TCL's art TV is not worth it for one major reason

Summary

TCL’s NXTVISION TV disappoints with an art gallery mainly featuring artificial images, not genuine artwork.
The TV’s limited authentic gallery, with only 350 pieces of real art, falls short compared to Samsung’s thoughtfully curated collections.
As a TV, the model struggles with local dimming and color vibrancy, making it undesirable for dedicated content consumers.

Aesthetic TVs are wildly popular right now. Increasingly, consumers are looking for units that are slim and sit flush on the wall, with options to display works of art in an attractive manner. Samsung kicked off this art race when it released

The Frame
; manufacturers in the years since have offered their own alternatives, borrowing concepts and elements to put into their own TVs.

Most new

smart TVs
are as slender as possible, and designed to be wall-mounted. Many have options to lower the brightness in order to display background vistas and ambient scenery. Hisense and

TCL
specifically have their own versions of The Frame, with the latter offering its NXTVISION model that comes with its own art gallery. However, TCL sets itself apart from competitors in one major way… which is why you should stay away from it.

TCL NXTFrame

Display Technology: QLED
Connectivity Technology: Wi-Fi 5
Refresh Rate: 144Hz
Resolution: 4K
HDR?: Dolby Vision IQ, HDR10, HDR10+
Ports: 4x HDMI, USB 3.0, USB 2.0, SPDIF, 3.5mm stereo

Samsung’s The Frame smart TV isn’t worth it

The popular TV looks stylish on the wall, but it’s not the best for actually watching what’s on it.

TCL uses artificial intelligence-generated art

Its gallery is mostly fake art masquerading as the real thing

TCL

The main reason you should be wary of this TV is that its art gallery is mostly populated by artificial images — meaning AI-generated pieces that are meant to look like something substantial. There are myriad reasons why this endeavor is both offensive and discouraging.

The original concept behind Samsung’s The Frame was to be able to double a smart TV as a piece of decor, using its slim design and aesthetic frame to display works of art when the TV isn’t actually on. Samsung’s gallery included countless famous old and modern works. You can enjoy paintings from the comfort of your home — it’s not the same as seeing them in person, but it’s still pretty neat.

TCL has rebranded its art TV lineup with the name NXTVISION. This new moniker replaced the old one, NXTFrame, which presumably was too similar to Samsung’s The Frame and too cumbersome to say aloud.

With TCL, the majority of what you get to experience on screen is a facsimile, a computer’s attempt at recreating art. It seems incredibly strange to want to show this off in your space, especially if you’re having people over. How are you supposed to talk about what is being shown? Who do you credit as the artist? Someone will ask, ‘who painted this?’ and you’ll have to say, “AI.” That’s awkward. It shouldn’t even be called an art TV.

Stop trying to make gimmick TVs happen

All these viral ‘lifestyle’ TVs are too niche and expensive.

TCL’s authentic gallery is limited

Samsung offers a robust collection

If the point of an art TV is to display actual art, then TCL’s fails with its limited options. While TCL boasts over 100,000 AI-generated images (they should not be called ‘art’), it boasts only 350 pieces of actual art created by real artists. That number may seem like a lot initially, but it won’t take too much use for you to start getting familiar with these pieces and getting tired of the repetition. Smart TVs like these are meant to last anywhere from three to five years, if not more, and regular art gallery use will start to get stale.

AI art is by definition soulless, devoid of any motivation and feeling, and instead put together by copying what came before. It’s empty and pointless. So what would the point be of having it on your TV?

It pales in comparison when held up next to Samsung’s Art Gallery. It includes myriad curated collections, including seasonal selections and artist spotlights, as well as countless iconic paintings from centuries past. Instead of a few hundred, Samsung offers a couple of thousand options, and because of the popularity of the TV, it continues to invest in the art gallery that makes it so popular.

I made my TV look just like The Frame for a fraction of the price

You don’t need to spend a lot of money to make an aesthetic TV experience at home.

TCL shouldn’t be rewarded

Don’t bother investing in NXTVISION

There are plenty of ways in which AI already has and will continue to make life better, but creativity is not one of them. It’s hard to imagine looking at any kind of AI art and having any poignant thought, stirring emotion, or fit of inspiration. AI art is by definition soulless, devoid of any motivation and feeling, and instead put together by copying what came before. It’s empty and pointless. So what would the point be of having it on your TV?

There is plenty of rightful outrage when AI is used in TV and film, displacing human artists. There is also plenty of dissatisfaction with AI-generated images, as they tend to look pretty obviously fake, often with aberrations and hallucinations. It’s curious why AI-generated art in a personal TV is acceptable to the extent that TCL is selling a bunch of TVs with this option in it. It suggests people are buying, but why is the art gallery worth it at all?

TCL screen featuring a selection of movies and shows.

5 reasons I’d buy budget TCL TV over an LG TV

TCL TVs offer than just affordable prices and retail convenience. There are plenty of features and choices to cater to your viewing habits.

NXTVISION has additional entertainment concerns

Lacks top features and quality for watching TV and film

TCL

The main issue with this smart TV as an art TV is that AI art isn’t really art — say that ten times fast. It’s certainly not the best art TV, but it also has plenty of other flaws as a smart TV, too. It struggles with local dimming (so contrast suffers as a result) meaning some shows shot in low light, particularly prestige dramas, won’t be as clear on the screen as they would on other models. While it supports top HDR formats, it still isn’t particularly bright and colorful, lacking the vibrancy of other new QLED models.

While it does offer HDMI 2.1 ports and top audio formats, there are better options available for those seeking a smart TV to serve as a central entertainment hub. It’s fine for casual viewing, but those who enjoy action movies, the latest blockbuster TV shows, live sports, and high-end online gaming can find better alternatives.