LG Display, at CES 2021 announced it would produce a 42-inch OLED TV panel sometime around 2021. If you were like me and got excited about the possibility of one of these smaller OLED panels being launched, you are not alone. According to The Korea Economic Daily sources, the launch of LG's 42-inch OLED TV, which was originally planned by LG, has been pushed back to 2022. This is in addition to the debut at CES 2022 and the new 2022 TV line.
According to The Korea Economic Daily, the delay didn't appear to be caused by production issues. Sources had expected LG to launch its 42-inch display in the second half 2021 after mass production. However, the sources claim that the company changed the launch window to increase its marketing efforts and not to unveil it later this year.
LG's entry-level OLED TVs A1-series have 60Hz displays. LG apparently wants this 42-inch model to be compatible with its other OLED TVs like the OLED G1 and C1 lineups.
If all goes well, the display will have a 120Hz refreshrate and multiple HDMI 2.1 ports to allow 120 frames per seconds 4K gaming (in games that support it), on PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, or PS5. It should also be able to support variable refresh rate (VRR), and auto-low-latency mode. These are great features that make gaming more enjoyable and smoother. With specs like these, I don't think this TV will be very affordable. This smaller version of the C1 will likely cost less than the original 48-inch model. It was originally priced at $1499.99, but can be bought for $1,299.99 right now.
This OLED panel measures 42 inches and is not going to appeal to the average TV viewer. This panel is ideal for gamers who have enough space and disposable income. While there are many big gaming monitors available north of $700 with comparable specs such as HDMI 2.1 ports or VRR, none of them have panels that can match the rich contrast, color accuracy and brightness of OLEDs. Except for the $1,500 Aorus FO48U gaming screen by Gigabytes. The $2,500 curved Samsung Odyssey Neo G9, which costs $2,500, is also cool.
The Verge reached out to LG to confirm the alleged delay and confirm if it will be exhibiting at CES 2022 next.
