السيد مراجعة الخليج للتكنولوجيا : I Review TVs for a Living, Here’s Why You Should Buy a Samsung Serif

In the world of black box televisions, the industry has been ripe for someone to create a model that tries a unique design. Well, it took some time but Samsung did exactly that with the introduction of the Samsung Serif in 2016. An upgraded model in 2022 took the best features of the 2016 model and gave it an upgraded feature set. 

Rest assured this is a television that is as much about its design as it is about the panel and features. The Samsung Serif is a television made to please those aesthetic fans who have been begging for something new. 

With this in mind, let’s take a look and see why the Samsung Serif is worth picking up in 2024. 

I-Shaped Design

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What’s Special About the Samsung Serif? 

Pricing

Given the unique design of the Samsung Serif, you might expect a monster price tag well above “normal” televisions. The reality is that the Serif is priced well within the market of other models. A 65-inch Serif model costing just under $2,000 is on the higher side without an OLED panel, but it’s not so far out of range as to feel like you’re throwing money away. 

I would say you can get a better picture for the same price, but most people might not be able to tell the difference. If you must have the best picture possible, the Samsung Serif probably isn’t the right TV for you. On the other hand, if you want a television that offers a great design and a more than good enough picture, the Serif is a fantastic choice. 

Design

When it comes to the Samsung Serif, the design is the best reason to buy the television. In some ways, the television looks like the design could be from decades past. Others might look at the Serif and think it looks like it’s from the future. Designed by Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, the design can be used with or without a stand. One caveat is that adding the legs to use the Serif so it stands in the middle of a room likely takes two people. 

Once you have the Samsung Serif on its feet, don’t worry about whether it looks a little shaky, it isn’t. Perhaps most noticeable is that Samsung thoughtfully considered cord management and introduced a cable guide on the back legs that helps hide cords.

There is no doubt in my mind the Samsung Serif isn’t the most practical television to own. Still, I love how it looks like it’s a piece of furniture that functions like a TV. I really can’t wait for other TV manufacturers to follow suit and break free from today’s standard black box design. 

Picture Quality

While the Samsung Serif lacks an OLED panel, it more than makes up for that with good all-around quality. Boasting QLED quantum-dot technology, Samsung filled the Serif with 100% color volume and over a billion shades of colors. The matte display allows for anti-reflection technology and helps reduce glare so you can place the Serif wherever you want in a room. 

Using the Quantum Processor with 4K and 4K upscaling ensures that 4K content looks great 100% of the time. Movies look exceptionally great with the Serif’s Movie Mode, which showcases the best of the Serif’s HDR, HDR10+, and HLG formats. 

The bottom line with the picture quality is that you can expect great color and great contrast. The Serif doesn’t get as bright as I might hope, but there shouldn’t be any concerns over picture quality at this price. If it had an OLED panel, the Serif could potentially be one of the best televisions on the market. 

Sound Quality

With great picture quality, you are going to want equally strong sound quality. The reality is that you need to rely on the internal speakers with the Samsung Serif as using a soundbar with a standing television isn’t possible. 

The good news is that you have 40 watts worth of speakers which sound strong. There is a definite bass produced by the Serif that works well with action scenes and sports programming. You may not get the full suite of Samsung’s sound quality as you would with their standard televisions, but you do get two different sound modes. 

With the Standard mode, you get a fairly normal sense of sound that works very well. With the Amplify Mode, you get a boost to the dialog, which is nice to have with any television. 

Does the Samsung Serif Really Work? 

I think there is a definite question of whether a design like the Samsung Serif works. Perhaps it’s that we have become so used to televisions looking the same that the Serif design is so questionable. The reality is that the Serif really does work and it works well. The biggest downside may be that it can’t hang, which means you can’t use it with a soundbar.

Aside from these “negatives,” using the Samsung Serif works exactly like any other Samsung television. You get the same Tizen operating system that looks like it does with any Samsung OLED or other QLED model. This means you have the full suite of smart services including access to thousands of different apps like Netflix, YouTube, and Prime Video. Rest assured the interface is user-friendly and accessing the menu with Samsung’s minimalist remote is a joy. 

The QLED panel is indeed only edge-lit, so you don’t get the same levels of brightness as some other Samsung models. This is a caveat that we can look past as it doesn’t interfere with day-to-day viewing. Only the most tech-savvy television buyers will be able to tell the difference between the Serif and another television panel that isn’t OLED. 

How the Samsung Serif Compares to the Samsung Frame

Best Aesthetics

SAMSUNG 55-Inch Class Frame TV

• View and share personal art in ART MODE
• QLED 4K TV with 100% Color Volume
• Anti-reflection and matte display limits distraction
• Hang the TV flush against a wall
• Smart TV with Alexa built-in 

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I would argue the most interesting competitor to the Samsung Serif is the Samsung Frame. If you are looking at the Serif, its unique design likely caught your eye. To get something similar, you can look at the Samsung Frame and its value prop around showing wall art when not in use. 

The interesting thing is that the Samsung Frame has to make similar compromises as the Serif to keep prices down. The Samsung Frame is also a QLED panel that offers the same Quantum HDR technology and anti-reflection matte display. 

Where the Frame bests the Serif is that it can and arguably needs to be wall-mounted. This means you can easily use a soundbar with the Samsung Frame to get even better sound. Unlike the Serif, the Frame is super thin so there is no gap between the TV unit and the wall. This is a dramatic difference from the much thicker Samsung Serif. At the end of the day, this decision comes down to one thing: do you want a unique design or do you want to have wall art? 

Is the Samsung Serif Worth It? 

Ultimately, the biggest question of whether the Samsung Serif is worth it is based on a few different factors. The first consideration is whether you like the Samsung Serif design. It’s bulky, it can’t be wall mounted, and only goes up to 65 inches in size. If you can look past these factors, the Serif is a conversation piece for anyone who enters your home. 

The other bit of good news is that the Serif works great as a television. Sure, there are some trade-offs made with the screen quality to keep costs down. None of these tradeoffs are going to matter to most people and the 4K quality looks better than plenty of other televisions on the market today. 

The easel stand the Samsung Serif relies on is super cool and it’s unlike anything else on the market. I love the design and since I don’t usually go for the latest and greatest features on the market, I would be more than happy to have it in my home.