Samsung makes a TV inspired by typeface – and it’s quite beautiful
The Serif TV is a throwback to the large, striking TV sets of yesteryear
TV these days pretty much all look the same. Sure, some might be a bit curvy but by and large they’re all skinny black or silver-framed rectangles. Samsung’s new Serif TV wants to be a little bit different.
Inspired by serifed fonts like Times New Roman, the TV looks like an upper-case “I” from the side – there are ledges that jut out forwards and backwards at the top and bottom of the screen, and the chassis bucks the current “thin is in” line of thinking by being a good few inches in depth.
The casing actually acts like a stand, with the wide bottom edge allowing you to safely place the Serif on any flat surface, but there’s also the option to add four narrow legs, making it into an elegant floor-stander. The Serif’s other defining physical trait is its fabric panel-covered back, which serves to hide away unsightly cables and ports from view.
Overall it’s quite the impressive effort, and proof positive of Samsung’s determination to break away from its reputation for uninspired design and plasticky products. The TV was created in partnership with Parisian design studio Ronan & Erwan Bouroullec, which has also reworked Samsung’s Smart TV interface into a far more elegant, stylised UI – when brought up, it looks almost like a semi-opaque curtain has been pulled across whatever’s on screen.
Let’s talk technical. The Serif TV will be available in three sizes: large is around 40 inches with a 4K resolution; medium is 30 inches with a 1080p resolution; and small is 24 inches with a 1080p resolution. Large and medium are available in white or dark blue finishes, while the small model is available in white or red. All have Wi-Fi and smart functionality built-in, and can act as a Bluetooth speaker.
We don’t yet know pricing for all the models, but the large will be available from 2nd November for around £1,200.
[Source: Samsung]
Sam Kieldsen
Contributor 
