LG’s rollable TV costs 50 times as much as a normal OLED | GeekComparison

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  • The LG Signature OLED R rolled up.

  • The LG Signature OLED R rolled down.

  • The LG Signature OLED R in Line View mode.

LG has finally announced pricing for its 65-inch rollable OLED TV, dubbed the LG Signature OLED R: $100,000. The price was briefly revealed on LG’s website.

Aside from the roll function, the TV offers little more than other OLED TVs. The Signature OLED R doesn’t even have the best image quality LG’s OLED series has to offer. The high-end, non-rollable G1 sets (which cost just under $3,000) can achieve greater peak brightness, which is essential for making a big impression with HDR content. The rollable version instead offers similar performance to the high-end OLED sets from 2020. (The peak brightness upgrade was exclusive to the G Series in the 2021 lineup.)

The LG C1 is perhaps the most comparable set of the 2021 lineup in terms of picture quality, and the 65-inch version of that TV costs just over $2,000. That means you’re paying nearly 50 times more for the ability to roll down your TV’s screen like a car window.

That said, the Signature OLED R offers all the other features you’d expect from a top TV in 2021: four HDMI 2.1 ports for 120 Hz at 4K, support for HDR standards such as Dolby Vision, a variable refresh rate, support for Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant and Dolby Atmos audio.

And if you’re concerned about mechanical failures from rolling the TV up and down, LG says the TV will survive at least 100,000 rolls over its lifetime.

The Signature OLED R doesn’t just roll all the way into the base; it also has a mode called Line View in which part of the screen extends above the base and provides some basic information, including media playback controls, a photo widget, a clock, and more.

LG’s rollable TV concept was first unveiled as a prototype at CES 2018, but tech companies have been showing off rollable OLED prototypes for some time now; for example, we remember seeing a barebones 13-inch rollable OLED prototype at CES 2009.

Now the concept is finally a consumer reality, provided you are extravagantly wealthy. Pre-orders will begin in August, according to LG.

Update: Earlier we wrote that the Signature OLED R can handle 50,000 rolls in its life, but that was not correct. The number is 100,000. The article has been updated accordingly.

List image by LG

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