LG unveils new air purifier, conditioner

LG Electronics home appliances & air solutions division head Jo Seong-jin poses with the firm’s new air purifiers at LG Electronics headquarters in Seoul, Thursday. / Courtesy of LG Electronics

By Lee Min-hyung

LG Electronics will begin selling its air solutions products in 30 countries by 2018, accelerating its bid to diversify its revenue streams by resolving growing concerns over indoor air pollution.

The company on Thursday unveiled its latest premium Puri Care lineup ― including an air purifier and air conditioner ― which will be available in key overseas markets such as China, the United States and Thailand next year.

The air purifier market was worth $3.7 billion (4.3 trillion won) across the globe last year, according to LG Electronics. China tops the list with a market value of $1.5 billion, followed by $700 million in both the United States and Japan.

To meet the rising demand for air solutions products, the company started the Puri Care brand last year whose lineup includes a humidifier, air purifier and water purifier.

“LG Electronics is betting big on air solutions products as our next key growth area,” Jo Seong-jin, president of the home appliances & air solutions division at LG Electronics, said Thursday. “Puri Care’s brand awareness is improving. We are going to invest more on raising awareness of our converged air solutions products.”

At the press conference, the company unveiled its new premium air purifier equipped with a 360-degree circulation and filtration system, allowing users to purify their rooms, according to the company.

A notable feature of the device is its six-layer filter system, efficiently removing fine dust and pollutants that people encounter in their daily lives, LG said. Users can easily replace the filter by detaching the cover of the device.

The device also comes with a smart home function, helping users to monitor indoor air quality in real time via the firm’s smartphone application Smart ThinQ.

The 360-degree air purifier is available for four sizes ― depending on floor area of 51.5, 58, 81 or 91 square meters. The model comes with a price tag between 749,000 won and 1.219 million won.

The company also introduced its new Whisen air conditioner featured with four functions ― including heating, cooling, air cleaning and dehumidification.

LG equipped the device with a dual inverter compressor, offering four times more energy efficiency, compared with conventional electricity heaters, according to the company.

The device, priced between 2.8 million and 3 million, will be available here later this month in two colors ― white and gold.