Gloss black bezels are out, no bezels are in.
Toshiba pioneered the naked look with the edge-to-edge design of its Regza SV670 TV, which debuted at CES. The company compared it to an infinity pool for the flush, totally uninterrupted look of the front. It wowed crowds, and LG was paying attention.
Last week, the company introduced its new SL90, which features the same type of borderless design. A single pane of glass runs from edge to edge for a clean, modern look that’s uncluttered by the typical picture-frame bezel. At only 1.15 inches thick, it looks more like a polished slab of slate on a pedestal than a television.
To slim it down to those dimensions, LG has used LED backlighting, which also reduces electricity consumption and boosts contrast to an unbelievable 3,000,000:1 ratio. A 120Hz refresh rate reduces motion blur, and the Mark-Levinson-tuned “invisible speaker system” eliminates the need for speaker grilles on the face of the TV.
LG will release both 42- and 47-inch versions of the SL90 later this year, but prices have not yet been announced. The SL80 series, which uses the same borderless design but with cheaper CCFL backlighting, will sell for $1,900 and $2,800 in those dimensions, meaning SL90 buyers can expect to drop at least two large to join the club. More details are available at LG.
