Compare: IFFALCON U85X vs Samsung The Frame 2026 (LS03H)

iFFALCON U85X is a device that draws heavily from the technological solutions of its parent brand, TCL. It's hard not to get the impression that, in terms of pure technical specifications, we are dealing with almost a faithful copy of the successful C6K (C69K/Q6C) series, although in terms of design, the designers opted for references to the more budget-friendly P line. This specific combination makes the television do exactly what we expect from a solid Mini-LED, but at an even lower price. It provides very good contrast and a vivid HDR effect, which is directly due to the impressive number of local dimming zones. It is worth noting that, like the models from the C series, iFFALCON U85X turns out to be exceptionally tailored to the needs of gamers. Here we find almost every function necessary for comfortable gameplay, from full support for HDMI 2.1 ports, through ALLM and VRR technologies for console owners, to remarkable compatibility with PCs. As a monitor, the device performs excellently not only due to its support for refresh rates up to 240Hz but also because of the very sharp and readable font, which is not always a given in the world of televisions. Of course, this is not an ideal model, as it shares the same set of advantages and disadvantages as its TCL counterpart – mainly referring to issues like noticeable ghosting or aggressive brightness management in HDR. However, it creates an exceptionally interesting mix that makes us seriously question the sense of the existence of the iFFALCON brand as a separate entity, since the same product could successfully debut with the full TCL logo on the casing. Nonetheless, we have no major objections to the device itself; it is truly a model worth considering, provided you manage to buy it, as it is currently very difficult to obtain.

Samsung The Frame 2026 is still a TV aimed at a fairly specific type of buyer. If your main priority is having a screen that looks good in your interior, hangs almost flush against the wall, and doesn’t simply turn into a large black rectangle when switched off, there are very few TVs on the market that execute this idea quite as well. The matte screen, interchangeable bezels, external One Connect box, and extensive Art Mode allow The Frame to genuinely become part of the room rather than just another TV sitting in the living room. And that’s exactly where we see its biggest appeal.

Importantly, though, that doesn’t mean design is all you’re getting. The Frame performs really well in bright rooms. Its matte coating is very effective at reducing reflections, brightness reaching around 650 nits is enough for comfortable daytime viewing, and the wide colour gamut means colourful content, animation, and brighter HDR scenes can look very impressive. On top of that, there’s 144Hz support at 4K and, for the first time, up to 240Hz at Full HD. VRR, ALLM, FreeSync, G-Sync, HGiG, low input lag, and an extensive Game Bar make The Frame a much more capable gaming TV than its “artistic” character might suggest.

The biggest compromises become apparent when you look at it as a TV primarily intended for home cinema. The Frame has no local dimming, so blacks become noticeably raised in dark scenes, and this is where the difference compared with good Mini LED and OLED TVs is most obvious. HDR therefore looks best with bright and colourful content, while evening movie sessions in a dark room are definitely not its strongest suit. There is also noticeable motion blur and only one full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 port on the One Connect box, which may be frustrating for some users, especially gamers.

The Frame 2026, then, isn’t a TV for someone looking for the absolute best picture quality in its price range. There are models that offer deeper blacks or a more impactful HDR experience. But if the TV is meant to become part of a well-designed living room, is often used during the day, displays artwork, and at the same time needs to perform well with a wide variety of content, The Frame still makes a lot of sense. Samsung has barely changed its formula here, but it’s easy to see why — the “picture on the wall” concept is still executed extremely well. Owners of the previous model have little reason to upgrade, but for new buyers looking for this particular combination of design and TV functionality, it remains one of the most interesting options on the market.

In terms of blacks and contrast, the 65-inch iFFALCON U85X turns out to be almost an exact copy of the solutions known from the TCL C6K and C69K models, offering the same number of 224 local dimming zones in a 14x16 arrangement. Thanks to the use of a VA panel and such a solid number of zones, the device is capable of generating an image with impressive depth, where our measurements in real film scenes indicated a contrast exceeding 100,000:1. Of course, with this class of equipment, local dimming does not always achieve perfect precision, so in more challenging scenes with bright details against a dark background, we must reckon with the occurrence of the halo effect, which is a subtle glow around objects. Nevertheless, the overall quality of blacks is at a very high level and will certainly satisfy most users seeking cinematic experiences. The image certainly appears to have greater depth than in solutions without any local dimming technology.

