Despite Being Last Year's Flagship, The Lg G4 Oled Remains One Of My Favorite Tvs

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• The LG G4 OLED was nan company's flagship TV past year, and continues to spot generous discounts successful 2025.
• LG has made awesome strides pinch its OLED image quality, and this exemplary is genuinely exceptional.
• With nan G5 OLED hitting nan marketplace now, it's nary longer nan 'best option' erstwhile it comes to brightness and performance.

I'm not usually a instrumentality of LG TVs, but since testing nan LG G4 OLED TV past year, I person to admit that it has nan astir awesome image value of immoderate TV I've ever bought, used, aliases tested. 

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I won't hide nan lede; its existent discounted value doesn't needfully suffice it arsenic a fund action -- you could get 2 65-inch Sony X90L TVs for that money. But if image value is your number 1 privilege and you person nan money to spend, there's nary greater TV worth connected nan satellite pinch a amended image than nan LG G4. Not until nan LG G5 gets discounted, astatine least.

What makes nan LG G4 OLED image truthful good? Several things. 

First of all, location are nan things that make each OLED screens great, and this is particularly existent for LG OLEDs because they are 1 of nan starring innovators successful nan technology. We're talking astir existent blacks (as opposed to washed-out acheronian grays from LCD TVs), heavy contrast, much vibrant colors, and astonishing move scope successful shots that person some acheronian and ray elements. 

The LG G4 has each of those qualities -- and astatine nan highest levels I've seen connected immoderate TV -- because it is LG's flagship OLED TV for 2024. 

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So, what's caller successful past year's LG G4? The biggest leap guardant is successful image processing, and that's made imaginable by thev α11 AI Processor 4K. I've ever considered Sony nan king of image processing, and it was a agelong measurement backmost to LG and Samsung, fundamentally tied for 2nd place, pinch fund TV makers TCL and Hisense lagging nan crowd. 

However, pinch nan 2024 α11 AI Processor, LG is pushing Sony for nan apical spot successful image processing -- and that's saying a lot. 

This really matters erstwhile it comes to out-of-the-box image settings, upscaling older and lower-quality 720p and 1080p content, and nan TV automatically adjusting nan image to make today's HDR contented look amazing. In each of those areas, nan LG G4 now rivals Sony. 

Adam Breeden/ZDNET

And because LG has ever arguably made nan highest-quality OLED TV panels, this upgrade successful image processing lifts nan LG G4 to nan apical of nan people successful image quality. For movies, shows, gaming, and virtually immoderate different content, nan LG G4 brings them to life successful vibrant color, soft motion, and unthinkable opposition -- much than immoderate different TV you tin bargain correct now. 

Also: The adjacent large HDMI leap has arrived - what nan 2.2 modular intends for you

I tried it pinch immoderate of my favourite contented pinch challenging visuals, including Dune, Avengers: End Game, and respective different cutting-edge cinematic marvels. All of nan contented looked amended than I've ever seen connected immoderate TV I've used, bought, aliases tested -- and that includes immoderate of nan champion TVs from Sony, Samsung, LG, TCL, and Hisense complete nan past fewer years.

What are nan drawbacks? 

There are a fewer drawbacks to statement astir nan LG G4. First, of course, is nan premium price. As I've already mentioned, you could bargain 2 65-inch Sony X90L TVs for nan value of 1 65-inch LG G4. And I deliberation astir group would beryllium highly happy pinch nan mid-range Sony X90L. But you're not most people if you're considering nan LG G4. 

The different drawbacks are nan distant and LG's built-in webOS software. Both are mediocre astatine best. I see LG's distant to beryllium nan worst of immoderate of nan large 5 TV makers. It's large, chunky, and has a confusing number of buttons. A TV that is bully and has specified a premium creation that is svelte and beautiful deserves a better-designed remote. (Fortunately, LG has redesigned it for its 2025 bid of TVs, which is simply a motion of amended things to come.)

Also: This LG soundbar delivers a cinematic experience, and it's not moreover nan latest model

LG's built-in webOS package is astir arsenic disappointing arsenic nan distant control, though this is surely subjective. It useful fine, but it's not very intuitive, and it is obscurity adjacent to being arsenic well-thought-out arsenic nan TV hardware. The icons for contented are mini and sometimes difficult to select, nan paper strategy is simply a spot convoluted, and location are built-in ads moving successful nan software, which makes it consciousness unnecessary for a TV this expensive. 

Adam Breeden/ZDNET

That said, successful testing nan 83-inch LG G4 successful ZDNET's TV lab, I discovered a spot of a aureate look erstwhile I attached an Apple TV 4K and utilized that distant and its interface to entree each of nan streaming services and contented that I wanted. The operation of nan LG G4 and Apple TV was glorious. So, if you bargain an LG G4, I'd urge adding a high-end streaming container for illustration nan Apple TV 4K, Google TV Streamer (4K), Amazon Fire TV Cube, aliases Nvidia Shield. 

The built-in sound successful nan LG G4 is good but not awesome -- for illustration virtually each different high-end aliases fund TV. So if you're buying a TV this expensive, I'm going to presume you're going to adhd a soundbar. At nan very least, I'd urge getting nan Hisense AX5125H 5.1.2-channel soundbar -- my prime for champion fund soundbar. And if you really want to footwear into precocious gear, past I'd urge nan Sony Bravia Theater Quad, which automatically calibrates itself to your room. 

Also: Changing these 5 soundbar settings made my surviving room consciousness for illustration a movie theater

Lastly, if you'd for illustration a high-quality OLED TV pinch a awesome distant and awesome package built-in truthful that you don't person to tally a abstracted streaming box, past I'd urge nan Sony A95L OLED TV, which runs Google TV and has a very premium remote. And if your TV is going to beryllium successful a very agleam room pinch tons of windows aliases lights, past I'd urge nan Samsung S95D, which is besides a now-year-old exemplary but astir matches nan LG G4 successful image value but comes pinch an unthinkable glare-free surface that looks astonishing successful immoderate room. 

ZDNET's buying advice

While Sony and Samsung connection OLED TVs pinch akin value points, nan flagship LG G4 OLED is unmatched successful image quality, making it a coagulated recommendation. Its powerful α11 AI Processor is connected par pinch nan vibrant colors, existent blacks, and move scope displayed connected its sleek panel. For a much immersive, theatre-like sound experience, see adding a soundbar, arsenic I mentioned above.

With nan ever-changing scenery of tariffs and merchandise distribution, return advantage of nan discounts astatine either Amazon aliases Best Buy while they last. The LG G4 OLED is now positioned to beryllium 1 of nan best-value OLED TVs you tin bargain successful 2025.

How we trial TVs

While testing and researching nan TVs featured connected this list, I and different ZDNET experts kept these criteria successful mind:

• Price: Not each budgets are created equal. And if you're moving pinch a constricted budget, that shouldn't mean you person to settee for a sub-par TV. Each TV exemplary connected this database has been chosen crossed a assortment of value points to thief accommodate different needs.
• Screen size: The astir important facet to consider, aft price, erstwhile shopping for a caller TV is whether aliases not it will fresh into your space. Each champion TV connected this database was chosen because they are disposable successful a wide assortment of sizes to suit different rooms.
• Picture and audio quality: A caller TV doesn't mean much, moreover if it costs an limb and a leg, if it doesn't supply a awesome image and clear audio. Each TV connected this database has been ensured to support various HDR codecs, including HDR10+ and Dolby Vision, arsenic good arsenic enhanced audio package for illustration Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital Plus, and object-tracking sound.

For a much elaborate look, cheque out our extended TV testing methodology.