Compare LG NANO81A / NANO80A vs Samsung The Frame 2026 (LS03H)

LG NANO81A is essentially a continuation of the NanoCell series, which has hardly changed over the past few years. Aside from a new operating system, a refreshed remote, and a few marketing additions, we are dealing with practically the same design that we have known for years. Thanks to the nanofilter, the TV is capable of displaying better, cleaner colors than standard budget TVs, and the IPS panel guarantees really decent viewing angles. Unfortunately, for these advantages, we pay a very weak black level and low contrast, which is immediately noticeable during nighttime viewings. Although webOS is still one of the best systems on the market, the biggest problem with the NANO81A is its price, which we simply do not understand. In 2025, this model faces enormous competition not only from brands like TCL or Hisense but... at LG itself. The model we tested earlier, QNED80A, is equipped with local dimming technology, has a brighter panel, and offers a wider color gamut. Interestingly, at the time of writing this review, the technically superior QNED80A is often much cheaper than the NANO81A. In this situation, the existence of the NanoCell model loses its meaning – unless wide viewing angles are your only priority, but in our opinion, the price you have to pay for them (at the cost of tragic blacks and a higher expenditure) is simply too high.

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.

The NanoCell series, including the NANO81 model we tested, is based on an IPS panel. For anyone who has even a little knowledge about screens, this means one thing: significant problems with black levels and contrast. Our measurements are ruthless here. A result of 800:1 is, quite frankly, a tragic score. In practice, this means that what should appear on the screen as deep black looks like a dark gray blot at night. Watching dark films or series in a completely dark room will simply be torturous – the image will lose all its depth and will appear flat. If you decide to go with this model, we have one key piece of advice for you: don't watch it in complete darkness. To salvage the situation somewhat, it's best to leave a soft light on in the room, and the ideal solution would be to install an LED strip behind the television. Such wall lighting will trick your eye (this is known as simultaneous contrast) and make that grayness on the screen seem a bit darker. Nonetheless, the start of the test in terms of cinematic experiences looks bleak.

Samsung The Frame 2026 uses a VA panel but has no local dimming. That means the TV can't dim selected parts of the screen. The backlight therefore works fairly evenly across the entire panel. The VA panel itself offers an advantage over IPS or ADS screens. Black levels are noticeably better, and the picture doesn't look as washed out when watching in the evening. That said, in terms of contrast The Frame performs rather averagely.

You can see that most clearly in dark scenes. If a bright object appears on a black background, the TV can't lower the light around it. Blacks then turn more navy, and the image loses depth. The same applies to films with black bars. In a dark room it's fairly easy to notice that the bars aren't truly black. In simpler, brighter scenes the issue is much less visible. So for regular TV, sports, or daytime viewing, contrast is unlikely to be a major problem. It looks worse during evening viewing, especially if you've previously used an OLED or a good Mini-LED. The difference in black levels to The Frame's detriment is then very pronounced.

If you're counting on HDR in the NANO81A to bring tears to your eyes, I have to disappoint you. This TV is simply too dark to show what this format is really about. With a brightness of just 250 nits, HDR here essentially exists only on paper. In practice, during a viewing session, it's very hard to distinguish whether we're watching high dynamic range content or regular SDR – it simply lacks that "punch" of light in bright areas of the image. But, to not have all criticism, we do have a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel – and it’s quite clear. It's about color gamut coverage. Here, the NanoCell filter shows that it's not just marketing nonsense. Our measurements indicated that the coverage of the DCI-P3 space is around 88%. This is really a solid result that positions this model significantly above typical budget models based on regular white LED lights without any filters. Of course, it's still a bit lacking compared to the level of quantum dot TVs (QLED) or advanced panels with PFS filtering, but for this price range, the colors are surprisingly saturated and vibrant. It's just a shame that this low brightness doesn’t allow them to fully "spread their wings" with the Nano filter.

The Frame 2026 is genuinely a bright TV. Its peak brightness reaches about 650 nits and, importantly, similar values are maintained regardless of the type of scene being displayed. So it doesn’t matter much whether we’re watching a very bright full-screen shot or just a small bright element occupying part of the screen. The backlight always has a lot of power, so bright portions of the image are strongly illuminated. That gives The Frame a solid foundation for HDR. Bright highlights can stand out, and the picture doesn’t look flat or too dark. Unfortunately, this is not a solution without compromises. Because it lacks local dimming, the TV cannot darken the blacks next to very bright elements.

