LG has announced an update to the Styler at CES. The steam closet, which first launched as a niche product in Seoul way back in 2011 and has seen several iterations since, is now a globally available and popular appliance. The 2024 upgrades add extra functionality that nudge it closer to universal usefulness.
If you’re not familiar with what the Styler does, it’s a smart wardrobe with hangers for a number of garments, a shelf for linen, toys and more, and a trouser press in the door. Clothing hung inside is steamed and agitated to remove particle pollution and wrinkles, as well as being deodorised and disinfected in the process.
When we reviewed the Styler, our chief reservation was that it can’t entirely replace any stage of laundry or garment care. You’ll still need to wash stained clothes and get the iron out for serious creases and wrinkles. Essentially, it’s an add-on to your home laundry system, designed to freshen up garments and give you more time between trips to the dry cleaners. But it does have specialist cleaning settings for different types of fabrics, to take better care of hard-to-wash items such as velvet, leather and silk.
If this feature set hasn’t been quite enough to tempt you, its new functionality just might do it.
LG
When will the new LG Styler launch?
LG has not yet confirmed when the Styler will be available to buy, either in the US or Europe.
What will the LG Styler cost?
Price is another unknown, although it’s likely to cost more than currently available models.
At this stage, you can buy a three-hanger model with a white door for $1,499 in the US, although it’s now on sale for $1,099 if you buy direct from LG. A model with a brown door is available from Costco, but you’ll need to sign in with your membership details to see the price.
A pricier model with a mirrored door is on sale from LG for $1,299, down from $1,699.
In the UK, the best price we found for the three-hanger model with a black door is £1,399 from Costco. But it’s also available for £1,599 from AO, Boots Kitchen Appliances and Amazon. The white door model is in stock at Currys for the same price.
What are the Styler’s new features?
The big upgrade – and the one that could be a game-changer – is the addition of a handheld pressure steamer. This should remove all but the deepest creases in thicker fabrics, meaning that you’ll rarely need to resort to an iron.
LG
The overall care for hanging garments has been improved as well, with the agitation process getting an upgrade, thanks to what LG is terming the Dynamic Moving Hanger system. Instead of clothing simply being shaken from side to side to dislodge particles, the hangers now twist as well, for more effectiveness.
These hardware upgrades have led to more software options, allowing LG to create new cleaning programmes, including the Fine Dust Cycle, for removing fine particles from clothes. You can choose the right clothing care programme using the upgraded LCD touchscreen on the front of the Styler or, as it’s a connected appliance, via the app.
The new Styler also has features to improve the air quality in the room: an inbuilt ventilation system and dehumidifier. This tech will prevent the air around the Styler from getting muggy and any clothes inside it from damp after cleaning.
Finally, the Pants Press in the door has an upgraded hanging system for sharper creases in trousers.
Should you buy the new LG Styler?
Price will be a factor in whether or not the new Styler is worth the investment but overall, we’d say that if you’ve mulling over buying a Styler, this iteration has enough useful features to make it worthwhile. However, if you already own one, we don’t think there’s enough here to warrant an upgrade. Buying a powerful handheld steamer to upgrade your laundry set-up should do the trick.
To see what we thought of the LG Styler when we tested it, read our full review.