Art TVs have become one of the most quietly revolutionary things to happen to the living room in years, and yes, we’re a little obsessed. The premise is almost magical: when you’re not watching, the screen doesn’t just sit there as a black rectangle, waiting to remind you that you watch too much television. Instead, it becomes a painting, a photograph, or a piece of digital art. It blends into your home, matches your decor, and maybe even becomes a conversation starter. If you’ve ever looked at a wall-mounted TV that’s off and thought, “That’s ugly,” you already get the appeal. No company has done more to advance this idea than Samsung, and its Frame line has become the gold standard. The 2026 version, The Frame Pro, carries the model number LS03HW and is the best edition yet. It has a noticeably better picture, more intuitive software, and a higher refresh rate that makes it a legitimate option for gaming, not just for displaying pretty pictures. That last part matters more than you might think, because it means an art TV can now be your only TV. The Frame Pro is a real television when you want it to be and a gallery piece when you don’t. The only thing that has ever held the series back is price, and for a long time, the price was steep. But that has changed. In fact, it has changed dramatically in the last few weeks, and if you’ve been waiting for the right window, you’re looking at it. But let’s back up for a second, because if you’re new to the idea of an art TV, you might be wondering what all the fuss is about. It’s not just a screen that shows a photo of a painting when idle. It’s a deliberate piece of design, with a matte finish that reduces glare, a slim profile that hangs beautifully on the wall, and software that makes the art feel like it belongs in the room.
Let’s get into the numbers, because this is where The Frame Pro suddenly stops being a dream and starts being a real purchase. The smallest and most popular model, the 55-inch, dropped to $1,098 during Prime Day earlier this month. That was already a solid deal, the kind you’d normally screenshot and show your friends. But the pleasant surprise is that it didn’t bounce back up after Prime Day ended. The price held. Then, earlier this week, it dropped by another $100, bringing it to its lowest price ever. Seeing it fall under $1,000 felt like a milestone. Let’s put that in context. In September, the same TV was $200 more. In August, it was still at the full retail price of $1,498. So if you buy now, you’re saving about $500 off the sticker. For a premium art TV with this kind of picture quality, that’s not just a discount; it’s a statement. And it’s not a fake doorbuster deal where the price lasts for four minutes before the listing says “currently unavailable.” This is a price that has stuck around, which tells you the market is finally catching up with what Samsung is trying to do. If you need a bigger screen, The Frame Pro is also available in 65-inch, 75-inch, and 85-inch configurations. Those larger sizes won’t be at this exact price, but the 55-inch is the sweet spot for most apartments and average living rooms anyway. It’s big enough to feel immersive, small enough to look like a piece of art rather than a movie theater. If you’ve been waiting for the right moment, this is it. And if you’re someone who normally avoids buying tech on sale because the discounted model always feels like last year’s model, remember that this is the 2026 version. You’re not getting a clearance item. You’re getting the newest, most complete Frame Pro Samsung has made.
Then there’s the runner-up, and it’s genuinely tempting. Samsung also sells an entry-level version of The Frame, and right now it’s even cheaper than the Pro. It’s just $898. That’s $100 off its Prime Day price, and it’s the cheapest this model has ever been. It’s also the same price as the older 2025 model, so you’re getting the newer hardware without paying a premium for it. I want to be honest with you: we haven’t had a chance to test the 2026 version of the standard Frame in our own lab yet, so I’m relying on Samsung’s specs and our experience with earlier models. But the main difference between The Frame and The Frame Pro is pretty clear. Both have Samsung’s wonderful matte finish, which does a fantastic job of reducing glare and making the screen look like real paper instead of glass. That’s the secret sauce of any art TV. But the Pro has nearly double the maximum brightness. The standard Frame tops out at around 650 nits, which is fine for most rooms, but if your windows face the sun or you like watching TV during the day, the Pro’s brighter panel makes a big difference. The Pro also comes with the wireless connect box, which is a small hub that takes all your HDMI cables and keeps them away from the screen. You can hide the box behind a sofa or in a cabinet, and your wall stays beautifully clean. The standard Frame requires a bit more cable management on your part. If you can afford the step up, the Pro is the one to get. But if you’re shopping on a stricter budget, the standard Frame at $898 is still a beautiful piece of hardware, and it’s a huge upgrade over a plain black screen. The one thing I’ll say is that if you’re split between the two, think about your room. Do you have big windows? Do you watch a lot of sports or HDR movies? Do you want the cleanest possible wall? Those answers point you toward the Pro. If most of your TV time happens after the sun goes down, the standard Frame is a very smart compromise.
