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In this article, I’ll give you a non-art connoisseur’s thoughts and opinions on the Meural Canvas vs Samsung Frame digital art/photo frames. I’ll compare them both side by side, include some excellent video reviews and list the pros and cons of each frame.
Did you know that one of these also happens to be a 4K UHD TV? Can you guess which one?
Let’s jump right in.
Art. Ask For More.
You might recall this tagline for an Americans for the Arts ad campaign that first aired in the 80s and was narrated by Donald Trump-er, I mean Alec Baldwin. It was designed to encourage parents to ask for more art for their kids both in and out of school. When I started researching this post, this tagline kept popping into my head.
Why?
Because with this new breed of smart digital art frames that’s exactly what you get.
More.
And so much of it.
Regardless of whether you choose a Meural Canvas or Samsung Frame, you get a revolving display of your favorite works of art in a frame that you customize according to your proclivity.
Smart.
In this post, I compare Meural Canvas vs Samsung Frame to help you find the perfect digital art frame to suit your tastes, needs, and budget.
They are, of course, very different price points. Each offers some unique and rather amazing benefits. They sort of remind me of the picture frames that don the walls of Hogwarts [yes from Harry Potter fame], so you might even say they are magical.
Quick Comparison: Meural Canvas vs Samsung Frame
*Subscription fee applies in order to access the full art library for both products.
Meural in Portrait Mode
What is a Smart Digital Frame?
The new breed of frames work using your smart devices and Wi-fi, you can also instantaneously either stream products to them from your mobile device or purchase and download prints to them from the Cloud. Best of all? Digital art technology has gotten much better. Meural customers rave about popular paintings saying that they can even make out brush strokes. Samsung Frame lets you mount the TV flush to the wall. One skinny sleek cord is nearly invisible, so it really does look like a work of art.
Meural Canvas
If you are looking for a smart digital art frame for your wall and already have a smart TV that you like, look no further than Meural Canvas. The most obvious difference between Canvas and Samsung Frame is that the Frame is also a 4K UHD TV. In a way, we’re comparing apples and oranges when it comes down to that. However, where Meural truly shines is in its delivery of art, photos, video, animated images and more as a true digital art frame. You can choose from a library of 40,000 works of art or upload and add your own images, seamlessly, magically using your smartphone or tablet.
Swiping through photos on your phone actually swipes them across the Meural display. I have reviewed a ton of smart home technology over the past year and a half, and I’m going to say this one of the coolest products out there.
After reading several reviews and looking at over a dozen Meural options on Amazon, I could see how a would-be art lover might be confused over the options. A while ago, there were very few Meural frame sizes types to choose from. This is no longer the case. There are a ton of color, size, and frame choices available on Amazon now. I’ll put together a pricing table showing some of my favorites.
Erin Lawrence from Tech Gadgets Canada gives a super-comprehensive and thorough video review of the Meural Canvas.
Pros
Cons
Samsung: The Frame
The Samsung Frame is a digital frame that doubles as a 4K UHD TV. Or is it a TV that doubles as a frame? Regardless, customers who own this TV rave about the picture being the best that they have ever owned. While the Frame’s library of 1,000 works of art looks dwarfish in comparison to the Meural Canvas, the Frame does include a hefty starter pack of 100 pieces of art from 10 different genres.
While this may seem a bit gimmicky, that’s really the point – it’s a great TV that doubles as a picture frame. Looking over a ton of reviews, it seems that some types of art, especially low light, play better than others. However, there are a ton of factors that come into play (light in the room for one) and some customers love and rave about the art features.
Customers who purchase a monthly subscription for a small fee (I think it’s like $5) get full access to a lot more art and seem to enjoy it more than customers who use only the starter pack.
The 65-inch UHD TV model is currently “Amazon’s choice.” I can see why.
I went over to my local Best Buy and asked for a demo for this post. The picture is simply stunning. I’m considering upgrading my 55” UHTV to the 65” Frame and getting a Meural frame for my parents this Xmas. I think they would love being able to rotate pics of their 10 grandchildren inside of that beautiful frame. Very Harry Potter indeed.
Michael Mansell provides a thoughtful unbiased review of the pros and cons of the Samsung Frame:
A note about the pricing that Michael mentions – pricing has come down quite a bit since the time of his review. You can check the latest pricing on Amazon by clicking on the button above.
Pros
Cons
Conclusion
Samsung makes great Smart TVs and the Frame is no exception. Many customers are more than satisfied with the art capabilities to the TV as well.
As Erin Lawrence so articulately demonstrates in her review of the Meural, this really is an amazing piece of smart home décor that, if you can afford it, could add a great deal of pleasure to your life, especially for art and photo lovers.
They both require a subscription for access to their full art libraries Meural has a more extensive library and give the ability to browse and rotate by a specific artist and even museum. I am a huge fan of The Getty museum in LA, so I thought that was really cool.
All in all, if you like the idea of being able to display art on your TV that also looks like a frame, the Frame may be a good option for you. This makes more sense if you are in the market for an outstanding UHD 4K Smart TV.
If you are looking for the best digital art frame that money can buy today, I would suggest that you consider Meural. You can see the latest pricing on Amazon for the Meural here and The Frame here.
Meural Canvas vs Samsung Frame: Ask for More?
So what do you think about the Meural Canvas vs Samsung Frame?
Do you like the larger 4K TV that the Frame gives along with your smart art capabilities? Or do you prefer the more refined Meural Canvas with the larger art library?
I really am a big fan of the Getty Museum in LA. Hmm. Maybe I am a bit of an art connoisseur after all 😉🎨.
Either way, can you please leave a comment below and let me know your thoughts about these two products. It would be great to get some reader opinions on these two.
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About the Author
Tim Brennan, Technical Writer & Blogger
Tim Brennan [a.k.a. "Tec Timmy"] is a senior technical writer with over 20 years of experience writing for companies and organizations in and around Greater Boston, including GE and MIT. In addition to actively writing for this smart home blog, Tim is also a regular contributor over at UniversalRemoteReviews.com. Tim holds a BA in Journalism from Northeastern University. Brennan is a father to two sons, an active blogger, a Star Wars nut, and loves a good taco🌮. There is a strong chance he is developing a crush on Amazon Alexa. You can learn more about Tim here.
