Five years after its flashy introduction, LG has discontinued its rollable OLED TV and abandoned the project. The company will continue to experiment with other new TV concepts.
Enabled by OLED display technology, LG unveiled the first rollable TV at CES 2019 in Las Vegas. The original R9 model was later replaced by the RX in 2020 and R1 in 2021, all 65 inches in size. R1 was carried over into 2022 and 2023.
The idea was for users to be able to hide the black screen when not in use, with the speaker underneath doubling as a music system. In 2020, LG went as far as to say that the launch of the TV "marks a turning point in TV history".
According to the Korean newspaper Chosun, LG's rollable OLED TV, priced at $87,000 and €60,000, has seen minimal sales.
New LG OLED concepts
The production line was closed late last year, according to the report. The failure to significantly bring down production costs seems to have played a big role in the decision to abandon the project. LG has also retrieved demo units from stores.
However, LG is not giving up on its quest to reimagine the TV screen. Last year, LG Electronics launched the first "wireless" OLED TV with an external connection box that connects wirelessly to the TV. Later this year, LG will launch its first transparent OLED TV, also powered by the wireless connection box.
- "We will continue to introduce innovative products that provide customers with differentiated premium value, such as the 'wireless-transparent OLED TV' unveiled at CES 2024 earlier this year," an LG spokesperson told Korean newspaper Chosun.
- Source: Chosun
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