Oh so lovely: hands-on with LG’s first OLED display

A long time coming, displays running on OLED are finally here, and set to go on sale soon. With the Consumer Electronics Show now in full swing, LG let us go hands – and eyes – on with its first OLED TV, and threw in a surprise for the occasion.

When the doors for CES opened today at 10 am (5 am in Sydney on the Wednesday), LG was ready.
The company was running a massive 3D video wall – the world’s biggest, it says – to mark the moment and bring guests and press into the fold, ready to see LG’s latest range of technology.
And while many of these guests went straight for the 84 inch 4K UDTVs on offer, GadgetGuy staffers couldn’t wait to sink our retinas into the crystal clear clarity that only OLED can put out.
We saw a glimpse of the OLED TVs yesterday at the press launch, where several rows back from the stage, it was hard not to see the quality on offer here. Strong colours – possibly the strongest we’d seen on a TV this thin – as well as excellent viewing angles and a lovely feel that makes you want to reach out and pull the image straight from the TV itself.
Today, that sentiment was once again felt, and while the demo footage wasn’t as strong as running a full movie, it was hard not to see that the OLED displays on offer are oozing quality.
The TV is also remarkably thin, so much that it’s hard to imagine and you literally have to see it for yourself. Phones aren’t this thin, and they have been the benchmark for hefty measurements for the past few years.
But why stop there, because LG has unveiled what it calls “a world first,” with a curved OLED screen.
From what we understand, Samsung joined LG and unveiled a curved OLED screen at practically the same time, so they’re both world firsts fighting for the title, but we’re not concerned about who claims what here.
We’re more interested in how they look, and with the curved OLED, you find a subtle curvature to the back of the display which LG says is easier for someone to watch.
Instead of sitting in the middle of a large rectangle screen, eyes darting into every corner and hoping for the best, the curve is apparently used because it recreates a similar feeling to sitting inside a movie cinema, making it easier for the human eye to watch everything at once.
Combine that with the striking colours and detail of it all and it’s hard not to be sold on the concept.
Pricing and availability isn’t yet known for the curved OLED screen, and we’re told that it probably won’t become available until next year at the earliest, but keen customers interested in the OLED won’t have to wait long for the regular one, since it should arrive in Australia within the next few months for roughly $12,000.
Leigh D. Stark traveled to CES as a guest of LG Electronics Australia.