Samsung serif TV designer. Hands on: Samsung Serif TV (2019) review

26.08.2023 dakus Reviews

Hands on: Samsung Serif TV (2019) review

Want your living room to look as if it’s been ripped from the pages of a style magazine? Then you’re going to need a TV that suits the look. Samsung’s 2019 Serif TV fits the bill, but its cost won’t match some of the premium TV feature sets less lavishly styled screens deliver.

Cons

– Will carry a significant price premium for the screen size
– Design might not suit all homes

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With its The Frame and Serif TV ranges, Samsung has been looking to find a place not only in the houses of those who care about tech specs, but those who care about interior design too.

Once again standing tall on its minimalist leg stand, the 2019 Serif TVs deliver in the style stakes and, thanks to the inclusion of key QLED technologies, look set to bring some solid 4K visuals to living rooms too.

Price and availability

This years’ Samsung Serif TVs, each 4K QLED sets, will be available from April 2019 in three different sizes – 55-inch, 49-inch and 43-inch. We’re still waiting to find out how much these 4KTVs cost, but given the design-led approach and pricing of earlier models, we’d be surprised to see these sell for any price that didn’t end in at least three zeroes.

Design

With the Serif TV range, Samsung’s looking to court those less interested in top-spec home cinema features, but more invested in interior design – the folks who read Wallpaper and Monocle as well as TechRadar (we hope!). It’s an industrial design-first look, one where as much care has gone into how the screen will immerse itself with its environment as it will immerse the viewer in cinematic spectacle.

The screen’s aesthetic design therefore has been created in collaboration with Paris design gurus Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, who are renowned for their furniture design.

Though the screen can sit on an AV stand or cabinet, that’d be missing one of its key design points – the four metal feet of its bespoke stand, designed specifically for the Serif TV. These metal legs make it appear to stand like an artists’ easel, and will open up the screen to be placed in rooms where a traditional AV cabinet might domineer.

The Serif TVs bezel itself is part of its charm too – the top edge is wide enough to act as a shelf, letting you place trinkets or photos frames along the top, further letting the screen meld in among your other possessions. It’s here you’ll find a feature unique to the Serif TV design too – an NFC hotspot. Tap your NFC-enabled smartphone on the Serif TV and you’ll be able to use its larger speakers to playback audio over Bluetooth. It’s a neat trick that we’d like to see integrated in more TVs, or at least soundbars.

Keeping mess to a minimum, the Serif TV also makes use of Samsung’s One Connect box. This lets a single transparent cable snake away from the TV to a remote connectivity box that houses USB, power and HDMI ports. With it, the minimal design stylings of the Serif TV go unobstructed, with the rear of the TV hiding all connections behind a fabric-covered panel.

Picture quality

Now being ranged in a more significant 55-inch size, the 4K image quality of the Serif range is more important than ever. And, thanks to the inclusion this year of Samsung’s very-fine-indeed QLED technology, the Serif TVs for 2019 are looking for more lovely than they have in previous years.

The inclusion of QLED technology is great news for colors, which will look far richer and wider in scope on the new Serif, and also for HDR footage. QLED screens have a peak brightness of 4,000 nits, meaning that, in bright scenes, light sources glow with a real-world intensity, while dark scenes can retain detail in shadowy corners without being washed out by other light sources on show.

The Serif TV also makes use of Samsung’s clever Ambient Mode, furthering its style-conscious credentials. The display is capable of scanning its immediate surroundings and, when it goes into standby mode, display a pattern of color to match, letting the screen slip unassumingly into the background. The screens can also be used to display at-a-glance information: weather, time and appointment details. So the Serif can prove attractive and useful even if it’s not playing back an all-time Netflix great.

Smart features

What’s a Smart TV without voice control these days? A pretty dumb one, that’s what, and Samsung isn’t looking to be accused of not keeping up with the latest in home automation controls.

Like the rest of the Samsung TV range for 2019, it’ll have support for Bixby voice control. This is Samsung’s answer to Amazon’s Alexa and the Google Assistant, and lets its users speak to their televisions in order to control not only what’s going on onscreen, but also different appliances and features installed in their Smart homes too.