Samsung The Frame 2026 uses a VA panel but has no local dimming. That means the TV cannot dim selected parts of the screen. The backlight therefore works quite evenly across the whole panel. The VA panel itself gives an advantage over IPS or ADS screens. Blacks are noticeably better, and the picture doesn't look quite as washed out when watching in the evening. That said, in terms of contrast The Frame performs fairly averagely. This is most evident in dark scenes. If a bright object appears on a black background, the TV cannot dim the area around it. Blacks then take on a more navy cast and the image loses depth. The same applies to films with black bars. In a darkened room it's fairly easy to see that the bars are not truly black. In simpler, brighter scenes the issue is much less noticeable. So during regular TV, sport or daytime viewing, contrast is unlikely to be a major problem. It looks worse during evening viewing sessions, especially if you've previously used an OLED or a good Mini-LED. The difference in black levels to The Frame's disadvantage then becomes very obvious.

iFFALCON U85 handles HDR in a rather twofold manner – on one hand, it can surprise with solid peak brightness of around 650 nits, which places it well above average in this price segment. This is especially evident in bright, full-screen scenes. Examples from films such as Life of Pi or the final test sequences from The Meg prove that the television can maintain the power and essence of HDR effect when the entire panel needs to "ignite," delivering truly satisfying experiences. However, problems arise in high-contrast scenes, where smaller, bright details appear on the screen; the dimming algorithms prioritize black depth to such an extent that they can stifle the brightness of small light points to just 100 nits, which drastically reduces image dynamics and deprives us of the true "bite" we expect from HDR standards. On a brighter note, however, the colours remain impressive, as the use of the PFS phosphor filter (marketed as QLED by the manufacturer) showcases them very well, achieving nearly 94% coverage of the DCI-P3 colour palette, allowing for a vibrant and rich image in most content.

The Frame 2026 is a genuinely bright TV. Its peak brightness reaches around 650 nits and, importantly, it maintains similar levels regardless of the type of scene being displayed. It doesn’t really matter whether we’re watching a very bright full-screen image or just a small highlight occupying part of the screen. The backlight remains powerful, allowing bright parts of the image to stand out clearly.

This gives The Frame a solid foundation for HDR. Bright highlights can look impactful, and the picture doesn’t appear flat or overly dim. Unfortunately, there is a compromise. Without local dimming, the TV cannot darken the black areas surrounding very bright objects.

This is clearly visible in scenes 2 and 4 of our test procedure. Bright elements look impressive, but at the same time, the blacks around them become noticeably raised. As a result, the image loses some of its depth, especially when watching in a dark room. This is why The Frame performs best with HDR in bright and moderately bright scenes, where its high brightness works to its advantage. In darker scenes, the situation is quite the opposite.

Colours

The Frame also performs well when it comes to colour reproduction. As a QLED TV, it can display a wide colour gamut and produce rich, saturated colours. DCI-P3 coverage reaches around 94%, while BT.2020 comes in at around 72%. These are good results, and you can see the difference in actual content.

Colours look vivid without appearing washed out, particularly in bright and colourful scenes. Animations and other content with plenty of saturated colours can look really good on The Frame. With this type of material, the TV shows one of its stronger sides.

We tested the factory colours on the iFFALCON U85X model in 'Film' mode, which is definitely the most reliable among all available settings, although it is still far from perfect. The main issue that stands out in both SDR and HDR content is the incorrect white balance – an excess of blue and red components gives the image a slight purple tint, which disrupts the naturalness of the film scenes. An even greater challenge is the way the television manages its brightness. Analyzing the gamma chart for the SDR signal, we noticed significant instability: instead of adhering to the standard value of 2.4, the device oscillates around 2.2, only to suddenly make an unnatural jump towards 3.0. In practice, this leads to confusing effects – large, bright areas on the screen appear too dark, while smaller elements are unnecessarily brightened. A similar characteristic can be found in the EOTF curve, which makes the image unpredictable and loses its cinematic authenticity.

