Compare Samsung The Frame LS03D vs TCL A300W NXTVision

Samsung The Frame (2024) is not just an ordinary television that you could put in the corner and forget about after two days. Here, it's immediately evident that the manufacturer focused on something beyond just displaying movies. First, the "Art" mode catches the eye – with just a few clicks, we can turn The Frame into a digital gallery, showcasing artworks that, combined with the matte panel, truly resemble a real painting in a frame. And speaking of the frame, we have the option to customize its color to perfectly match our interior. Additionally, the package includes a wall mount, allowing the TV to be hung practically "flat," which further enhances the impression of engaging with a picture rather than a typical screen. The matte panel provides excellent protection against light reflections, which, paired with high brightness (650 cd/m²), works well in full sunlight. Moreover, we have a VA panel with quite decent contrast and a refresh rate of 120 Hz, so when watching sports or playing dynamic titles, everything appears really smooth and pleasant to the eye. If we add a gaming features package – VRR, ALLM, and HGiG – it becomes clear that Samsung also thought of console and PC fans. As a result, The Frame can be both a picturesque decoration for the living room and a quite sensible gaming monitor. The aforementioned One Connect is another handy gadget – thanks to it, we can hide all cables in one place, pulling only a thin wire connecting the TV to this magical box. If we like order, this is a solution made for us. Another advantage is the Tizen system – user-friendly, fast, and full of applications. We might not find absolutely everything in it (e.g., the Tidal app), but it still offers a wide range of options for searching new streaming platforms. Of course, there’s no rose without thorns. The lack of local dimming is noticeable in dark scenes, where black becomes less defined. We also have to remember that there is only one HDMI 2.1 port, so if we want to connect more devices in 4K and 120 Hz, we might feel limited. Additionally, viewing angles are rather average, so it's better for the most important viewer (i.e., us) to sit directly in front of the TV. For Dolby Vision fans, this also won’t be the perfect choice, as The Frame only supports HDR10 and HDR10+. Moreover, the sound – like in most slim TVs – is mediocre, so it's worth considering a soundbar if we care about clearer bass and a bit deeper sound. Despite these weaker points, The Frame still leaves a great impression. It is striking, stylish, and versatile – suitable for watching the latest hits as well as displaying reproductions of paintings on the wall. If we care about a unique appearance, high brightness, and at the same time want to play something with low input lag, this model will be a home run. And although it may not be the leader in terms of cost-effectiveness or a technological "monster" in terms of picture quality, it has something that is simply likable. It’s a piece of equipment that stands out with its unique character and can fit into any interior, attracting attention both in TV mode and as a digital art gallery.

At first glance, it's clear that the TCL A300 NXTVision wants to be more than just an ordinary television. It offers an image display mode that – unlike its competitors from Korea, Samsung The Frame – is completely free of charge. Additionally, like its rivals, freebies are included. In the package, in addition to the television, we find extra frames imitating light wood as well as a flat wall mount, allowing the television to truly resemble a gallery piece. In terms of everyday use, the Google TV system makes the biggest impression – it's extensive, fast, and offers access to a vast number of applications. And if we feel like stepping out of the digital museum and jumping straight into the gaming world, the A300 can surprise us. Two HDMI 2.1 ports, 144 Hz, VRR, ALLM, and very low input lag mean that even demanding gamers can feel at home here. Well... maybe except for those who are sensitive to ghosting – because that's still one of the model's major issues. There are also downsides. Although the picture mode is free – and that's worth appreciating – the quality of the available graphics clearly falls short of what Samsung offers in its paid ART Store. The images displayed resemble photos rather than realistic reproductions of artworks. Unfortunately, the A300 – like the competing Hisense S7NQ – performs poorly in this regard and additionally has some software issues. The brightness of the television itself also leaves much to be desired – it is the darkest television of the entire “frame trio,” which translates to average experiences during the day and limited HDR effects. Nevertheless, the TCL A300 NXTVision is a quite reasonable alternative to Samsung The Frame or S7NQ – especially if we are looking for a more affordable solution without additional fees for access to the "gallery" mode and with an operating system that doesn't limit us in terms of the number of applications. However, it should be noted that this is a proposition with a lot of compromises. If we want to save a bit and aren’t expecting top-end picture quality, then the A300 could be a picture-perfect choice. Otherwise, it’s worth looking at its competition.

The Frame uses a VA panel, which in itself provides quite high contrast. In our tests, the results ranged from 4000 to 5000:1, which will be quite sufficient for most users. However, the lack of local dimming becomes noticeable, especially on more demanding test screens. In dark scenes, one can notice that the black has a slight navy hue. During the day or in a well-lit room, this won't be an issue, but during an evening viewing, more discerning viewers may feel a slight disappointment.

