First Look: Samsung Music Frame

[Shirogane]

 

 

 

 

It’s a picture frame! It’s a speaker! No, it’s… a speaker frame. Since Samsung first showed off its new Music Frame at CES, we’ve been jonesing to spend time in front of it to see whether it will knock our socks off or offer a gentle kiss of sound on the cheek. After checking out Samsung’s latest TVs, we were granted a short audience in front of two of these square 13-inch frames sporting surprisingly strong speaker systems in the back. While we were certainly impressed by its sound volume and quality, it’s clear that the $399 Music Frame is just the first iteration of what will hopefully become a more fleshed-out product, given time.

If your first thought was this is a smart frame that can show pictures from your phone gallery and blast beets from your favorite Spotify playlist, get that idea out of your head. This analog picture frame is attached to a speaker that can link to Samsung’s or other brands’ smart home systems. You can preorder the Music Frame now, but you should understand exactly what you’re getting before you jump for it. If you want a plus-sized smart frame from Samsung, the company already has you covered with the 2024 refresh of The Frame TV.

 

 

 

 

What is Samsung’s Music Frame?

The Music Frame is a speaker disguised as an old-school picture frame. You put your favorite artwork or photo behind the front panel, then connect it to your TV or phone to start listening. Even though it connects over Bluetooth 5.2 and WiFi, you’ll need to use Samsung’s own IoT brand SmartThings connection and Q Symphony to access the full Dolby Atmos quality. It also requires a wired power connection, so unless you can hide the cord, you won’t be tricking anybody into hearing the spooky sound coming from the walls. The cable is white by default, so at least it won’t look too odd snaking down from your bookshelf, so long as you don’t want to go about drilling holes in your wall to conceal any unsightly cables.

 

 

 

Still, the Frame bears some of Samsung’s best highlights from its QLED lineup and a matte display that didn’t show much glare from surrounding lights. We spent even less time with the Frame compared to the Music Frame, but this TV refresh is still a more fleshed-out product overall than the speaker, with the choice of different color bezels and sizes. It’s an example of where the Music Frame could eventually go.

 

 

 

 

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[Shirogane]

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