Early Verdict
The LG OLED Flex is a versatile gaming TV-slash-monitor with a bendable display that curves from flat to 900R and everywhere in-between with the press of a button.
Pros
- +
Display bends quickly
- +
Preset curve customization
- +
OLED evo panel
- +
Same processor as LG C2 OLED TV
Cons
- -
Longevity concerns
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Take the LG C2 OLED TV and make it bend on command, and you have the new LG OLED Flex (LX3), a flexible TV that looks a lot like a gaming monitor. LG first announced the OLED Flex at IFA earlier this year but had it on full display at the 2022 CEDIA Expo.
The LG OLED Flex bends from a flat, 42-inch screen all the way to a 900R curve. The exact arc can also be adjusted between 20 total levels of curvature, with the option to assign presets that suit the user's preferences. In other words, you don't have to decide between a flat or curved monitor — you can have both.
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Curved monitors tend to help gamers with peripheral vision, but the LG OLED Flex isn't just a gaming monitor. In fact, despite the large monitor stand, the $2,999 OLED Flex is truly more of a smart TV with LG's complete WebOS platform and the OLED evo panel found on the company's most popular OLED TV line.
We went hands-on with LG OLED Flex to see how it compares to a regular LG OLED TV, and get an early feel for whether it'll become one of the best TVS (or best gaming monitors?) for those who cherish versatility.
LG OLED Flex release date and price
The LG OLED Flex will become available in October, though LG has not set an exact release date. It comes in the single 42-inch configuration and costs $2,999. For reference, LG's standard 42-inch C2 costs $1,399. The 65-inch C2 is also more affordable than the OLED Flex at $2,499.
LG OLED Flex design
The LG OLED Flex TV certainly looks more like a gaming monitor than a TV, with a prominent stand that mounts the display and allows it to be raised or lowered. The stand has some customizable backlighting, too.
A full array of HDMI 2.1 ports and other expected inputs are concealed on the left side of the stand's arm, while an additional USB-A and headphone jack can be found on the right side of the stand's base for quick access.
LG OLED Flex display
The LG OLED Flex display promises much of what we expect from LG's top-of-the-line OLED TVs: support for Dolby Vision 4K resolution at up to 120Hz upscaled with the Alpha 9 Gen 5 processor, deep blacks, a wide color gamut and the WebOS 22 smart TV interface.
But the OLED Flex takes things a step further for gamers — the TV touts a 0.1 millisecond response time, plus access to a LG gaming app that comes with special screensavers and prioritizes popular gaming services like Twitch.
Then, of course, there's the curving display. On a remote that looks very much like LG's Magic Remote, there's a control for bending the display. It can bend up to 900R but accommodates 20 levels of curve total. You can adjust the curve in 5% intervals or assign a few presets for the curvature you find most ideal for gaming.
As with any bendable display, there's concerns with upkeep and durability long-term. In product design, it's called a point of failure. If the motors stop working smoothly, the device as a whole could damage. That said, in the demo, we watched the LG OLED Flex curved approximately 50 times and it showed no signs of hesitation. More than that, the display curved between different positions in mere seconds.
LG OLED Flex outlook
LG already makes great gaming TVs, often scoring high marks in lag times while offering premium features like auto-low latency mode, variable refresh rate and more. The LG OLED Flex looks to leverage the company's earned trust with a product promoting more dedicated gaming perks — a customizable curving display being the biggest of those benefits.
We'll need to test the LG OLED Flex's durability and performance in our lab before coming to conclusions on how it compares to other high-end gaming monitors and LG's traditional OLED TVs. If it impresses all around, however, it would likely be deemed the best LG TV for gaming yet.