For assessing the factory colour output we chose the Filmmaker Mode. If you’re encountering it for the first time, it’s a mode designed to reproduce a film or series as faithfully as possible. The TV then switches off most of the extra picture enhancement features, and the colours and luminance characteristics are intended to be as close as possible to what the creators of the material intended. And it must be admitted that The Frame 2026 performs really well in this respect straight out of the box. The biggest deviation is visible in the white balance. As brightness increases the blue starts to drop out and green increases slightly. As a result the picture shifts toward warmer tones. White is therefore not perfectly neutral, and in some scenes you can notice a slightly warmer cast.

The luminance response for both the gamma and EOTF curves looks good. Across most of the range they stay fairly close to the target, although in the darkest parts of the picture there is a larger deviation. In practice some details emerging from black may therefore be rendered a little more strongly. However, this is not an error that stands out during normal viewing. Overall Filmmaker Mode is a good starting point here. However the picture is a little too warm by default and not all hues land exactly where they should.

After professional calibration of the movie mode, we must admit that the result is more than satisfactory – the iFFALCON U85X undergoes a true transformation. Colour errors in SDR content have dropped to a level below 2, which makes them virtually imperceptible to the human eye. We have managed to set the white balance almost perfectly, and brightness management (gamma) has become nearly exemplary. As a result, with standard quality materials, the television simply looks perfect and it is difficult to fault it.

In the case of HDR signal, the situation has also significantly improved, although here the nature of the device becomes a bit more evident. Colour errors have been reduced to around 3, which is an outstanding result in this price range. However, it is worth taking a look at the EOTF graph (available on the right side of the screen in the filters: 4K HDR, gamma / EOTF) to notice what is not immediately visible regarding the brightness management by the U85. Although the reference line looks decent, in real film scenes, the television still interprets the signal “in its own way” due to very aggressive local dimming algorithms. Does this disqualify this model for watching HDR content? Absolutely not. It's simply a typical affliction of almost every Mini-LED, which must reconcile high brightness with the attempt to maintain deep blacks. One simply needs to be aware of these technical limitations, which are unavoidable in this segment.

After calibration we mainly managed to remove that warmer tint and better even out the white balance. We also smoothed the brightness response a little, which made the picture more neutral and predictable. There are, however, things calibration won't fix here. It's mainly the black behaviour, which stems from the backlight design and the lack of local dimming. In some scenes blacks will therefore still be slightly lifted and you simply have to accept that. It's more a characteristic of this model than something that can be fixed with the settings. HDR is also a limitation. Samsung doesn't allow full freedom when working with the widest colour gamut, so not all colours can be reproduced perfectly. In normal viewing it's probably hard to notice, but it's worth being aware of.

In terms of fluidity of tonal transitions, the iFFALCON U85X performs quite decently. In most scenes, the gradients are almost imperceptible, so the annoying "banding" of colours should not be noticeable during daily viewing, for example, on choose.tv. However, it must be honestly admitted that in very dark shots, the image is not always perfectly smooth, and certain imperfections in the transitions between shades can be observed. Nevertheless, this result is more than satisfactory and does not spoil the overall perception of the picture.

Gradation in The Frame 2026 comes across well, though not perfectly. In bright tonal transitions you can notice slight issues and occasional mild banding. These are not faults that seriously disturb normal viewing, but they can be picked up on our test images and in more demanding scenes. We would rate the bright tonal gradation at roughly 7.5 to 8 out of 10.

Interestingly, gradation in the darker parts of the image looks noticeably better. Here the transitions are very smooth and it's hard to find clear signs of posterization. This is the opposite of many LCD TVs, where the near-black region often causes bigger problems. In photos of dark scenes you can, however, see some unevenness in the image. These do not stem from the gradation itself but from panel uniformity and the operation of the backlight. Unfortunately, in that respect our sample of The Frame was not perfect, so in very dark shots you could spot brighter and darker patches of backlight.

