Skip to main content

Digital Trends may earn a commission when you buy through links on our site. Why trust us?

2019 could be the year LG finally rolls out its OLED TV

 

LG has been teasing its flexible OLED technology for 10 years. That’s a lot of time to spend waiting, hoping, and even longing for something that we thought was just around the corner. But this time, it could be for real. LG will start selling a 65-inch roll-up OLED TV next year, reports Bloomberg, and we really hope it’s true.

Recommended Videos

Unlike previous rumours surrounding the imminent sale of new tech, this one feels highly credible. After showing off hand-rolled prototypes for years, LG finally demonstrated a motorized version at this year’s CES. It’s also worth pointing out that the company’s current W-series OLED TV is basically a precursor to a fully rollable display — it exhibits an impressive amount of flexibility, and is remarkably thin.

Before you get all psyched at the idea of rolling up your OLED TV, sticking it in a poster tube, and setting it up at a friend’s house, it’s unlikely that LG sees this as a portability-based design. What’s more likely, is that TVs based on the roll-up tech will be marketed as an alternative to Samsung’s frame TV. Why pretend that your 65-inch TV is actually a piece of art, when it can just disappear completely? Doing so would give people way more choice over TV placement, traditionally a source of relationship strife. OLED technology, with its incredible brightness, contrast, and off-angle view-ability, is already the perfect candidate for spots where lesser TVs would be washed out by challenging lighting conditions. Adding the ability to roll it up would make it the Houdini of TVs. Now you see it … well, you get the idea.

Image used with permission by copyright holder

We suspect that interior designers will be as anxious to get their hands on the new TV as we are, given the virtually unlimited options the technology represents.

You want to know what this unicorn of a TV will cost, don’t you? So do we. Unfortunately, the rumour was not accompanied by a price tag, which means the wait is still not over. Still, CES is only weeks away; if LG were going to officially launch a roll-up OLED TV, this would be the obvious time for it to roll out its plans.

Simon Cohen
Simon Cohen is a contributing editor to Digital Trends' Audio/Video section, where he obsesses over the latest wireless…
Samsung prices its entry-level S85D OLED TV starting at $1,700
Samsung S85D 4K OLED TV.

In January, Samsung teased that it would be adding a new line of OLED TVs priced below the S95D and S90D. That new model is the S85D and we now know that it will come in 55-, 65-, and 77-inch sizes, with prices starting at $1,700. This puts Samsung and LG on an even playing field in terms of OLED pricing, at least as it relates to LG's OLED C4 lineup.

Samsung has also confirmed new sizes for its S90D OLED TV, which will now be available in tiny (42-inch) and huge (83-inch) versions in addition to the previously announced 48-, 55-, 65-, and 77-inch models.

Read more
OLED vs. LED: Which kind of TV display is better?
LG G1 OLED evo vs. Sony A90J OLED.

If you're looking to buy a new TV, then the two major technologies you'll need to consider when making your decision, is whether you want to buy an OLED TV, or an LED one. There are sub categories of each of these, such as QLED, and even QD-OLED, but the main underlying technologies are OLED and LED.

Picking one of these types of TV over the other will help you nail down the kind of experience you can expect from your TV, and a rough idea about how much your potential purchase might cost. OLED arguably remains the better-looking of the two standards, but it is usually much more expensive too. It's not a clear winner, either, as LED (particularly Mini-LED) TVs get so bright, they're much better suited to daytime viewing and living rooms -- even if OLED is typically better for darker, cinema-like experiences.

Read more
LG’s 2024 OLED evo TVs available for preorder and start at $1,500
2024 LG OLED evo G4 TV.

After wowing us at CES 2024 with a sneak peek of its transparent OLED TV and its newest wireless OLED M4, LG has now officially released the first prices and availability of its newest OLED evo G4 and C4 models, which start at $1,500. Preorders are available starting February 28 on LG.com, with deliveries expected to happen in late March.

As part of its preorder promotion, if you buy either model through March 17, 2024, you'll get a free LG Smart Cam, plus free wall mounting or TV stand setup. There's also a 25% discount on LG's OLED-compatible soundbars (SG10TY / SC9S) when you order them with select LG OLED evo G4 and C4 TV models.

Read more