TCL’s New Art TVs Run Google TV and Take Aim at Samsung’s The Frame. Buy the Mini LED One

Samsung has had the “TV that pretends to be a painting” category mostly to itself since The Frame arrived. TCL wants in, and its new Designer Series makes a pitch Samsung can’t: the art TV runs Google TV.

The two new lines, the A300L and A400U, debuted at IFA in Berlin and are now on sale in the U.S. at Best Buy, per 9to5Google. Both hang flush on the wall, both can display paintings or family photos when you’re not watching, and both ship with the wall mount in the box.

Two panels, one idea

The shared design is the headline. Mounted, the TVs sit just 1.1 inches off the wall, and TCL has folded the electronics into the set, so there’s no separate box to hide. Each includes a curated art library and a photo gallery mode, and TCL is also promoting AI-generated art on the A300L. An optional wheeled stand is sold separately for anyone who can’t drill into a wall.

A300L: the one that looks like a frame

The A300L uses a 4K QLED panel with an anti-glare finish and comes with a swappable, magnetic light-wood frame. TCL lists off-white and custom frame options as well. It runs at 144Hz with Dolby Vision, HDR10+ and HLG, and it gets the better speakers of the two: dual 20W drivers with Dolby Atmos. Four HDMI ports include one eARC.

A400U: the one that looks better on

The A400U steps up to a QD-Mini LED panel with more dimming zones, plus TCL’s Local Dimming Pro+ and Halo Control System to rein in the blooming around bright objects that Mini LED sets are known for. It also runs at 144Hz, with 4K/144Hz on HDMI 1 and 2, supports Dolby Vision and HDR10+, and offers matte art options. Its speakers are a smaller 10W stereo pair with Atmos.

The prices, and one odd detail

Here are TCL’s list prices, as reported by Residential Systems:

Read that table twice. At 55 inches the Mini LED model is $100 cheaper than the QLED one, and at 65 and 75 inches they cost the same. Street prices are already lower: 9to5Google says the collections start at $899 at Best Buy, and Notebookcheck spotted both 55-inch models at $799.99 on Amazon. Notebookcheck also lists a 98-inch A400U, though without a price.

Our verdict: buy the A400U unless you want the frame

For most people, the A400U is the obvious pick. Mini LED with better local dimming makes a visible difference in movies and in a bright living room, and you don’t pay extra for it. The only reasons to choose the A300L are the included wood frame, which really does sell the “painting” illusion, and its beefier built-in speakers. If you plan to add a soundbar anyway, that second advantage disappears.

The bigger story is software. Samsung’s art TVs run Tizen. TCL’s run Google TV, which means the same apps, the same Google account, and the same free channels Android users already know from their phones and streamers. For a household that lives in Google’s ecosystem, that alone might tip the decision.

One caution: we haven’t tested either set, and art-mode TVs live or die on how convincing a matte screen looks in daylight. Try to see one in a store before you commit to drilling holes.

Sources: 9to5Google, Residential Systems, Notebookcheck. Photo by McFollis on Unsplash.