LG Electronics is updating its quirky flagpole television the StanbyME with an improved display and the ability to disconnect it from its pole, transforming it into a huge 27-inch touchscreen tablet.
The new version is called the LG StanbyME 2, and like the original model it’s touch-enabled and fitted onto a moveable stand with concealed wheels, which allows it to be positioned basically anywhere in the home. But this time around, users can remove the TV from its accompanying stand and place it down on a table or the floor, or even hang it on a wall.
When LG launched the first StanbyME TV, the company explained the concept, saying it’s designed for flexibility, so someone could wheel it into the kitchen to follow a recipe they’ve found on YouTube, before moving it back into the dining room to watch a movie while they’re eating. Basically, it’s a TV that can follow you around the house easily.
Now it’s even more flexible, because by taking it off the stand with a simple, one-click maneuver, it becomes the most massive and chunkiest tablet you’ve ever owned, complete with an integrated stand that allows you to prop it up on the floor.
It can also be attached to a wall, oriented in either a portrait or landscape position to show static works of art or even serve as a huge digital clock. Or else you can place it flat down on a table and use it as a kind of interactive board game. There are lots of different possibilities, as you can see in the video below. Oh, and there’s a detachable shoulder strap there too, which makes lugging it around a bit easier.
The display has been upgraded too. Whereas the original StanbyME TV had a Full HD (1080p) resolution LCD display, the StanbyME 2 comes with a Quad High Definition display (2,560 x 1440) with a faster 60Hz refresh rate, so the visuals should be much sharper. It's still LCD, no upgrade to OLED yet.
Elsewhere, the StanbyME 2 has side-firing speakers that can pump out 9.1.2-channel AI-enhanced surround sound effects at up to 10 watts, with Dolby Atmos supported. In addition, LG says the EQ can be adjusted according to whether the TV is currently in portrait or landscape mode, or laid flat on a table or carpet. Oh, and it can also be moved from portrait to landscape model while attached to its pole.
The LG StanbyME 2 has a four-hour battery life, which means it can be taken outside or used away from a power plug, but bear in mind that it won’t stand up to the rain, and the company doesn’t recommend letting it soak up the sunshine for too long on bright days. Though, we doubt that the screen would be particularly visible in direct sunlight. Users can also power it with a power bank, letting them use it outdoors for longer.
As with the original StanbyME, the updated model runs a special touch-capable version of webOS, which means it comes pre-installed with all of your favourite streaming apps, and there’s an eARC-enabled HDMI 2.0 port on board for connecting to physical media devices. It’s also possible to cast content from a smartphone to the TV/tablet using AirPlay 2 and Google Cast, while the ThinQ app is onboard for voice controls. It also has a webcam at the front, so it can be used for video chats.
All in all, it sounds like a fun, versatile device and the fact it’s an upgrade on the original model suggests that it may well appeal to a certain kind of audience. LG didn’t say how well the StanbyME 1 did, but we assume there must have been a few takers if it’s prepared to launch the StanbyME 2 globally.
For now, it’s available in Singapore, where it’s priced at SG$1,799 (around £1,044 at the current exchange rate) and it will launch later this month in the U.S., Canada and Vietnam, to be followed by the U.K, Germany, France and Spain in August.
There's no word from LG on whether it intends to update the StanbyME's sister TV, the StanbyME Go, which lives in a briefcase instead of on a flagpole.
