Samsung hid a TV and the world loved it. Now it’s hiding a speaker

It’s official: Samsung has a thing for incognito tech. Six years after launching its Frame TV, which camouflages as a framed work of art when not in use, the tech giant is launching a new speaker that also camouflages as a framed work of art (even when in use).

The Music Frame was announced at the world’s biggest tech event, CES 2024. We don’t know how much it will cost or exactly when it will come on the market, but it’s already making a splash on the internet. The new gadget can operate as a stand-alone speaker or be paired with a Samsung TV. It comes with built-in woofers, or bass speakers, and intelligent audio processing for what Samsung calls a “premium audio experience.” You can slide in your own 8-by-8-inch photos or order prints through a third-party vendor. And you can change the look of the frame with customizable bezels.

The Music Frame is far from the only multitasking speaker on the market. There’s Bang & Olufsen’s Beosound Emerge, which in its light wooden version is reminiscent of a slim book on a bookshelf. And there’s Takahiromiyashita the Soloist’s Sounds, which is more akin to a concrete sculpture of the Flat Iron building than a floor speaker. Music Frame has also drawn comparisons to Ikea’s Symfonisk collection, which includes a shelf, a lamp, and a picture frame, all of which double as Sonos speakers.

In many of these instances, the idea appears to be the same: Speakers are ugly, so here’s this snazzy thing we built for you to pretend like your home is magic. The illusion is obvious, the necessity a little less so.

But for Samsung, there’s apparent value in incognito tech. James Fishler, head of home entertainment at Samsung Electronics America, told Fast Company in an email that the Samsung Frame TV has become a favorite in the company’s lineup, “far surpassing” 1 million units sold globally. “In fact, many buyers actually purchase a second Frame faster than they do any other TV category,” he wrote. “The success of the Frame is what inspired us to expand our lifestyle portfolio to audio with the debut of the Music Frame at CES 2024.”

It’s too early to say if Music Frame will attract as many buyers as the Frame TV did, but if it does, it will likely appeal to the gadget-loving, design-minded type of person who likes a decent speaker but—perhaps more importantly—loves an uncluttered home.