LG’s 2020 OLED TVs Preview – Smaller, flatter and rollable in the resit

This year, in the same suite at the Mandalay Bay hotel in Las Vegas, we were again shown a roll-up OLED TV that will go on sale this year. Naturally, we asked why last year’s R9 did not actually go on sale, but all employees were clearly instructed not to answer this question. So we can only guess why the TV didn’t make it to the shops: we think LG was shocked by the negative publicity that Samsung got last year by marketing the foldable Galaxy Fold while this phone clearly had not been tested enough before production started.

The new rollable television is now called RX, with the X being pronounced ‘ten’ by LG employees. So it is a new model, but on the outside there is no difference with last year’s R9. It is again a 65″ model. In fact, we wouldn’t be surprised if LG showed exactly the same models as they were shown at CES and IFA last year, but with new software. In any case, the models will that will be sold are subcutaneously different, because all new OLED televisions that have been announced use the third generation of LG’s Alpha 9 image processor. When the RX will be available and what the roll-up TV will cost is not yet known.

gx

As far as we are concerned, the most eye-catching really new OLED TV that LG showed was the GX. This TV has a 4k OLED panel and will be available in sizes 55, 65 and 77 inches. The new design, which LG has given the name Gallery Design , is the thinnest OLED TV ever, at least if you include all electronics. The image panel of OLED TVs has always been thin – about five millimeters – but because space is also needed for the electronics, connections and speakers, the housings were about four centimeters thicker at the bottom. The wallpaper models from the W series, which will be available again this year, were flatter, but they required a large soundbar that had to be placed on a piece of furniture or shelf below the screen and with a flat cableto be connected to the screen.

The GX has everything in the same housing and is only 20mm thick. The connections are made in recesses at the back, so that the TV can be mounted tightly against a wall. You will receive the wall bracket required for this with the TV as a gift. The bracket fits in a different recess at the back and is equipped with smart clips that prevent the TV from falling off the bracket. The TV can be moved a little bit to hang it level without having to drill holes in the wall again. The TV can also be pulled slightly away from the wall and rotated a few degrees.

A super flat design looks super sleek, but of course has consequences for the sound quality. After all, there is little space available in the 2 cm thick housing that can function as a sound box. The speakers are mounted on the bottom and directed downwards. We were able to listen to the sound that came out for a short time. While it certainly didn’t sound bad, we weren’t overly impressed with the bass response.

CX

The RX and GX are beautiful televisions, but these models will of course not be for most of us. Fortunately, a successor to the very popular C9 has also been announced. The CX will also be available in 48″ format for the first time since the introduction of OLED televisions. Until now (not counting some early models ), OLED TVs were only available in sizes 55″, 65 ” and 77″. Last year, 88″ was added due to the introduction of 8k OLEDs, but they were never smaller than 55″.

This not only means that more people can place an OLED TV in their viewing room, but that more people can also afford it. LG hasn’t announced prices yet, but we think the 48″ CX will retail for under a thousand euros. The price will be a bit higher at launch, but we’d be surprised if it didn’t go under the magic spell sometime in the fall. The smallest OLED to date could also become the best-selling to date.

In terms of design, not much has changed compared to the C9. Only the metal of the foot looks a bit darker. The specifications are also almost the same; the color range and brightness have remained the same, just like last year and the year before. According to LG, the upscaling of the Alpha 9 image processor has been improved because it would now recognize the played footage. In a short movie we were shown that the TV could distinguish between film, sports and animation. All television manufacturers praise their upscalers, especially when it comes to 8k and the lack of content, but we are generally not that impressed with upscaling. There are certainly very good algorithms for upscaling photos, but the computing power required in a TV is simply limited.