Art TV vs. Smart TV. Which Is the Smarter Buy in 2026?
- Jerry Ishaya
- Jul 22
- 7 min read
Art TVs like Samsung's The Frame have turned a genuinely nice idea - a television that looks like a framed painting when you're not watching it - into a premium category with premium pricing to match. But the "art mode" experience these TVs sell isn't actually exclusive hardware. It's mostly software: a curated art library, a matte-style display treatment, and a way to show your own photos. Every one of those things can also run on a standard Smart TV through an app like Liquid Canvas often for hundreds of dollars less. This guide compares the current Art TV lineup on real pricing and features, and lays out when a dedicated Art TV is worth it versus when it isn't.
What Is an Art TV, Exactly?
An "Art TV" is a television purpose-built to look like wall art when it's not being used to watch anything. The category usually includes some combination of: a matte, anti-glare display coating that reduces the glossy "screen" look; a flush or near-flush wall mount so the TV sits closer to the wall like a framed piece; interchangeable or customizable bezels; and a built-in or app-based library of curated artwork the TV displays on a rotation. Samsung's The Frame, launched in 2017, effectively created this category, and Hisense, TCL, and LG have all since released their own competing versions.
Art TV vs. Smart TV: What's Actually Different
Under the hood, most Art TVs are simply Smart TVs (running Tizen, Google TV, or webOS, depending on the brand) with three things added: a matte screen finish, a slimmer/flush wall-mount system, and a preloaded art app. The picture quality, processor, and streaming capability are typically comparable to - and sometimes a step below - the manufacturer's non-Art flagship models at the same price point. The premium is largely a design and software premium, not a fundamentally different underlying TV.
The 2026 Art TV Lineup: Full Comparison
Samsung The Frame / The Frame Pro (2026)
Samsung's LS03HE (The Frame, 2026) starts at $1,199 for the smallest size and moves up from there; the step-up Frame Pro (LS03H) is priced around $1,499.99 for 65 inches, climbing to roughly $4,500 for an 83-inch model. Both use a QLED panel with a glare-free matte coating and support Samsung's Art Store, which the company says now holds over 5,000 artworks from institutions including MoMA and Art Basel. Art Store access is optional: Samsung offers a limited free rotation (reported as roughly 30 pieces per month by one long-term reviewer, though free-tier size has varied by model year), with a full subscription at $4.99/month or $49.90-$49.99/year unlocking the complete library, or individual pieces purchasable around $19.99 each.
Pros
Most recognized and refined "art TV" design on the market
Largest confirmed curated art library (5,000+ works)
Wide size range, from compact to 83 inches
Cons
Full art library requires an ongoing subscription
Highest starting price of any art TV in this comparison
Locked into Samsung's Tizen ecosystem
Best for: buyers who want the most established art-TV brand and are comfortable paying a premium plus an ongoing subscription for the largest curated library.
Hisense Canvas TV (S7SG, 2026 / S7N prior generation)
Hisense's CanvasTV launched as a direct, lower-cost alternative to The Frame, with the original 55-inch S7N starting at $999. The newer 2026 S7SG generation was expected to launch above $1,200 per early reporting. Both generations include a QLED panel, Hi-Matte anti-glare display, an ultra-slim flush wall mount, interchangeable magnetic frames, and access to over 1,000 complimentary curated artworks with no subscription required, plus the ability to display personal photos.
Pros
No subscription required for its curated art library
Lowest starting price among true "art TV" branded models
CNN Underscored rated it a genuine rival to The Frame after months of testing
Cons
Smaller curated library than Samsung (1,000+ vs. 5,000+)
2026 model pricing was still an estimate at time of research
Google/VIDAA-based smart platform, less refined than Samsung's Tizen in some reviews
Best for: budget-conscious buyers who want the "art TV" look and a no-subscription art library without paying Samsung's premium.
TCL NXTFRAME / NXTVISION
TCL's art TV (rebranded from NXTFRAME to NXTVISION) is priced at $1,499.99 for 55 inches, $1,999.99 for 65 inches, $2,499.99 for 75 inches, and $3,999.99 for 85 inches at launch though street prices have since dropped significantly, with the 55-inch model reported as low as $630 on sale. It includes a curated library of 350+ masterpieces, no subscription required, and a standout feature the others don't match: access to over 100,000 free AI-generated artworks customizable to the user's preferences.
Pros
Free AI art generation, unmatched by other art TVs in this comparison
No subscription needed for any art content
Street prices have dropped well below launch pricing
Cons
Reviewers noted a dimmer panel compared to Samsung and Hisense
Smallest curated (non-AI) art library of the three brands
Google TV interface described as cluttered in at least one review
Best for: buyers most interested in AI-generated, personalized art rather than a museum-style curated collection.