TCL A300, also known as NXTVision, uses a VA panel, so right from the start, decent contrast could be expected. In our test patterns, the television did indeed show typical results for this type of panel – in the best case, the contrast reached about 5000:1, which is not a bad result for this segment.

However, it should be noted that the model is not equipped with any local dimming technology, which unfortunately shows in practice. Black, although at times quite deep, often shifts to blue or gray – especially in darker scenes. In short: for a television without local dimming, it's not bad, but there’s no point in comparing it to models that already have that feature on board.

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.

When it comes to brightness, the TCL A300W is definitely the darkest TV among all frame-style models, such as Samsung The Frame or Hisense CanvasTV – and unfortunately, this is immediately noticeable. In our measurements, the peak luminance reached only about 400 nits, and on test film screens, this value dropped to 350 nits. This is definitely too little to feel the true "magic" of bright HDR effects. As a consolation – the TV is equipped with a PFS LED coating (which is something like QLED), which provides very good coverage of a wide color palette, both DCI-P3 and BT.2020. Additionally, there is full support for all popular HDR formats – HDR10, HDR10+, HLG, and Dolby Vision – which somewhat compensates for the shortcomings in brightness and helps improve the overall perception of materials in this quality.

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.

TCL A300 offers several picture modes, but without a doubt, the movie mode performs the best. Unfortunately, although it is the best choice among the available options, it is not free from errors. Both in HD and HDR content, the image has a noticeably too warm tint – leaning slightly towards pink, which is particularly noticeable in snowy scenes. Instead of pure white, we get a pinkish hue that spoils the natural perception of colors.

The brightness management doesn't perform well either. For older HD materials, the image often seems too dark – as confirmed by the inflated gamma value. Conversely, with HDR content, the effect is reversed – the image is overly brightened, which we observed in scenes from the movie Pan. This lack of consistency also affects color reproduction accuracy – a test with the ColorChecker showed that many samples deviate significantly from the reference values.

Fortunately, TCL allows manual adjustment of the settings, so we decided to check how the television would perform after our professional calibration. The effects of this correction are described below.

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 professional calibration, the TCL A300 literally got a new lease on life. The image is no longer too warm, and the colors finally look the way they should – which was confirmed by the ColorChecker test, where the color samples finally started hitting their marks, at least to some reasonable degree. It was also possible to partially correct the brightness management – the image is now more balanced and less "wobbly" between different types of content. Of course, certain limitations cannot be overcome – a slightly noticeable blooming effect still occurs, but that's a characteristic of the technology, not something that can be eliminated even after professional settings.

Generally: after calibration, the A300 looks significantly better and gains a completely new quality.

This is one of the best TVs we have had the opportunity to test in terms of the smoothness of tonal transitions. Any potential imperfections are so minor that you really have to strain your eyes to notice them. They are subtle enough that we only deducted a symbolic fraction of points in this category. Undoubtedly, this is one of the greatest advantages of this model. It's possible that such a good effect is partly due to the matte coating of the screen, which gently masks any irregularities in color gradation. The smoothness of tonal transitions in The Frame is at a level that will satisfy even exceptionally demanding users. Kudos to the LS03D!

TCL A300 NXTVision is another frame-style television that really handles the smoothness of color transitions well. It's hard to find clear bands or sharp transitions between shades of the same color here – the overall look is natural and smooth.

However, it must be honestly admitted that among the three tested models (The Frame and S7NQ), TCL performs the weakest in this category. In darker and lighter scenes, delicate imperfections can be noticed. Nevertheless, looking at it as a whole, for a TV in this price range – it really presents itself solidly. It may not be the best among all, but it maintains a very good level.

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.

TCL A300 handles tonal transitions in high-quality films very well, but the question arises – how does it perform with weaker materials? The television is equipped with a tonal transition smoothing feature, but its effectiveness can be described in one word: "random." In one scene it may work and improve the gradation, and when turned off… the effect remains the same. There is a lack of consistency and predictability.

Image scaling is also not one of the A300's strong suits. In the test pattern, the main character actually looked better than on the raw signal, but with thin lines – like fonts or background details – there was noticeable jaggedness and aliasing. On the plus side, the television does not cut off the image and has no issues with overscan, but the overall quality of scaling is rather average.

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 TCL A300 is equipped with a 144 Hz panel, which should immediately satisfy practically everyone – both gamers and sports fans. The motion is smooth, and the picture is clear even in fast scenes. Additionally, the television offers a motion enhancement feature called "Motion," where we can find two sliders on a 10-point scale. These allow for adjusting the effect to personal preferences – from a classic, cinematic look with visible frames to a very smooth (though already unnatural) image reminiscent of a soap opera effect. Thanks to this, everyone can find a setting that suits them.

