LG is catching up with Samsung in “lifestyle” TV country and is adding a new model to its LG OLED Object Collection, which was launched last year. The new Posé is a slim bid on Samsung’s Serif; it comes in 42-inch, 48-inch and 55-inch screen sizes and will be launched in the third quarter of 2022, starting in Europe.
The Posé joins the 65-inch easel announced at CES (then called the Object), which is designed to look like an artificial donkey and has a sliding fabric cover to hide the screen. Both can display artwork or photos when not in use.
But what is a lifestyle TV? Why is there a premium for a TV looking good in our home? “Looking good when I’m in the middle of my living room” seems like an important consideration when buying a TV, just as it is when buying a sofa. It is, of course, along with the other essential specifications; bigger than my neighbor’s, better sound, excellent picture quality, and does not require me to take out a loan to pay for it. But instead, TV manufacturers have convinced us that a giant black rectangle in the middle of our home is the norm.
Whether you like the look of the Posé or the easel that I did not want in my home, the popularity of Samsung’s The Frame TV, which turns the black rectangle into a compelling work of art when not in use (and I have in my home), makes it clear that there is an appetite for good design. But the current options are either expensive or sacrifice some of the features you want in a TV.
Although there is no pricing on them yet, both of LG’s new lifestyle TVs have used OLED evo technology in the company’s premium models, so they are likely to be expensive. The company’s 65-inch LG G2 Gallery Edition is $ 3,200, over $ 2,000 more than Samsung’s 65-inch The Frame, which chooses a cheaper display than Samsung’s high-end models. The frame also offers features like local attenuation, while paying around 30 percent premium for design-centered items, such as floor mounting and having all wires and connections hidden.
Posé is the smaller, and thus probably cheaper, of the two new LG options. The TV freezers in your living room, just like the Serif. But it’s slimmer than Samsung’s option, which has a thicker frame around it that can act as a shelf. Posé has LG’s Gallery Mode to display artwork or photos on its self-illuminated digital screen, similar to The Frames’ image display options. It also has an “efficient cable management system” to minimize clutter. However, we assume that there is a cord somewhere, not that LG has developed a wireless power option, as the press picture suggests.
LG is showcasing its two new arty televisions at the Salone dei Tessuti during Milan Design Week, alluding to its target audience. But lifestyle TVs should not only be hopeful. Television production has long been a game of following the leader, and there are hundreds of budget options that provide much of what the advanced brands do. But there are still only a handful of models trying to fit into your home like a piece of furniture or art and not just ugly black rectangles. It’s 2022, much earlier time for all TV manufacturers to move up and give us more affordable and better choices for the largest screen in our home.
