There's a particular magic in the liminal spaces of modern living — those moments when technology transcends function to become something more intimate, more human. In the soft glow of afternoon light, your living room wall displays Monet's water lilies with the quiet dignity of a museum gallery. But as dusk settles and friends arrive, that same wall transforms into a portal: a racing circuit in Monaco, a battlefield in some distant galaxy, a puzzle-filled kingdom where every pixel pulses with purpose.

This is the promise of art TVs — displays that honor both contemplation and competition, that understand a home should be a place of beauty and play. But can these gallery-minded screens truly serve the demands of modern gaming? Can Samsung Frame vs HiSense CanvasTV gaming performance satisfy both the art lover and the competitor within us?

The dual identity of modern art TVs: gallery by day, gaming arena by night

We tested both displays not just as screens, but as partners in the complex choreography of contemporary life — measuring their ability to disappear into your décor during quiet moments, then emerge as capable gaming displays when the evening calls for adventure. From HDMI 2.1 support and 4K 120Hz performance to the subtleties of VRR implementation and input lag, this exploration reveals which art TV better serves the multifaceted rhythms of home.

HDMI 2.1 Support & Next-Gen Console Compatibility

The foundation of modern gaming performance lies in HDMI 2.1 support. This newer standard enables the bandwidth necessary for 4K gaming at 120Hz, variable refresh rates, and enhanced audio return channel (eARC) functionality that serious gamers demand.

The Samsung Frame: Curated Minimalism

Like a gallery that carefully selects its exhibitions, the Samsung Frame (2022-2024 models) offers one HDMI 2.1 port alongside three HDMI 2.0 connections. This singular premium connection handles the sophisticated demands of next-generation consoles, supporting 4K@120Hz with the full 48 Gbps bandwidth that makes liquid-smooth gaming possible.

The philosophy here mirrors the Frame's aesthetic approach: intentional curation over abundance. That single 2.1 port also serves dual duty as the eARC connection, creating an elegant pipeline for pristine audio to flow to soundbars or receivers. It's a choice that speaks to homes where every connection has purpose, where simplicity serves sophistication.

HiSense CanvasTV: Democratic Abundance

The CanvasTV takes a more generous approach to connectivity, offering two HDMI 2.1 ports alongside two HDMI 2.0 connections. This configuration speaks to households where gaming is a shared language — where a PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X might coexist, where friends arrive with their own consoles, where choice doesn't require sacrifice.

The CanvasTV's dual HDMI 2.1 configuration: built for homes where gaming is a shared experience

According to comprehensive testing by RTINGS, both 2.1 ports deliver the full 48 Gbps bandwidth, creating genuine flexibility for multi-console households. One port remains dedicated to eARC audio, but there's no hierarchy of connections — no choosing between gaming experiences. It's democracy in action, abundance as a design philosophy.

4K 120Hz Gaming Performance & Variable Refresh Rate Mastery

In the intricate ballet of modern gaming, there exists a moment of perfect synchronization — when every frame renders in harmony with your intent, when the boundary between thought and action dissolves into pure fluidity. This is the realm of high refresh rate gaming, where 120Hz becomes more than a specification: it becomes the difference between experiencing a game and simply watching it unfold.

Both art TVs understand this delicate choreography, yet their approaches to achieving gaming smoothness reflect their distinct personalities. The question isn't merely whether they can support 4K@120Hz — it's how gracefully they transition between the contemplative stillness of displayed art and the kinetic demands of competitive play.

Samsung Frame: The Steadfast Performer

The Frame approaches high refresh rate gaming with the confidence of a well-established gallery — 4K@120Hz gaming flows through its HDMI 2.1 port with practiced ease, supporting FreeSync Premium Pro and HDMI Forum VRR. When consoles speak, the Frame listens, automatically shifting to Game Mode with the intuitive grace of dimming gallery lights when evening arrives.

In our testing across PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X titles — the liquid velocity of Call of Duty: Modern Warfare II, the sweeping vistas of Forza Horizon 5 — the Frame maintains its 120Hz promise with unwavering consistency. VRR engagement happens seamlessly, framerates scaling between 40-120Hz like a conductor's baton guiding the orchestra through complex passages.

