In February of this year, LG announced a touchscreen monitor that came with a floor stand, offering not only ‘smarts‘ via the company’s WebOS interface but also offered AirPlay 2 functionality. However, the ‘LG StanbyME’ (awful name, btw…) had limited availability, and despite being mobile (a battery-powered option was available) and adjustable (via the stand), it only offered 1080p, which isn’t great these days.
Now the company has released the LG Smart Monitor (model no. 32SQ780S) that not only also offers 4K screen resolution but includes AirPlay 2, like its predecessor, alongside WebOS. The screen size has also been bumped up from 27″ in the aforementioned ‘stand’ model, to a 32″ display. Whilst it’s ostensibly a monitor that would end up being used with a personal computer, it can be used as a regular 4K TV.
The monitor comes complete with not only 2 HDMI ports – one of which eARC/ARC functionality – but also offers both three USB-A ports (one on the underside, two on the side of the monitor) and a USB-C port. Finally, it also provides hardwired connectivity, via an RJ45 port if you prefer not to use WiFi.
The Smart monitor does take some cues from the other model in that its viewing angle can be adjusted thanks to the triple-jointed stand that can also be held in place via a built-in clamp at the base of the stand.
In a nod to developers and coders, the screen can also be swivelled to portrait mode.
Whilst in many ways it’s a hybrid TV/monitor, due to the latest version of WebOS it can also connect to other LG devices, allowing you to control them via the screen. With an update to the company’s own app, users can now expose other smart home products to the LG app, most notably Philips Hue and Aqara along with a few other brands.
As it stands, whilst the new smart monitor is listed on Amazon, it’s currently showing as ‘unavailable’ although, this is a step up from the ‘stand’ model that only ever got a release in parts of Asia. The price is reportedly around US$499, but until it’s released we can’t say if this price is accurate or not.