For instance, issuing a voice command to the Serif TV could speak to other gadgets and tweak settings like the brightness of connected lighting, or the heat set by a connected thermostat. Bixby is also Smart enough to trawl through multiple video content sources on the TV, meaning that you’ll be able to not only set volume levels and channels with your voice, but command the screen to jump to specific shows no matter what streaming platform or terrestrial catch up service they’re hosted on.

Audio

We’ve yet to be able to listen to the Serif television – the demo environment in which we saw it displayed did not have the screens outputting any audio.

Samsung isn’t pushing the audio capabilities of the Serif TV in any particularly forceful way though, suggesting there’s little special to write home about here – there’s no built-in soundbar, for instance.

However, Samsung is pumping money into artificial intelligence tech in relation to audio, right across its range of TVs. This means its screens are capable of analyzing their surroundings and tuning their output accordingly, as well as intelligently adapting their output based on what’s being viewed at the time. So a talk show or film would prioritize clear dialogue, while an action film or sports event would ramp up the bass and let ambient crowd sounds raise slightly. How well this works in practice on the Serif TVs remains to be seen, but they’ve got a little more girth than your usual flatscreen TV, which makes us hopeful that they’ll be able to output sound a little beefier than the competition.

Early verdict

Like The Frame TV for 2019, the Serif is a lovely-looking screen that’s as much about its industrial design as it is about its standard picture quality.

With its leggy stand and shelf top frame, there are few other TVs like it on the market, and sets up the Serif for design-conscious living rooms where AV cabinets take a back seat to hygge design. Look elsewhere for top-flight home cinema features, but the Serif is looking like a Smart choice for the interior designer in your life.

Is the Samsung Serif TV worth it? Our editor bought one, and he has a lot of thoughts

Samsung’s The Serif TV is clearly the choice of the design lover. But does our editor, who actually bought one, agree?

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Is Samsung’s The Serif TV worth it? It’s a question I get asked a lot. And for good reason. It’s the aesthetic television set. seriously. The design crowd loves it! It’s the Stan Smith for Adidas of TVs. It’s the Eames lounger of tech. It’s the Farrow and Ball paint color card of the home cinema. Yes, it’s loved by people who care about design and want to show that off in every single thing they have in their home. People like me. And, most probably, you.

In fact, you could call the Serif a modern design classic. it certainly is as far as living room TVs go. It was dreamed up by the visionary French designers Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, who is better known as the Bouroullec Brothers, even better known for creating furniture for mega-brands like Kartell, Alessi, and Vitra.

And yes, Samsung’s The Serif TV looks charmingly like something out of The Jetsons. that’s part of its appeal. A sort of retro take on futurism that is an antidote to all the glossy, black, big, and. let’s be honest. ugly tech taking over our homes.

But because of its design pedigree (and the fact it’s a high-spec TV), the Serif isn’t cheap. So is it worth it? I have some thoughts.

Is Samsung’s The Serif TV worth it?

If aesthetics is your main reason for buying a TV. and it was mine. then I would pretty confidently say yes, the Serif is worth it. Samsung originally launched it to much fanfare in the design press in 2016, and just over a year later, I was completely renovating my apartment.

I was knocking down walls, painting my newly open living room in Farrow and Ball’s Mizzle, and studiously arranging my books along my open shelving in color-coded order. Underneath them, on the newly built-in cabinet, I wanted a TV that didn’t suck the light, bright, design magic out of the space. Or, to be truly candid, I wanted a TV that flattered me, allowing me to think that I knew what was hot and cool in the interiors world. It had to be the Serif.

One of the many things you might not realize is that its skinny black legs. a huge selling point as they’re so sleek and chic. are removable. And so didn’t screw them into the wide white frame and just rested the TV on the cabinet instead. It looked like a freestanding work of art, like in the image above.

And then I moved house and put the Serif in the corner of a newly decorated snug, this time with walls painted in Farrow and Ball’s Cola. It’s a deep, red-tinged brown, and the white frame stands out against the wall like the Hero piece of design it is.

