Samsung The Frame LS03D vs Sharp GP7

Samsung The Frame LS03D really does well with brightness. Results at the level of 700 nits make bright elements on the screen look impressive and detailed, whether they illuminate the entire screen or appear as tiny points of light on a dark background. In more demanding scenes, like the fourth sequence from the film Sicario 2, the blacks perform moderately, but we have already discussed this in the section on contrast. However, when it comes to brightness – this television definitely holds its own. An additional advantage is the quantum dot coating, which is QLED technology. Thanks to this, the coverage of the colour palette has been improved, although The Frame does not stand out in this regard compared to the competition.

In terms of HDR, Sharp GP7 can surprise us pleasantly. The maximum brightness of around 500 nits is the threshold at which the real advantages of high dynamic range begin to be visible. During our tests, we achieved stable values between 430 and 500 nits, which translated to a clearer distinction of elements in both bright and slightly darker scenes. Additionally, it has a DCI-P3 colour gamut coverage of about 95%, allowing for vibrant, visually pleasing colours. Of course, it isn't top-tier, but for this price range – a big plus.

Samsung offers several picture modes in its televisions, but without a doubt, Filmmaker Mode is the one that should provide the most natural representation of content. Unfortunately, as often happens with mass production, the differences between individual units can be quite significant, and our tested model did not escape a few issues.

In the case of SDR content, the white balance leaned heavily towards red, with a slight boost in blue. This effect was particularly noticeable in comparison photos – for example, in a photograph of a boy whose face was unnaturally flushed. The gamma, or brightness characteristic, also did not perform perfectly – the image was slightly brightened, which robbed it of depth.

In 4K HDR content, the white balance was once again dominated by red, this time combined with green. Meanwhile, blue clearly lost intensity, which could easily be seen on the Color Checker palette, where the colours began to "escape" in the wrong direction. The EOTF curve, responsible for brightness in HDR content, showed that the television tended to overly brighten the image, particularly in the darkest elements of scenes.

Overall, while it did not look terrible, it definitely required correction. Fortunately, Samsung offers extensive calibration options, which provides a chance for a significant improvement in picture quality. Therefore, we proceeded with professional calibration to unlock the full potential of this television.

Out of the box, in movie mode, GP7 doesn't fare badly at all. In HD materials, we noticed slight disturbances in white balance - drops in red and blue that made the image take on a somewhat greenish hue. This is noticeable, for instance, on the faces of characters, which become less lifelike. The gamma is slightly brighter in places, resulting in less deep blacks. In 4K HDR content, a cooler, bluish tone also emerges, making the colours appear less natural. On the other hand, looking at it from a "straight out of the box" perspective, these settings aren't bad - a few minor adjustments will suffice, and with the help of special tools, we will try to improve them.

After professional calibration, the Filmmaker Mode showcases its full potential. The white balance in HD content is exemplary – errors at the level of 0.5 indicate almost perfect accuracy in colour reproduction. The image now appears natural, and the colours are exactly as they should be. In 4K HDR content, the effect is not quite as perfect, but it still maintains a really high standard. The colours are vibrant, well-saturated, and the overall image quality is impressive.

So where does the problem lie, given our praise for the colour reproduction? Unfortunately, the entire experience is disrupted by the brightness characteristics. The gamma in HD content looks decent, but in 4K HDR, it’s not as good. The EOTF curve shows that the television excessively brightens certain parts of the image, which is a result of design limitations. The lack of local dimming means that the television is unable to accurately control the differences between the brightest and darkest areas of the screen. This is a barrier that simply cannot be overcome in this model.

Nonetheless, after calibration, Samsung The Frame LS03D offers excellent colour reproduction, particularly in HD content, and the overall look is significantly better than before the settings were adjusted.

Calibration really makes a difference in Sharp GP7. After making adjustments, we achieved a better white balance in HD content, and the colours started to look much more natural, with minimal deviations and no clear dominance of individual hues. In 4K HDR, the change isn't as spectacular, but it's still noticeable. The gamma has been brought to a more neutral level, although a slight boost in the brightest details on the screen is still evident. The inability to control dynamic tone mapping limits our manoeuvrability, but nonetheless, this is a significant step forward compared to the factory settings.

