It’s been over a year since TCL announced its range of NXTVISION (previously NXTFRAME) televisions. But while other markets were catered to quickly, the TV that masquerades as framed art when not in use has only just become available in the UK.
Like The Frame, Samsung’s popular alternative, the TCL NXTVISION is designed to hide in plain sight. With its thin design, matte-style screen and selection of static art to be displayed when not outputting the latest streaming blockbuster, it’s designed to avoid the ugliness of traditional televisions, without compromising too much on the performance that videophiles crave.
At just 27.9mm thick, this Samsung Frame alternative is perfect for unobtrusive wall mounting, and it comes with an array of classic artworks built in, along with more than 100,000 pre-generated AI creations for variety. Should you be interested?
TCL NXTVISION pricing and specs
One advantage of being late to the party is that the UK benefits from more competitive pricing than it would have seen if the NXTVISION sets had arrived a year ago.
When first announced last August, the TV brand's sets started at $1,499.99 (around £1,110) for the 55-inch model and $1,999.99 (~£1,480) for the 65-inch version.
With the UK launch, things are considerably more reasonable, pitched closer to the now reduced American prices. TCL says you’ll pay £949 for the 55-inch model, £1,199 for the 65-inch version, and £1,799 for the 75-inch set.
But it appears some retailers are using their discretion to go even lower, with Argos setting its prices at £799 for 55 inches, £999 for 65 inches, and £1,499 for 75 inches. Richer Sounds and Very seem to be price-matching, if you prefer.
Screen size is the only difference between the models, otherwise the specs are the same. These are all 4K QLED panels, capable of 120Hz or 144Hz variable refresh rates (or even 240Hz with TCL’s Gaming Accelerator mode enabled). The sets support both Dolby Vision IQ and HDR10+, ensuring compatibility with films and TV shows supporting both formats.
TCL NXTVISION vs The Frame: Pros and cons
43-inch |
50-inch |
55-inch |
65-inch |
75-inch |
85-inch |
|
TCL NXTVISION |
NA |
NA |
£799 |
£999 |
£1,499 |
NA |
Samsung The Frame (2025) |
£949 |
£1,099 |
£1,299 |
£1,599 |
NA |
NA |
Samsung The Frame Pro (2025) |
NA |
NA |
NA |
£1,799 |
£2,599 |
£3,599 |
With these more competitive prices, TCL has a big advantage over The Frame. On launch in America, you’d need to pay extra to buy TCL’s new sets, but that’s not the case anymore. This year’s The Frame sets start at £899 for a small 43-inch model, with a like-for-like 55-inch version priced at £1,199.
Price isn’t the only advantage TCL has. The Frame only supports HDR10+ and not Dolby Vision, which means programming designed for the latter won’t land in quite the same way.
And while Samsung’s 2025 version of The Frame now supports 144Hz output (in other words, the image can refresh 144 times a second, rather than 60 as found on 60Hz panels), TCL still has the upper hand for gaming, thanks to the fast responding 240Hz mode (but only PC gaming, given both the Xbox Series X and PS5 only support up to 120Hz on a limited selection of titles).
But The Frame does have its advantages, too. For aesthetics, the One Connect Box is a big plus, allowing buyers to channel all of their wires neatly through one container, ensuring that saggy cables don’t ruin the gallery aesthetic if you have a lot of HDMI devices to plug in.
Additionally, at 20W, the NXTVISION’s built-in speakers are half the wattage of Samsung’s larger Frames (the 55-inch model and up have 40W speakers). That’s something to bear in mind if you don’t plan to crowd things with a soundbar.
Speaking of aesthetics, while TCL’s TV comes with a stylish wooden frame in the box, Samsung makes you pay extra for one. But it does offer a wider selection of styles, and third parties like The Frame Bezel and DecoTV Frames offer custom versions too
TCL NXTVISION vs The Frame: Which Is Best for Cinephiles?
But the biggest advantage Samsung has is in image quality. While cinematic perfection is never the priority with these art-style sets due to the necessary compromises for style points, experts seem to prefer the picture quality of The Frame.
Comparing the 2024 version of The Frame to TCL’s newcomer, reviewers found that the HDR and SDR perform better on The Frame, and its matte display better dealt with the problems of ambient lighting.
Of course, in 2025 Samsung also launched The Frame Pro, which aims to be the number one choice for those who want both strong aesthetics and top-tier visuals. Starting at £2,099 for the 65-inch model, and going all the way up to 85 inch sizes, the Pro version upgrades the panel to a Neo QLED number to boost brightness and contrast.
Still, cinephiles should probably look at an OLED or Mini LED TV, even if they don’t look as nice on the wall. While The Frame Pro is a big AV improvement on The Frame overall, it still doesn’t offer the best picture around.
Which Should You Buy?
To be clear, image quality isn’t the be-all and end-all when buying a TV. And there are plenty of people who won’t see that much of a difference between a cheap TV and an expensive one, even if the two were side by side.
People buying The Frame or the NXTVISION have decided to prioritize aesthetics over image quality, and that’s a perfectly valid choice. As for which you should pick, as ever, there really is no substitute for getting down to a retailer and getting a close look at both models in person, and imagining how they would look and perform in your personal space.
