Jon Poeter, editor of TheVerge, says that outside of 3D applications, curved screen TVs are actually a bit of a liability. Unless you’re sitting squarely in a particular position, you’ll inevitably encounter unpleasant viewing experiences like distorted images and strong reflections. It feels like curved-screen TVs are only appearing because manufacturers can afford to make them, not because they should be made. But at this week’s Consumer Electronics Show in Berlin (IFA 2022), LG’s new 42-inch OLED Flex seems to have given us new hope.
(From: TheVerge, Jon Proter / Photo)
The OLED Flex product line, which may be introduced to the market this fall, marks another return to LG’s curved screen displays. But its best feature is still the ability to adjust from flat to a specific curvature with the help of a special stand.
RGB lighting may be more appealing to gamers, but the LG OLED Flex can be used as more than just a regular TV — although it comes with four HDMI 2.1 inputs, a built-in TV tuner, and runs webOS.
With the flick of a switch, a series of motors inside the OLED Flex go to work to roll the screen to a specific curvature. If desired, the user can also finely control the process with the navigation buttons under the screen.
During the demo, we saw the process of changing the screen of “Extreme Racing: Horizon 5”. But turning to the back of the body, its lighting effects are again quite e-sports style.
For the best viewing experience, the official recommendation is to sit 3 to 4 feet away from it. In addition, the 42-inch panel has a maximum curvature of 900R and can be adjusted in steps of 5% (20 steps).
In terms of noise, the IFA 2022 show floor was a bit noisy, but at this stage, the movement of the motor work is still hard to ignore. But outside of the adaptive bending and thick stand, the LG OLED Flex is actually not too different from the 42-inch LG C2 Smart TV.
Both are known to feature LG Display’s 4K OLED Evo panel with a 16:9 aspect ratio and 120Hz high refresh rate, and support for Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos (7.1.2 virtual surround sound).
Unfortunately, an LG spokesperson did not explicitly disclose the launch price later this year. But considering that it adds a rather complex set of mechanics to the $1,399 42-inch LG C2, we’re guessing that the LG OLED Flex of the same size will likely cost more than $2,000.
