LG Electronics stole the show on the opening day of IFA 2022 with the launch of what is believed to be the world’s first ever bendable OLED TV, called the LG Flex. The 42-inch display can go from a flat screen to a curved screen at the click of a button
Users may well be delighted to discover that there are exactly 20 degrees of curve available, allowing them to get the screen in just the right position to suit whatever it is they’re doing. The basic idea is that gamers will use the TV in curved mode when they’re sitting up close, as there is something to be said for having every part of the display at the same distance to your eyes. Then, when it’s time to kick back and relax with a movie or TV show, the TV can revert back to a traditional flat screen.
The LG Flex is based on the LG C2 OLED TV and it has the exact same panel an all of its excellent gaming features. So users can expect four HDMI 2.1 ports rated at 48Gbps, auto low-latency mode, Variable Refresh Rate, 4K at 120Hz with Dolby Vision and built-in support for video game streaming services like GeForce Now and Google Stadia.
There are a few more tricks up the LG Flex’s sleeve too. As well as curving, the display can be raised or lowered and tilted forwards or backwards to get it just right. The TV stand has customisable LED lighting built in, something that’s popular with gaming monitors, and it also has twice as much audio power from its internal speakers - 40 watts instead of 20 watts. Moreover, users can switch to an ultra-widescreen aspect ratio and customise their gaming and picture settings with even more granular options than what’s available on the C2.
Also onboard is a standard headphone jack, which is not present on the LG C2, plus there’s a game chat-optimized microphone built in too. Add to that, three USB ports that will enable users to add lots of peripheral devices.
Last but not least, the LG Flex boasts an enhanced anti-reflective coating that the company said reduces reflections by 25% more than the LG C2. That’s likely to be appreciated by gamers who like to sit up close to the screen.
For all of the gaming customisations, the LG Flex remains a very capable OLED TV in its own right. It features the webOS operating system and a full selection of video streaming apps, with the same TV tuner and A9 Gen5 video processor that delivers super-sharp images on LG’s other premium OLED models. Users also get the same LG Magic Remote, though it has an extra, dedicated button for adjusting the curve of the display.
Users might find a couple of downsides to the LG Flex. For instance, it lacks a DisplayPort socket, which could be a problem for some PC gamers. However, LG justifies this decision by saying that console gamers require HDMI 2.1 and that DisplayPort lacks the bandwidth to support premium gaming features. A second potential problem is that it’s impossible to detach the screen from its stand, because the curve’s motors are located there. So it’s not possible to wall mount the LG Flex.
Despite those potential issues, LG is clearly hoping the LG Flex will prove to be a big hit with gamers. For now, there’s only a single, 42-inch size option, which makes sense because the 42-inch OLED TVs have proven to be especially popular with gamers. There’s no word yet on the price tag, but given the extra functionality we can expect it to be quite a bit more expensive than the LG C2.
