The Samsung Frame 2018 is a decent LCD TV with excellent gaming features and a unique design. The Frame is designed to look like a piece of art when wall-mounted, and the bezel can be changed to match any decor. Unfortunately, this feature won't be able to live up to its potential due to the poor viewing angles. It has excellent low input lag and fast response time, plus it supports FreeSync VRR, making this a great TV for Xbox One owners.
Note that this is a different TV to the 2017 Frame (Samsung model LS003). The 2018 Samsung Frame can be identified by the model number LS03N.
Our Verdict
Samsung The Frame 2018 is a decent TV for mixed usage. It has a fast response time, excellent low input lag, and excellent gaming features. It can display a wide color gamut, but unfortunately, it can't get very bright in HDR and lacks a local dimming feature, so the effect of HDR is somewhat subdued. It has poor viewing angles, so it isn't well suited for a wide living room.
- Excellent native contrast
- Good response time.
- Decent SDR peak brightness.
- Poor viewing angles.
- Limited HDR capabilities due to the mediocre HDR Peak Brightness
The Frame 2018 is a decent TV for watching movies in a dark room. It has an excellent native contrast ratio and excellent black uniformity, but unfortunately, it lacks a local dimming feature. It doesn't stutter too much in lower frame rate content and it can remove judder from all 24p sources. There's some backlight flicker that may be bothersome to some people.
- Excellent native contrast
- No local dimming.
The Frame 2018 is a decent TV for watching shows during the daytime, but it doesn't perform well in a wide, bright room. The poor viewing angles limit you to a direct viewing position, and it can't get bright enough to overcome glare despite the good reflection handling. Older content is upscaled without any obvious issues, and the motion interpolation feature can increase the frame rate to help motion appear smoother.
- Good gray uniformity.
- Decent SDR peak brightness.
- Poor viewing angles.
The Frame 2018 is a decent TV for watching sports by yourself, but not a great choice for having a group of friends over for the big game, as the viewing angles are poor. Motion looks good with very little blur, and there isn't much noticeable dirty screen effect, so the playing field looks uniform.
- Good response time.
- Good gray uniformity.
- Decent SDR peak brightness.
- Poor viewing angles.
The Frame 2018 is a great TV for playing video games. It has excellent low input lag, and fast-moving objects are clear with very little motion blur. It has some great gaming features, including 'Game' mode motion interpolation, support for FreeSync VRR, and auto game mode. It also has native support for 1440p @ 120 Hz, great for Xbox One S/X gaming.
- Excellent low input lag.
- FreeSync VRR support.
- Excellent native contrast
- Good response time.
The Frame 2018 is a decent TV for watching movies in HDR. It has a very good wide color gamut, but only decent color volume, as it can't produce very bright colors. Unfortunately, it doesn't have a local dimming feature, and it doesn't get very bright in HDR, so the effect will be somewhat limited.
- Excellent native contrast
- Limited HDR capabilities due to the mediocre HDR Peak Brightness
- No local dimming.
The Frame 2018 is a good TV for HDR Gaming, mainly due to the SDR gaming features, as HDR doesn't add much. It can display a wide gamut of colors, but it can't get very bright in HDR and doesn't have a local dimming feature. It has excellent low input lag and fast response time, and it supports FreeSync VRR.
- Excellent low input lag.
- FreeSync VRR support.
- Excellent native contrast
- Good response time.
- Limited HDR capabilities due to the mediocre HDR Peak Brightness
- No local dimming.
The Frame 2018 is a good TV for use as a PC monitor. It can display most common resolutions without any issues, and it can properly display chroma 4:4:4. It has excellent low input lag and fast response time. Unfortunately, it has poor viewing angles, so it is best enjoyed from directly in front, and not too close as the sides of the screen appear darker.
- Excellent low input lag.
- Good response time.
- Poor viewing angles.
Changelog
- Updated May 21, 2020: Converted to Test Bench 1.5.
- Updated Feb 21, 2020: Converted to Test Bench 1.4.
- Updated Feb 28, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.
- Updated Sep 10, 2018: Review published.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the 55" (UN55LS03NAF) version FA01, manufactured in July 2018. For the most part, we expect our review to be valid for the 43" version (UN43LS03NAF) and 65" version (UN65LS03NAF).
If someone comes across a different type of panel or if their Samsung Frame doesn't correspond to our review, let us know and we will update the review. Note that the gray uniformity does vary on a unit-by-unit basis.
| Size | Model | US | UK | Refresh Rate |
| 43" | UN43LS03NAF | UN43LS03NAFXZA | UE43LS03NAFXZA | 60 Hz |
| 55" | UN55LS03NAF | UN55LS03NAFXZA | UE55LS03NAFXZA | 120 Hz |
| 65" | UN65LS03NAF | UN65LS03NAFXZA | UE65LS03NAFXZA | 120 Hz |
The 43" model has a 60 Hz panel and it does not support FreeSync and doesn't have a motion interpolation feature. The Frame 2018 is different from the 2017 model which can be identified by the model number LS003.
Update 02/13/2019: There is also a 49" model available in some regions, including the UK. Like the 43" model, it is limited to a 60 Hz refresh rate. We don't know if it supports FreeSync though.
Popular TV Comparisons
The Frame 2018 is a decent mixed use TV, but the unique design comes at a cost premium that probably isn't worth it for most people. See our recommendations for the best smart TVs and the best TVs.
The Samsung The Frame 2019 is marginally better than the Samsung The Frame 2018. The 2019 model has a faster response time and delivers fast-moving content with less blur trail. This is great if you're a sports fan or you play fast-action video games.
The Samsung NU8000 is a bit better than the Samsung The Frame 2018. The NU8000 is a lot brighter, and small highlights stand out better in HDR due to the higher peak brightness. The Frame has the separate One Connect box, whereas the NU8000's inputs are all out to the side.
The Sony X900F is much better than the Samsung The Frame 2018. The X900F has a full array local dimming feature that improves dark room performance and helps HDR content stand out more. The X900F is better in a bright room, as it is a lot brighter and has much better reflection handling. The X900F has better motion handling, with a faster response time and higher frequency backlight with an almost imperceptible flicker. The Frame has additional gaming features that could make it a better choice for some gamers, including FreeSync VRR and auto game mode.
The Samsung The Frame 2018 is a bit better than the Samsung NU7300. HDR content looks better on The Frame, as it can display a wide color gamut, and has better color volume. The Frame also has much better motion handling, with a faster response time and FreeSync support. The Frame can also remove judder from all 24p sources.
We buy and test dozens of TVs yearly, taking an objective, data-driven approach to deliver results you can trust. Our testing process is complex, with hundreds of individual tests that take over a week to complete. Most of our tests use specially designed test patterns that mimic real content, but we also use the same sources you have at home to ensure our results match the real-world experience. We use two main tools for our testing: a Colorimetry Research CR-100 colorimeter and a CR-250 spectroradiometer.
Test Results
Older Test Bench: This product has been tested using an older TV test methodology, before a major update. Some of the test results below aren't directly comparable with other TVs. Learn more
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