Fab sound and picture quality, confusing setup, hidden extras
4/5
Overall verdict: Have had Samsung TV products for quite some time, so I am used to the smart remote and the features (e.g. the Home ribbon). The sound and picture quality is excellent, however the process to setup could be difficult for some, and as always, there are additional features that come with a hidden/extra cost.
SETUP: The set-up process is no longer a simple 'plug in and play', so for those with no access to smartphones the system may be convoluted or confusing. For those with a smartphone, the respective Samsung app is installed to guide you through your setup, including personalisation.
FEATURES: One thing that really, really annoys me about Samsung TVs is the ribbon of your favourites/shortcuts, you cannot delete pre-installed items or remove/hide from shortcuts. It is a terrible feature which makes scrolling to your chosen shortcuts harder and cluttered. I don't intend to use TikTok, nor any of the paid movie streaming services, so it's shoddy to still see their unused app icons cluttering your ribbon with no means to remove. It's a known issue that Samsung won't address.
FRAME: I chose The Frame because I liked the idea of having an ambient background rather than large black face of a standby TV. There are some basic pre-installed options for your background, but downloadable ones from the Samsung Library carry a download cost of approx £5.99+. You'd hope in this day and age, for the price of the TV, you could at least have those for free! I believe there is a way you can use your own photos; I'm yet to try it.
SOUND: I don't have a soundbar, but do have external speakers should I need extra bass or deeper, richer sound. Generally, the TV's own audio quality is pretty exceptional and does the job on its own... no soundbar really needed unless you want surround.
Finally, PICTURE: TVs have come so far in such a short space of time. Compared to other models e.g. SONY top of the range, I would say this doesn't quite match, but for the price on sale, it really does make for easy watching. You may notice the difference if upgrading infrequently, but for those who get a new TV practically every year, possibly not so much.