Loewe is no stranger to making TVs out of unusual stuff and its latest OLED model uses volcanic lava. It’s called the Loewe Stellar Alu Black + Lava and prices start from £3299.
Anybody who paid even vague attention in geology or geography lessons at school will remember that lava is gloopy, orange and very, very hot. Not the first material you would consider when deciding what to make a TV out of, then. Fortunately, Loewe waited for it to cool before having it turned into a powder that is then combined with concrete to make the TV’s rear panel.
That gives the Loewe Stellar Alu Black + Lava a particularly eye-catching, textured look, which will be wasted if you just hang it on the wall, but you can get it with a motorised stand to ensure it’s easy to show off.
Loewe says there are also practical reasons for using lava. According to the German company, lava is one of the most abundant natural materials in the world, which is certainly true when you consider it makes up about 84% of the planet’s volume, although getting hold of it is a bit trickier than just turning on a tap.
Loewe also cites its “superior strength, anti-corrosive properties, and longevity, plus its resistance to heat”, the latter of which could come in handy if you happen to live next door to an active volcano.
Anyway, enough about the back of the telly, what about the front? Available in four sizes between 42in and 65in, all of them use 4K OLED panels made by Loewe (most other manufacturers get theirs from LG) that support HDR10+ Adaptive and HLG, while the 144Hz refresh rate, VRR and ALLM is great for gamers. All four models also come with an 80-watt speaker system built-in.
It all runs on Samsung’s Tizen OS, and in something of a rarity for modern TVs (although admittedly less rare than the whole lava thing) you also get a built-in solid-state drive for recording episodes of World’s Wildest Volcano Eruptions, although Loewe doesn’t specify the capacity.
The Loewe Stellar Alu Black + Lava goes on sale at the end of February at the following prices: 42in (£3299), 48in (£3799), 55in (£4299) and 65in (£5999).
