LG’s new top-tier G5 OLED TV blew me away with its boosted brightness
Improvements over last year's G4 are significant
Having skipped its CES debut back in January, my thinking ahead of seeing LG’s latest and greatest 4K TV, the G5 OLED, for the first time was “How much better could it be?” The outgoing G4 was comfortably one of last year’s best sets, and the pre-launch chatter seemed more interested on AI than what was happening onscreen. And yet at a recent reviewer event, a side-by-side comparison showed just how far the firm has come in just twelve months.
The G5 gets LG’s new four-stack OLED panel, rather than re-use the multi-lens array (MLA) tech seen on the outgoing G4. Instead of using microscopic lens elements to boost light output, this new design sandwiches red and green OLED layers between two blue ones, creating a stronger shine. With an Alpha A11 image processor pulling the strings, it’s able to deliver a claimed 40% higher fullscreen brightness.
It’s a claim I can believe, with one explosive demo clip showing a huge gap between the G5 and G4. It also put the Samsung S95D that LG brought for comparison to shame. Peak brightness hasn’t jumped a huge amount, so a Sony A95L fared better in a side-by-side, though HDR highlights do have a little extra impact on the newer LG. We’re still nowhere near giving mini-LED a run for its money, but the gap is much smaller than it was even one year ago.
Crucially, this hasn’t come at the expense of shadow detail – an OLED trademark that LG handles wonderfully. A particularly dark scene from Zack Snyder’s Justice League was impressively defined, even during fast motion. The G5 has also stepped up its game on colour accuracy, with the filmmaker mode delivering a warm picture throughout; extreme highlights looked much cooler on the Sony.
All about AI
Most of LG’s demos had the G5 (and its rivals) set to their respective filmmaker modes, where picture processing is reduced to a minimum to preserve the director’s intent. It has a new ambient light compensation mode that got impressively close to the image achievable in a dark room, with perceived contrast not dropping off like it did on the equivalent Samsung.
There are of course plenty of ways to tweak things to your liking, too. About 1.6 billion of them, according to the firm. The initial setup process asks you to choose between a series of different images to create a unique preset, and you’re able to hold a new AI button on the remote down to ask the TV to boost things like brightness if the current settings aren’t to your liking.
AI has seemingly crawled into every crevice, with algorithmic picture upscaling, 11.1.2-channel virtual audio upmixing, and even cloud-based generative screensaver images based on your voice prompts. My go-to test – a cat on a beach, wearing a sombrero – looked very convincing.
Interestingly, where you live will determine which of LG’s two remote controls gets bundled in the box. US shoppers will get a sleeker, pared-back remote with fewer buttons, while the UK sticks with the firm’s long-running Magic Remote. This is apparently because TV makers are legally required to include number buttons on their remotes here, and LG decided not to follow its competitors in including two remotes with each TV.
Turn the TV on using the AI button and the Web OS interface will greet the last person to use it. Voice ID has been a thing in LG’s native Korea for a year or two now, but it’ll be coming to other territories with the G5. Asking “what did I watch last night” or “tell me the football schedule” should bring back tailored responses, and each user profile can have different picture or sound settings saved.
The G5 is shaping up to be a stellar set everywhere else, with a gamer-friendly 165Hz G-Sync adaptive refresh rate as well as VRR and FreeSync support. LG’s ad-supported TV offering is bigger than ever, with new channel LG 1 Spotlight bringing US crime drama boxsets to your EPG for free, and a dedicated film channel on the way. It’ll stay up to date for years to come, too, with LG committing to five years of WebOS updates and feature drops.
LG has now opened its pre-order books, ahead of general sale kicking off later in the year. Prices start from £1799 for the 48in model, rising to £2399 for 55in, £3299 for 65in, £4499 for 77in and £6999 for the 83in. Got all the money in the world? The range-topping 97in will set you back £24,999.
Tom Morgan-Freelander
Deputy Editor 