It's time to check how Samsung The Frame LS03D copes with older, lower-quality materials. We already know that the smoothness of tonal transitions is at a very high level, so we were curious to see how the TV would handle smoothing them out.

The noise reduction feature in the “Standard” setting does its job well – tonal transitions are noticeably smoothed out, and the image doesn’t lose too much detail. However, it’s worth noting that this effect also smooths out film grain, so its usage will be a matter of individual preference.

When it comes to image scaling, the TV performed really well too. The tested image came out solid – the model was accurately represented, with clear details. The branches in the background, although slightly frayed in places, generally look natural and do not stand out as a flaw.

The TV can scale lower quality content quite well. Our test patterns were well reproduced, and although there was minimal banding with fine, delicate shapes (such as thin branches), it still looked satisfactory. Additionally, Sharp GP7 offers a “10-bit colour reproduction” feature to smooth tonal transitions in poor quality materials. It is useful, but at the cost of some details, so we recommend turning it on only when we're really watching something of poor quality.

To start off, it’s worth noting that the model we tested in the 55-inch size, along with the 65, 75, and 85-inch versions, is equipped with a 120 Hz panel. Unfortunately, the 43 and 50-inch variants of this series only offer 60 Hz panels, which is worth considering when making a purchase. In terms of improving motion fluidity, the TV offers a feature called “Image Clarity.” This is a classic motion smoother that gives users the ability to adjust using two sliders:

Blur Reduction – this controls image sharpening during dynamic scenes. The higher the value, the less blurring occurs during fast camera moves or moving objects. However, setting it too aggressively can make the image look unnatural and resemble a “soap opera.”

Judder Reduction – this slider affects the smoothness of frame playback, especially in materials with lower frame rates, such as movies (24 fps). Higher settings can smooth out motion but can also lead to excessive “plasticity” of the image.

Both sliders operate on a scale from 0 to 10, allowing for precise adjustment of the effect to personal preferences. It’s a good idea to experiment with the settings to find the perfect balance between fluidity and a natural look for the image. We recommend setting them as shown in the picture.

With a 60 Hz panel and average response time, it's hard to expect miraculous smoothness. In dynamic tests, like the one with the “little green man”, it’s clear that the picture can blur and occasionally lose sharpness. For watching movies and series, this is acceptable, especially since you can use the motion smoother with three levels of adjustment. However, if we care about ultra-smooth sports broadcasts or super-responsive gameplay, we might feel a bit dissatisfied.

The Frame LS03D in the 2024 version is equipped with four HDMI ports, but only one supports the 2.1 standard with a bandwidth of 40 Gb/s. This is important information if we plan to connect more than one device that requires a 4K@120 Hz signal – for example, two consoles or a console and a gaming PC.

In terms of features for gamers, The Frame truly has a lot to boast about. We have ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode), VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) and HGiG. It’s worth mentioning that HGiG has been very well implemented here, which is particularly important as the television does not support Dolby Vision in games (which is only available on Xbox consoles). In this case, HGiG turns out to be a better standard for gaming.

Samsung hasn't forgotten about features that enhance the gaming experience. Game Bar is an expanded panel for gamers that allows quick adjustment of screen settings without having to dig through the television menu. We can even change the aspect ratio from 16:9 to the panoramic 21:9, which can be a significant advantage for some gamers.

However, Samsung's biggest ace up its sleeve is the Game Motion Plus feature. This is a special smoother dedicated to games that adds additional frames of animation without significantly affecting input lag. The effect is really noticeable – the image seems much smoother, which will be particularly appreciated by fans of dynamic titles.

In summary – Samsung The Frame LS03D is a television that offers a solid set of features for gamers. Although the limitation to one HDMI 2.1 port may be a downside, the rest of the solutions make gaming on this television a truly enjoyable experience.

Let's not kid ourselves – GP7 Sharp is not a television for the most demanding console gamers. Yes, we have ALLM, which automatically switches the TV to low latency mode, but it lacks VRR or G-Sync. We also won't find any advanced menu to help adjust settings during gameplay. Dolby Vision in games? It's there, but with such a large input lag that it's hard to talk about comfort. If we play occasionally and don't aim for the highest standards, it can be managed, but tech enthusiasts will face disappointment.