There is an expectation with OLED TVs that they’re not good in bright rooms. The rule used to be that you have OLED for dark-ish rooms, and QLED for bright rooms. It was a good dividing line. But in my time with the brand new LG flagship OLED G4 ($5,299), I have been stunned by how good it is in my unnervingly bright living room.
It almost keeps up with my QLED Samsung QN900C (since superseded by the brilliant QN900D) in terms of brightness and daytime watching, which is absolutely wild.
The G4 might not be the perfect TV, but it’s certainly the best OLED I’ve seen this year.
LG G4 OLED TV review
First impressions
My first impression of the LG G4 OLED TV is that it’s not wafer-thin. Some people might begrudge that because they want the thinnest possible TV on their wall. Those people have never had to set up or carry a TV. I am thrilled that the G4 is thick enough to hold securely, but not so thick that it’s ugly. It’s the exact right amount of thick.
In the box, you get a wall mount, but you can also buy a separate desk stand if you don’t want to attach it to your wall. The desk stand is easy to set up, and looks sleek.
The setup process is pretty smooth, particularly through the LG ThinQ app doing much of the logging in for you.
Then, once you get that first glimpse of the picture, it’s more like looking through a really clean window on a day with perfect lighting than watching a TV. It’s the kind of picture quality that was unimaginable 15 years ago.
LG G4 OLED TV specs and price in Australia
| Refresh rate | 120Hz Native |
| Picture Processor | α11 AI Processor 4K |
| HDR (High Dynamic Range) | Dolby Vision / HDR10+ / HLG |
| Audio output | 60W |
| TV Dimensions without Stand (WxHxD, mm) | 1441 x 826 x 24.3 |
| TV Weight without Stand (kg) | 23.8 |
| Gaming | G-Sync Compatible (Nvidia) FreeSync Compatible (AMD) HGIG Mode |
| Connectivity | eARC (HDMI 2) Bluetooth v.5.1 Ethernet x 1 Wi-Fi 6 RF Input (Antenna/Cable) x2 USB Input x 3 |
| Price (RRP) | 55-inch: $4,199 65-inch (review unit): $5,299 77-inch: $7,999 83-inch: $9,999 |
| Warranty | One-year product warranty (parts and labour) Five-year panel warranty |
| Official Website | LG Australia |
On paper, it looks a lot like last year’s G3, but through some software wizardry, it’s a much bigger step up than raw numbers would suggest.
One of my favourite things about LG TVs is that they support both HDR10+ and Dolby Vision, getting the best of both worlds. It’s annoying that not all premium brands do this, and it’s a huge LG selling point in my view.
Other than that, it’s got everything you’d expect in a top-of-the-range TV.
Performance
Hands down, this TV is one of the best I’ve ever seen. It’s a close call between this and the premium Samsung S95D OLED for 2024’s best TV. It’s one of those TVs that makes you want to watch hi-res YouTube compilation videos of tropical birds just so you can bask in the beauty.
But it’s also the kind of TV where the technology gets out of the way and lets you enjoy whatever show you’re watching. The picture is so clear and crisp that you can enjoy TV shows, movies and sports without having obvious pixels or weird colours take you out of the action.
Thanks to upscaling, old episodes of Top Chef (which look like they were filmed on a ye olde Nokia) look almost as good as the latest 4K Only Murders In The Building.
Darker scenes, like in the Sandra Bullock film Gravity really pop, with almost no haloing around the light sources. Conversely, bright scenes, like in any reality show set in Los Angeles, similarly don’t lose detail or look washed out.
During the day in a bright room, there are still some reflections, but not anywhere near the amount you’d get on an older model OLED. On an older OLED, it would have been unwatchable during the day in the living room, so this is huge progress.
Of course, it does look better at night in a dark room, where the contrast really pops. But perfect conditions are hard to come across, and this new generation of OLEDs seems more capable of adapting to imperfect conditions.
The built-in speakers sound predictably terrible, but by now we all know that fancy, thin TVs need a soundbar. If your budget won’t stretch to a soundbar, get a cheaper TV and a soundbar.
Remote
The TV remote is a really important factor; it’s your mediator with the screen. The screen might be where the big bucks go, but if the remote is unfriendly, it renders the screen a useless stone.
The LG remote follows the trend of making the bottom half a billboard for whichever streaming services paid the company enough money for a prime position. However, it bucks the minimalist trend. It’s big and ugly, and covered in buttons. While I appreciate the buttons, and the size means it should be difficult to lose, the deep black still means it blends with its surroundings.
It’s kind of the worst of both worlds. The function is fine, though not as efficient wirelessly as the Samsung remotes. I’m also surprised that a premium TV in this price range still uses AAA batteries when other companies have moved to solar recharging.
All up, the remote is fine, but not as good as the TV, and comes across as cheap despite the premium price tag of the TV it belongs to.
Operating system
LG’s WebOS follows in the footsteps of other TV brands in prioritising advertising opportunities over usability. It’s a shame that TVs this expensive are still subject to the outsized greed of their manufacturers, but it’s now an inescapable reality.
All the apps you’d expect are available to download and use, but the billboard at the top of the screen is bothersome. The lack of customisation for the quick buttons on the remote, and limited customisation of the home screen is also frustrating. It’s all usable, though.
At least WebOS 24, the latest version, adds Chromecast support. Alongside the existing AirPlay support, it means easy casting regardless of your Android or Apple preference.
Gaming
Having a peak refresh rate of 144Hz (boosting the panel’s native 120Hz rate), and a ridiculously quick response time (almost instant), means that the gaming experience is incredible on console or PC. There is still some persistence blur, but it’s not too bad. Game Optimiser mode comes on automatically (though, doesn’t always turn off automatically) to boost the experience even further.
The LG G4 is one of the best gaming TVs on the market, particularly if you’re looking for OLED.
Who is the LG G4 OLED TV for?
This is a TV for the discerning AV nerd with a decently dim living room. It still looks incredible in a bright room, but you’re going to get the best experience in a less bright room.
The LG G4 OLED TV is the best OLED TV available in Australia in 2024 that I’ve seen. It looks incredible, it’s easy to use, and it’s the kind of TV that will make you want to host more movie nights with your friends to show it off.
Just make sure you get a soundbar to go with it.
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