LG’s latest OLED TV, the LG Flex, can double as a curved 4K gaming monitor, and you can pick how much it curves.
The stand has motorised arms that curve the OLED panel up to 800R (extremely curved) if you’re seated in front of it at a desk, or back to flat… 18 steps separate them. A remote button lets you swap between your favourite settings.
At the time of writing, LG had not given photographs of the Flex, but we saw it in a virtual briefing.
The OLED display is similar to the 42-inch LG C2, although it has a 25% less reflective coating. LG said this is because it’s a gaming monitor and TV, and the closer you sit to a screen, the greater the angle of reflections.
The normal LG C2 is ideal for sitting further from your sofa, reducing reflections. A lower-reflection coating on all LG C2 models would still be excellent, as its brightness is limited, but maybe it’ll be on the LG C3.
The set also duplicates the LG C2’s gaming features. There are no DisplayPort ports for 4K 120Hz gaming, which may disappoint some PC gamers.
It supports Dolby Vision and HGiG, which are rare in gaming displays. Built-in FreeSync Pro, G-Sync, and HDMI Forum VRR.
Based on past tests of the LG C2 42-inch, you may expect 600-700 nits of peak brightness.
LG’s Gaming Hub is fantastic for tinkerers. You can toggle the above features on and off, but you can also access the chip’s picture processing choices.
You may alter shadow and highlight settings and other aspects that affect response times to find the right combination of visual quality and latency.
Hardcore PC gamers may reject this screen because it employs a TV chip due to the inherent lag.
TV overload, no monitor?
Is the LG Flex too much of a TV and not enough of a monitor for your desk?
When you’re sitting close to one of the greatest curved monitors (on your desk), the curvature helps with eyestrain, especially when gaming. Using a flat screen, the edges are far from your eyes compared to the centre, thus your eye must concentrate if you switch from the crosshair to an ammo count in the corner. When staring at a TV across the room, the corner and the centre are the same distance from your eye.
Curved monitors lessen the distance from the screen’s edges to your eye, so when you flick to the corner, your eye doesn’t have to readjust. Improved comfort with time.
The LG Flex is fantastic since you can vary the curve, so you can find the right level for your eyes. Excellent.
42-inch TV. That’s too big for a desktop computer monitor. It can’t replace your desk monitor, but you could mount it above it. The stand’s curving motors prevent wall mounting.
It’s a one-person gaming room. Maybe you have it with your PS5 instead of a work desk. You can sit near enough to the curve in your living room if you live alone. These are good use cases, but they’re narrow. Too huge and TV-like to replace gaming monitors, yet too hefty and specialised to replace 42-inch TVs.