Samsung The Frame LS03D vs Samsung Q6F (IPS)

The Frame really handles brightness well. With results at the level of 700 nits, bright elements on the screen look impressive and detailed, whether they illuminate the entire screen or appear as small bright spots against a dark background. In more demanding scenes, like the fourth sequence from the movie Sicario 2, the blacks perform averagely, but we already discussed that in the section regarding contrast. However, when it comes to brightness – here the TV definitely performs well. An additional advantage is the quantum dot coating, i.e., QLED technology. Thanks to it, the color palette coverage has been improved, although The Frame does not stand out in this regard compared to the competition.

Unfortunately, the Samsung Q6F is a very dark model. Its peak brightness in HDR does not exceed 250 nits, which is definitely too low to even speak of any "high dynamic range" effect, or HDR. In practice, it's better to stick to content in SDR format, which simply looks more predictable on this TV. Another problem is the global dimming technique – in scenes with a lot of black, the TV drastically dims the entire panel to artificially improve the black levels. This causes the image to become even darker, and brightness can drop below 100 nits. The only consolation is the QLED technology, but even here it's average. The applied quantum dot layer is not top-notch, as the coverage of the DCI-P3 color gamut does not exceed 90%. As a result, colors in HDR content may just seem under-saturated.

Samsung offers several picture modes in its TVs, but without a doubt, 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 significant, and our tested model did not escape a few problems.

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

In 4K HDR content, the white balance was again dominated by red, this time combined with green. Meanwhile, blue clearly lost intensity, which could be easily noticed on the Color Checker palette, where the colors began to "run away" in the wrong direction. The EOTF curve, responsible for brightness in HDR content, showed that the TV tends to excessively brighten the image, especially in the darkest elements of scenes.

Overall, although it did not look tragic, it definitely needed correction. Fortunately, Samsung offers extensive calibration options, which provide an opportunity for significant image improvement. Therefore, we proceeded with professional calibration to extract the full potential of this TV.

We tested the television in Filmmaker mode, which showed us two completely different faces of this model. Looking at SDR content, we were honestly shocked at how good this TV looks straight out of the box. It was really hard to nitpick anything here. Despite a slight “haze” in the white balance or somewhat brightened details in the blacks (which directly results from the IPS panel's design), color errors hovered around the “2” level. This is surprisingly good, even outstanding, considering the price of this device.

On the other hand, what the Q6F displayed in terms of colors after switching to HDR mode was a very unpleasant surprise. The errors in color reproduction and palette were so huge that our charts literally ran out of scale. Of course, since Samsung even in such an inexpensive model offers very advanced calibration possibilities, we decided to approach the subject professionally and check what could be done about it during calibration.

After professional calibration, the Filmmaker Mode shows its full potential. The white balance in HD content is exemplary – an error level of 0.5 indicates almost perfect color reproduction precision. The image now looks natural, and the colors are exactly as they should be. In 4K HDR content, the effect is not as perfect, but it still maintains a really high level. The colors are vibrant, well-saturated, and the overall image quality is impressive.

So where does the problem arise, if we praise the color reproduction so much? Unfortunately, the overall experience is disrupted by the brightness characteristic. The gamma in HD content looks decent, but in 4K HDR it's not as good. The EOTF curve shows that the TV excessively brightens certain parts of the image, which is a result of design limitations. The lack of local dimming means that the TV cannot precisely control the differences between the brightest and darkest areas of the screen. This is a barrier that simply cannot be overcome in this model.

Nevertheless, after calibration, The Frame offers excellent color reproduction, especially in HD content, and the overall appearance is much better than before the settings correction.

After our calibration, the colors in SDR mode looked even better – the result is quite surprising, as color errors at level "1" are something usually seen in devices costing several thousand dollars. In this regard, the Q6F is really a great screen for everyday television, less demanding series, or movies. Unfortunately, our interference in HDR mode did not bring about a noticeable improvement. The television, due to its poor black levels and low coverage of a wide color gamut, still has significant problems with proper color saturation, especially red. This is an example of a device where HDR mainly exists as a label on the box – for everyday use, we definitely recommend watching content in SDR format.

