LG Thinks the Future of TVs Is Just a Tablet on a Stick

LG Thinks the Future of TVs Is Just a Tablet on a Stick

LG is giving us a sneak peek at what next year’s gadgets will look like with a preview of its CES 2022 announcements, which include two TVs that are designed to blend into your home’s decor by emulating stuff that’s already in your house. 

If you’ve ever attached your tablet to a movable stand for more comfortable gaming sessions or for watching streaming content, then you’ve essentially already experienced the new LG StanbyME TV. (Yes, it’s spelled “Stan” and not “Stand.”) With a 27-inch display, it is considerably larger than any tablet on the market. You can remove it from its adjustable stand and use it like an over-sized touchscreen tablet, but your better bet is to move it from room to room using a set of wheels hidden beneath the base of its display stand, sort of like the modern-day equivalent of a school TV cart wheeled around from classroom to classroom.

LG hasn’t released details on the technical specs of the StanbyME, but you can plug it into a wall or use it cord-free with a built-in rechargeable battery that unfortunately offers just three hours of viewing time. You can use it like any other smart TV with built-in apps for Netflix, YouTube, Amazon Prime, and other popular streaming services, or wirelessly mirror content to it from an iOS or Android smartphone. It has wired connections for connecting streaming sticks or laptops, but oddly enough the LG StanbyME doesn’t include a built-in camera. If you want to use it for video calls you need to perch your smartphone on top using a removable cradle and rely on its front-facing camera instead.

The best feature might be LG’s attempt to make the boring case colours of desktop PCs in the ‘80s and ‘90s sound like an under-appreciated design trend.

“Featuring a rear cover clad in a textural fabric and finished in an exclusive Pure Beige colour, the TV brings a warm and natural feeling to any space.”

Kudos to LG for trying to make beige sound like a deliberate design choice and not just a default colour option.

LG Thinks the Future of TVs Is Just a Tablet on a Stick

In addition to the StanbyME, LG also announced the new Objet TV, which is reminiscent of that giant painting you bought at a flea market two years ago but haven’t gotten around to hanging in the living room yet so leans against the wall with a blanket tossed over it. Instead of a blanket, the Objet TV features a sliding fabric-covered panel that can be lowered at the push of a button to reveal a generous 65-inch OLED evo panel underneath, but for easy installation LG also suggests that it can be simply leaned against a wall “at a gentle angle of up to five degrees.” Those who’d rather not leave it simply leaning also have the option to mount it flush against a wall.

The sliding panel on the Objet TV (available in three fabric colour options: Kvadrat Beige, Kvadrat Redwood, and Kvadrat Green) can also be used to only partially reveal the OLED screen, turning the set into a giant audio player or simply an information display when you’re not watching TV. The panel also hides an 80W speaker system, while the TV’s supporting frame makes it easy to hide cabling for set-top boxes, consoles, and other connected devices. Pricing details haven’t been revealed yet, but it’s probably not going to come cheap. 


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