We’re used to seeing a lot of creative design choices from Loewe, what with TVs plated with gold and others that are encased in stone. But its latest OLED model really takes the biscuit, using “cooled lava” – yes, the stuff that comes out of volcanos.
The new TV is called the Loewe Stellar Alu Black + Lava, and that novel material design doesn’t come cheap, with prices starting at £3,299.
If you’re wondering why Loewe has chosen to use lava in its newest telly, cast your mind back to those geography lessons you had at school. You’ll recall that when it first comes out of the volcano, lava tends to be extremely HOT, orange and kinda gloopy, because heated rock isn’t the most viscous of materials. It’s not something that immediately comes to mind when thinking of making a TV.
But Loewe hit upon the clever idea of waiting for the lava to cool down naturally, before crushing it up into a fine “volcanic powder” that’s then mixed with concrete. It uses this material to forge the back panel of the Loewe Stellar Alu Black + Lava.
What this means is that the TV has an especially cool, eye-catching and textured look, which will go to waste if you decide to mount it on a wall. We therefore recommend setting it up with the supplied motorised stand, so it’s easy to show it off.
According to Loewe there are some surprising practical reasons to use lava. It says lava is one of the most abundant natural materials in the world, making up 84% of the planet’s mass, so it’s obviously a great choice in terms of sustainability. In addition, it provides great sound insulation and vibration dampening, the company claims.
Loewe also talks about lava’s “superior strength, anti-corrosive properties and longevity, plus its resistance to heat”, unless, of course, you’re living on top of a volcano that gets hot enough to melt it again.
We must remember that the Loewe Stellar Alu Black + Lava is actually a TV, and the front of it should be pretty good too. It boasts a customised 4K Micro Lens Array OLED panel that supports refresh rates of up to 144Hz, as well as VRR and ALLM. There are four HDMI 2.1 ports too, which should make it a great choice for gamers.
The customised OLED panels are supplied by LG Display, but finished at Loewe’s factory in Germany, which makes them different from the panels you’ll find on alternative OLED models.
Elsewhere, there’s an 80-watt soundbar integrated with the TV, and it runs on a customised version of Samsung’s Tizen operating system. Uniquely, there’s also a built-in solid-state drive for recording episodes of “The World’s Wildest Volcano Eruptions”, or whatever else takes your fancy.
The use of lava suggests that, as with most of Loewe’s products, the Loewe Stellar Alu Black + Lava is a premium TV and it has a suitably high price tag to reinforce that status. The 42-inch version will set you back £3,299, and there are also 48-inch, 55-inch and 65-inch options, priced at £3,799, £4,299 and £5,999 respectively.
It’ll go on sale towards the end of February, and you’ll be able to find it at select luxury retailers, including Harrods.
