My favorite TV at CES 2025 is this battery-powered display that you can lug around

For years, TVs have been the center of attention at the Consumer Electronics Show (CES). That holds true this year, even with the AI takeover well underway. LG's OLED TVs are brighter than ever, Samsung is still chasing the 8K TV dream, Displace has double-downed on wireless sets, and Panasonic is back, baby.

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But among all the releases at this year's Las Vegas trade show, one TV stood out to me the most: LG's StanbyMe 2. Unlike the brand's flagship G5 and M5 OLED sets, the StanbyMe 2 is a little more playful and nonchalant, yet full of confidence. Its 27-inch display isn't trying to be the centerpiece of your living room; it wants to follow you around the house, from your countertop to your bathtub (no, seriously.) 

The new lifestyle TV is accentuated by a few practical upgrades, such as a built-in battery that LG claims can last up to four hours (from the previous version's three and a half hours), travel and mounting accessories, and space at the top of the TV to magnetically attach the remote. It's like stashing an Apple Pencil on the side of an iPad; it just makes sense.

I'm most drawn to the new touchscreen display, which comes in 1440p resolution (from 1080p), making images and menus appear much sharper -- especially when concentrated into a 27-inch frame. Going off of eye tests, I'd say the StandbyMe 2 still falls flat when it comes to viewing angles. In the yellow clock theme pictured above, there was a noticeable shift to orange as I moved side to side. This is just me nitpicking, of course.

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With the addition of a new folio-kickstand cover, the StanbyMe 2 essential becomes a glorified tablet, one that runs on LG's WebOS platform for quick access to popular streaming services, smart home settings, and more. The company says the device doubles as a productivity hub thanks to its top-mounted USB-C port, which you can snap on a webcam for video calls. That was a key omission of the previous model.

While fairly polished, LG says the StanbyMe 2 will remain as a concept for now, meaning you can't actually buy one at your local brick-and-mortar. But considering how viral the first generation of the model was, and all the meaningful upgrades LG has implemented for the successor, I wouldn't be surprised if it eventually sees the light of day.