LG has kicked off the International Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas with an ambitious line-up of products including a stunning range of super slim OLED TVs, an updated webOS to power the Internet of Things, an all-new curved smartphone and innovative new home appliances.
“Innovation for a better life” was LG’s catch phrase to describe the company’s goal to provide its customers an easier and more enjoyable experience at home, on the go and even in the car.
LG is on the front foot with OLED and this is reflected in the 2015 portfolio which is available in 4K Ultra High Definition 55-inch, 65-inch and 77-inch screen sizes.
The OLED format offers unmatched picture quality and colour reproduction because it can produce the truest black levels.
Generating black, a difficult task for LED, is the secret to perfect colour.
Because OLED is made up of pixels that produce their own emissive light, they can turn on and completely off. And when it’s off – it’s totally black.
LG’s range of OLED 4K UHD TVs will be available in flexible, curved and flat models.
Another advantage of OLED is that it is slim – really slim – with screen thickness measured in millimetres.
OLED is also 1000 times faster than LCD/LED so the picture is a lot smoother with an even better viewing angle.
LG, more than any other company, has mastered OLED manufacturing to a point where cost of production has been greatly lowered and made even more efficient.
On the operating system side, LG has also updated its TV software to webOS 2.0 which will allow users to embed favourite channels, expand the amount of content viewers can access and even speed up the start-up time of the TV by 60 per cent.
A major component of LG’s 2015 road map is to make the Internet of Things offer more value and convenience to the customer.
This will encompass a health and wellness platform that will not only monitor sleep, heart rate and activities but also make the living environment better by actively controlling appliances and adjusting the air-conditioning in response to the information gathered.
Last year LG introduced HomeChat – a way you could send plain language messages to control and monitor your appliances from anywhere.
That will now extend to your voice with LG Smartwatch users able to give spoken commands through the device on their wrists.
LG’s HomeChat on its smartwatches will also extend to the car with the user able to say where they are going inside their home and have it already entered into the vehicle’s navigation system when they are ready to drive.
LG has also unveiled its latest curved smartphone – the G Flex 2 which has a 5.5-inch full high definition flexible display.
The device has a gently arched screen, back and side panels so that it not only sits even more comfortably in your hand but also comfortable to use.
The curved screen also serves another purpose – it can disperse the impact in the event of a drop.
And the display is also flexible and can be flattened without breaking before returning to its curved shape.
Design-wise, the back of the LG G Flex 2 has a spin hairline pattern and is made of a self-healing material that can repair scratches in less than 10 seconds.
Under the hood is Qualcomm’s latest octa-core processor and Android 5.0 Lollipop operating system.
LG’s G Flex 2 camera also incorporates laser auto focus and optical image stabilisation.
Battery life has also been enhanced with a 50 per cent battery achievable after just 40 minutes of charging.
LG has also updated its appliances to make them easier to use and more efficient.
The new Twin Wash System can take the guesswork out of sorting your laundry by incorporating two washers in the one machine.
There is the main washer in top to handle the bulk of your clothes while a second mini drawer washer below can look after the items that require a gentler cycle.
The mini washer will be available separately and will work with existing LG washing machines.
LG’s new door-in-door refrigerator allows easier access to the food and drinks we want the most from an outside door while an inner door stays closed to reduce cool air loss.
* Stephen Fenech travelled to Las Vegas as a guest of LG