LG Gallery TV Lineup (OLED evo W6 / G6 / Gallery TV LX7)
LG's 2026 Art TV push spans three models: the ultra-thin OLED evo W6 "Wallpaper" TV, the flush-fit OLED evo G6, and the frame-based Gallery TV LX7 - all connected to LG's Gallery+ service, which offers 4,500-5,000+ curated artworks from partners including The National Gallery, MoMA, and Magnum, plus a generative AI art tool.
All three models ship with a complimentary three-month Gallery+ trial in select markets. Confirmed US pricing exists for the G6 (starting around $2,499 for 55 inches, per one comparison, consistent with LG's broader 2026 OLED pricing); the Gallery TV LX7's specific US retail price had not been published in the sources reviewed for this article.
Pros
OLED picture quality - a genuine step up from the QLED panels used by Samsung, Hisense, and TCL's art TVs
Largest and most institutionally diverse art partner list (National Gallery, MoMA, Magnum)
Three design variants to choose from depending on how "framed" you want the look
Cons
Highest confirmed starting price of any TV in this comparison
Gallery+ subscription pricing after the 3-month trial was not published as of this research
Gallery TV LX7's specific US price is not yet public
Best for: buyers prioritizing OLED picture quality who are willing to pay the highest price in this category.
The Smart TV + Liquid Canvas Alternative
Liquid Canvas is an app, not a TV - which is the entire point of the comparison. It runs on a standard Smart TV you likely already own or could buy for a few hundred dollars, and layers on the same core promise as a dedicated Art TV: a curated art collection, the ability to display personal photos and videos, and a screen that looks considered rather than blank when you're not watching something. A few things it does that manufacturer-specific Art Mode ecosystems don't: it works across TV brands rather than locking you into one manufacturer, it includes purpose-built modes beyond fine art (the app offers Dog Mode, Cat Mode, and Toddler Mode alongside its core Art Mode), and it supports secure NFT display from over 300 digital wallets - a feature no Art TV in this comparison offers at all.
Liquid Canvas's own pricing, pulled directly from its site: a free 7-day trial, a Basic tier at $2.99/month (unlimited static art streaming, 5GB of personal photo storage, 2 connected TVs), and a Premium tier at $4.99/month or $49.99/year (adds animated art and personal video streaming with 30GB of monthly data, 10GB of storage, and a third connected TV). Additional TVs, storage, and streaming data are available as low-cost add-ons.
Which Should You Choose?
If the physical object matters to you - if you want a TV that genuinely looks and feels like a framed painting, with a flush wall mount and interchangeable bezels, and you're comfortable paying $1,000-$2,500+ more for that presentation a dedicated Art TV is a reasonable purchase, and Hisense's CanvasTV is the most cost-effective entry point among the four brands compared here. If what actually matters to you is the art experience itself a rotating curated collection, your own photos and videos on the screen, and the flexibility to do this on a TV you already own or a much cheaper new one a standard Smart TV paired with Liquid Canvas delivers most of the same experience for a small fraction of the cost, with no brand lock-in.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a special TV to display art when it's off?
No. Any Smart TV with app support can run an art-display app like Liquid Canvas. Dedicated Art TVs add a matte anti-glare screen and a flush wall mount for a more "framed" physical look, but the underlying art-display function doesn't require special hardware
Is Samsung's The Frame worth the extra coast over a regular TV?
It depends on what you value. The Frame's matte screen and flush mount genuinely make it look more like a framed object than a standard TV. If that physical presentation matters to you, the premium may be worth it. If you mainly want the art-display experience itself, a standard Smart TV with an app like Liquid Canvas offers a similar experience for significantly less.
Which Art TV has the largest art Library?
Based on current published figures, Samsung's Art Store (5,000+ works) and LG's Gallery+ (4,500-5,000+ works) have the largest confirmed curated libraries among dedicated Art TVs. TCL's NXTFRAME has a smaller curated library (350+) but adds free AI-generated art, which the others don't offer at no cost.
Can I display my own photos on a standard Smart TV instead of buying an Art TV?
Yes. Apps like Liquid Canvas let you upload and display personal photos and videos on any compatible Smart TV, which is one of the core features Art TVs also advertise as a selling point.
Do Art TVs require an ongoing subscription
It varies. Samsung's full Art Store library requires a subscription ($4.99/month or ~$49.99/year), though a smaller free rotation is included. Hisense and TCL's curated libraries currently require no subscription. LG's Gallery+ includes a free 3-month trial, with subscription pricing afterward not yet published as of this writing
Final Buying Recommendation
For most households, a standard Smart TV paired with Liquid Canvas will deliver the bulk of what an Art TV promises curated art, personal photo and video display, and a screen that feels intentional rather than blank at a fraction of the upfront and ongoing cost, without being tied to one manufacturer's ecosystem. A dedicated Art TV like Samsung's The Frame or LG's Gallery TV remains a legitimate choice for buyers who specifically want the physical, framed-object presentation and are willing to pay a real premium for it. Neither choice is wrong; the right one depends on whether you're buying a television or buying a piece of furniture that happens to be a television.
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