LG's curious-looking rollable OLED TV (formally known as the LG Signature OLED R) has been almost a reality for several years now Combining flexible glass, OLED technology, segmented circuitry, and a stylish pedestal that stores the TV when not in use, the rollable OLED TV is supremely cool to see in person, and it is hard to exaggerate

LG's product pages use phrases like "future vision" and "your dreams in one" to emphasize the futuristic and attractive appeal of the flexible screen and motor-driven TV And now, it has an attractive price to match

In 2018, we called LG's rollable OLED phenomenal and eyed rumors of a 2019 release (But it never materialized) We first got our hands on this set in person in 2019 and were excited to hear it would be available in 2020 (But when it finally started selling for $100,000 in Korea, we rejoiced that it would finally become a reality

Now, it has been revealed for the first time that the LG Signature OLED R will be available in markets outside of Korea, with T3 reporting that the LG Rollable OLED will go on sale in the UK for £99,999

So whether we will get the LG Signature OLED R in the US for the previously suspected $100,000, or whether the price in the UK will be $138,000 in US dollar terms, is another question that has yet to be answered And while we are playing the price-guessing game, the rollable OLED's selling price in Korea is 100 million won, equivalent to $88,695 as of this writing

However, with possible prices ranging from roughly $90,000 to $160,000, we have a good guess as to how well it would sell

Just a month ago, the economic magazine Korea JoongAng Ilbo reported that sales of the rollable OLED had reached 10 units in South Korea All over Korea, with a population of more than 51 million, LG's home turf, the wonder TV, the likes of which had never been seen before, struggled to reach double-digit sales by the slimmest of margins

I'll say at this point that watching the TV rise from its stylish casing and transform into one of the sleekest looking 65-inch TVs I've ever seen was undeniably a cool trick, but I'm not sure it was worth $90,000 Or $150,000 Or wherever the LG Signature OLED R is priced, it will eventually reach domestic shoppers

Indeed, after the first couple of openings and closings, when the element of surprise wore off, I was struck by two thoughts: first, "I just want to watch TV, but it's hard to wait"; second, "I wonder what the warranty on this will be"

Because as cool as that rolling screen is, there are a lot of moving parts The rolling screen itself curls and unfolds over and over again, stressing the glass and OLED layers to which it is glued Behind the screen are slats of divided circuits Then there is an extending arm that lifts it up and a motor that drives the whole thing

In the product design world, these are called failure points Moving parts stop moving smoothly Damage becomes noticeable under the stress of daily use Vibrations can disrupt other parts of a machine, such as electronics As a general rule, things wear out faster when they move, and this is especially true with appliances

But let us assume that LG engineers have solved these problems Assuming you don't have to wait for a physical process that rivals the most tedious loading screen and startup time of any device you own, let's trust that LG has expert technicians to ensure that the physical components of a rolling TV will not wear out before the expected life of the TV!

Samsung estimates the average usable life of a 4K TV to be seven years; The Korea Times reports that the life of LG's OLEDs has increased from 36,000 hours to over 100,000 hours However, this lifespan may be considerably shorter considering the color shift, brightness degradation over time, and burn-in that plague OLED displays over long periods of use

Since OLED TVs have only been on the market for eight years, it is not really known whether OLED screens will last longer than the LCD panels on which Samsung bases its estimates It is also reasonable to assume that even the cleanest and fanciest OLEDs may be replaced in four or five years But LG's OLED TVs have a one-year warranty Well, only one year

But the biggest sticking point for many, obviously, is the price Even assuming the initially leaked price of $60,000 is correct (which I can assure you it is not), it is still much higher than LG's other most premium sets

LG's most expensive regular OLED TV, the LG G1 OLED, sells for $4,499 in a 75-inch size; not only is it larger than the 65-inch OLED R, but with LG's new OLED evo technology it has a better display, offers better brightness and color and all in a slimmer 20 mm design Instead of buying one retractable canvass piece, you can buy a dozen of these

The largest of the LG Signature ZX 8K OLEDs, the 88-inch OLED88ZXPUA, sells for $29,999 Depending on which rumored price you adopt for the LG Rollable TV, you can buy two, three, four, five of these massive 8K OLED TVs for the same price can be purchased

This is the same complaint I had when Samsung's MicroLED price was announced If a technology is so expensive that virtually no one will buy it, what impact will that product have?

The best answer is that the expensive proof-of-concept will fund the next R&D step, allowing manufacturers to improve their manufacturing processes and recoup their initial investment, allowing for further development And often, as in the case of LG's rollable phone, innovation in one product will later appear in another product as lessons learned are reflected in other products

That may yet be true Perhaps LG will learn lessons from this flashy TV and use them to make it cheaper in the future, to improve other products, or to open up entirely new category possibilities in the years to come There are many lessons that can be learned from cutting-edge technology

But I think the bigger lesson is one that TV manufacturers will have to learn the hard way this year: six-figure TV prices are not realistic