This is clearly visible, among other things, in scenes 2 and 4 from our test procedure. Bright areas look intense, but at the same time the blacks around them become noticeably lifted. The picture loses depth as a result, especially when watching in the evening. For that reason The Frame performs best with HDR in bright and moderately bright scenes. There the high backlight brightness works in its favor. In darker shots the situation is the opposite.

Colors

The Frame also performs well in terms of color. It’s a QLED TV, so it can display a wide color gamut and show richly saturated colors. DCI-P3 coverage is around 94%, and BT.2020 about 72%. Those are good numbers and you can see them while watching. Colors are vivid and do not look washed out. It looks best in bright, colorful scenes. Animations or cartoons with lots of saturated hues can look really good on The Frame. In such material the TV shows one of its stronger points.

For every movie fan, the natural choice in LG televisions is the Filmmaker Mode. This mode is designed to display the image as the director intended – without unnecessary "enhancements." Unfortunately, in the case of our test unit NANO81A, the factory settings left something to be desired. The main issue turned out to be white balance. Measurements showed a clear deficiency of blue color, which practically translated to many scenes having a slightly yellowish, almost "too yellow" tint. The white was not perfectly clean, which detracted from the freshness of the image. Additionally, brightness management was not ideal either – the factory-set gamma was too low. The image often appeared oversaturated, as if it had been pulled too much from the shadows, losing its naturalness and depth. Fortunately, LG, even in this relatively low price segment, does not block access to advanced settings. The calibration capabilities of this model are immense, which is a big plus for those who like to "dig around" in the menu. We decided to approach the topic in our own way and see how much we could extract from this panel with professional calibration.

To evaluate the out-of-the-box colors we chose Filmmaker Mode. If you’re encountering it for the first time, it’s a mode designed to present a movie or series as faithfully as possible. The TV then turns off most additional picture enhancers, and the colors and luminance characteristics are meant to be as close as possible to what the content creators intended. I have to admit that the The Frame 2026 already performs quite well in this regard straight out of the box. The biggest deviation is visible in the white balance. As brightness increases, blue starts to drop off and green increases slightly. As a result the image shifts toward warmer tones. White is therefore not perfectly neutral, and in some scenes you can notice a slightly warmer overall cast.

The luminance response — gamma or EOTF — looks good. Across most of the range they stay fairly close to the target, though in the darkest parts of the image there is a larger deviation. In practice, some details emerging from black may therefore appear a bit more pronounced. That said, it’s not a flaw that jumps out during normal viewing. Overall, Filmmaker Mode is a good starting point here. However, the factory image is a bit too warm and not all hues land exactly where they should.

After calibrating the NANO81A, it's a completely different television. What LG offers in terms of image enhancement tools even in such an inexpensive model deserves a big plus. We were able to completely eliminate that annoying yellowing of whites and make the colors natural, juicy, and simply "true." In SDR content (such as regular TV, YouTube, or older films), the picture now looks infinitely better – it's clear, well-balanced, and no longer strains the eyes with strange hues. It's evident that this panel has considerable potential, which is simply wasted by poor presets out of the box. However, we have one serious reservation that calibration cannot fully overcome – it's about brightness management in HDR mode. The algorithm LG uses in this model is designed very conservatively. The television deliberately dims the image in HDR to avoid overexposing an already weak black from the IPS panel. The developers faced a choice: either provide more light and accept that black will turn light gray, or reduce the brightness to maintain any contrast. They chose the latter. Nevertheless, after our adjustments, watching anything on the NANO81 is significantly better.

After calibration we mainly managed to remove that warmer cast and better even out the white balance. We also smoothed the brightness response a bit, which made the image more neutral and predictable. However, there are things calibration won't fix. It's mainly the behavior of the blacks, which stems from the backlight design itself and the lack of local dimming. In some scenes blacks will therefore still be slightly lifted, and you'll just have to accept that. That's more a characteristic of this model than something that can be fixed with settings. HDR is also somewhat limited. Samsung doesn't give full freedom to work across the widest color gamut, so not all colors can be reproduced perfectly. In normal viewing you probably won't notice it, but it's worth being aware of.

