LG bets on OLED TVs to stay ahead in the premium TV segment in India

LG is betting heavily on OLED (organic light-emitting diode) TVs as it plans to increase its footprint in India’s growing premium TV segment. The company has launched its new range of OLED TV lineup, with five different series and sizes ranging from 42 to 97-inches. The prices start at Rs 89,990. First announced at CES 2022, these TVs will be available in stores in the country shortly.
“A lot of consumers are taking interest in buying bigger screens, especially after the pandemic when there is a limitation to go to cinema halls,” Abhiral Bhansali, Product Head, Home Entertainment at LG India, told on the sidelines of the launch event.
“Customers want a cinematic experience at home…they want to enjoy the content available on various OTT apps, which is possible only with large-screen TVs,” he added. Bhansali says consumers are increasingly gravitating toward premium TVs and LG aims to grab a bigger pie with the updated OLED TV range.
So far OLED TVs have been available in fewer screen sizes but things are changing quickly. The C2 series will start at a 42-inch screen size, which LG says will boost the demand for OLED TVs in India. “We are looking at a much bigger portion of business coming from OLED television,” he said, adding that the 55-inch screen size continues to be the most popular option in the OLED TV segment.
LG’s new OLED TV range will come in various sizes. (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Express)
The LG Z2 is the top of the range offering and is 8K-enabled. It will only be available in 77-inch and 88-inch screen sizes. It’s the only 8K OLED in the company’s lineup this year and incorporates LG’s α9 Gen5 AI processor.  LG says 2022 TVs will include better 4K upscaling, improved tone mapping, and a greater sense of depth through foreground object enhancement. All LG 2022 TV lineups come with the WebOS smart TV system that will allow users to set up user profiles for different family members.
‘Our Rollable TV is a piece of art’
LG is also bringing a TV that rolls itself up and disappears from view when you don’t need it. The Signature OLED R TV has a flexible, rollable display. There are three modes: a “full view” when the TV is completely unrolled from the base, then a smaller “line view” where users see controls for music and information about the weather and a “zero view” where one only sees the base of the TV.
LG has shown off its futuric rollable TV at various tech shows for the past few years, with the global availability announced last year. Bhansali is clear that LG’s rollable TV isn’t ready for mass-market yet, and with the starting price of Rs 7,500,000, it is more of a ‘piece of art.’
“The idea is not to mass market this TV [Signature OLED R TV] but there are consumers who like to take these kinds of experiences,” he said. “We have sold a number of rollable OLED TVs in India,” Bhansali said when asked to reveal how many units of the OLED R TV the company has sold in India. The OLED R was the 2021 variant that went on sale late last year. It’s a made-to-order TV, with shipment times reaching eight weeks.