for example, have a Screensaver setting, which lets you upload whatever photos you want to display.
Resolution quality:
Image quality is obviously a big deal when showing off artwork and photography on your big screen, and resolution is the first key to the puzzle. I consider 4K to be the minimum, and most of my colleagues agree. When your screen is as large as 55 inches, the difference is noticeable.
Color quality:
Many different factors determine the richness of a TV’s colors, but you can simplify the search by looking for the screen type. Putting the different types in order of color quality from weakest to strongest, you get the following list: LCD, LED, QLED, OLED. The latter two, QLED and OLED displays, are actually capable of the same color range, but QLED screens usually can’t reach the same level of brightness as OLED. However, keep in mind that other specs and hardware will play a role in the color quality of a TV.
Value for the price:
Due to their high-quality screens, smart TVs for displaying art can get pretty expensive. Consider and compare their prices to find an option that fits your budget. For example, OLED TVs are usually pricier than QLED TVs of the same size. If high brightness and contrast is important to you, however, it might be worth the extra cost to go with the OLED option.
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FAQ
Q: Can’t you use any TV to display art?
Yes, but you won’t get the same results out of just any TV. The best TVs for displaying art have high resolutions, rich colors, and wide screens. Samsung’s The Frame models also have beautiful frames that help add extra elegance to the display. Televisions with thin bezels or discreet frames are also well-suited for the task.
That being said, many smart TVs are compatible with apps for displaying artwork while idle. Thus, you can convert them into art displays, even if they’re not ideal for the purpose.
Q: Can you display any image you want?
Yes. While most of these TVs come with pre-loaded artwork and photographs, there are various ways to add your own images. The most common is via a USB flash drive. Simply load up your images, connect the flash drive to the TV, and navigate to the gallery app or screensaver settings to activate. A few apps also allow you to upload your images using a connected smartphone.
Q: If my smart TV doesn’t have a gallery mode, can I still use it to display art?
Almost every smart TV model on the market has a screensaver option. This is the key. Explore your TV’s screensaver settings to see if you can upload your own images to use as a screensaver. This will serve the same function as a gallery mode, though there may be some limitations. For one, you won’t necessarily have access to a collection of fine art pieces and photographs. The Samsung Frame, for example, lets you select the order and images you want to display. If you can’t access such features, you may still be able to load up images on a USB drive and use that as your screensaver. Obviously, most smart TVs aren’t optimized for art display, but it’s still worth it to experiment with the various settings to discover your TV’s capabilities.
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