When Art Meets AV

When you think of state of the art TV’s, Samsung will immediately come to mind as being at the forefront of new innovation and technology. Its reigned supreme in the 4K range with the QLED technology and now they’re also front runners in the 8K “space race” with its amazing 98inch Q950R.

However, today we’re not here to talk about the 8K. Today is all about design, beautiful design at that. We’re going to talk about the 2019 Samsung Serif.

Design

Let’s jump straight into it. This is not your ordinary TV. You will not see this TV in homes across the nation, this is indeed a TV for a very discerning individual, one who likes art, likes shapes, likes design and likes to see the beauty in everything.

The Serif TV is designed by none other than the french duo The Bouroullec Brothers. Ronan and Erwan are famous for their contribution to furniture designs with notable works with Hay, Vitra and Artek before collaborating with Samsung on the Serif.

Upon taking it out of its box, you immediately feel as though this is much more than just a TV. This is a statement piece of the home and you need people to see it when they walk in.

As TV’s get bigger, thinner and more and more ‘bezel-less’, the Serif challenges the status quo. The Bezel is, in fact, a frame, its made out of plastic and its snow-white (It comes in a dark blue too). Its uni-border or borderless design make it look very clean and minimalist.

The brothers insist that while its a TV that it retains “beautiful language and subtle presence,”.

Its subtle features mean it’s there to be seen but somehow still manages to blend into its surroundings. If you have it perched onto a TV unit, there isn’t a horrible chrome curved stand to put it on. It’s just flat and simple and on both the top and the bottom. Being flat on the top also means it acts as a mantle to really get your creative asymmetric juices flowing. Stick a couple of old books or a small house plant off centre and you watch your dinner guests go wild.

We didn’t have the space to really take it advantage of its design in all its glory because if you view it from the side, you see its “I” shape. TV’s are just supposed to look like this but this one does and it really works.

 

Then there is there are the legs. No doubt the most iconic part of the TV. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to use ours to limitations with space but we feel as though this is the only way to showcase this TV in all its glory. By simply attaching the four legs to the bottom you turn what was already artistic into a mid-century modern looking attraction.

Ambient Mode

The popular “Ambient mode” continues its roll-out and returns on the Serif, on a TV it feels like it really belongs on. The Bouroullec Brothers continue to bless the Serif with their design know-how by taking their talents from both the hardware right over onto the software. Ambient mode on the Serif features two minimal patterns that are easy on the eye in the form of a “leaf” and “fabric”.

Like other Ambient modes, it continues to use low power to turn your TV into a visual piece of the furniture even whilst it’s ‘off’ to distance itself from the black mirror you usually get in the corner of your living room.

When in the menu you can choose from the Bouroullec special editions, Decor, Info, Artwork or just plain Background tiles to match your living room. When you connect your phone to Samsung’s services you can personalise these even further to add your own images, simply download a Monet or a Chagall locally and it’ll be on your TV as a centrepiece within minutes.

The Remote

We love the Samsung “One Remote”, especially the Serif version which like the TV itself comes in a solid white colourway. Unlike other TV remotes, the One remote is so ergonomically designed its as though its an extension of your hand. Sometimes I’d just find myself turning the volume up and down because it felt so natural. It’s heavy too which gives it a really premium feel.

Voice recognition on the one remote is a joy to use. Simply hold down the mic button and talk away, perfect for the parents out there juggling a kid and youtube at the same time.

Airplay 2

Probably one of the features that is often missed and underrated is built-in Airplay 2. Being mac users, this simple feature always helps take productivity to the next level. Be a simple mirrored screen share to show family members some photos or using your TV as separate display to extend your desktop for doing work, we’re always chuffed when this comes as standard as we feel its still the best screen sharing platform around.

Picture and Usability

Boasting QLED technology the Serif was impressive, putting out bold and crisp pictures, Starting at £799 for a 43″ you wouldn’t expect anything less. However, it wasn’t the best display we’ve seen from Samsung. In fact, you can expect similar performance from other TV’s in the Samsung range that cost a few hundred pounds less but what you’re paying for here is the whole package. You’ll still enjoy deep blacks and rich colours and the contrast can always be tweaked if it’s not to your liking which can be a bit too rich straight out of the box.

We stand by the fact the Samsung’s smart TV user interface is the best around. We had the Serif up and connected within 5 minutes of unboxing with a simple and easy to use wizard to guide you through. The smart TV menu along the bottom is fast, fluid and easy to navigate. Even easier if you’re using the One remote.

The top of the TV also doubles up as an NFC controller. Simply tap it with a NFC compatible smartphone and you’ll be able to play your music right through the TV wirelessly and it sounds great.

Conclusion

The Serif is the first TV we’ve come across that we’ve really enjoyed using while its not a TV. This thing is just beautiful to look at especially when it’s sitting idle in Ambient Mode. TV’s are often the necessary evil of living rooms when it comes to interior design and the Serif manages to encapsulate space by not only making it bearable and balanced but making it a statement piece.

As a minimalist TV, we’d had loved to see the Samsung One connect box included as standard. Whilst you can still hide away wires pretty neatly. The One connect is perfect for the Serif to make everything invisible. Expect to pay a little extra for this upgrade.

The lack of an ethernet port also proved a bit bothersome for us. Whilst Samsung is probably trying to future proof the TV and minimise wires, the Ethernet port is a key component for those that use On Demand services such as Netflix, iPlayer and Youtube.

If you’re a TV buff and you need tech specs to aid your decision making then this TV is not for you and we’d suggest looking the wider Samsung range. However, if you appreciate art and design and need a quality 4K OLED and don’t mind spending a tad bit more to ensure your living room pops off, then give Serif a chance. You won’t regret it.

 

 

The Samsung Serif is available to BUY NOW from Amazon

 

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