Compare Samsung The Frame 2026 (LS03H) vs Philips PQS9011 / PQS9001 (The One 2026)

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 idea behind The One series has remained practically unchanged for years, and with the Philips PQS9001 this is both an advantage and its biggest weakness. Once again, we get a versatile mid-range TV whose main distinguishing feature is Ambilight. The lighting that follows what is happening on the screen can completely change the atmosphere of an evening movie session, and for many people it will be the main reason to choose this TV. That is hardly surprising, because once you get used to the effect, it can be difficult to go back to watching without it. The picture quality itself is good, but we have already seen a very similar level from this series in previous years. The VA panel provides decent blacks, colours are nicely saturated, and the brightness is sufficient for comfortable viewing in a typical living room. It is a shame, however, that Philips did not take another step forward and introduce at least basic local dimming. In a dark room, blacks can look noticeably bluish, and HDR, while clearly visible, does not make as strong an impression as it could. After so many years of The One being on the market, we would have expected a little more progress here.

There has, however, been a noticeable improvement in Titan OS. Compared with last year, and especially with the version from two years ago, the system has become much more pleasant to use. There are more apps, many smaller functions have been improved, and a number of irritating bugs we previously complained about have been fixed. Overall, it works reasonably well, although we are once again frustrated by the remote control, which still requires you to point it directly at the TV. Philips continues to rely on infrared for regular navigation, even though voice control uses a wireless connection. That makes it even harder to understand why the same connection was not used for navigating the menus. The One also has quite a lot to offer gamers. Four HDMI 2.1 ports and a broad set of gaming features are one thing, but what impressed us most was the panel’s response time. Our unit showed practically no visible smearing, even on dark backgrounds, which is quite rare for an LCD TV with a VA panel. Philips deserves a lot of credit for that. The ability to play at 4K 144 Hz or Full HD 240 Hz also makes the TV an interesting option for PC users. Unfortunately, there is still one unfinished element: using Dolby Vision in games on Xbox results in very high input lag.

The PQS9000 therefore leaves us with mixed feelings. It can surprise with excellent motion handling and shows that Philips has clearly worked on its operating system, but we do not see a similar step forward in picture quality. This is a TV we can recommend primarily to fans of Ambilight. If that lighting system is the main reason you are considering a Philips, then buying The One makes a lot of sense. It is still worth checking, however, whether you can find a Mini LED model with good local dimming at a similar price. Such a TV may offer deeper blacks and more impressive HDR performance. In the end, the choice comes down to what matters more to you: the atmosphere created by Ambilight or better picture quality itself.

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.

The black levels and contrast on the Philips PQS9000 are decent for an LCD TV without local dimming. That's mainly down to the VA panel; in our movie scenes contrast often exceeded 5000:1, and in weaker results dropped to around 4000:1. That delivers an image with quite good depth and a clear advantage over typical IPS panels, where black more easily looks gray. Unfortunately, that's about where the panel's strengths end. The TV lacks local dimming, so it can't dim a dark background separately while keeping bright highlights elsewhere on the screen. It only has global dimming, meaning it brightens or dims the entire backlight at once. In a completely dark room you can see these limits: blacks take on a dark navy tint, and shadowy scenes don't have the same depth as on a good locally dimmed screen. Luckily Ambilight helps here. The light on the wall makes the blacks on screen appear deeper and slightly masks the panel's glow. It doesn't change the TV's actual contrast, but it affects how our eyes perceive it. In this case Ambilight is therefore not just decoration, because it can also make evening viewing more pleasant.

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.

Philips PQS9000 is a moderately bright TV; in our HDR scenes it reached roughly 450 to just over 500 nits. That's enough to notice a difference versus SDR. Sun reflections, lamps, and highlights have a bit more sparkle than on basic TVs, whose brightness often tops out around 300 nits. However, it’s not at a level where bright elements make a particularly strong impression. The biggest limitation remains contrast. Without local dimming, the TV raises the black level around a bright object when it brightens that object. That means there’s no clear separation between strong highlights and a dark background, and that contrast is what really shows off HDR. The PQS9000 offers more than the cheapest models, but despite decent brightness the effect stays fairly basic.

Colors

Philips deserves praise for the colors. Although the manufacturer labels this model QLED, a PFS phosphor is used here instead of quantum dots. That solution does not prevent good results, however. On test patterns and in measurements of film scenes we recorded about 94% DCI-P3 coverage and 75% BT.2020. For this class of TV that’s really good. In practice, it means the vast majority of colors used in HDR movies and series will have proper saturation. Lush greens and intense reds are not a major problem and add appeal to the picture. Limitations are easier to spot in some games and rarer content that uses the most saturated shades of the wide BT.2020 gamut. In those situations, displays with wider color coverage, such as SQD or RGB LED, can show more. In its price segment the PQS9000 has nothing to be ashamed of.