The fluidity of tonal transitions is an element where NANO81A really shines. LG proves here that it can refine image processing algorithms even in its cheaper models. During testing, we practically did not record the phenomenon of banding, that is, the annoying "steps" visible where one color should smoothly transition into another. Everything looks incredibly natural and smooth. This is especially evident in the bright scenes from the movie Kingsman, where the backgrounds remain clean and free from digital artifacts. However, even more impressive is how the television handles the extremely challenging, dark, and foggy shots in The Revenant. Where many budget panels falter and deliver ugly splotches instead of a smooth mist, the NANO81A maintains its composure, offering very velvety transitions. The only downside is that with darker shades, you will notice the weaker blacks of this TV rather than any issues with color transitions.

Gradation on The Frame 2026 performs well, though not perfectly. In bright tonal transitions you can notice slight issues and occasional mild banding. These are not errors that seriously interfere with normal viewing, but they can be spotted on our test patterns and in more demanding scenes. We would rate the bright gradation itself at roughly 7.5–8 out of 10.

Interestingly, gradation looks much better in the dark parts of the image. 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 area around black most often causes bigger problems. However, in photos of dark scenes you can notice some image unevenness. These don't stem from the gradation itself but from panel uniformity and backlight behavior. Unfortunately, in this respect our unit of The Frame wasn't perfect, so in very dark shots it was possible to see brighter and darker backlight patches.

It often happens that cheap 4K panels mercilessly bring all the "dirt" and imperfections of lower resolution materials to light. However, in the case of the LG NANO81A, the situation is quite different. It’s a really solid performer when it comes to handling content that is far from ideal. The built-in processor does a great job with upscaling. Even older recordings look quite decent on this screen – the image is coherent, cleaned of digital noise, and simply pleasant to the eye. A big plus is the gradation reduction feature that you will find in the settings. It is exceptionally effective in combating color banding, which is a lifesaver when watching low bitrate materials, for example from some streaming services or older files from the internet. However, it is worth maintaining a certain vigilance. Since we are dealing with a less efficient chip than in LG's top models here, too aggressive an adjustment of this option can sometimes result in minor artifacts or a slight blurring of details. Despite this risk, I definitely encourage experimentation with this feature – in many cases, it can save the viewing experience and make low-quality material fully watchable.

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 terms of motion fluidity, the NANO81A unfortunately has a few drawbacks. The TV is based on a panel with a refresh rate of 60 Hz. If you're looking for perfect sharpness in dynamic football matches or fast-paced action games, you might feel somewhat unsatisfied. With such a low native refresh rate, fast-moving objects on the screen will always be a bit blurry.

Samsung again used a panel with a maximum refresh rate of 144 Hz here. Refresh rates up to 120Hz primarily offer more headroom for material with a lot of motion. The TV can use additional motion interpolation systems that can improve smoothness 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 relatively slow response time, and consequently fairly pronounced motion blur. With fast-moving objects, especially on a dark background, motion trails are easy to notice. There's also a slight doubling of edges, which can be visible even with the additional motion processing systems turned off. We already saw similar behavior in last year’s The Frame 2025, and it’s a pity Samsung hasn’t fixed that element. The 144 Hz itself provides a good foundation, but the panel’s response time still limits this TV.

NANO81A is unfortunately not a device designed for e-sports. The lack of support for a 120 Hz signal is a fact that users planning to purchase this model must simply come to terms with. Nevertheless, LG engineers have worked hard to squeeze the maximum capabilities out of this 60 Hz panel, offering a set of features that genuinely enhance the gaming experience. Above all, the television supports VRR technology (in the range of 48–60 Hz) and ALLM. As a result, the image remains stable and does not "tear," and the device automatically switches to low-latency mode as soon as it detects a signal from the console. Managing these settings is incredibly simple thanks to a dedicated system overlay that allows for a quick overview of parameters without leaving the game. A significant advantage is the support for the HGiG format. This solution is crucial for owners of modern consoles, as it enables the TV to correctly "understand" the intentions of game developers regarding HDR tone mapping. In practice, this helps avoid the effect of "blown out" bright spots, such as clouds or light sources, which unfortunately is a common issue in budget LCD televisions.

