LG Stanby Me: The 27-inch device is like a hospital monitor on steroids

What has four wheels, a three-hour battery and can be rolled around your home and into the bathroom so you can watch Netflix while you bathe?

The LG Stanby Me is a portable smart monitor that doubles as a Netflix screen.

What has four wheels, a three-hour battery and can be rolled around your home and into the bathroom so you can watch Netflix while you bathe?

A very heavy device called Stanby Me, a hefty 27-inch smart monitor on wheels.

To be clear, this is not a TV and you’ll find no TV point on the back in which you can plug it into your antenna to watch free-to-air.

But you will find a webstore identical to that on LG smart TVs where you can download streaming apps Netflix, Paramount, Telstra TV, Optus Sport, Binge, Kayo, Foxtel and more.

Smart monitors, as they’re called, came to light during the pandemic, when a number of devices from Samsung were rolled out to double as a second monitor during the day and an entertainment device at night.

The device can rotate 90 degrees

They look like most monitors but typically are a bit thicker and arrive with a remote control with buttons for streaming services – which in this case are Netflix, Disney and Prime Video.

On first viewing, the LG Stanby Me looked a lot like a hospital monitor on steroids. But after some time with the device, the appeal is growing.

Just like Samsung’s M8 Smart Monitor, this one can rotate between horizontal and vertical, allowing users to watch short-form content from YouTube or TikTok, which are available in LG’s webstore.

It can also be used as a second monitor, with a single HDMI port and USB port on the back. For Apple users, there’s AirPlay, in which users can cast content from their iPhone, MacBook or iPad.

When we really pause and think about the use cases for the Stanby Me, it does seem a little more commercial friendly. It’s the kind of device you can imagine being on display at cafes or being rolled into a room at a private function.

The LG Stanby Me is unobtrusive and extremely mobile.

At home, it could be brought outside to view some content or play a slide show at a party or perhaps there it’s better used to watch recipes in the kitchen.

It’s portability means it’s pretty easy to roll it away from the desk when used as a second monitor to perhaps by the bedside to watch a few episodes of a series before bed.

We think LG has a long way to go in terms of remote controls, with the one that comes with the Stanby Me quite bulky in comparison to counterparts Samsung and Sony.

Unlike televisions, the Stanby Me can move to where you are.

While users can set up the Stanby Me to be their smart home hub, is that really what you’d want a 27-inch smart monitor on wheels for?

The verdict? At $1995, there’s not a lot of bang for your buck, if we’re being honest. And when for $500 less you can pick up an LG QNED TV QNED81 55-inch 4K Smart TV, you have to ask yourself just how much you value the ability to be able to wheel the Stanby Me around.

Originally published as LG Stanby Me: The 27-inch device is like a hospital monitor on steroids