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.

Unfortunately, the PQS9000’s factory picture settings for Film mode need some fine-tuning. In SDR the biggest issue is an excess of red in the white balance, which makes whites, grays, and skin tones too warm, sometimes even slightly pink. On top of that, the gamma runs below the target across most of its range. The TV therefore brightens midtones and highlights, making the overall image look flatter than it should.

In HDR the white balance itself is much better. Aside from minor deviations, the components stay close to each other, so there isn’t the pronounced tint seen in SDR. However, the EOTF curve shows a slight brightening of parts of the image, and the biggest issue appears in measurements of the wide color gamut. Many hues deviate significantly from the reference, with errors reaching 8–9. So the good gamut coverage we praised earlier doesn’t mean the TV hits specific colors accurately. It can display a wide color range, but out of the box it doesn’t use it very precisely.

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.

Calibration brought a big improvement, especially in SDR material. We managed to even out the white balance and remove the previous color cast, and the Color Checker measurements now look really very good. Colors are much closer to what should be on the screen, so with regular TV or SDR movies we can be satisfied with the result. Unfortunately HDR somewhat spoils that outcome. On one hand it's limited by the panel's capabilities, since calibration won't improve contrast or replace local dimming. On the other hand there are color errors we couldn't correct because the CMS settings, that is color management, were grayed out and inactive. For that Philips loses points with us. White balance can be fine-tuned, but without access to wide color gamut controls you can't correct colors in HDR as effectively. It's a shame, because the SDR results show the potential is there, it's just not allowed to be fully used everywhere.

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.

Philips PQS9000 handles tonal transitions very well. It’s especially noticeable in dark scenes, where shades blend smoothly into one another without visible banding or distinct borders between colors. As a result, even large uniform areas look smooth. Minor imperfections only appear in brighter tones, but you have to look closely to notice them. During normal viewing they are unlikely to distract from the movie. In this category Philips performs really well.

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.

The digital image processing in the Philips PQS9000 performs well, though we have a few reservations. The "Distortion Reduction" function helps smooth tonal transitions in lower-quality material, but it works quite unevenly. It can improve a section of the picture, only to, moments later and still within the same scene, seem to lose effectiveness and reintroduce banding between shades. A plus is that it doesn't remove film grain or fine noise, so the image retains its texture. We found the "Medium" setting worked best, and that's the one we recommend. The 4K upscaling itself is acceptable, though the picture is very soft. Edges are heavily smoothed, which may make the image feel less crisp to some viewers. In that case, it's worth slightly increasing the sharpness in the TV's menu, as this will make edges stand out more. Don't overdo the sharpness slider, however, or you may introduce artificial halos instead of improving the picture.

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.

In terms of motion handling, the Philips PQS9000 performs outstandingly for an LCD TV. It's not just the 144 Hz refresh rate, but above all how quickly the panel itself responds. At 120 Hz you can hardly see the typical trailing smears behind moving objects. What's especially pleasing is that this also applies to darker backgrounds, where many VA panels clearly struggle. Here motion remains clear, and Philips pleasantly surprised us in that regard. To adjust how motion is displayed there is the "Motion Style" function. It includes two sliders: "Smoothness" and "Blur Reduction," which let you tailor the effect to the content you're watching and your personal preferences. Our suggested settings are shown in the photo. Treat them as a starting point and try different levels of smoothing to see which you prefer.

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.

Gaming features

When it comes to gaming features, the Philips PQS9000 really has a lot to offer. Four HDMI 2.1 ports let you connect multiple devices without having to decide which one gets the full-capability port. Consoles can use 120 Hz in Full HD, 1440p and 4K, and a PC can also take advantage of 144 Hz at 4K or 240 Hz if you drop down to Full HD. There's also VRR, which matches the refresh rate to the frame rate and prevents screen tearing. Its range goes from 48–240 Hz, with the upper limit applying to Full HD mode.

ALLM is included, so the TV automatically switches into game mode, and HGiG works correctly, which is useful when setting up HDR on a console. There's also a Game Bar for quick access to settings and signal information. The list even includes Dolby Vision gaming, but that option is hard to enjoy because of very high latency. Apart from that caveat, the feature set is really solid.

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.

Input lag is already less impressive than the rest of the "gaming" gear. At 60 Hz we measured 32 ms, both in SDR and HDR. That's enough for more relaxed games, but in fast shooters you can feel a slight delay. At 120 Hz the lag drops to 16 ms and gameplay is noticeably more enjoyable, though the competition can respond even faster.