HiSense CanvasTV: The Ambitious Virtuoso

Where the Frame offers reliability, the CanvasTV reaches for something more audacious: a 144Hz native panel that stands virtually alone among art-focused displays. This elevated refresh rate creates breathing room — space for PC gaming to flourish, headroom for console experiences to feel effortlessly smooth, a technical foundation that hints at futures not yet fully realized.

Yet ambition carries complexity. While the CanvasTV's 144Hz capability impresses, its VRR implementation tells a more nuanced story. Tom's Guide's testing reveals smooth operation in the 48-144Hz range, but occasional stuttering when framerates venture below 40fps — a reminder that cutting-edge specifications sometimes require careful orchestration to achieve their full potential.

Input Lag Testing & Competitive Gaming Readiness

There's an intimacy to competitive gaming that transcends the visual — it's the tactile conversation between fingertip and trigger, the microscecond dialogue between intention and action. In this realm, input lag becomes more than a technical specification; it's the difference between existing within the game world and being forever separated from it by the thin membrane of delay.

Both displays understand this delicate relationship, yet their approaches to minimizing the gap between thought and pixel reveal different philosophies about the nature of responsive play. When art transforms into arena, these specifications matter not just for performance, but for presence.

The Frame: Competitive Grace

In the Frame's response times, we find the measured confidence of a master craftsman — approximately 10-11ms input lag in Game Mode at 4K@60Hz, with even swifter responses at 120Hz refresh rates. This places the display comfortably within competitive gaming territory, though it acknowledges the specialized realm of dedicated gaming monitors with humble honesty.

Game Mode activation flows automatically with ALLM-compatible devices, the transition as seamless as gallery lights dimming for an evening exhibition. The matte display coating, which so beautifully diffuses harsh reflections during art display, introduces no additional processing delays — maintaining the responsive feel that transforms casual button presses into precise competitive movements.

The CanvasTV: Technical Promise, Real-World Nuance

The CanvasTV achieves technically superior numbers — around 9-10ms input lag in Game Mode — yet the relationship between specification and experience proves more complex. While marginally faster in pure measurement, the display's motion processing and upscaling algorithms occasionally introduce micro-stutters in visually complex scenes, creating a disconnect between promise and performance.

For casual and story-driven gaming, these nuances fade into irrelevance. The CanvasTV excels in single-player experiences where visual beauty matters more than split-second timing, its matte display reducing eye strain during extended sessions in ways that pure performance metrics cannot capture.

Real-World Gaming Experience Across Genres

Specifications dissolve into irrelevance the moment controller meets palm, when the evening's first game loads and your living room transforms from gallery to arena. To understand how these art TVs perform for gaming, we needed to move beyond measurements into the realm of lived experience — testing both displays across the full spectrum of how we actually play.

From the architectural precision of next-generation console experiences to the nostalgic warmth of retro gaming, each display revealed its character not through charts and graphs, but through the subtle ways it translated digital worlds into emotional experiences. This is where philosophy becomes practice, where the promise of art-meets-gaming either fulfills itself or reveals its limitations.

Next-Generation Console Harmony

PlayStation 5 & Xbox Series X: Both displays welcome current-generation consoles with the grace of seasoned hosts. In the sweeping cityscapes of Spider-Man: Miles Morales and the infinite vistas of Halo Infinite, 4K@60Hz performance flows effortlessly. When games like Call of Duty and Rocket League call for 120Hz modes, both displays answer with the confidence of artists who understand their medium.

Yet subtle differences emerge in their interpretations. The Frame's conservative VRR range proves advantageous in graphically demanding titles where framerates dance between 45-60fps — a steady hand that maintains visual harmony even when digital worlds demand everything from the silicon beneath. The CanvasTV's wider VRR window serves PC gaming better, especially for users connecting high-end graphics cards capable of pushing frame rates into territories that console gaming rarely visits.

Nintendo Switch & the Poetry of Nostalgia

For Nintendo Switch gaming, both displays excel at the delicate art of upscaling — transforming 1080p content into 4K presentations without losing the essential character that makes Nintendo's worlds so distinctive. The matte screens perform a particular magic here, reducing the artificial gloss that can make Switch games appear synthetic on premium displays, instead providing a natural, almost poster-like quality that honors Nintendo's artistic vision.