Of course, Samsung is no longer the only player in the art TV game, and that’s a very good thing for consumers. As we’ve documented, 2026 has seen an explosion of interest in this category, with Amazon, Hisense, and TCL all jumping in with their own takes. Some of these are shameless copies; others are genuinely clever, and a few are remarkably good for the price. We’ve tested many of these new options, and the competition has forced everyone, including Samsung, to think harder about value. The one on sale right now that I’d point to is the Hisense S7 CanvasTV, specifically the 55-inch model with the model number 55S7SG. It’s not even as bright as Samsung’s standard Frame, and it doesn’t have the same polish in software or picture processing. But at $750 for the 55-inch size, it’s the cheapest art TV you can buy right now. That price is hard to ignore. If you’ve never owned an art TV, if you’re not sure whether you’ll actually like having a digital painting on your wall, or if you just want to test the concept without making a major financial commitment, this is the perfect gateway. You still get the matte display and the art mode, and you get to keep several hundred dollars in your pocket compared to the Samsung options. The Hisense won’t blow you away in a bright room, and you’ll have to be a little more forgiving about its remote and menus. But it gets the fundamental idea right. That’s not faint praise. For a lot of people, “a TV that looks gorgeous when it’s off” is exactly what they want, and they don’t need the absolute best panel or the most advanced gaming features. For that price, you’re also getting a TV you won’t feel guilty about replacing in a few years if you fall in love with the format and decide to move up to a Samsung. It’s a low-risk introduction to a very addictive concept.
Now we have to talk about the elephant in the room: Black Friday. It’s coming next month, and if you’re even slightly deal-savvy, you’re probably wondering whether you should wait. It’s a fair question, and I’m not going to pretend I have a crystal ball. Here’s what I can tell you. In the past, Samsung’s art TV prices have dropped even further during the Black Friday sales window. Both the 2025 Samsung Frame and Frame Pro hit their lowest prices ever during Black Friday last year. That’s a strong hint that we could see similar moves in a few weeks. But waiting is a gamble. The price we’re looking at right now is already historically low. There’s no guarantee that Black Friday will bring cheaper prices on the exact model you want, in the exact size you want, in stock. There’s also the possibility that the deals will be spread across multiple retailers, some of which have better return policies and customer service than others. And here’s the thing nobody mentions in deal-hunting forums: in the meantime, you’re still living with your old TV, or maybe no TV at all, while the art on your wall could be making you feel happier every single day. There’s a real cost to waiting, and it’s not just monetary. If you’re the patient type who genuinely enjoys chasing the absolute lowest number, then by all means, set a reminder, do your research, and wait. But if a deal already fits your budget and you’re tired of the mental math, there’s no shame in pulling the trigger now. A sure thing in hand is worth two maybe-cheaper things in the Black Friday bush. And if you do decide to wait, don’t wait passively. Keep an eye on the model numbers, set price alerts, and be ready to jump when you see a good deal. The best Black Friday wins go to people who already know what they want.
At the end of the day, The Frame Pro at under $1,000 is the best art TV deal we’ve seen this year, and probably the easiest recommendation I can make to anyone who has been curious about this category. You get the gallery-style design, the matte finish that makes the screen look like a real framed print, the brighter panel for daytime viewing, the wireless connection box for a clean installation, and a refresh rate that doesn’t embarrass you when you plug in a game console. It’s a lot of TV for the money, and it looks like a piece of art when you’re not using it. If you need to spend less, the Hisense S7 CanvasTV at $750 is a perfectly reasonable entry point, especially for someone who wants to try the concept without making a big commitment. If you want to roll the dice and wait for Black Friday, that’s your call, and there’s some historical evidence to support you. But if you want to stop thinking about it and start enjoying your living room, this is the moment. There is something genuinely lovely about walking into a room and seeing a painting, not a screen. It changes the energy of a space. It makes the TV feel less like a glowing rectangle and more like a piece of furniture, or even a window into something beautiful. That’s the whole point. So go ahead: hang The Frame Pro on your wall, pick some art that matches your mood, and let your TV be invisible until you actually want it. Your living room will thank you, and so will your Netflix queue. We’ll keep tracking these prices and update this story if anything changes, but right now, the signal is clear: if you’ve been waiting for an art TV, the wait is over. Power up with unlimited access to WIRED. Get best-in-class reporting and exclusive subscriber content that’s too important to ignore. Subscribe Today.
