I just saw LG’s battery-powered briefcase TV — and it's so much cooler than you'd think

(Image credit: Future)

I never wished I could tote my TV around in a briefcase — that is, until I saw a TV that’s literally built into a briefcase.

The new LG StanbyME Go is a 27-inch touchscreen and battery-powered TV that comes packed inside a piece of luggage. It extends and tilts and turns so that you might use it in ways your normal TV isn’t capable of. Thanks to a convenient carrying handle, you can take the StanbyME Go with you anyplace you think you’d enjoy a pop-out smart TV.

LG’s lifestyle TVs haven’t impressed me much before. Even the original StanByME on wheels seemed a bit like a weird gimmick. From first impressions, one might argue the LG StanbyME Go is an even bigger and even weirder gimmick, but I actually walked away after my demo wanting to take one home — and camping, and to the park, and to parking lot while I wait outside during my dog’s vet visits. It’s portable, you get the point.

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The LG StanbyME Go initially reminded me of a suitcase record player. The concept is similar and simple: a portable entertainment system. The difference is that LG’s TV can operate completely cord-free, with up to three hours of battery life.

I experimented with a couple of different ways you can use the TV during that three-hour window. For one, it’s a WebOS-equipped smart TV, so you can download your favorite streaming apps and tilt the screen vertically to watch. LG is even launching the LG StanbyME Go in time for the NFL season, playing up the “live sports anywhere” angle. Just imagine pitching it up at tailgates? Some people bring and set-up legit TVs with them already, but the LG StanbyME Go makes getting it there easier.

But I also laid the screen flat in the briefcase with the lid still open, connected a smartphone to Bluetooth and enabled record player mode. The screen transformed into an animated record player that reflected the song. The built-in 20W speakers are surprisingly punchy, so I could see myself using the TV as a speaker. (That said, LG is throwing in the highly-rated XBOOM 360 speaker for free with LG StanbyME Go preorders.)

Once I was done, I pulled down the top of the briefcase, clipped it shut, picked it up from the handle and sashayed around. At 28 pounds, I wouldn’t want to carry the StanbyME Go very far, but moving it between my house and backyard and car seems convenient enough.

Priced at $999, the LG StanbyME Go is not the most affordable option for portable entertainment. Projectors and tablets are both suitable options that cost several hundred dollars less, depending on their size and features. But the sheer wow factor of making a TV appear from a briefcase is hard to beat.

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Kate Kozuch is the managing editor of social and video at Tom’s Guide. She writes about smartwatches, TVs, audio devices, and some cooking appliances, too. Kate appears on Fox News to talk tech trends and runs the Tom's Guide TikTok account, which you should be following if you don't already. When she’s not filming tech videos, you can find her taking up a new sport, mastering the NYT Crossword or channeling her inner celebrity chef.