CES 2022 is only a few short weeks away, and you can bet we’ll see a ton of news surrounding the latest, flashiest TVs with OLED, Mini LED, MicroLED, and more. But before we get there, LG is making an early announcement to put a spotlight on two unconventional TVs that are coming next year in addition to whatever the company has in store for CES.
To me, the standout is the LG StanbyME, a 27-inch TV that can operate wirelessly on battery power and be wheeled around on its height-adjustable stand. (You can also detach the screen from the stand if you want to plop that sucker onto your lap.) When attached to the stand, the display can swivel, tilt, or be rotated to portrait orientation.
LG says the StanbyME can last for up to three hours on a charge, so while it’ll handle a movie or two without issue, you’ll have to be mindful of runtimes and keep it plugged in for Titanic or Lord of the Rings marathons. LG doesn’t make 27-inch OLED panels, so we’re looking at an LCD screen here. The company isn’t yet sharing details on its resolution or other features like HDR.
The StanbyME has a touchscreen interface and will offer streaming apps like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and YouTube. It will also support NFC for smartphone mirroring. As for connectivity, there’s a USB port and at least one HDMI input. And the back of the set has a fabric finish.
LG is also tonight announcing the Objet, a high-design OLED TV that’s meant to be leaned against a wall instead of mounted or put on a traditional stand. The fabric cover under the 65-inch screen can be raised or lowered with the remote. According to LG, it’s interchangeable and will come in three colors that are all the work of “Danish textile innovator, Kvadrat.”
Similar to the ultra-luxury rollable OLED, this gives the TV different modes including Full View, which is self-explanatory, and Line View, which shows widgets like the weather and music when part of the display is covered by the stylish fabric. The Objet feels like an attempt from LG to further take on Samsung’s “lifestyle” TVs like The Frame.
The Objet uses an OLED Evo panel, which first debuted in 2021’s G1 Series and offers higher peak brightness than LG’s older OLEDs. As for audio, there’s a 80-watt, 4.2-channel sound system built into the device.
LG isn’t announcing pricing or release details for either the StanbyME or Objet right now; we should hear more about them when they’re available to stand around in homes in the months to come.