While tech firms might be more engaged in rolling out bendable phones, LG is keen to take the same form factor to a completely new level, that of TVs. That shouldn’t be too surprising though considering that the company had already showcased a rollable TV during CES 2018. And in the runup to another edition of the CES, LG has said such a TV is going to be a market reality in 2019.
The above however comes from a source privy to the development but refused to be identified considering the classified nature of the info.
The company is yet to formally announce anything of this sort but is known to be banking heavily on rollable TVs to drive growth. As it is, TV business the world over seems to have reached a plateau while increased competition from China is only making things worse.
Under the circumstances, LG is hoping to infuse some excitement with the new form where the TV can be seen rolling down into a horizontal place holder at the bottom. The rollable TV LG showcased at CES 2018 offered 65-inches of OLED goodness, and the same display tech is expected to feature in the actual market version as well.
That might sound a bit intriguing considering that OLEDs form a miniscule portion of TVs sold worldwide.
That said, OLEDs come nearest to offering a bendable form than traditional LCD. The prototype unit LG demoed look promising though, with the TV smartly rolling down into the base unit while getting extended again when needed. The TV offered excellent display as well, which means the rolling form is hardly a compromise.
LG is also expected to have more rollable TVs up for demo at the upcoming edition of CES next month. In fact, that is the form LG is betting quite heavily for future growth. Meanwhile, there seems quite some doubt if the company will give in to the craze at the moment, that of bendable smartphones.
It will be interesting to see if the company is ready to commit to that just yet. We look forward to having most of our doubts cleared during CED 2019.