Retro gaming through original hardware reveals another layer of these displays' personalities. The CanvasTV's 144Hz panel provides additional smoothness for 60fps classic content, while the Frame's processing maintains authentic pixel presentation without the over-sharpening that can strip vintage games of their intended aesthetic. Both understand that sometimes the most advanced technology serves best when it knows to step aside.

HDR Gaming & Visual Quality

HDR gaming reveals the most significant differences between these displays. The Samsung Frame achieves slightly higher peak brightness (around 590 nits vs CanvasTV's 420 nits), providing more impactful HDR highlights in games like Horizon Forbidden West and Forza Horizon 5.

However, the CanvasTV's quantum dot technology delivers more saturated colors in SDR gaming, making games like Mario Odyssey and Persona 5 Royal appear more vibrant. Neither display offers local dimming, so dark scene performance remains limited compared to premium gaming TVs.

Audio Gaming Experience

Both TVs provide adequate built-in audio for casual gaming, with eARC support for dedicated gaming sound systems. The Frame's slightly better speaker tuning provides clearer dialogue in story-driven games, while the CanvasTV's DTS Virtual:X processing creates a wider soundstage for competitive multiplayer titles.

For serious gaming, both benefit significantly from external audio solutions. Their eARC implementation supports uncompressed 5.1 and 7.1 audio formats, ensuring full compatibility with gaming headsets and surround sound systems.

Gaming Recommendations: Which Art TV for Your Play Style

Choose Samsung Frame If:

You prioritize competitive gaming: Lower input lag and proven VRR implementation make the Frame better suited for online multiplayer and competitive esports titles where every millisecond matters.

You want mature ecosystem integration: Samsung's gaming hub, established SmartThings compatibility, and refined Game Mode make the Frame a more polished gaming experience overall.

HDR gaming is important: Higher peak brightness provides more impactful HDR gaming, especially valuable for cinematic single-player experiences and driving games.

Choose HiSense CanvasTV If:

You're building a multi-console setup: Two HDMI 2.1 ports eliminate the need to choose between next-gen consoles, and the budget savings allow investment in other gaming gear.

PC gaming is part of your routine: 144Hz support and wider VRR range make the CanvasTV more versatile for PC gaming at various refresh rates.

Value and vibrant colors matter: Significantly lower price point and more saturated color output make the CanvasTV excellent for casual gaming and colorful indie titles.

The Verdict: When Art Meets Performance

In the end, both the Samsung Frame and HiSense CanvasTV gaming performance reveal a deeper truth about contemporary living: that our spaces must be as multifaceted as our lives. These displays succeed not merely as gaming monitors or art frames, but as mediators between different modes of being — between contemplation and competition, between the solitary appreciation of beauty and the shared joy of play.

The Samsung Frame emerges as the perfectionist's choice, bringing refined VRR implementation and proven HDR performance to homes where polish matters as much as capability. It's the best art TV for gaming when your priority is seamless integration — when you want technology that disappears into your aesthetic vision until called upon to perform.

The HiSense CanvasTV speaks to different values: democratic access, generous connectivity, and the belief that cutting-edge gaming features shouldn't require premium prices. Its dual HDMI 2.1 ports and 144Hz ambitions make it the gaming performance review winner for households where flexibility and value create their own kind of luxury.

Yet both displays achieve something more valuable than mere technical competence. They prove that the choice between form and function — between having a beautiful home and a capable gaming setup — was always a false dichotomy. In their matte-screened presence, we glimpse a future where technology serves not just our entertainment needs, but our deeper hunger for spaces that reflect who we are and how we choose to live.

When the controller goes silent and Art Mode awakens, your wall becomes something larger than the sum of its pixels: a window into curated beauty that honors both the games we play and the lives we build around them. This, perhaps, is the true measure of any display that dares to call itself both art and entertainment — not whether it excels at one or the other, but whether it understands that in the most meaningful spaces, they were always meant to coexist.