When it comes to upscaling the image to 4K resolution, the iFFALCON U85X performs well. The device efficiently enhances low-quality signals, making even older materials look clean and clear on the 4K panel. At extremely low resolutions, such as 480p, one can notice slightly jagged edges (especially on fine lines), but let's be honest – this is a scenario that you will encounter only when watching very old recordings, so in everyday use, it is not a real problem.

Much worse is the digital processing aimed at smoothing tonal transitions. Although in the menu we find the “Gradual Smoothing” function, its effectiveness is at least questionable. In practice, it does not effectively eliminate banding (colour banding), and worse, it can cause more harm than good. This filter can be too aggressive in areas where it shouldn’t, artificially smoothing details that should not be altered, such as the natural texture of the face or fine details of skin texture. Instead of improving quality, this function can give the image an unnatural, “plastic” appearance, so it is best to use it with great caution or, preferably, leave it switched off.

As with many of Samsung’s newer TVs, this one also uses the NQ4 AI processor, only the older, second-generation version. And you have to admit it handles digital image processing quite well. Lower-resolution material is sharpened effectively, and after upscaling to 4K it still looks natural. The TV can also somewhat "tidy up" weaker sources, like older recordings or lower-quality broadcasts. That doesn't, of course, mean it will suddenly turn poor footage into 4K, but at closer viewing distances the difference compared with simpler models with weaker processors is easy to spot. Edges are clearer, and fine details don't get lost as much to signal compression.

Samsung also offers a few additional image-enhancing features, but as usual it's best to use them sparingly. At stronger settings, noise reduction can very effectively reduce posterization, but it also noticeably interferes with the image. The picture then simply starts to look very artificial, for example by heavily smoothing characters' faces. So it makes the most sense with really poor sources when various types of noise are seriously distracting.

In contrast to budget constructions, which in dynamic sports scenes can resemble a slideshow, the iFFALCON U85X is a heavyweight contender equipped with a panel that has a native refresh rate of 144Hz. However, it is worth noting that in the world of films, series, or sports, we will primarily operate at 120Hz due to the specifics of how image enhancement systems function. Such a fast panel is excellent news for gamers and sports fans as it opens the door to advanced motion settings that simply do not exist in cheaper 60Hz models.

We manage everything from the menu “Motion Clarity”, where instead of using pre-set, often overly aggressive modes, we definitely recommend our own configuration based on two sliders. The most important of these, motion blur reduction, is responsible for fluidity in films – here, it’s best to aim for a value of around 4, which will maintain a natural, cinematic character of motion without falling into the artificial “soap opera effect.” Meanwhile, the first slider, motion blur reduction, is the key to success in sports broadcasts. In this case, it’s worth going all out and setting it to maximum, ensuring that the image during fast actions on the field remains sharp, while troublesome trailing is eliminated.

Samsung again used a panel with a maximum refresh rate of 144 Hz. Refresh rates up to 120 Hz primarily offer greater possibilities with material that contains a lot of motion. The TV can use additional motion-smoothing systems that can improve fluidity in sports and other fast-moving content. However, a high refresh rate alone does not solve everything. The Frame still uses a VA panel, which has a fairly slow response time, and consequently fairly pronounced motion blur. With rapidly moving objects, especially on a dark background, trails are easy to notice. There is also a slight doubling of edges, which can be visible even when additional motion-enhancement systems are switched off. We saw similar behaviour in last year's The Frame 2025, and it's a shame Samsung hasn't addressed this issue. The 144 Hz itself provides a good foundation, but the panel's response time still limits this TV.

iFFALCON U85X is an outstanding piece of equipment for gamers that has just about everything one can expect from a modern screen for consoles or PCs. We find here two full-fledged HDMI 2.1 ports with full bandwidth of 48 Gbps, which opens the door to key technologies such as VRR and ALLM, ensuring smooth gameplay without tearing the image and with minimal latency. The television handles high refresh rates in various resolutions without any problems, and a real curiosity is the mode that allows for achieving up to 240Hz when dropping down to Full HD quality. The whole thing is managed by the Game Bar (which is a faithful copy from TCL), allowing for instant switching of picture modes, customising the interface appearance, or even adding a virtual crosshair in the middle of the screen.

