News + Trends
LG's rollable OLED TV is finally on the market – in South Korea, that is
by Luca Fontana
LG is launching Switzerland’s first rollable OLED TV
13.4.2021
Translation: Eva Francis
Good things come to those who wait. The saying is almost as old as LG's promise to launch the first rollable OLED TV. But now the long wait over.
Dreams really do come true: LG is launching its roll-up OLED TV. When, I hear you ask? This year. When else. I'm choosing my words wisely. Why? I said exactly the same in my LG news article last October.
There’s a bit of a backstory to this. It starts in 2017 and can be summarised as «LG is launching the world's first rollable OLED TV this year». Since then, the South Korean TV manufacturer never gets tired of repeating this message. Every year. So when’s the infamous «this year» going to be? Nobody knows.
Maybe this year?
Launch event in Zurich
This year could actually be the year. While my October news only mentioned the launch in South Korea – which was postponed, by the way – today's launch event at the Bulgari store in Zurich was about the Swiss market.
This gives me hope.
Having said that, LG still hasn’t communicated a reliable sales launch date. But LG wouldn't make such a fuss if they didn't at least intend to back up their words with actions. At least, I managed to get an LG spokesperson to tell me the following: In three to five months, at the earliest, the first R models would be available to buy. Maybe. Depending on when the first pre-orders are possible.
Why does that still sound like dreams of the future?
But what we do know is this: LG didn’t choose the elegant location for the Swiss launch of its noble prestige project by chance. That explains the retail price: the ultra-thin TV that rolls up into an aluminium housing at the push of a button is supposed to cost 100,000 francs in this country.
The housing doubles as soundbar including subwoofer – a 4.2 sound system with 100 watts of total power. 40 W for the bass alone. Nice one, Samsung.
Speaking of nice: this TV boasts premium features. That goes without saying. UHD resolution, a 120 Hz panel, Dolby Vision IQ, Filmmaker Mode and a Triple Tuner. The housing features all necessary ports on the back. HDMI 2.1 with eARC, VRR, HFR and ALLM. Not that the TV is specifically aimed at gamers in terms of HDMI and frame rate – not at this price – but it doesn't hurt. And at that price, anything else would be a disappointment.
Call me crazy. Something tells me that the OLED R will actually hit the Swiss market «this year». Why do I think that? Maybe it's because I was told that I'll get to test the OLED R myself pretty soon.
Maybe even... this year.
Luca Fontana
Senior Editor
Luca.Fontana@digitecgalaxus.chI'm an outdoorsy guy and enjoy sports that push me to the limit – now that’s what I call comfort zone! But I'm also about curling up in an armchair with books about ugly intrigue and sinister kingkillers. Being an avid cinema-goer, I’ve been known to rave about film scores for hours on end. I’ve always wanted to say: «I am Groot.»
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