Special Feature
CES 2023 anticipation is in the air.
While CES officially starts tomorrow, some of the biggest names in tech have been delivering a slew of keynotes, announcements, and previews during the conference’s Media Days Tuesday and Wednesay. (See our recap of the biggest Day 1 CES announcements.)
This morning, LG CEO William Cho took the Las Vegas stage to kick off the press conference-palooza for LG, premiering an interactive car computing concept, a transparent OLED screen, and a smart refrigerator with lights that can sync with your music.
Here are the highlights from LG’s presentation.
Leading with OLED
As it was LG’s 10-year OLED anniversary, it was only fitting that LG showcased the role of OLED screen tech in its 2023 plans.
Also: LG unveils a 97-inch plug-and-play wireless M3 OLED TV at CES 2023
First, LG proved that bigger can get better by showcasing its 97-inch wireless M3 OLED TV. The TV will deliver at 120Hz with self-lit pixels and works with compatible sound bars for what looks like easy setup in any home space with room for it.
LG then got transparent… literally, and showed off a prototype of a transparent OLED screen, the LG OLED T.
Also: LG debuts its thinnest Gram laptop yet
More gaming services are also set to come to LG TVs, including Amazon Luna and Nvidia’s GeForce Now, so you can enjoy gaming graphics at OLED quality on its TVs.
LG says LG G3 brings OLED to a new level
LG says its newest OLED tech generation, G3 — responsible for the OLED in the 97-inch M3 wireless TV — makes a big brightness difference. In fact, the company says the 55-, 65-, and 77-inch G3 models will be 70% brighter than the previous G2 models.
Also: LG announces new C, G, and Z OLED TV lineups at CES 2023
A Cockpit Computer to compete with CarPlay?
Smart automotive tech is always a hot topic at CES. LG says it’s developing a new Cockpit Computer for cars, which is expected to compete with Apple CarPlay and Android Audio. The Cockpit Computer should let drivers call roadside assistance and even check on other smart appliances at home. It’ll be interesting to see which auto manufacturers LG works with and how the car computing system navigates the smart-car space.
LG gets smart with LG ThinQ up
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Following its slogan, “Life’s Good,” LG really seemed to lean into the lifestyle and smart home space, showcasing its newest ThinQ Care appliance integration tool, ThinkQ Up.
ThinkQ Up is a new app that looks to help users easily integrate their smart appliances and that, according to LG, is designed to “feel always like new, fit around your lifestyle, and lead to easier, convenient days.”
It’s also the key to using LG’s new color-changing smart fridge.
LG’s MoodUp Fridge aims to literally light up your mood
Possibly seeking to compete with Samsung’s popular Bespoke refrigerators, LG showed us its new four-door, French door, color-changing fridge: the MoodUp. Using the ThinkQ Up app, owners of this appliance will be able to choose from 190,000 color combinations to mix-and-match fridge door colors at will, and even have a fridge dance party?
Also: CES 2023: LG Breeze earbuds promise to sync you to sleep
Using a built-in Bluetooth speaker, the MoodUp can also sync music from your Alexa or Google devices with the lights, possibly making your kitchen the hottest new rave destination. We can expect the fridge to hit the market in late March or April of this year.
Integrating home safety with ADT
In addition to the increased brightness and size variety, some of LG’s 2023 TVs will also enable security camera access and a direct line to ADT from a special button via the TV remote.
New plans for Paramount Plus
The CBS streaming service, Paramount Plus, is coming to LG TVs on the LG Channels app homepage, according to Tom Ryan, CEO of streaming at Paramount. This should simplify the current multiple-step process for LG TV owners who want to stream their favorite CBS shows. Ryan says the rollout is set to begin in Ireland.