The biggest problem appears when Dolby Vision is enabled. At 60 Hz the delay is as much as 213 ms, and at 120 Hz it reaches 106 ms. The response to controller input is then clearly delayed, which significantly interferes with gameplay. That's why on the PQS9000 it's definitely better to stick with HDR10. Dolby Vision is supported for games, but its practical usefulness remains limited.

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.

PQS9000 owes its high score for computer use mainly to its gaming capabilities. A 144 Hz refresh rate at 4K and support for G-Sync Compatible and AMD FreeSync Premium Pro let you use frame synchronization on compatible NVIDIA and AMD cards. Working with text also fares well. Standard fonts are sharp and legible, and thanks to correct 4:4:4 chroma support, colored letters, icons, and small desktop elements do not lose clarity. The biggest drawback concerns very small, dark text, where the horizontal strokes of letters are noticeably darker than the vertical ones, making some characters look uneven. You probably won't notice this from the couch, but if someone plans to put The One on a desk and work up close, this flaw may become bothersome.

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.

Viewing angles are one of the weakest points of the Philips PQS9001. Move to the side and the colors noticeably lose saturation, and the image becomes washed out and lower in contrast. When watching with several people, seats directly in front of the screen are clearly the best. This is unfortunately a typical limitation of VA panels, where strong contrast head-on comes at the expense of poorer off-axis performance. Most TVs with this type of panel have the same problem, and The One is no exception. The swivel stand helps a bit by allowing you to angle the screen toward the viewer, but it won't solve the issue with widely spaced seats.

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.

The Philips PQS9001 performs quite well for daytime viewing. Its biggest advantage is a stable brightness of around 500 nits, regardless of how many bright elements appear on the screen. Even when watching winter sports or a scene full of white, the picture doesn't dim. In a typical living room that level is more than enough to comfortably watch TV without having to cover the windows.

The satin finish does a decent job of suppressing reflections, though it doesn't eliminate them completely. a window opposite the screen will be visible and may be distracting, especially in darker scenes. Black levels hold up well in daylight, so the overall image doesn't become overly washed out. So it's pretty good for everyday viewing, provided the sun isn't shining directly on the screen.

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. 😉

Titan OS in this year's The One shows that Philips has worked on its system. Compared with last year's version, many small issues and functions that previously didn't work as they should have been fixed. Now we can use AirPlay without problems, cast a computer screen via Miracast, or search by voice in Polish. The system itself runs decently, though it's definitely not among the fastest. The app library has also grown: Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, CANAL+, Apple TV, and YouTube are available. The selection is still smaller than on Google TV, but for popular services Titan gives fewer reasons to complain. Everyday usability has improved in the standard features as well. You can connect Bluetooth headphones and listen to audio through them at the same time as the TV speakers, and there's a mode that lets you turn off the screen and leave only the sound. USB recording and picture-in-picture (PiP) are missing. What's most disappointing is the remote: despite backlit buttons it still controls the TV via infrared, so you have to point it at the screen. The system has gained many useful tweaks, but that control element remains unchanged and can be irritating in daily use.

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.

The built-in USB player works quickly and smoothly and handles most tested files without problems. It performs well with music, from common MP3s to FLAC files, including 96 kHz/24-bit. It's perfectly adequate for everyday media playback from a USB flash drive. However, once again our biggest reservations are about photo handling. The player treats resolutions rather selectively: it opened our 8 MP, 16 MP and 32 MP files, but failed with, among others, 4 MP, 12 MP and 24 MP. It's hard to find any logic in that, since a larger photo works while a smaller one does not. That can be annoying when browsing vacation photos.

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.

The Philips PQS9001 has a 2.0 audio system with a total power of 40 W, that is, two 10 W speakers per side. It sounds quite good and definitely better than most budget TVs. There's plenty of volume, but the sound lacks depth. The biggest issue is a lack of deep bass, so explosions in movies and heavier parts of music don't have the proper weight. Higher frequencies are not reproduced evenly either. Measurements show a clear dip around 2 kHz, then a boost at 6–7 kHz and a drop-off above about 8 kHz. That can emphasize sibilance and add a bit of harshness to the sound, despite the recessed treble. It's adequate for everyday viewing, but for movies and music it's worth considering external audio. Especially since the TV supports surround sound formats, including Dolby Atmos and DTS. A compatible soundbar or AV receiver will make better use of those formats than the built-in speakers.

Samsung The Frame 2026 (LS03H) vs Philips PQS9011 / PQS9001 (The One 2026)

Advantages

Disadvantages

Our verdict

TV appearance

Where to buy

Contrast and black detail

HDR effect quality

Colors

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

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

Operating System: Tizen

Art Mode

Apps

Playing files from USB

Sound

Sound Quality Test

Acoustic Measurements