This Samsung Frame Tv Competitor Just Hit An All-time Low Price For Black Friday (and Finally Worth It)

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• The Hisense Canvas TV is simply a manner group that delivers applicable image value and a trendy aesthetic.
• The matte-treated display, reasonably punchy colors, and free postulation of artwork are easy to appreciate.
• The QLED sheet falls short successful opposition and HDR brightness, and it's connected nan bulkier side.

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For years, nan Samsung Frame TV has been 1 of nan astir celebrated manner TVs connected nan market. Converting a TV into a framed portion of artwork erstwhile near idle was, and still is, a contentious thought that galore either emotion aliases hate. But if there's 1 point that immoderate user tin work together on, it's that title is simply a beautiful thing. Enter: nan Hisense Canvas TV.

Also: Our favourite Black Friday TV deals unrecorded now

Like Samsung, Hisense's Canvas TV is simply a QLED group treated pinch a matte, anti-reflection furniture and woody borders to make it look arsenic adjacent arsenic imaginable to a portion of creation decor. You're constricted to 55-inch and 65-inch sizes (for now) compared to Samsung's 32-to-85-inch range, but that shouldn't beryllium a problem for astir houses. 

In fact, aft testing a exemplary earlier this year, I'm convinced I wouldn't want thing bigger.

That's partially because, dissimilar nan Frame TV and its One Connect Box, which is simply a abstracted transmitter lawsuit that you tin link gaming consoles, speakers, and different peripherals, nan Canvas TV has each of its I/O ports and processing components built into nan body, resulting successful a bulkier build.

Also: Your TV's USB larboard is earnestly underutilized: 5 useful features you're overlooking

The full strategy still looks for illustration a portion of artwork erstwhile mounted onto a wall -- Hisense's UltraSlim wall equine comes included successful nan container and does a awesome occupation keeping nan TV flush -- but erstwhile it comes to installing everything and plugging things successful and out, Samsung's attack is overmuch much accessible. That's why I wouldn't want a larger Canvas TV size, whether it's nan newer 75 aliases 85-inch options.

The Canvas TV comes pinch interchangeable frames, but nan default comes successful a teak finish.

Kerry Wan/ZDNET

Some would reason that nan deficiency of a One Connect Box intends nan Canvas TV looks much minimal, pinch nan 1 powerfulness cord dangling retired from underneath. (A TV cord hider is your champion friend here, by nan way.) You don't person to forcibly tuck each your cables and connectors down nan TV backmost container aliases in-wall conduit, which is often a symptom constituent for folks who are renting aliases surviving successful confined spaces.

In Samsung's defense, nan One Connect Box is besides a one-cable-dangling-down affair, but you'll conscionable person to find abstraction to position nan input hub, whether that beryllium a woody furniture aliases down nan TV.

Also: Your TV's USB larboard has hidden superpowers: 5 benefits you're not taking advantage of

Turning connected nan Canvas TV instantly revealed its biggest benefits and drawbacks. I'll commencement pinch nan bad news since it's really par for nan people pinch midrange manner QLED TVs. My Hisense exemplary had immoderate noticeable inconsistencies pinch ocular uniformity, whether it was nan imperfect blacks (because, again, this isn't an OLED TV) aliases various blotches of darker pixels. 

You announcement it instantly erstwhile nan TV turns on, and it's connected nan Hisense footwear logo screen. The viewing angles are besides not ideal, pinch colors fading quickly if you're not straight facing nan halfway of nan TV.

Kerry Wan/ZDNET

The effects of uniformity mostly vanish arsenic you commencement viewing much vibrant content, specified arsenic sports, movies, and assemblage pieces, arsenic nan TV becomes conscionable agleam enough, moreover during nan daytime. It helps that Hisense's Hi-Matte coating disperses incoming ambient light, akin to windows and lamps, though not wholly to nan constituent wherever you won't spot immoderate rings of achromatic connected nan screen. 

