LG G4 OLED evo 4K HDR TV Review

OLED55G4SUB Smart TV | One of the best TVs of 2024 

Intro

LG’s latest G4 series is their top-tier high-end OLED model for 2024 unless you factor in the M4, a variant of G4 with a wireless connection box (Zero Connect).

The G4 is available in 55”, 65”, 77”, 83” and 97” screen sizes.

Design & Features

The G4 is an attractive and well-built TV with a sleek design. An ultra-thin bezel surrounds the glossy screen. The back panel is made of plastic, however, after tapping on the back panel with my hand, the plastic felt a bit thin. This personal observation didn’t take away from the TV’s overall solid build quality.

The panel depth is uniformly thin across the entire back panel of the display, even with all the electronic components being housed in this location. I’m bringing this to your attention because it’s typical for OLED TVs that don’t have a separate box that contains the TV’s electronic components, but will instead have the internal components placed in a section of the back panel that protrudes from the TV. This design will make for a flusher and more seamless wall-mounting installation of the G4.

Moving on to the TV stand. The 55” and 65” models will now be shipped with a pedestal stand. This is a welcomed change by LG, as previous model years of the G4 only had a wall mount option. This change will allow consumers to place the G4 on a tabletop.

Features

One of the big innovations of the “G” series starting with last year’s G3 models was the introduction of MLA technology. LG’s 2^nd Gen MLA or Micro Lens Array is a light control architecture that places a vast number of tiny convex lenses behind the screen to redirect the light from each OLED pixel to make sure no light is wasted, and a brighter image reaches your eyes.
Note: The 97″ model does not use MLA technology.

LG’s Brightness Booster Max is a new suite of light-boosting algorithms that work with MLA technology and is used to map and control brightness on a pixel-by-pixel basis, resulting in a sharper, more realistic image that is brighter. Brightness Booster Max enables the G4 to achieve 150% more brightness than the LG’s B4 series.

LG’s new α11 AI Processor 4K brings a host of video and audio-enhancing features. This is LG’s most powerful processor ever and provides true-to-life images with incredibly rich colors, sharpness, and depth to deliver the ultimate picture quality with more realism. AI Picture Pro heightens picture quality with its deep learning algorithm (developed from a vast database of over one million visual data) which recognizes content source quality and determines the best upgrade method for optimal visual output.

Ultra HD 4K Resolution w/ AI Super Upscaler: The G4 has a display resolution of 3,840 x 2,160 (4K) and will display all video at that resolution through its built-in AI Super Upscaler, regardless of the input signal. This upgraded AI Super Upscaler utilizes precise pixel-level image analysis, to effectively sharpen objects and backgrounds that may appear blurry – delivering a more clear and vibrant viewing experience.

HDR with Dynamic Tone Mapping Pro: Dynamic Tone Mapping Pro technology is used to reveal hidden details and bring greater depth to HDR images by precisely optimizing the brightness and contrasts across the entire screen. Dynamic Tone Mapping Pro splits pictures into blocks and fine-tunes brightness and contrast by analyzing variations in brightness where light enters the scene, creating images that look more three-dimensional.

Dolby Vision Filmmaker Mode will allow movies and shows with Dolby Vision HDR to be viewed with the same minimal processing level found in regular Filmmaker Mode.

Feature highlights:

• Self-illuminating OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) display panel produces near-infinite picture contrast and absolute black levels
• Pixel-level dimming enables each of the panel’s 8.3 million pixels to brighten, dim, or power off completely, for exceptional detail and deep black levels
• “evo” panel technology boosts red, green, and blue subpixels for richer, more accurate color
• WOLED panel
• The G4 achieves rich and accurate colors from the brightest to darkest parts of the scene thanks to 100% Color Volume and 100% Color Fidelity
• Brightness Booster Max makes this TV one of the brightest OLED models on the market
• High Dynamic Range (Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HLG) for extended picture contrast and brightness when viewing HDR content
• OLED Dynamic Tone Mapping Pro refines image-quality frame-by-frame for expressive details
• Alpha 11 AI Processor 4K improves noise reduction, sharpness, contrast, and color
• AI Super Upscaling upconverts standard-def and high-def video to near-4K quality
• Filmmaker Mode automatically adjusts picture settings to preserve the director’s intent
• 120Hz refresh rate for smooth, clear motion. 144Hz refresh rate for PC gaming

