LG unveiled their “borderless” SL90 and SL80 HD televisions in South Africa today.

While the company’s new flagship flat panels are being marketed as “borderless” they are more accurately bezel-less. The new range features a stunning edge-to-edge glass display, which means that the face of the TV is entirely flat. LG have matched the colour of the screen and the border as well, which creates the illusion of the entire face of the TV being the screen, while the TV is turned off. The TVs are consequently as much about style as they are about technology, with their ultra-modern, clean design.

There is no shortage of technology in either TV however. The SL90 is an LED-LCD TV which has allowed LG to design a remarkably thin device, just 29 mm thick, without compromising picture quality. In fact, the SL90 boasts a contrast ratio of 3 000 000:1.

The SL80 LCD TV is rather similar to the SL90, offering the same full HD support; Bluetooth support; three HDMI inputs; DivX playback via a built-in USB 2.0 port; and an energy saving feature that controls the display\'s brightness via an ambient light sensor. Where it differs is in contrast ratio, offering a dynamic ratio of 150 000:1. A second difference involves pixel response times with a 2.3 m/s response on the SL80 as opposed to the SL90’s 2 m/s response time. In addition the SL80 features a 200 MHz picture refresh rate while the SL90 features a 100 MHz refresh rate.

The most significant difference between the sets, from a consumer perspective, is more than likely the recommended retail price. The SL90 is available in a 42" model for R25 999 and in a 47" model for R34 999. The SL80 is available in a 42" model for R23 999, in a 47" model for R31 999, and in a 55" model for R45 999.