Here’s something brand new: an air purifier, a fridge, a TV, and a washing machine. Snore.
But wait a second! These appliances are better than everything else in LG’s wide lineup of consumer electronics goods, the company says. Indeed, these are the best of the best — and they’re so good they’re almost bad, explained fashion designer Philip Lim.
“I never felt so good to be next to an appliance.”
“I kid you not, I never felt so good to be next to an appliance. I almost felt naughty,” said Lim, who joined LG at an event in New York City’s Rockefeller Center to unveil an entirely new brand: LG Signature. The four products are the first items in a new brand for LG meant to combine cutting-edge technology and world-class design. To underscore those two elements, the company brought Lim and other world-class artists the NYC event. To discuss the fridge, for example, LG presented San Francisco chef Dominique Crenn.
“The LG Signature Fridge is very amazing. Very sexy. It makes it easier to create with food and express my signature style in the kitchen,” Crenn told the crowd. And Savion Glover let his tap-dancing skills speak for themselves, with a performance meant to be as dazzling as the shiny new products.
So two different people called these appliances sexy. But are they really? Let’s walk through the line.
LG Signature OLED TV
For starters, there’s a top of the line television, the LG Signature OLED TV (model number OLED77G6P), a 77-inch OLED that sells for a heart-breaking $20,000. Digital Trends TV guru Caleb Denison kicked the tires of this model at the CEDIA trade show last month, and was very impressed with the TV’s perfect black levels. But the screen isn’t the only large part of this TV. The price tag also gets you LG’s Signature Concierge service, a one-on-one customer support and service program, meaning you should never have to worry if you’re having trouble with the TV.
LG Signature Refrigerator
Then there’s that fridge Crenn said was so sexy. The LG Signature Refrigerator (model LUPXS3186N) costs an astonishing $8,499, but carries some really neat features. For starters, there’s an auto-open feature on the door that lets you open the fridge by swiping your foot through a sensor beamed onto the ground. Cool, but hardly worth the cost of a used Rolls Royce. A sleek glass panel fills most of one of the fridge’s French doors; knock twice on the panel and a light turns on inside, letting you peek into the fridge to see what’s there before opening the door and letting the cold air out. Not bad!
LG Signature Washer and TWINWash Mini
There’s a Signature Washer in the line as well (model WM9500HKA), for a more reasonable $1,999, with a slew of features to impress. A smaller tub sits underneath it, to let you wash two loads at once, but it’s the interface that’s really eye-opening: A simple ring of six icons sits on the glass face of the drum, with controls for Daily Cycles such as Wool, Easy Care, Cotton, and so on. A swipe left or right shuffles through other features and icons to turn them on or off. LG calls it a Full Touch On-Door Panel, which sounds about right. Turning the display on is as simple as tapping it with your elbow, Lim demonstrated.
“It even has … tech people what do you call it … Wi-Fi?”
The LG Signature Combo Twin Wash System (model LUWM101HWA) is a combo washer/dryer meant to save space, and the interface to it was a model of efficiency as well. It’s due out nearly next year for $3,699.
LG Signature Air Purifier
Finally, there’s the LG Signature Air Purifier (model AM501YWM1) — a display on the front changes from red to blue as indoor air quality improves. Ordinarily, an air purifier does little to impress. This one has a clear window into its workings, letting you watch water percolate as it’s passed through filters and cleaned. It’s kind of mesmerizing. Due soon, for $1,699, LG says.
The event was the final stage in a rollout that’s taken most of this year. LG announced the Signature line of products back in January at CES, and it had been calling things “Signature” even before that. Still, it’s nice to see the products actually making their way to the public. Being able to afford these luxury products? That’s another story.