Smart TV features:

• webOS 24 smart TV platform & LG Channels: LG TV makes it easier than ever to find what you need and more. Browse all your favorite streaming apps and let “LG Channels “connect you to 300+ free channels for sports, fitness, cooking, and more.
• Motion-sensing Magic Remote with built-in microphone for voice control
• LG ThinQ AI makes your TV the hub for all your smart devices
• Built-in Amazon Alexa intelligent voice assistant. Also compatible with Google Assistant devices
• Compatible with Apple HomeKit and AirPlay 2 for wireless streaming from your iPhone, iPad, or Mac
• Sports Alert lets you set favorite teams and players to receive automated updates
• Multi-View lets you split the TV screen into up to four separate views (HDMI, live TV, and select apps)
• Display custom paintings, photos, and more with Digital Gallery when you’re not watching TV
• Room to Room Share lets you stream cable or satellite content to another compatible TV via Wi-Fi

Gaming features:

• Game Optimizer lets you quickly access all of your gaming settings
• Supports 4K/120Hz for next-gen consoles and 4K/144Hz for high-performance PCs
• Ultra-fast 0.1ms response times for seamless gaming
• ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode) for smooth, lag-free gameplay
• Supports VRR (Variable Refresh Rate); AMD FreeSync Premium and Nvidia G-SYNC compatible
• HGiG (HDR Gaming Interest Group) mode calibrates tone-mapping for accurate detail and shading
• Supports cloud gaming with Nvidia GeForce NOW, Luna, and Utomik (subscriptions required)

Sound:

• Built-in down-firing 4.2-channel speaker system
• Supports Dolby and DTS, including immersive Dolby Atmos
• Bluetooth 5.1 wireless audio streaming to a compatible speaker or set of headphones
• LG Sound Sync lets you wirelessly pair compatible LG sound bars to your TV
• AI Sound Pro virtually simulates surround sound for a more cinematic TV experience
• WiSA-ready: compatible with WiSA USB transmitters and speakers for creating a wireless audio system (up to 2.1 channels)

Connectivity

• 4 HDMI 2.1 (48Gbps) inputs 4K/120Hz, 4K/144Hz for PC gaming / HDCP 2.2 complainant
• 1 Digital optical output
• 3 USB 2.0 inputs
• 1 RF input for antenna/cable signals
• 1 Ethernet input
• eARC (Enhanced Audio Return Channel) HDMI input 2
• Bluetooth 5.1 wireless audio streaming to a compatible speaker or set of headphones
• Built-in Wi-Fi 6E (802.11ax) provides fast, reliable wireless streaming
• ATSC 1.0 Tuner

Performance

Note: To achieve the most accurate picture quality, choose the Filmmaker Mode, Expert Day, Expert Night, or Cinema picture mode settings; these settings are just recommendations, and you should choose the picture mode that looks best to your own eyes.

When it comes to OLED TV performance, you’re practically guaranteed good picture quality due to the nature of OLED technology. However, there are variations in picture quality depending on the brand name and how well the technology is implemented, and proprietary design specifications which can give a particular brand/model unique performance characteristics.

An entry-level model vs. a flagship model from the same manufacturer can or will have noticeable differences in picture quality. For example, LG’s B4 entry OLED TV will not outperform the high-end G4 model being reviewed here.

LG’s G4 premium high-end status puts it in the top echelon of “best performing” OLED TVs currently available. The G4 will certainly be considered as one of the best TVs of 2024. That’s just how great the picture quality on this stellar OLED TV is.

Now on to the specifics of the G4’s performance. As expected with this and other OLED TVs, contrast and black levels were outstanding on the G4. This performance is made possible due to OLED’s self-emissive pixel technology. It’s always a pleasure to see the absence of halos or light bloom around text or bright objects in a dark scene which many LED TVs can and do struggle with. Shadow detail was also very good in low-light scenes on the G4, and I didn’t experience any black crush. The G4 will make an excellent choice for viewing dark content in a dark room environment.

Color rendering on OLED TVs can be a sight to behold, and the G4 held to this coveted picture quality accolade. The color palette was brilliant/pristine, rich, and natural, with spot-on accuracy, and did not appear oversaturated. And throughout my evaluation, I noticed that color rendering remained balanced, whether it be in bright or dark scenes, or with skin tones, which appeared natural.

