The other week I visited Samsung’s KX Experience Store in Kings Cross. It’s an impressive space designed to stylishly show off the brand’s latest offerings. The day’s main attractions were Samsung’s impressive new TV models, such as the OLED S90D and Neo QLED 8K QN900D, but that wasn’t all that was on show.
While browsing the array of new products on display, I noticed I couldn’t tell where the music playing in the area was coming from. There were no loudspeakers near where I stood, just an assortment of picture frames on one wall. I realised that the sound was coming from one of them. The next question was, which one?
Once I recognised the form of Samsung’s new Music Frame hanging on the wall, it became clear that it was the source of the music, but initially, the speaker-slash-picture-frame blended in so well with the other more ordinary frames.
Not only was it visually inconspicuous, but it sounded surprisingly good. Granted, I listened to it for a few minutes while off to the side of a busy, bustling event – hardly prime testing conditions – but what I heard impressed me. Especially based on my prior expectations.
Samsung’s Music Frame was announced earlier this year and while I thought it looked like a fun product at the time, I questioned how good it would sound. It’s impossible to truly judge any audio product in total isolation, but my short experience with it made me think of it in a higher regard and as less of a gimmick.
It features six rear-firing drivers in a 2.0 configuration and measures just under 14 inches in height and width and just over 2 inches in depth. You can connect via Bluetooth or wi-fi, however, you can also use Tidal Connect or Spotify Connect.
It fills a similar niche to Ikea and Sonos’ Symfonisk range of speaker and picture frame hybrids which have existed for a few years, however, these models only let you choose from a few interchangeable front panels, whereas the new Samsung Music Frame allows you to choose any image you like. The Samsung costs quite a bit more though, priced at £499 in the UK, whereas a Symfonisk frame would set you back £220 – less than half.
With a product such as this, you will likely sacrifice some of the quality associated with a dedicated speaker for a product that neatly blends in with your decorations and hides in plain sight. Reversing the old adage, the Music Frame prefers to be heard and not seen.
I was very pleasantly surprised by the Music Frame and I’m looking forward to getting it into our testing room for a comprehensive, comparative review.
MORE:
Check out our picks for the best wireless speakers: tried and tested by our expert team
Read our full Samsung QN900D review
And our story on the announcement of Samsung's Music Frame