#CES2021: LG showcases OLED, MiniLED TVs and WebOS 6.0
Korean consumer electronics giant LG unveiled new TVs and teased the LG Rollable phone at its CES 2021 press conference. In the spirit of the first-ever virtual CES, a segment of LG's event was hosted by a completely virtual person, Reah Keem. More importantly, LG announced improved OLED TVs, the updated WebOS 6.0 smart TV operating system, and a range of 8K TVs.
Next-gen Evo OLED technology: 55-inch to 85-inch gaming-ready TVs
LG incorporated a new "luminous element" in its C1 and G1 series of OLED TVs promising enhanced brightness. These devices will feature the Alpha 9 Gen 4 AI processors to optimize content delivery, HDMI 2.1 ports, and variable refresh rate with G-Sync as well as FreeSync support. Both product line-ups use LG's Sound Pro feature, which emulates a 5.1.2 sound system using TV speakers.
QNED MiniLED TVs: Brighter, clearer, and color-rich 8K LCDs
LG has incorporated its MiniLED tech, also likely to be seen on Apple products, in its latest 4K and 8K TVs. Conventional LCD backlight elements are replaced by up to 30,000 tiny LEDs for better color accuracy, detail, and brightness. Their largest variant, at 86 inches, features nearly 2,500 local dimming zones. The QNED TVs will be the cream of LG's LCD range.
WebOS 6.0 with re-designed UI; NFC equipped Magic Remote
LG's all-new crisp UI for its smart TVs, called WebOS 6.0, is claimed to be a complete re-design from the previous version. The C1 and G1 series, touched upon earlier, will feature the new OS and Magic Remote. The remote controller boasts of NFC pairing capability and comprehensive voice command control via Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa.
LG Rollable phone concept teased; details unclear
Although LG didn't share any details on-stage, it slipped in a teaser of a rollable phone during the video presentation. The LG Rollable smartphone employs a rollable OLED panel to expand width-wise into the tablet form factor. The device is considered LG's answer to the Galaxy Z Fold2. There's no official release date, but the phone is expected to launch sometime later this year.
Transparent TVs in the works; Interesting use cases showcased
Before CES, LG demonstrated the transparent OLED TV concept. The device can achieve 40% transparency, even while displaying content. This is an improvement compared to previous models that, LG claims, achieved only 10% transparency. A short video demo showed the TV emerging from a bed's footboard. The product clearly seems to be positioned as a lifestyle accessory, and won't be competing with conventional TVs.
Reah Keem: A digital hostess for a truly digital experience
Interestingly, a segment of LG's conference was hosted by a completely computer-generated musician called Reah Keem, whose existence was promoted by LG on Instagram. For the presentation, Reah sported a pink hoodie that read, "Stay punk forever." Keem covered products such as the CLOi UV-C Robot for disinfection of high-footfall public spaces and LG's Gram series of thin-and-light notebooks.