The advantage of having a matte show is mostly felt erstwhile you're successful Art Mode, pinch nan illusion of staring astatine an existent creation portion going into afloat effect. More connected that later.

Also: I saw nan early of TVs astatine Samsung's South Korea laboratory - and I'm excited for these 3 things

When you put pricing into perspective, while nan Canvas TV won't present nan aforesaid level of popular and opposition arsenic Samsung's Frame TV (especially nan Pro model) pinch its 4K AI Upscaling capabilities, I recovered nan image value plausible, particularly erstwhile I was catching up connected a March Madness crippled betwixt Alabama State and Saint Francis. 

While I expected nan Canvas TV to almost blend nan Pearled Ivory colour of nan Alabama State jerseys pinch nan wood level and basketball, everything was depicted pinch fantabulous colour separation and accuracy.

The included distant power has shortcuts to celebrated streaming services, and feels much premium than competing accessories.

Kerry Wan/ZDNET

The Canvas TV acquisition is underpinned by Google TV software, which I've heard much group praise than criticize. Having tested various operating systems complete nan past month, including Samsung's TizenOS and LG's WebOS, I tin confidently opportunity that Google TV is nan champion prime for astir users. The package strikes nan perfect equilibrium of app availability, location surface layout, and user-tailored content. 

Save for immoderate Hisense bloatware, astir of which are connectivity features that leverage your telephone and nan companion app, you're looking astatine a comparatively user-friendly interface, thing nan Samsung Frame TV lacks.

Kerry Wan/ZDNET

I'll besides springiness a constituent to Hisense for not charging a subscription to access any of its Art Mode content, which has a sizeable postulation of 120 preloaded images. That's not arsenic galore options arsenic what Samsung offers pinch its online Art Store (3,000+), but you'll person to salary if you want thing much than nan 30 monthly-curated creation pieces (150+ variations per year) from nan Art Store Streams.

While I ne'er considered myself an creation connoisseur, seeing nan various pieces of artistry displayed connected nan Canvas TV and successful my surviving room reminded maine of erstwhile I first laid eyes connected nan 2022 Frame TV -- for illustration I was discovering a caller hobby. I conscionable had to guidelines still, observe nan details, and locomotion astir for illustration my TV was an artwork hung astatine nan MoMA.

Also: How we trial TVs astatine ZDNET successful 2025

I besides admit nan abundance of settings that travel pinch Art Mode, including timers for mobility discovery (which puts nan TV into slumber mode erstwhile it doesn't observe immoderate activity successful nan room for a fixed time), assemblage rotations, defaulting to show coating information, and applying integer mat boards of varying sizes. These aren't features exclusive to nan Canvas TV per se -- nan Samsung Frame TV was 1 of nan pioneers successful this abstraction -- but they're ones I ever admit having.

ZDNET's buying advice

At almost half nan value of nan Samsung Frame TV, nan Hisense Canvas TV (currently up to $350 off) is simply a awesome replacement that does respective things better. I'd urge nan exemplary to users who want a akin TV-artwork hybrid acquisition but don't mind nan bulkier creation (which you'll quickly get utilized to), deficiency of smaller and larger sizes, and slightly inferior image quality. 

Running connected Google TV alternatively of a much bloated TizenOS operating strategy is simply a large advantage for TV purists, and getting entree to high-quality artwork astatine nary other complaint is simply a triumph for everyone. Plus, you tin ever upload your ain media to nan TV.

To beryllium clear, I'm not discrediting Samsung's Frame TV here; it deserves nan praise it has received. (At nan clip of writing, nan 2024 models are moreover connected sale, pinch immoderate sizes trading for arsenic debased arsenic $600.) And pinch caller 2025 models connected nan horizon, including a Pro model that features an moreover sharper Mini LED Panel, nan early of manner TVs looks very promising.

Update log:

• This communicative was primitively published connected March 24, 2025, and was thoroughly updated connected November 25, 2025, aft fact-checking and changes to nan value for Black Friday.