It was time to check how The Frame handles older, lower-quality materials. We already know that the smoothness of tonal transitions is very high here, so we were curious to see how the TV would manage their smoothing.

The noise reduction feature in the "Standard" setting performs well – tonal transitions are noticeably smoothed out, and the image does not lose too much detail. However, it's 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 TV also performed really well. The tested frame was solid – the model was rendered correctly, with clear details. The branches in the background, although slightly jagged in places, generally look natural and do not stand out as a flaw.

The Q6F handles upscaling lower resolution content to native 4K very well. The scaling is surprisingly good here, even for such a budget TV from the QLED series. The only downside is when we watch very low-resolution material, like 576p (typical for old DVD players) – then the image may be slightly cropped. This is because the TV does not allow for the Overscan feature to be turned off, which is a common issue with Samsung devices.

The situation is completely different when it comes to digital processing, which is the attempt to smooth the image from unwanted artifacts. Here, the TV completely fails. Although we find a function in the menu called "Noise Reduction", it yields no visible results regardless of the slider setting. The only thing it seems to do is introduce unwanted errors into the image. Despite its presence in the system, we definitely do not recommend using it.

First of all, it is worth noting that the model we tested in 55 inches, just 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 offer only 60 Hz panels, which is worth considering when making a purchase. As for improving motion fluidity, the TV offers a feature called "Picture Clarity." This is a classic motion smoother that gives users the ability to adjust it using two sliders:

Motion Blurring Reduction – this is responsible for sharpening the image during dynamic scenes. The higher the value, the less blur during rapid camera movement or moving objects. However, overly aggressive settings can make the image look unnatural and start to resemble a “soap opera”.

Judder Reduction – this slider affects the smoothness of frame playback, particularly in materials with a lower frame rate, such as films (24 fps). Higher settings can smooth out motion but can also lead to an excessive "plasticky" effect on 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 the natural appearance of the image. We recommend setting them as shown in the picture.

The 60 Hz panel in the Samsung Q6F is the standard in this price range, which makes it a rather average model for dynamic sports or gaming. However, in the case of movies, the TV performs quite well thanks to the smoothing feature. The "Motion Smoothing" option allows you to adjust the fluidity of motion to your own preferences – from maintaining a cinematic feel to full fluidity.

The Frame in version 2024 is equipped with four HDMI ports, but only one of them supports the 2.1 standard with a bandwidth of 40 Gb/s. This is an important piece of 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 gaming features, The Frame truly has a lot to offer. We find ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode), VRR (Variable Refresh Rate), and HGiG. It is worth emphasizing that HGiG has been very well implemented here, which is particularly important since the TV does not support Dolby Vision in games (which is only available on Xbox consoles). In this case, HGiG proves to be a better standard for gaming. Samsung has not forgotten about features that enhance the gaming experience. Game Bar is an advanced panel for gamers that allows for quick adjustment of screen settings without the need to sift through the TV menu. We can even change the aspect ratio from 16:9 to cinematic 21:9, which for some gamers can be a significant advantage. However, Samsung's biggest ace up its sleeve is the Game Motion Plus feature. This is a special smoother dedicated to games, which adds extra frames of animation without significantly impacting input lag. The effect is really noticeable – the image appears much smoother, which fans of dynamic titles will particularly appreciate. In summary – Samsung The Frame is a television that offers a solid set of features for gamers. Although the limitation to one HDMI 2.1 port may be a downside, the rest of the solutions make gaming on this TV a truly enjoyable experience.

We won’t beat around the bush – the Q6F is not a television designed with gamers in mind. While it does have features like ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode) and VRR frame synchronization for consoles, the list of benefits pretty much ends there. Besides these basics, the TV offers nothing more that might satisfy those who spend a lot of time in front of a console. It’s a real shame that such a useful tool as Game Bar is missing here, which in Samsung’s higher models allows for quick control of game parameters. In terms of gaming, this is an absolutely basic model and is only suitable for "casual" gamers.