Luxury TV maker Loewe is inching closer to the day where it will ultimately drop LCD display for good, with the launch of its first We.See OLED TVs, which come in three sizes – 48-, 55- and 65-inches.
Loewe, unlike its luxury TV rival Bang & Olufsen, hasn’t completely given up on LCD TVs just yet. The company still offers some smaller-sized “bild C” and We.See LCD TV models, but for the larger sizes it appears to be going all-in on OLED, which most consumers believe is a superior display technology.
The We.See models are a sub-brand that was launched by Loewe in 2021 in order to re-energize its business after emerging from bankruptcy the year before. While they’re definitely more affordable, they still have that distinctive class that we have come to expect from Loewe, which has always set itself apart from rival TV makers with its focus on premium products only.
Germany's 4KFilme reports that first-ever OLED We.See TVs are said to feature a pair of HDMI 2.1 ports, and support 4K resolution at 120Hz, with Variable Refresh Rates and Auto Low-Latency mode for premium console gaming experiences. They also come with support for Apple’s AirPlay 2 connectivity standard, and can deliver HDR pictures in the HDR10, HLG and Dolby Vision formats. Surround sound is also supported with Dolby Atmos.
The We.See TVs aren’t quite as classy as the ultra high-end Stellar OLED and Iconic OLED TVs that debuted this year and last year, respectively, and they also don’t quite meet the standards of Loewe’s “regular” bild C OLED models, but then again, they’re targeted at a different segment of the market.
Rather than the Tizen operating system that powers the new Stellar OLED models, the latest We.See TVs sport Hisense’s Vidaa operating system, which might disappoint some as that platform lacks many local TV applications, such as FreeView in the U.K. That said, they can still be paired with a Chromecast dongle or Apple TV 4K box to get that additional content.
The good thing about the We.See OLED TVs is that they give consumers a chance to own a classy product at a relatively affordable price tag, with the 48-inch model expected to go on sale in Europe for 1,700 euros. The 55-inch model carries a 2,000 euro price tag, while the 65-inch version will cost the most, at 2,700 euros.
To get an idea of where the We.See models sit, Loewe indicates that they’re designed to compete with the mainstream, non-flagship OLED TVs offered by brands such as LG Electronics (such as the OLED C4, for example), Philips, Panasonic and Sony.
The Loewe bild C models are designed to compete with those brands’ flagship offerings, such as the LG G4, albeit they are a bit pricier. As for the Stellar and Iconic models, these are in a class of their own, and considerably more expensive than the best those manufacturers have to offer.
Loewe hasn’t disclosed if the We.See TVs will feature any OLED customizations, as seen in the Stellar OLED TV. The company recently revealed that it will differentiate its OLED TVs by putting the finishing touches on the OLED panels by itself. It can do this because it has opted to purchase open-cell WRGB OLED displays from LG Displays, as opposed to the finished articles. The decision gives Loewe more room to customize features such as the heatsink and power supply, and optimize the panel’s performance.