In terms of gaming features, The Frame is practically on a par with Samsung’s top televisions. When a console is connected the TV automatically switches to Game Mode thanks to ALLM, so we do not have to change settings manually each time. There is also VRR, which matches the screen refresh rate to the number of frames produced by the console or PC. This helps avoid the characteristic screen tearing when frame rates drop. The Frame of course supports 4K at 120 Hz, so you can take advantage of the capabilities of the PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X in games that offer higher frame rates. HGiG also works correctly. With HDR properly configured on the console, the TV does not try to brighten the picture further on its own, so bright effects in games are displayed as they should be. Samsung also includes a Game Bar. It is a handy menu you can bring up without leaving the game. There you can check VRR operation and the current frame rate, and quickly change the most important gaming-related settings. With a PC the possibilities are even greater, because the aforementioned Full HD mode lets you increase the refresh rate up to 240 Hz. There is essentially one feature missing that Samsung has already got us used to, namely Dolby Vision Gaming. Xbox owners will notice this most, as that console can use Dolby Vision in games. There is one more thing worth mentioning specific to this model. Its One Connect module has only one HDMI 2.1 port, so you must plug the console or PC into that port if you want to use 4K at 120 Hz. Fortunately Samsung did not combine this port with eARC. The soundbar can therefore be connected separately (3) and you still have a full HDMI 2.1 available for the console.

The completed gaming arsenal is complemented by the outstanding latency results we measured in our tests. With a standard 60Hz signal, the input lag is just 17 ms, which is a completely safe value for comfortable gameplay, while switching to 120Hz reduces the latency to an impressive 9 ms. A nice fact is that these excellent parameters do not deteriorate even in Dolby Vision mode. In many televisions, activating this format is still associated with additional processor overhead and increased lag, but here the engineers at TCL (or iFFALCON) have done a great job.

People who feared that the additional One Connect module might cause greater delay between our action on the gamepad and what happens on the screen can sleep soundly. The input lag we measured is just as low as in other Samsung TVs.

At 60 Hz it is around 15 ms, and after switching to 120 Hz it falls to around 8 ms. These are very good results, so the delay is hard to notice in practice even in fast-paced games. The One Connect module itself does not introduce any noticeable issue.

iFFALCON U85X is also an excellent candidate for a powerful computer monitor, offering a work culture that is hard to find in typical televisions. The readability of fonts is nearly exemplary – although due to the nature of the VA panel, it is not as crystal clear as in IPS panels, the difference becomes practically imperceptible to the human eye when viewed from a distance of over one metre. The device natively supports a resolution of 4K at 144Hz refresh rate, but the real ace up its sleeve is the 240Hz mode (available at lower resolutions), which makes this behemoth an excellent tool for dynamic e-sports titles, where refresh rate takes precedence over pixel count. What is almost most important for PC users is that such high performance is fully supported by frame synchronization technologies, such as NVIDIA G-Sync and AMD FreeSync, effectively eliminating screen tearing and ensuring perfect fluidity regardless of the graphics card used.

In this category you could jokingly say that the new The Frame gives with one hand and takes away with the other. If you look solely at PC gaming, it performs really well. You have 144 Hz at 4K or even 240 Hz in Full HD, plus support for G-Sync and FreeSync and very low input lag. The Frame can easily serve as a large gaming monitor and it's hard to find major complaints.

On the other hand, we had the impression that font readability in the new model has worsened slightly. When you look at text from very close up, you can notice additional halos at the lower edges of characters caused by the action of individual sub-pixels. This gives a slight impression of blurred text. Of course this is mainly an issue for people who would actually want to use The Frame as a monitor on a desk, for example for working with text. At a typical viewing distance the problem is practically impossible to notice. And let's be honest, it's hard to imagine anyone putting a 55- or 65-inch The Frame on their desk.