But here’s where the aesthetic lets it down. Without any built-in cabinetry I screwed in those slinky legs, shown above, so clearly and wonderfully inspired by mid-century design. But I’ve now found myself without any way to tidy cables. My husband’s old and much-loved PlayStation 4 just sits beneath it, out in the open. A cord to the internet hub just dangles out the back of the TV, onto the floor, and back up into the wall. The adaptor with four extra sockets in it lies limply alongside. The TV itself looks great. But what’s underneath it? Not so much.

What about the Samsung Serif’s tech credentials?

It’s pretty obvious I didn’t buy the Serif because of what it can do but because of how it looks. And it does everything I need it to. I’m not the sort of person who gets nitty gritty into the type of screen or sound level.

Samsung’s The Serif connects to the internet wirelessly (if you live in a house with good Wi-Fi, unlike me, hence that wire I need). It has a Smart Hub where you can download apps like Netflix, Amazon Prime, and so on, and has two USB ports, one of which I plug my Chromecast into. In short, the picture looks good, the audio sounds good, and it behaves exactly how I need a TV to. it plays television shows.

If you’re more concerned with its spec when you look at, say, the Samsung Frame vs the Serif, then it loses points here. In whatever labs it cooks up its TVs, Samsung has appeared to concentrate more on The Frame, so it has more advanced tech in some places. But realistically, if you just want a TV that works and also doesn’t look too much like a TV, then the differences are barely noticeable. For example, The Frame’s larger sizes (55 and up) boast Dolby Atmos and HDR 10 and Hybrid Log-Gamma (HLG) over equivalent Serif models. But does that affect daily viewing? Not really.

The verdict on if a Samsung Serif is worth it

You can get cheaper TVs that function in the same way as the Serif. But six years after its launch, I’ve not come across a TV I’d swap mine with that looks better. It’s the way that chunky frame curves into ergonomic edges. it transmits coolness as beautifully as it does your favorite box set.

And so, if you’re concerned with how your living room looks (and can find a solution for those wires), then yes, completely, the Samsung Serif is worth it.

Samsung The Serif

The Serif 2020 offers the best of both worlds: a stylish TV design equipped with the latest technologies.

Samsung The Serif

If you’re searching for a television set with a most uncommon design, Samsung’s ‘The Serif’ series would be a perfect model to make a clear design statement. This TV nicely fits into interiors with designer furniture, unique sculptures and pieces of art. The design of this lifestyle TV is based on the capital ‘i’. This remarkably shaped The Serif was designed by the French designer duo Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, which are widely known for their Vitra, Artek and Alessi designs.

The Serif is specifically designed not to be an ultra-thin TV and in today’s markets this is pretty unique. With its remarkable design, this television is not meant to be wall mounted. However, because of its unique shape you can easily put it on a table, a cupboard or even on a sturdy wall shelf. Samsung also supplies four metal legs with which you can place the television anywhere in the room.

Perfect image quality

Like Samsung‘s other QLED models, this TV is fitted with the latest technology. By using a powerful Quantum Processor 4K and Samsungs Quantum Dot technology you will experience an impressive 4K Ultra HD HDR image quality. From the brightest elements to the most subtle shadow details, this QLED TV allows you to experience movies, television series and gameplay unlike ever before.

Serif Ambient Mode

You can enable The Serif Ambient Mode to display artwork, photos or useful information on the screen when the television set is switched to standby. The Serif has its ‘own’ Ambient Mode with two, by the Bouroullec brothers designed, patterns which accentuate the iconic design of this outstanding TV.

Smart entertainer

This beautiful designer TV is perfect for gaming, it features Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant. With NFC on TV and Tap View you automatically play content from your NFC supporting smartphone. To activate this functionality, simply place your smartphone on top or tap intuitively with your phone against the side of the TV. The Serif automatically switches to ambient mode and shares the content on screen. With this Samsung The Serif Smart TV, a whole new world enfolds before you.

Samsung Unveils High-Design 4K/HDR SERIF TV

Samsung said this week that it will be making its new design-centric SERIF TV available for sale in the United States.

The 40-inch LED/LCD TV, which was designed by the Parisian design duo Ronan and Erwan Bouroullec, is said to “redefine the television experience through its minimal yet solid exterior form and refined user interface.”

The Samsung UN40LS001AFXZA/UN40LS001CFXZA SERIF TV model (in white or blue colors), carries a 1,499 suggested retail price each, and is available for presale now on Samsung.com and the Metropolitan Museum of Art (MoMA) Design Store.