In terms of gaming features, The Frame is practically on par with Samsung's top TVs. When you connect a console the TV automatically switches to game mode thanks to ALLM, so you don't have to change settings manually each time. There's also VRR, which matches the display's refresh rate to the frames being produced by the console or PC. During drops in smoothness this helps avoid the characteristic screen tearing. The Frame of course supports 4K at 120 Hz, so you can take advantage of the PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X in games that offer higher frame rates. HGiG also works correctly. With HDR set up properly on the console the TV doesn't try to brighten the image on its own, so bright effects in games are shown as they should be. Samsung also includes a Game Bar. It's a handy menu you can bring up without leaving the game. There you can check things like VRR and the current frame rate, and quickly change the most important gaming settings. For PC use the options are even greater, since the mentioned Full HD mode allows raising the refresh rate up to 240 Hz. There is really only one feature missing that Samsung has already spoiled us with, and that's Dolby Vision Gaming. Xbox owners will notice this the most, because that console can use Dolby Vision in games. There's one more thing worth mentioning that applies specifically to this model. Its One Connect module has only one HDMI 2.1 port, so that's the only port you can use for a console or PC if you want 4K 120 Hz. Fortunately Samsung didn't tie that port to eARC. You can therefore connect a soundbar separately (3) and still have a full HDMI 2.1 port available for the console.

In terms of response speed, the LG NANO81A performs exceptionally well. The input lag we measured is about 12 ms. This is a very low result, which means one thing for a gamer – the delay between moving the joystick on the controller and the reaction on the screen is practically imperceptible. The television performs excellently in dynamic titles, where every millisecond matters, and in this regard, it does not fall behind significantly more expensive models.

People who feared that the external One Connect module might cause greater delay between our actions on the controller and what happens on-screen can rest easy. The input lag we measured is just as low as in other Samsung TVs.

With a 60 Hz signal it's about 15 ms, and when switching to 120 Hz it falls to around 8 ms. Those are very good results, so the delay is hard to notice in practice even in fast games. The One Connect module itself does not introduce any noticeable issue here.

Nano81A is a really solid monitor for text work. Thanks to the IPS panel and proper implementation of Chroma 4:4:4, fonts are very clear and sharp – practically anyone will be satisfied with how this screen performs as a monitor. We only noticed one small detail that we caught with our laboratory scrutiny: vertical lines of dark text are slightly darker than those horizontal ones. However, this phenomenon is minimal enough that we decided not to deduct points for it. The ratings went down only for features typical for PC gamers – it lacks G-Sync support and high refresh rates above 60 Hz, which will be a significant drawback for those looking for a screen for fast-paced computer games.

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. It offers 144 Hz at 4K or even 240 Hz at Full HD, plus support for G-Sync and FreeSync and very low input lag. The Frame can comfortably serve as a large gaming monitor and there’s little to complain about.

On the other hand, we noticed that font readability in the new model has slightly worsened. When you look at text from very close up, you can see extra outlines along the bottom edges of letters caused by the behavior of individual sub-pixels. This creates a slight sense of text blurring. Of course, this is mainly a drawback for people who would actually want to use The Frame as a desk monitor, for example for working with text. At a typical viewing distance the issue is practically unnoticeable. And let’s be honest, it’s hard to imagine someone putting a 55- or 65-inch The Frame on their desk.

This is the moment when the LG NANO81A can finally "breathe" and make up for the points lost in the black and contrast category. Thanks to the use of an IPS panel, the viewing angles are simply very good here. This is where the tested model gains the most and clearly shows its advantage over competing televisions equipped with VA panels. In practice, this means that the image does not lose quality, even when viewed from a wide angle. This makes the NANO81A a great option for those who have a wide furniture layout in their living room or frequently watch games and movies with a larger group.

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

NANO81A is a relatively dark television, so it works best in rooms where you have control over the lighting. With a brightness reaching around 250 nits, it is hard to recommend it wholeheartedly for very bright, heavily sunlit living rooms – under such conditions, the image will simply lack punch. Nevertheless, LG deserves a small plus for the screen finish. The satin panel used here dampens reflections quite decently. As a result, even if there is a bit of light in the room, you won't see reflections of every detail from your surroundings on the screen. So, if you can slightly close the blinds, a daytime viewing experience will be quite possible, but this model was simply not designed to "fight" against full sunlight.

The Frame is, by design, a TV that will often be used in a bright living room, and its matte coating suits that very well. The screen effectively scatters reflections, so a window or a lit lamp don't turn into a distinct mirror. In that respect it's really good and one of the stronger points of this model. The matte coating does have a downside. Strong light hitting the screen directly scatters over a larger area and slightly raises the black level. During the day the blacks therefore don't look as deep as at night, especially when the room is very bright. But we think that's a fair compromise. Working in The Frame's favor, however, is its high brightness. The TV has enough brightness so the picture doesn't become washed out and remains clearly visible during the day. Overall, it's a good TV for a bright living room, especially if reflections bother you more.

