LG’s newest battery-powered TV doubles as a wireless smart display — and I totally need one

While most TV brands have established their lifestyle divisions around art TVs, LG is leaning into a concept that’s already gone viral — the company’s rollable, battery-powered StanbyMe TV got millions of views on social media once customers realized you can now enjoy your favorite TV shows while soaking in the bathtub.

Enter the newer StanbyMe 2 announced during CES 2025, the next generation of StanbyMe that ups the ante with a detachable screen. The battery is now housed in the 27-inch display, so you can remove it from the stand and set it back up however you’d like. With the help of accessories designed especially for the StanbyMe 2, you can stow the screen in a folio or even hook it up to a strap and tote it around.

In some ways, this feels like a hybrid of the StanbyMe and the StanbyME Go that comes in a suitcase. But I would say this is the most interesting concept from LG’s lifestyle division so far — I can appreciate a product that doesn’t take itself too seriously. If there’s one word I could use to describe the StanbyMe 2, it’s fun.

A smaller improvement is that there’s now a magnetic hub to attach the remote. There’s a USB-C port up here so you can attach a webcam for video conferencing, too. Not that you’re getting this TV if picture quality is your top priority, but the resolution offers a welcome improvement from 1080p to 1440p. Perhaps more importantly, the battery life is improved by one hour for 4 total hours of playback on one charge.

Although the StandbyME 2 might not have the same wow-factor in terms of CES 2025 announcements that the Signature OLED T did last year (p.s., it’s now available to order) it’s a product that I’d actually consider spending my money on when it comes out.

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