When it comes to viewing angles, the iFFALCON U85X does not surprise us – it is simply poor, which is a typical characteristic of VA panels. We must treat this as a natural and conscious compromise: by choosing a panel with high contrast and deep blacks, we almost always sacrifice wide angles (only in top series do manufacturers use special coatings to improve this feature). You cannot cheat physics in this price segment, because while sitting directly in front of the television the picture looks fantastic, a slight lean to the side is enough for the colours to start losing their saturation. If you are planning evening screenings with a larger group, it is worth ensuring that everyone sits as close as possible to the central axis of the screen.

Viewing angles are not a strong point of this model. Compared with LCD TVs with IPS panels, and even more so with OLEDs, the picture loses quality fairly quickly when viewed at an angle.

In a bright room, the iFFALCON U85X performs moderately well, thanks to the satin coating of the panel. It quite effectively dampens direct light reflections, thereby avoiding the annoying mirror effect, although under stronger lighting one can see characteristic warm "spills" of light around reflecting objects. While it doesn't reach the level of top panels with the most advanced filters, the lack of high gloss makes daytime use significantly less troublesome. In terms of pure brightness output in the SDR standard, that is for television, the TV achieves an average brightness of around 420 nits. This isn't an outstanding result that would allow it to combat direct sunlight hitting the screen, but it's perfectly sufficient for comfortable viewing of content in a moderately sunlit living room.

The Frame is, by design, a television that will often be used in a bright living room, and its matt finish suits that very well. The screen effectively diffuses reflections, so a window or a lit lamp don't turn into a clear mirror. In that respect it's really good and it's one of this model's stronger points. The matt coating does, however, have its downside. Strong light falling directly on the screen scatters over a larger area and slightly raises the black level. So during the day blacks don't look as "deep" as at night, especially when the room is very bright. But we think that's a fair compromise. On the plus side, The Frame's high brightness helps. The TV has enough power that the picture doesn't wash out and remains clearly visible during the day. Overall, then, it's a good TV for a bright living room, particularly if reflections bother you more.

Smart Features

Similar to the products under the TCL brand, the iFFALCON U85X benefits from the Google TV system. This means access to an almost limitless library of applications, from the most popular VOD services to niche tools, as well as full integration with Google's voice assistants and Gemini. Users of the Apple ecosystem have also not been overlooked – the television works seamlessly with their devices thanks to the built-in AirPlay feature. The system itself runs quite smoothly, although it cannot be denied that it inherits some shortcomings known from TCL models. The interface can sometimes "hitch", requiring a moment's thought, and the Polish translations in the deeper corners of the menu can be quite odd and at times illogical.

Classic Features

In the area of traditional television functions, the iFFALCON U85X does not strive for any extravagance and offers the absolute minimum, which may be somewhat disappointing for more demanding users of traditional cable or satellite services. One will futilely search for the ability to record programmes to external USB memory or a picture-in-picture (PiP) mode that would allow tracking two sources simultaneously. From the more "modern" classics, we only get the option to wirelessly connect headphones via Bluetooth and teletext support. The remote control also does not pretend to be a modern gadget from the future; it is a classic design with a full numeric keypad, which makes it easy to quickly jump between channels, but visually it significantly lags behind minimalist trends.

Operating System: Tizen

Samsung The Frame 2026 runs on the familiar Tizen operating system, so when it comes to Smart TV features, you get pretty much everything you would expect from a modern TV. There is a wide selection of streaming apps, AirPlay, SmartThings, and the ability to cast content from a smartphone. The system itself is fast and responsive, while the menu layout is very similar to what you’ll find on other Samsung TVs.

When it comes to traditional TV features, things are a little more basic. The Frame doesn’t really stand out in this area, focusing primarily on its online features and lifestyle-oriented functionality.

Art Mode

The key feature, of course, remains Art Mode. It allows The Frame to display artwork or your own photos when you’re not watching TV, effectively turning the screen into part of your interior. The matte screen coating plays an important role here, as it helps the displayed artwork look less like an image shown on a glowing TV screen.

