Samsung The Frame LS03D vs Samsung Neo QLED QN70F / QN74F / QN77F

Samsung The Frame LS03D performs really well with brightness. Results of 700 nits make bright elements on the screen look striking and detailed, whether they illuminate the entire screen or appear as small points of light against a dark background. In more demanding scenes, like the fourth sequence from the film Sicario 2, the black levels are average, but we have already discussed this in the section on contrast. As for brightness – the television definitely excels here. An additional advantage is the quantum dot coating, which is QLED technology. Thanks to this, the colour palette coverage has been improved, although The Frame does not stand out in this regard compared to the competition.

The QN70F is a television that can pleasantly surprise when it comes to brightness. In ideal testing conditions, it reaches up to 800 nits, which – for this price range – is a really solid figure. Of course, this result comes from measurement charts, so we decided to check how it performs in practice, with real films. Here, the television somewhat tempers its capabilities. In most tested scenes – for example, in "The Meg" – the actual HDR brightness hovered around 500 nits. This is still a decent result, allowing for enjoyment of HDR effects, although it is far from perfect. On the other hand, we have a QLED screen with a layer of quantum dots, which means very good colour reproduction capabilities. The colours are vibrant and saturated. The QN70F covers about 94% of the DCI-P3 colour space, and in the wider BT.2020 palette, it exceeds 75%, so in this respect, there is nothing to be ashamed of.

Samsung offers several picture modes on its televisions, but undoubtedly the Filmmaker Mode is the one that should provide the most natural representation of content. Unfortunately, as is often the case with mass production, the differences between units can be considerable, and our tested model was not free from 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 images – 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 detracted from its depth.

In 4K HDR content, the white balance was again dominated by red, this time in combination with green. Meanwhile, blue clearly lost intensity, which was easy to notice on the Color Checker palette, where colours began to "drift" in the wrong direction. The EOTF curve, responsible for brightness in HDR content, showed that the television has a tendency to excessively brighten the image, especially in the darkest elements of scenes.

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

We tested the QN70F in its best default picture mode, which is Filmmaker Mode. I must admit that in this particular test unit, the factory settings performed quite well. The image was calm, natural, and despite minor deviations – pleasant to watch. The biggest flaw was a slight dominance of red in the white balance, which caused a slight pinkish hue across the entire scene. However, this was not a glaring defect – rather subtle and only noticeable when directly compared to a properly calibrated screen. A somewhat larger issue arose in the brightness characteristic. The television tends to underestimate the brightness of parts of the image that should be displayed more brightly. As a result, some details can appear slightly muted – not so much lost completely, but not resonating as clearly as they should. Nonetheless, as far as televisions in this category and in these settings are concerned – we consider the result a good starting point for further calibration.

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

So where does the problem arise, given our praise for colour reproduction? Unfortunately, the entire experience is marred by 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 construction limitations. The lack of local dimming means that the television cannot 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 appearance is considerably better than before the settings were corrected.

After calibration, the QN70F shows that it can offer a truly high level of colour reproduction. The white balance was nearly perfectly aligned, and the values in the Color Checker test dropped below level 3 – meaning below the threshold at which the average eye can perceive differences. The image looks natural, and the colours are faithfully rendered, without excessive saturation or the coolness known from factory settings. It must be admitted that Samsung provides very extensive calibration options – not only for enthusiasts but also for professionals. The QN70F takes advantage of this potential and, after proper adjustment, can come close to significantly more expensive models in terms of colour accuracy. The only thing that can still be nitpicked is the brightness characteristic. There is still a tendency to lighten the smallest areas of the image – particularly those that should remain darker. However, this is a design feature of this model, not a calibration error. Despite this, the final effect definitely deserves recognition.

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

The noise reduction feature in the "Standard" setting does its job well – tonal transitions are noticeably smoothed out, and at the same time, the image does not lose too much detail. However, it is worth noting that this effect also smooths out film grain, so its use will be a matter of individual preference.

When it comes to image scaling, the television also performed really well. The test chart turned out solid – the model was reproduced correctly, with clear details. The branches in the background, though slightly frayed in places, generally appear natural and do not stand out as imperfections.