In an unusual distribution expansion, Samsung said the TV also will be available in August at high-end design-centric retailers including Vitra, Bo Concept NY and Ligne Roset stores in major markets.

The TV will be offered in white across all retail partners and in blue, exclusively through the MOMA Design Store and on Samsung.com.

Read more about Samsung’s SERIF TV high fashion 4K display after the jump:

Samsung said the partnership with the Bouroullec brothers, marks the first time that the company “has aligned with a designer to not only re-envision how the TV looks but also how it functions.”

The Brothers Bouroullec were said to have re-imagined every aspect of the TV, “from its minimal yet solid exterior form to its refined user interface and even its simplified remote control.”

Samsung developed the TV to deliver advanced picture quality and high-fidelity sound.

“Our research also tells us that there is a subset of consumers, largely under served by the TV industry thus far, who care just as deeply about design and how their TV complements the aesthetics of their home environment,” said Dave Das, Samsung Home Entertainment senior VP.

A profile shot of the Samsung SERIF TV.

The TV was designed using “the simple elegance of typography,” the company explained. The Samsung SERIF TV forms a capital “I” shape in profile, and the slim body broadens to form a flat surface like a shelf at the top.

However, Samsung said the TV was not designed to be wall mounted and does not include VESA mounting equipment.

The form is said to enable the SERIF TV to be displayed seamlessly in the home, either on top of a credenza or via attachable legs that make the TV look like a painting on an easel.

The style of the set is said to blend “harmoniously with its surroundings, whether in a den or in a bedroom, an urban oasis or a suburban retreat.”

“The TV features an exclusive Curtain Mode interface that veils content on the screen to give an abstract impression of what is happening in the background, shutting down content without turning off the TV itself,” the company said.

The TV will offer such features and services as a clock, Bluetooth speakers, apps and a photo gallery.

However, many of the features and performance specs seem more in line with Samsung’s 2015 mid-range 4K UHD TVs than its top-performing 2016 SUHD TVs.

The designers said their concept was “to craft a modest and accessible object that fused our furniture design expertise with technology.”

Unusually, the TV manufacturing source is listed as Hungary.

Other features in the high-end display include 4K UHD (3840x2160p) resolution with high dynamic range (HDR) conforming to Samsung’s “HDR Premium” classification to enhance the picture’s contrast range, color and brightness for a more natural, realistic image.

However, the TV uses Samsung’s step-down PurColor technology (no quantum dots), Motion Rate 120 (which usually denotes a 60 Hz native refresh rate), UHD Dimming, and the 2015 Smart Hub, Smart TV platform.

Also included is a quad-core processor for more fluid browsing and switching between live TV, apps and streaming content.

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Greg Tarr

Greg Tarr is HD Guru.com managing editor specializing in hard news and feature reporting from the consumer electronics industry. He is a 32-year veteran of the consumer electronics industry covering the development, marketing and sales of consumer TV and video products, cameras and home theater equipment. Prior to joining HD Guru.com, he was an editor at CE retail trade publication This Week In Consumer Electronics (TWICE) and before that, Home Furnishings Daily (HFD). He began his career in journalism in the 1980s as a sports writer and later political reporter for several Connecticut daily newspapers. In his career, Tarr was recognized twice as HDTV journalist of the year by the Academy of Digital Television Pioneers for his work covering the U.S. transition to digital television broadcasting.

Samsung serif TV designer. Hands on: Samsung Serif TV (2019) review

Hands on: Samsung Serif TV (2019) review

Cons

Price and availability

Design

Picture quality

Smart features

Audio

Early verdict

Is the Samsung Serif TV worth it? Our editor bought one, and he has a lot of thoughts

Is Samsung’s The Serif TV worth it?

What about the Samsung Serif’s tech credentials?

The verdict on if a Samsung Serif is worth it

Samsung The Serif

Samsung The Serif

Perfect image quality

Serif Ambient Mode

Smart entertainer

Samsung Unveils High-Design 4K/HDR SERIF TV

Greg Tarr

s

HDTV Lies, False Claims and Nonsense Part 2

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