More like Samsung, please: The country needs nicer televisions

Even in 2021 there will still be a TV set in almost every apartment. In the meantime, they are already trumpeting the dimensions of some pieces of furniture, but mostly look like large, ugly foreign objects. I mean: The country needs nicer televisions and more like Samsung, please - the topic of my weekend column today.

Televisions have become bigger, flatter, but not necessarily more beautiful in recent years. Technically, the former focusing screens have learned a lot, but in my opinion the manufacturers are increasingly neglecting the appearance . Let's be honest, it feels like the overwhelming majority of TV sets now look identical and therefore ugly.

The television mutates into a black hole in the apartment

Millions of people put a flat, boring box in their living room or, at best, hang it on the wall. Especially when it is switched off, a large black hole is created , which soaks up the last bit of aesthetic sense and makes it disappear. There are only a few exceptions: Mostly they are expensive OLED models from the manufacturers or luxurious sculptures from Danish designer smithies; Bang & Olufsen, as the last defender of good taste in the industry, often comes to mind. But very few users can afford such works of art.

To cut a long story short: I would like the industry to be more creative or, to put it simply, more beautiful televisions. Devices that have been designed with love and humor, that have what it takes to beautify an apartment and not devalue it, but are still affordable. The industry leader Samsung shows how it can be done better.

The current generation of "The Frame" from Samsung in the video:

Here's how Samsung does it better

Not that we get ourselves wrong, most of the South Korean TV models are mostly in line with the boring tastes of the mainstream. They are therefore a good example of the deliberate "loss of taste" in the industry. But there are one or two exceptions. Marketed by Samsung as "Lifestyle TVs". I was particularly impressed by "The Frame" - a flat QLED television in the style of a picture frame . It can be hung stylishly on the wall or stands freely in the room on an "easel".

Originally presented in 2017, Samsung developed the extraordinary TV a little further every year. In the meantime there is already the fifth generation, but curiously still no imitators. Which surprises me, because the concept completely convinces me.

There are, for example, the interchangeable sidebars , which reinforce the impression of a picture frame even more. The special art mode, which alternately shows works of art with a passepartout effect when the television is not being used as such and switches itself on or off automatically as soon as someone enters the room. The "black hole" I hate in the middle of my own four walls is history.

More than just a television. In the video it becomes clear why the Samsung TV is so different:

I also think the "One Connect Box" is brilliant. "The Frame" is only connected to it via an extremely thin cable. The box can therefore be set up separately from the television and houses all connections, including electricity. Although "The Frame" costs a little more than other QLED televisions, it is downright cheap compared to the designer pieces from Denmark mentioned above. For example, you currently pay only 1,299 euros for the 65-inch model at Amazon (see Amazon). I think it's a pretty fair price.

My thoughts on the weekend: The column would like to provide food for thought and reflect the "flood of news" of the week towards the end. A small selection of the previous articles in the column:

iPhone 14: why is Apple's pursuit of perfection now becoming a problem Xiaomi cooler than Apple? Why the Chinese are more innovative now Amazon founder vs. Tesla boss: And it depends on the size!

It would be nice if other TV manufacturers didn't ignore the concept as they did before and maybe bring similar approaches to the market. So take up the draft and move it forward. There is some hope. After all, Amazon has already "copied" the idea with its latest Echo Show 15 and is now optically turning the display speaker into a smart picture frame. Looks good and makes you want more.