German TV maker Loewe is building on the launch of its super-stylish and high end Stellar OLED TV with another, slightly more affordable but almost as luxurious model, called the Loewe Inspire dr+.
The premium electronics manufacturer has been extremely busy this year, taking advantage of the new, on-site OLED display finishing facilities at its headquarters in Kronach, Germany, which came online earlier this year. Within that facility, Loewe is uniquely able to put the finishing touches on its OLED displays and enhance their performance, giving it an edge over every one of its competitors, who cannot do the same.
The Loewe Stellar OLED was the first TV announced after that announcement, and is intended to be the company’s flagship product this year, while the Inspire dr+ is more of a mid-range OLED TV, that notable doesn’t feature LG Display’s latest OLED panel with Micro Lens Array technology.
Rather, the Loewe Inspire dr+ uses a standard OLED panel, making it a bit more affordable, but the company insists it’s still a high-quality product in every respect.
It’s billed as the “ultimate home entertainment all-rounder” and will be available in 48-, 55-, 65- and 77-inch sizes later this year.
Despite not having MLA tech, Loewe insisted that the Inspire dr+ will still deliver the “pinnacle of picture quality”, thanks to its own in-house customizations of the OLED panel that are designed to replicate “filmmaker picture and colour standards for perfect movie reproduction right out of the box”.
The Loewe Inspire dr+ appears to be a replacement for the company’s bild i models that first launched in 2021, when the company itself re-entered the premium TV market after recovering from bankruptcy. It features an all-new SL850 chassis and is said to be powered by a super-high performance CPU and GPU combo that delivers “ultra-fast processing”. Dolby Vision, HDR10 and HLG are all supported.
The sound promises to be just as impressive as the picture quality, for the Inspire dr+ is compatible with Loewe’s soundbars and speaker systems, such as the klang bar3 that launched last year. By pairing the TV with an external audio device, users gain extensive multi-channel options with support for Dolby Atmos and DTS Play-Fi surround sound.
The company didn’t reveal much about the built-in sound system, but it did say the Lower Inspire dr+ will be powered by its own VIDAA-based os8 operating system, which provides a streamlined UI with access to the likes of Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and other streaming services. The TV also incorporates an electronic programming guide and a 1 terabyte hard drive for recording live shows. On the back, there are two full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 ports that support 120Hz refresh rates with VRR and auto low-latency mode, making the Inspire dr+ very gamer-friendly.
As always with Loewe, the design of the TV is very stylish, with a refined, minimalist look that sees the cables and connections hidden beneath a magnetic rear cover. However, the Inspire dr+ doesn’t have quite the same vibe as the Stellar OLED, which is notable for its concrete back plate – instead, it simply uses plastic. That said, there are modular design options, with buyers able to choose from a range of TV stands or a wall mount.
Loewe said the Inspire dr+ will go on sale later this month when the first 55-inch and 65-inch models hit the shops. It said those models will be priced at £3,099 and £3,899 respectively. Those who’re more interested in the 48-inch or 77-inch versions will have to wait until September, with prices for those pegged at £2,799 and £5,999.
The Inspire dr+ series is therefore cheaper than the Stellar OLED series, which comes in the same four size options, with prices ranging from £3,799 for the 48-inch mode, to £9,499 for the 77-incher.