Another interesting addition is the motion sensor, something you won’t normally find on other TVs. It’s worth pointing out that this is not the same thing as the ambient light sensor. The latter adjusts the screen brightness to match the conditions in the room, while the motion sensor detects whether someone is nearby. If the room is empty, the TV can automatically turn Art Mode off and then switch it back on when you return. This means the screen doesn’t have to stay on all the time.

Another feature that works particularly well with this model is One Connect. In our opinion, it makes a lot of sense on a TV like The Frame, which is designed to sit as close to the wall as possible. All the main cables are connected to a separate box, while only a single cable runs to the screen itself. It’s simply a very convenient solution.

It’s also worth mentioning that Samsung includes a dedicated wall mount in the box. That might sound obvious, but it really isn’t. With the flagship S99H, for example, which also puts a strong emphasis on flush wall mounting and blending into the interior, the appropriate wall mount has to be purchased separately. With The Frame, it’s included, so you can save yourself a bit of extra money right from the start.

*The Art Mode photo was taken on The Frame Pro 2026. It looks identical on the standard The Frame — we have to admit that we simply forgot to take a photo of it during testing. 😉

Playing files from a pendrive is no challenge for the iFFALCON U85X - the built-in player handles almost every audio and video format we thrown at it during testing without a hitch. The only drawback we could point out is the support for external subtitles; while popular formats like .sub and .srt work flawlessly, the television can be temperamental with .txt files. Fortunately, with the presence of the Google TV system, this problem can be quickly resolved by installing an external app like VLC. However, for most users, the factory tool will likely be more than sufficient to enjoy their own media library without any unnecessary hassle.

In terms of USB file playback, The Frame performs adequately. The TV easily handles the main video, photo and audio formats, so in everyday use you should not encounter many surprises. However, we again ran into problems with the HEIC format, which is common on Apple devices. Images saved in this format could not be opened correctly, which can be irritating if you often transfer photos directly from an iPhone. Apart from that, the player worked without major issues.

iFFALCON U85X proves that the absence of the Onkyo or Bang & Olufsen logo on the casing does not necessarily mean flat and tinny sound. The audio system in this model plays surprisingly well, largely thanks to the dedicated subwoofer located at the back of the device. Our acoustic measurements confirm that the low end starts to "come alive." It is this distinct "hump" on the graph that is responsible for the noticeable dose of bass, which adds the weight and depth often missing in televisions to films and music. The only point of contention may be the fact that such bass can muffle the high tones, which may seem somewhat recessed. Overall, it can produce sound levels up to 83 dBC, which is more than sufficient for amplifying a larger lounge.

Despite using a 40 W speaker system in a 2.0.2 configuration — on paper somewhat better than in many conventional TVs — the sound is fairly average. What bothers us most is that it’s simply flat. As with most very slim TVs, there is a lack of bass and greater depth. Fortunately the midrange and treble are reproduced correctly. Dialogue is clear, and at normal listening levels there are no major distortions. For news or regular TV that setup is perfectly adequate. For films, music or games, however, you’ll quickly find it lacking.

That’s why we would definitely recommend adding a soundbar or external speakers to The Frame. Samsung, moreover, has an increasing number of models designed specifically for lifestyle TVs, such as the slim S800 series or speakers from the Studio or Music Frame lines, which in design match the TV itself.

IFFALCON U85X vs Samsung The Frame 2026 (LS03H)

Advantages

Disadvantages

Our verdict

TV appearance

Where to buy

Contrast and black detail

HDR effect quality

Colours

Factory color reproduction

Color reproduction after calibration

Smoothness of tonal transitions

Image scaling and smoothness of tonal transitions

Blur and motion smoothness

Console compatibility and gaming features

Input lag

Compatibility with PC

Viewing angles

Daytime performance

Panel details

TV features

Classic features:

Smart features:

Sound connection options

Supported audio formats (external HDMI eARC audio):

Senior accessibility

Smart Features

Classic Features

Operating System: Tizen

Art Mode

Apps

Playing files from USB

Sound

Sound Quality Test

Acoustic Measurements