When you buy through our links, Business Insider may earn an affiliate commission. Learn moreThe Ember Artline is Amazon's first go at a frame-style smart TV.Tyler Hayes/Business InsiderAmazon's Ember Artline TV is its answer to Samsung's popular Frame TV. Its design is meant to resemble art hanging on your wall, and it gets really close in a lot of ways. However, the Artline TV misses the mark in one key area: It doesn't get the frame quite right.The Ember Artline covers all the basics of a gallery-style TV. It has an anti-reflective screen, a flush wall mount, and access to a ton of artwork. But the actual frame of the display is broken up by a noticeable black sensor front and center. That major design quirk ultimately keeps it looking more like a regular TV than framed art.This is unfortunate because I've tested all of the best art TVs from Samsung, Hisense, and TCL. All of those products recognize that a key foundation of a convincing frame-style display is an uninterrupted border.Amazon gets close to delivering a killer product, but I just can't get over this design decision. If you don't find the sensor as distracting as I do, the Artline TV is an otherwise decent alternative to similar sets from the competition, especially when it's on sale for less than those rivals. But when it's sold at full price, I recommend frame-style models from Samsung, Hisense, or TCL instead.The Artline is available in 2 sizes and includes a slim wall mount.The TV can be hung fairly flush to your wall with the included slim mount.Tyler Hayes/Business InsiderThe Amazon Ember Artline TV is available in two sizes: 55 and 65 inches. I reviewed the 55-inch model, but the general specs and features are the same across both sizes. The 55-inch option retails for $900 but is sometimes on sale for $700, while the 65-inch model retails for $1,100 and is sometimes discounted to $900.The TV comes with a slim wall mount in the box, like a lot of the other art-style displays, but it doesn't include a stand. If you don't want to hang the TV up, you'll need to buy a stand separately for an extra $20.The mount itself has its quirks, like being hard to hook in without a second set of eyes and hands for guidance. But it can also pivot a few degrees if you need to angle it in either direction, and it generally looks nice when installed.The TV's build quality is pretty standard, and its magnetic frame attachments work well. The Artline includes one frame in the box, and you can choose between 10 different styles when purchasing the TV. The looks range from different metals and woods to plain colors. I chose a silver frame because I was curious how this unique color option would look in my room. They snap on easily, so you can switch them out for various occasions. Just be aware that additional frames retail for $75 to $85 each.The large sensor bar and integrated inputs hurt the TV's art frame illusionAmazon's Omnisense bar sticks out like a sore thumb.Tyler Hayes/Business InsiderAs I mentioned in the intro, the Ember Artline TV has a very noticeable sensor right underneath the frame. This is Amazon's Omnisense bar, which enables hands-free voice control and motion detection. Though it has its purpose, it severely limits the TV's ability to look like a real piece of framed art. Some people may not be distracted by the sensor bar at all, but it bothers me to no end. There are tons of cheap, standard TVs with black plastic borders and visible IR sensors. The whole point of getting an art TV is because you want something different.This sensor is supposed to detect motion in a room to turn the TV's ambient art mode on and off, depending on how you've configured the settings. But this feature was hit-or-miss. With the motion detection range set to "medium" distance, it never turned on. After changing it to "far," it worked more consistently. However, with such a massive sensor bar, I'm pretty shocked that motion detection and all of its uses aren't perfect.If you don't have an outlet behind the TV and can't run cables through the wall, cords will be visible hanging down.Tyler Hayes/Business InsiderWhen it comes to inputs, the Artline has three HDMI 2.0 ports and one HDMI 2.1 eARC port. But unlike many Samsung Frame models, the Ember Artline doesn't use a separate breakout box. All inputs are housed directly on the back of the TV. I prefer the functionality of a separate box because it keeps your wall free of multiple wires, but many people like built-in ports. Samsung even switched to integrated inputs for its latest 2026 Frame TV. In this case, the Artline's frame illusion is already marred by its sensor bar, so what's the harm of having a few HDMI cables dangling from behind the TV? Of course, you can still hide the power cable if you have a recessed outlet behind the TV on your wall, and you can hide other cords if drilling is an option. But I find a separate box to be a more convenient solution for external devices.Besides the black sensor bar f
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