Watching HDR content on the G4 was an awesome experience. The visual impact it had was phenomenal. The contrast and brightness combo delivered impressive dynamic punch. The dynamic tone mapping worked well presenting optimized picture images during all HDR viewing. Also, specular highlights, detail, and clarity took HDR viewing to the highest levels on the G4. I was very impressed. So if you want the best HDR picture quality, look no further than LG’s G4.

The G4 also has excellent picture brightness that even rivals some of the best LED TVs thanks in part to its “Brightness Booster Max” feature. According to PC Mag measurements, the G4 established HDR peak brightness outputs of 243 nits with a full-screen white field, 1,103 nits with an 18% white field, and a stellar 1,510 nits with a 10% white field. That’s commendable performance, especially for an OLED TV.

SDR peak brightness output was 322 nits full-screen, 454 nits 18%, and 458 nits 10% with white field windows.

Refined Detail and clarity were other strong picture-quality attributes of the G4. Images were extremely sharp with great visual depth and transparency, leading to very three-dimensional and life-like picture images.

The G4 had great wide-angle viewing performance and maintained great color saturation and contrast regardless of the viewing positions around the TV’s screen.

Black screen uniformity rendered an entirely black screen which is the norm for an OLED TV. Gray screen uniformity was also good, and I didn’t see any dirty screen effects.

Motion handling was very good on the G4 when viewing fast-paced content. The “TruMotion” “Cinematic Movement” setting now uses AI to remove judder without adding any noticeable smoothing or soap opera effect.

Gaming – As I tend to mention, I’m not much of a gamer so I usually don’t comment on any given TV’s gaming performance. Nevertheless, I know this is an important performance criterion for many consumers. I did some internet research and found the G4 to be a great gaming TV thanks to its advanced gaming features including 144Hz refresh rate capability for PC gaming.

According to my research, input lag is excellent on this display with the “Game Optimizer” mode turned on and measured 5ms. The input lag can be further improved by changing the “Prevent Input Delay” setting from “Standard” to “Boost” dropping input lag to -1ms. These changes can be made within the Game Optimizer menu.

The webOS 24 smart TV platform is easy to use and well laid out for easy access to your favorite apps. The interface is smooth and fast and is one of the best smart TV interfaces available in my opinion. This latest version of webOS has a refined design of the two home pages, which adds a nice touch to the smart TV interface.

The sound quality from the G4 was decent and had good mid-range frequency extension and decent high-frequency extension. On the other hand, it didn’t produce much bass output. However, the TV does play loud and outputs clear dialogue. And the “AI Sound Pro” feature does enhance the audio output if you’re interested in virtual surround sound processing.

Downsides of the LG G4

Although the G4 is an excellent 4K OLED TV its pricing is a bit on the expensive side even for the 55” model evaluated in this review. Nevertheless, I’m sure there will be price drops soon.

Another complaint I’ve levied against the G4, and other LG 2024 TV models is the absence of an ATSC 3.0 tuner which has been switched to the older ATSC 1.0 standard. This is due to a dispute between the company and an ATSC 3.0 ‘NextGen TV’ tech patent holder. This may or may not be a deal breaker with potential buyers.

G4 vs, G3

Is the G4 worth the upgrade over the G3? The G4 does provide an increase in peak brightness, contrast, color, detail, and clarity from the info I’ve found on the internet. And let’s not forget about the picture quality enhancements provided by the powerful new Alpha 11 AI processor in the G4 and how much it factors into picture quality improvements over the G3. That being said, the incremental improvements that the G4 brings over the G3 may or may not be worth the extra cost for potential buyers. Only you can decide.

Conclusion

LG’s G4 is a great OLED TV in my opinion. Its overall picture quality is exceptional due to its great contrast, black levels, color reproduction, and video processing. Its high peak brightness produces excellent specular highlights when viewing HDR content. Its high peak brightness output also makes it a good choice for well-lit rooms, and the level of detail and clarity on the G4 is outstanding. The latest version of the webOS interface continues to make its smart TV functionality smooth and intuitive. After reviewing the G4, I’m confident it will be a top contender for the best TV of 2024, in my opinion. It’s that good!

HDTVs and More recommended.

Check out HDTVs and More’ YouTube video review for the LG G4 OLED TV here.

LG Five-Year Panel Warranty