Samsung just revealed a new rotating TV that's like a giant smartphone for your living room

Sero Portrait

Samsung just unveiled a new TV called the Sero that can rotate between vertical and horizontal orientations, a feature that allows your TV to resemble your smartphone.
When synced with a Samsung Galaxy phone, the TV will be able to automatically rotate to match the orientation of your mobile device.
It's just one of several unconventional TVs that we're expecting to see at CES, the annual technology conference in Las Vegas.
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Samsung just unveiled a new 4K TV called the Sero, which rotates between vertical and horizontal orientations to simulate the experience of using a smartphone.

The technology giant made the announcement ahead of CES, the annual tech conference in Las Vegas that's known for flashy product launches in the TV and smart home industry. The Sero TV will automatically rotate to match the orientation of the user's smartphone when synced with a Samsung Galaxy device, the company says, and it will be available in a 43-inch size.

Why would you want your big screen to resemble the small screen you carry around in your pocket? If you watch a lot of internet-delivered streams on your TV, going vertical could provide a better experience scrolling through long feeds such as selections of YouTube videos. And of course, a lot of the videos on YouTube and other services these days are shot on smartphones in portrait mode.

Samsung has not said when the Sero TV would launch or how much it will cost, and it's one of several TV-related announcements the company made just before CES. The tech giant also announced a new TV with an 8K borderless screen, which leaked before the announcement, and new screen sizes for The Frame TV.

Sero Landscape

It's not unusual for unconventional TVs in new form factors to arrive at CES or just before it. LG has flaunted its "rollable" TV screens at CES over the past two years, which roll up like a poster when not in use. This year, the company will be showing a rollable TV that can be concealed in a ceiling and pulled down like a projector when needed.

But it's also worth considering that much of what is shown at CES ends up being vaporware: that is, products that never actually make it to market. The rollable TV that LG showcased last year, for example, still hasn't been released. CES, however, isn't really about exhibiting the products that the general public will actually be able to buy. Rather, it's typically a reflection of the high-level trends that will shape the industry in the years ahead, which is why many tech firms debut new experimental ideas.

"It's a great place to spot trends and see which ecosystems are growing," Avi Greengart, founder and lead analyst at technology research firm Techsponential, said in a previous interview with Business Insider.

It remains to be seen whether a TV like the Sero will actually catch on with shoppers. But it's likely an effort by Samsung to appeal to younger audiences that are largely used to consuming entertainment on their phones.

It also comes as households in the US are increasingly choosing to watch TV through streaming apps that are available across phones, TVs, and other devices rather than traditional cable offerings. More respondents in Deloitte's survey from March 2019 said that they subscribe to a streaming TV service than a cable bundle for the first time, for example.

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