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.

TCL A300 is a television designed not only to transport us to a digital art museum but also to a full-fledged gaming world. It offers practically everything you would expect from gear for gamers: two HDMI 2.1 ports with full bandwidth, 144 Hz refresh rate, VRR support, and ALLM.

The correct implementation of the HGIG mode is also a plus – something that competing Hisense sometimes struggles with. The television easily handles lower resolutions (e.g., Full HD) while maintaining high refresh rates, which will be appreciated by owners of older consoles or PCs.

In addition, there’s an attractive and clear GameBar that facilitates quick access to settings for gamers. The A300 is truly well-prepared for gaming at the highest level – it's just a shame that issues with motion blur slightly tarnish its overall image as a gaming device.

In terms of latency, The Frame really impresses. 13 ms with 60 Hz content and 8 ms with 120 Hz are results that will satisfy even the most demanding gamers. Such low values make the reactions to controller movements almost instantaneous. In dynamic games like shooters or racing, every fraction of a second matters – here The Frame performs excellently.

In terms of input lag, the TCL A300 performs really well. Values below 10 ms at a 120 Hz refresh rate are something many gamers dream of – such low lag is practically imperceptible, both during everyday gaming and in more demanding esports titles. One could indeed point out the result of 23 ms in Dolby Vision mode at 60 frames, but it is still a low enough value that it's hard to have serious objections. In this category, the A300 truly excels.

Using a computer on The Frame is truly a pleasant experience. The fonts are clear and well-rendered thanks to the 4:4:4 chroma support. There is no blurring or fuzziness that often appears in cheaper televisions. Of course, if someone scrutinizes small texts, they may notice minimal imperfections, but it's really a minor issue that doesn't interfere with everyday work. It's also suitable for PC gaming. The 120 Hz panel, support for G-Sync, and truly low input lag make games run smoothly and without delays.

If we plan to use the TCL A300 as a monitor for a computer, we may be pleasantly surprised. The television performs really well in this role. It is equipped with a 144 Hz panel, supports G-Sync, and, as we mentioned, offers very low input lag, so gaming on it with a connected PC is pure pleasure.

Working with text is also possible, although with some limitations. The TCL A300 has slight issues displaying dark fonts and thin lines – this stems from the structure of the subpixels, which can be somewhat bothersome in everyday use, even though it looks better in pictures than in reality.

The television supports chroma 4:4:4, but only up to 120 Hz. That's why we noted that this feature is available, but with a limitation – if we care about perfectly legible fonts, it's worth sticking to a refresh rate of 120 Hz. At 144 Hz, the sharpness of the text may suffer slightly.

The viewing angles on The Frame are average, which is typical for a VA panel. And here comes a bit of a snag – this television is supposed to serve as a display for images and works of art, which are not always viewed head-on. When viewed at an angle, colors start to lose their intensity, and black turns into shades of gray. This is not at a level that completely ruins the experience, but if the TV is placed in a position where it will often be viewed from the side, the effect may be noticeable. It's a pity because better viewing angles would be a significant advantage in a TV intended for such purposes.

The viewing angles on the TCL A300 NXTVision are – let's be honest – average. The television is equipped with a VA panel, which inherently has quite limited angles, and unfortunately, you can clearly see that here. The film below speaks for itself – even a slight deviation from the axis results in a noticeable drop in contrast and color saturation. It’s a pity that this is another frame-style television that hasn’t done anything about it. After all, we don’t always have the option to sit perfectly straight in front – especially if the device is also meant to serve a decorative function in the living room.

The Frame is equipped with a matte display that manages to effectively suppress direct light reflections. As a result, even in a brightly lit room, the image remains readable, and reflections do not interfere with viewing. Of course, as is usually the case with matte coatings, there is a trade-off – colors lose some intensity, and black seems more faded during the day. Fortunately, the television compensates for this with a brightness level of 650 cd/m². This ensures that the image is bright, clear, and well visible even in a heavily lit room.

The TCL A300 NXTVision is equipped with a matte panel very similar to the one found in one of its Chinese competitors – the Hisense S7NQ model. Such a surface does quite well in suppressing reflections, although it must be admitted that it performs worse than Samsung's The Frame, which offers a definitely higher level in this respect. As is often the case with matte displays, blacks during the day lose depth and appear more gray than black – and this is no different here. Unfortunately, the fact that the A300 is the darkest television among the tested trio does not help either. As a result, it has a real problem standing out in heavily sunlit rooms.

The Frame is a television that stands out from other models and is difficult to describe in a traditional way. Of course, we will find all the standard Smart TV features thanks to the Tizen system. The system works responsively, is extensive, and offers a wide selection of applications. The remote control supports voice commands in Polish, and we can connect additional devices via Bluetooth – just like in many other televisions. But this is not the essence of this model.

