Samsung is developing Music Frame Pro, a digital music photo frame

At CES 2024, Samsung added to its audio lineup with the Music Frame — a smart speaker inspired by The Frame smart TV and versatile enough to be used on its own or paired with Samsung Q-Symphony soundbars. It’s now available for purchase, and Samsung even lets you buy a second Music Frame at a discounted price.

The Frame is now available for purchase.

I have to admit that after Samsung first announced the Music Frame speaker in January, I went through a roller coaster of emotions. At first, I liked it. Then I felt disappointed. Now I’m warmly approaching it again. But ultimately, I’m hoping Samsung will eventually release the Music Frame Pro. And here’s why.

Initially, because Samsung said the Music Frame was inspired by The Frame, many people — including myself — were under the impression that the smart speaker had a screen. I later found out that it wasn’t, and that the album artwork and photos on the Music Frame are as analog as they could ever be. They’re cardboard.

I was quite disappointed by this realization, but now that I’ve come to terms with the reality of the situation, I’m liking Music Frame more and more. It has caught my fancy, and I realize the advantages of its simpler design. A screen would probably have increased the price without changing the speaker’s audio capabilities, and perhaps the current incarnation was the best way to introduce this new product to the world.

The Music Frame is a new product, but I’m not sure it’s the best way to introduce it to the world.

That said, I think Music Frame has left a void that Samsung will have to fill. I can’t help but imagine what a Music Frame Pro version with a screen would be like. It could automatically display album artwork by pulling metadata from your music or streaming services. Not to be unsubstantiated, I don’t think it would be a good idea to replace the current version of Music Frame without a screen with a version with a screen. There’s no need to make Music Frame more expensive, and it’s good enough for an entry-level model.

And it’s a good enough entry-level model.

I would, however, like to see a Music Frame Pro variant with a screen added to the lineup. I realize that would probably raise the price a lot, especially if Samsung uses a high-quality OLED panel with a matte finish, which would probably be ideal for best results. But as long as the screen-less model remains an option, I think the Pro variant should appear for all comers.

So long as the screen-less model remains an option, I think the Pro variant should appear for all comers.

Maybe next year? Let’s hope Samsung expands the lineup at CES 2025, if not sooner.

Hopefully.