Smart Features: WebOS

One of the biggest advantages of the NANO81A model is its “brain,” which is the operating system. LG has implemented a full-fledged WebOS version for 2025, which in terms of fluidity and user experience is on par with the more expensive models of this brand. Applications launch smoothly, and navigating the menu is a pure pleasure – there is no sign of irritating lags that often occur with budget competitors. All of this is thanks to the unique remote control with a pointer (cursor) function, which has undergone a visual makeover this year. The manufacturer has opted for minimalism – the new Magic remote is significantly smaller and more ergonomic than its predecessors. It sits perfectly in the hand, but this change has a downside as well. The physical number pad has completely disappeared from the casing. For younger users, accustomed to streaming and selecting tiles, this will not be a problem. However, older household members, who are used to entering channel numbers from memory, will have to change their long-standing habits.

Everyday Use

In terms of features we would call “classic,” the NANO81A relies on proven standards. It is not a multimedia powerhouse that will surprise you with exotic additions, but it performs flawlessly in everyday television tasks. The handling of traditional terrestrial or cable television, including the old good Teletext, is correct and intuitive. Wireless communication also deserves praise. The Bluetooth module works very reliably, allowing for quick and stable connections to game console controllers or wireless headphones and speakers. It’s simply a TV that “works” – it is stable, predictable, and does not create unnecessary complications in daily use.

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. 😉

Many users still use their own USB drives to display movies or photos on the big screen. In this regard, the NANO81A performs quite decently – the built-in player supports a wide range of video and audio codecs, so most movie libraries will start up "right away." However, it is important to remember the specifics of the WebOS system. Since it is a closed environment, we are limited to what the manufacturer has prepared for us. There is no possibility of installing alternative players (like the popular VLC), so if the system player cannot handle something, there is not much that can be done about it. During tests, we encountered a few specific limitations. Above all, there is a lack of support for HEIC files. If you take photos with an iPhone and want to view them directly from the USB drive, the TV simply will not see them – it's worth changing the format to JPG on your phone right away. We also noticed that the player has difficulty processing very large graphic files. Photos with a resolution of around 20–28 Mpix may not load or cause system errors. Aside from these exceptions, daily multimedia handling is hassle-free.

When it comes to playing files from USB, The Frame performs adequately. The TV easily supports the main video, photo, and audio formats, so you shouldn't encounter any major surprises in everyday use. However, we again ran into problems with the HEIC format, which is popular on Apple devices, among others. Photos saved in that format couldn't be opened correctly, which can be annoying if you often transfer pictures directly from an iPhone. Other than that, the player worked without major issues.

When it comes to audio, the LG NANO81A pleasantly surprises compared to its higher-positioned sibling, the QNED80A model. Interestingly, NanoCell sounds slightly better, which is likely due to its somewhat thicker casing. The increased volume allows for the extraction of some low-end nuances – the bass may not be powerful, but it is more distinctly defined than in thinner constructions. However, one shouldn't expect miracles. It is still a standard 2.0 speaker arrangement with a total power of 20 W, so the overall sound characteristics remain similar to other models in this price range. The mid and high tones are acceptable, making dialogues in movies and news programs clear. While this slight improvement in the lower registers is pleasing, for true home cinema or music listening, it is still worth considering the purchase of at least a simple soundbar.

Despite using a 40 W speaker system in a 2.0.2 configuration—on paper a bit better than in many ordinary TVs—the sound is fairly average. What bothers us most is that it’s simply flat. As with most very slim TVs, it lacks bass and much depth. Fortunately, mids and highs are reproduced correctly. Dialogue is clear, and during normal viewing you don’t hear significant distortion. For the news or regular TV, this setup is more than enough. However, for movies, music, or games you’ll quickly want more. That’s why we’d definitely recommend adding a soundbar or external speakers to The Frame. Samsung increasingly offers models made specifically for lifestyle TVs, like the slim S800 series or speakers from the Studio or Music Frame lines, whose design fits the TV well.

LG NANO81A / NANO80A vs Samsung The Frame 2026 (LS03H)

Advantages

Disadvantages

Our verdict

TV appearance

Where to buy

Contrast and black detail

HDR effect quality

Colors

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: WebOS

Everyday Use

Operating System: Tizen

Art Mode

Apps

Playing files from USB

Sound

Sound Quality Test

Acoustic Measurements