Samsung QN70F offers a distortion reduction feature that enhances the smoothness of tonal transitions. In "Standard" mode, it works quite well – it smooths out problematic transitions without significantly interfering with the structure of the image. Film grain is somewhat reduced, but details such as texture and skin structure remain visible. The "High" mode is much more aggressive. The smoothing is stronger, but it comes at the cost of a noticeable loss of detail. Therefore, in practice, we recommend sticking with the "Standard" setting or completely turning this function off. The improvement in gradation may be less spectacular, but the image retains more naturalness.

When it comes to scaling low-quality content, the QN70F performs very well. Tests with lower resolution images were really very good. Despite slight edge ringing, everything looks clean and clear, even if the original content was very poor. It’s just a pity that the television has an issue with overscan, which cannot be completely turned off. As a result, images with very low resolution may be slightly cropped, which is mainly noticeable on subtitles or interfaces.

Firstly, it is worth noting that the model we tested in the size of 55 inches, like 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 keeping in mind when making a purchase. As for improving motion fluidity, the television offers a feature called “Picture Clarity”. This is a classic motion smoother that gives users the ability to adjust it using two sliders:

Motion blur reduction – this controls the sharpening of the image in dynamic scenes. The higher the value, the less blur during quick camera movements or moving objects. However, overly aggressive settings may cause the image to become unnatural, appearing like a “soap opera”.

Judder reduction – this slider influences the smoothness of frame playback, particularly in materials with a lower frame rate, such as films (24 fps). Higher settings can smooth motion but may 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 one’s own preferences. It is worth experimenting with the settings to find the perfect balance between fluidity and a natural appearance of the image. We recommend setting them as shown in the picture.

The QN70F is a television with a refresh rate of 144 Hz, which in itself places it among the top when it comes to image fluidity. Whether we are watching dynamic sports broadcasts or playing on a console – the picture looks very good. There is no sense of stuttering, choppiness, or the typical "tearing" associated with weaker models during fast motion. Samsung also allows you to adjust the fluidity to your own preferences. In the picture clarity settings, we find options such as blur reduction and judder reduction – each of which we can adjust independently. This is especially useful when watching content with a lower frame rate and wanting to give it a smoother, more theatrical character – or conversely, to maintain the natural cinematic "feel" of 24 frames.

The Frame LS03D in the 2024 version has been equipped with four HDMI ports, but only one of them 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. Here we find ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode), VRR (Variable Refresh Rate), and HGiG. It is worth highlighting 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 has also not forgotten about features that enhance gaming comfort. Game Bar is an advanced panel for gamers that allows for quick adjustment of screen settings without the need to dig through the television's menu. We can even change the aspect ratio from 16:9 to a panoramic 21:9, which may 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 smoothness enhancer dedicated to games that adds additional frames of animation without significantly affecting input lag. The effect is truly noticeable – the image appears much smoother, which fans of dynamic titles will particularly appreciate.

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

Samsung QN70F is truly a solid choice for gamers. Here we have as many as four HDMI 2.1 ports with full bandwidth of 48 Gbps, which means full support for gaming in 4K at a refresh rate of 144 Hz. Additionally, we have all the essential features we expect today: automatic game mode (ALLM), variable refresh rate (VRR), and a very well-designed, intuitive Game Bar that provides information on mode, resolution, and frame rate. Also noteworthy is the Game Motion Plus feature, which allows for the addition of artificial frames to games running at 60 fps or lower. It works surprisingly well and improves the smoothness of gameplay in many titles – especially those where consoles struggle to maintain a stable frame rate – without significant lag.

[UPDATE] We have updated our tests of Samsung televisions from the 2025 model year due to the release of software version 1131, which restored the crucial gaming feature HGiG.

Unfortunately, there are also some drawbacks. The lack of support for Dolby Vision mode is not surprising – that is a standard at Samsung. But the absence of the HGiG feature is much more disappointing. What's worse, it was removed by a software update, which may come as a shock to users who previously relied on it. Without HGiG, it is impossible to manually set the maximum HDR brightness from the console, resulting in some games appearing slightly washed out – especially if the television misinterprets the tonal range. Why did Samsung, a brand that has set the standards for gaming features for years, choose to take such a step? It's hard to say. At the time of writing this review, the tested television was running on software version 1110 – and to be honest, if you care about full support for gamers, it’s better to temporarily refrain from updates.