Samsung reached a turning point with its TV lineup last year. Its third-generation flagship QD-OLED proved to be a hit, as did its step-down OLED – to the extent that the company's OLEDs reportedly outsold their Mini LED counterparts by a small margin.
This sentiment was even felt in our TV testing room, where we placed the S95D and QN95D side-by-side for direct comparison and found the former was the clear winner.
To any other manufacturer, this would be exceptional news, but we imagine Samsung (which has famously been staunchly anti-OLED in the past) had to take a moment of self-reflection.
Admitting you were wrong is never easy, but I'm pleased that Samsung has seen sense and worked out a strategy that should allow OLED and Mini LED to live harmoniously.
This strategy begins with axing the QN95D. Notably, no successor was to be found at the World of Samsung event held in Frankfurt last week. And, when questioned, Samsung confirmed that there would be no equivalent 4K Mini LED flagship this year.
Instead, Samsung has selected three new champions to spearhead its 2025 TV lineup. These are the S95F QD-OLED, QN990F 8K Mini LED, and the new Frame Pro 4K Mini LED.
The last model in that trio will serve as Samsung's most desirable 4K Mini LED model. Beneath that will be the QN90F – a more conventional 4K Mini LED model that is, technically speaking, a high-end step-down model.
It's clear that Samsung sees its Frame TV as the future, as the new line-up has a couple of new Frame-style models. There is the existing Frame TV, the aforementioned Frame Pro, which introduces Mini LED to the range, and the QN900F.
The QN900F is a step-down 8K model and not a Frame TV by name, but it features a rather suave metal bezel design that's influenced by the Frame and Samsung's glare-reducing matte panel, which pairs rather nicely with the Art Mode feature to essentially create an 8K Frame TV.
Having seen both the Frame Pro and QN900F in action at the World of Samsung, alongside many other models in the new range, I think Samsung is making a sensible decision.
When we tested the QN95D last year, we found its close proximity in price to the exceptional S95D to be its downfall. Our advice was to spring for the QD-OLED, as the small additional outlay justified the boost in picture performance.
We also felt as though the QN95D lacked something of a selling point, and while we're not vouching for every TV to have a "gimmick" attached, we can't deny that the QN95D lacked a feature that made it truly unique.
The S95D had the anti-glare and brighter QD-OLED panel, while the QN900D had the impressive 8K upscaling, which helped to cement their statuses as the respective flagship TVs in Samsung's three-pronged strategy.
So with that in mind, it becomes obvious that the Frame, now imbued with the benefit of Mini LED, should become the proverbial poster boy for Samsung's 4K Mini LED lineup. It has the matte display, a unique design and the ability to camouflage itself as a picture frame. As mentioned, I've seen the new Frame Pro, and having spent about an hour with the TV in Frankfurt, I can certainly see the benefits.
Will it replace the OLED TV currently sitting in my living room? No, of course it won't, but it did adjust my reservations regarding lifestyle TVs.
These are early impressions, and there'll be no official star rating or final review until we review the set fully. But, picture-wise, I was quite impressed by the Frame Pro, thanks to its punchy and crisp performance.
It won't convert home cinema purists who require the very highest performance available, but the mix of a good-looking picture and a unique, attractive design makes it a much more compelling TV than the outgoing QN95D.
Ultimately, Samsung isn't looking to capture the hearts of picture purists. Instead, it is attempting to strike a balance between form, function and performance.
With the likes of TCL and Hisense nipping at Samsung's heels in the 4K Mini LED and QLED space, it makes total sense for Samsung to leverage a unique aspect, such as the Frame form factor.
That's not to say that other Frame-style sets aren't cropping up – both the aforementioned Chinese TV brands have debuted their own lifestyle 'art' TVs – but Samsung seems confident that its version is the best around.
I did ask if other TVs will be "Frame-ified", and was met with an ambiguous answer that boiled down to "no plans yet, but we'll see what the future holds". Personally, I wouldn't be opposed to an OLED Frame TV, but I'll happily wait for the Frame to conquer Samsung's 4K Mini LED lineup first.
MORE:
Read our Samsung S95F hands on review
Check out our picks for the best Mini LED TVs
And read our full Samsung QN95D review
