Loewe has always operated in a completely different stratosphere to the rest of the TV industry, focused on a niche demographic that cares just as much about how their television looks when it’s switched off as the picture quality it displays.
It’s a philosophy of unashamed luxury that has served the company well for decades, and it’s apparent once more with the company’s latest high-end TV model. The Loewe antares is a premium OLED TV range that puts just as much emphasis on its aesthetic design as it does on what the product actually does.
With its bespoke customisation options and high-end materials, the Loewe antares lives up to its billing as a TV that’s “designed to be lived with.” It’s a striking, modular OLED TV that sports a distinctive widescreen monitor-inspired silhouette and is highly customisable, with users able to choose from a range of interchangeable aluminium onlays. It ships with silver and black, but buyers can purchase additional colours to ensure the TV matches with their room’s unique decor.
There are multiple mounting options too, such as the dramatic floor-to-ceiling pole stand and various rotating floor mounts, including the motorised magic.motion stand that allows the TV to swivel left and right using the supplied remote control.
That’s not to say there’s no substance behind all of this style. The Loewe antares is equipped with a customised OLED panel that was finished at the company’s factory in Germany, with sizes ranging from 42-inches to 65-inches. Loewe didn’t specify if it’s using LG Display’s most advanced Primary Tandem WOLED panel or an older display, but that may not matter too much. That’s because Loewe takes the time to individually calibrate each OLED module at its Kronach facility before shipping it out to customers, ensuring the highest level of colour accuracy and contrast out-of-the-box. The resulting on-screen images should therefore match the creator’s intent almost perfectly, without any need for professional calibration.
The Loewe antares is also the company’s best gaming TV. While the company has long positioned its premium TVs primarily as lifestyle products, it has gone all out to satisfy gamers this time around, with HDMI 2.1 connectivity that supports 4K resolution content at refresh rates of up to 144Hz. Variable Refresh Rate and Auto Low-Latency Mode are also available, promising top-tier performance for games consoles.
Acoustic excellence is also promised. The Loewe antares features a pair of integrated “invisible sound” speakers that pump out crisp and clear audio, though it stresses that you’ll get a much better experience if you shell out for its optional 80-watt front-firing antares soundbar, which has been built especially for this TV. The antares also gives a nod to home cinema enthusiasts, as its internal audio system can be configured to act as the dedicated centre channel in multi-speaker setups.
As always with Loewe, the TV runs its proprietary os9 platform, which provides access to major streaming apps like Netflix, Prime Video, Apple TV and Disney+, and there’s a dual-channel platform that allows for USB recording and timeshifting. Apple AirPlay 2 and Matter are also supported for those who wants to be able to stream content from their smartphones to the TV.
Of course, such a premium product featuring bespoke German engineering and architectural styling does not come cheap, and the Loewe antares is without doubt going to be one of the most expensive OLED TVs money can buy this year. The company is asking for £2,500 for the smallest 42-inch model, and £4,000 for the biggest 65-inch version. For the soundbar, expect to pay an additional £300 on top of that.
Samsung’s and LG’s latest OLED TVs can be had for a considerably lower cost and with markedly better specifications, and that makes the Loewe antares a tough sell for anyone who’s primarily concerned with image and sound quality. But Loewe is a niche brand, catering to an audience that views its televisions as a centrepiece of interior design, and in that regard, the antares OLED TV should win hands down every time.
