Vertical television for a social media age

THE world’s first vertical television designed for social media-addicted millennials will be released next month by Samsung.

Named Sero, the 43-inch screen pivots from a horizontal to a vertical mode, allowing viewers to watch television on a screen with the same shape as their smartphones.

Videos filmed for vertical smartphone screens have become popular among social media users. More than 500million people use Instagram’s Stories feature every day, which allows users to share videos and photographs with their friends and followers.

The £12,500 Sero goes on sale next month in South Korea. A Samsung spokesman said it was unlikely that the vertical television would be released in the UK.

Samsung’s new television has 4.1-channel, 60W speakers and can be controlled by the company’s virtual assistant Bixby.

The company said the new televisions could be used for shopping channels to broadcast vertically with information about products displayed beneath, for example.

Social media users questioned the usefulness of the vertical alignment. “I never liked vertical videos. This sounds like a nightmare,” wrote one person. Another said: “Nobody wants this.”

One social media user came up with an alternative use for the television, though: “Handy if lying on the sofa,” they said.

This is not the first time the firm has unveiled an unusual design. In January, Samsung announced “The Wall”, a 75-inch television comprising tiles that can be locked together to expand or reduce the size of the screen.

LG is expected to release a new 65-inch television this year that can be vertically unrolled when needed.