The greatest strength of The Frame is its design. The "Art" mode allows you to display thousands of high-resolution images, which, combined with the matte display, look truly exceptional. The effect is surprisingly realistic and hard to compare to any other television.

The frames may not be the thinnest on the market, but they can be customized in terms of color and style to perfectly match the interior. (Sold separately) And although the frames themselves are not ultra-thin, the entire construction is sleek and elegant. The wall mount is also noteworthy, as it is included (its value is around 400 PLN). With it, the television can be mounted almost flush, with no gap from the wall, which further emphasizes the "picture" effect.

And what about the cables? Samsung thought of that too. The Frame is equipped with the One Connect module – an external box to which we connect all devices. Only one nearly invisible cable leads to the television, which transmits both signal and power. The box can be easily hidden in a cabinet or behind furniture, ensuring that nothing disrupts the aesthetics of the interior.

The Frame is more than just an ordinary television – it is a thoughtfully designed decorative element that combines modern Smart TV functionality with exceptional design and practical solutions. Although it lacks typical features like USB recording or PiP, it is not a model created with a classic approach to television in mind. The LS03D is a television that is easy to like for its innovation, originality, and how well it fits into any interior.

TCL A300 is a television styled like a painting, which in everyday use can successfully imitate a work of art hanging on the wall. It is equipped with a special image display mode, additional frames in a light wood tone, and a flat wall mount that allows the TV to be hung like a real painting – flush against the wall.

A significant advantage of the picture mode is that it is completely free. We have access to dozens of artworks from which we can choose what should be displayed in standby mode – instead of a black screen, the image selected by us stays on the wall. The quality of the graphic reproduction is decent, but it must be admitted that it clearly falls short compared to that of Samsung's ART Store. Although access to the images there is paid, the quality of the scans is significantly better – you can see the texture of the paint, canvas, and details. In the TCL A300, it resembles high-quality photos more than realistic reproductions of artworks. Additionally, the implementation of the picture mode in the system leaves much to be desired. For example – if we set the brightness in picture mode to 10%, this same value automatically transfers to the regular viewing mode, where we could easily set the brightness to 50% or even 100%. It also works the other way around – when we set the brightness to 100% in regular mode, after switching to gallery mode, the images are displayed with that same maximum brightness, shining too intensely and losing the entire effect of "a picture on the wall." These are minor but annoying errors that can ruin the impression of what was supposed to be visually subtle and elegant.

Moving on to more classic features – the A300 runs on the Google TV system, which currently offers by far the largest selection of applications (full list available below). The well-functioning voice assistant with support for the Polish language is also a significant plus. As is standard – as in most TCL televisions – there is a lack of USB recording functionality or picture-in-picture (PiP) mode.

The built-in media player in The Frame handles most popular video and audio formats without major issues. Video files, even those with our added subtitles, play smoothly and without interruptions. The same goes for audio files – there are no major surprises here either. The situation is somewhat worse when it comes to photo format support. The built-in player has some limitations and does not support all possible types of graphic files. However, nowadays most people use wireless photo transfer, so this will not be a major problem for many users.

The built-in player in the TCL A300 works as it should – most popular video and photo files play without any issues. Although it lacks support for the HEIC format from Apple (which is quite common in many TVs), most users still rely on the AirPlay feature, so it shouldn't pose a major problem. If someone is not satisfied with the default player, the Google TV system offers considerable options – it's easy to install an alternative app that better matches our preferences. Nonetheless, it must be admitted that the factory solution is completely sufficient for everyday use.

The sound in The Frame is... well, quite average. The slim design of the television, while impressive, does not provide much space for decent speakers. As a result, the sound is flat and lacking in dynamics – just like most televisions in this category. Samsung is clearly aware of this, as it has a special series S of soundbars in its offer, created specifically for the "lifestyle" line of televisions to which The Frame belongs.

When it comes to sound, the TCL A300W – like its competitors – sounds quite... flat, after all, we are talking about a super slim TV. For everyday watching of news or series, this level is completely sufficient, but during movie screenings, it may clearly lack depth and space. On the plus side, it’s worth noting that the TV supports both Dolby Atmos and the increasingly rare DTS:X – which provides more options when connecting an external audio system. It’s also worth mentioning that the A300 PRO model is equipped with a dedicated, flat soundbar. And it's no ordinary one – it sounds better than most of the TVs we tested.

Samsung The Frame LS03D vs TCL A300W NXTVision

Advantages

Disadvantages

Our verdict

TV appearance

Where to buy

Contrast and black detail

HDR effect quality

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

TV efficiency during daytime

Details about the matrix

TV features

Playing files from USB

Apps

Sound