LG G4 OLED TV
LG's brightest OLED yet with the new Alpha 11 processor. The picture-quality king, if you can stomach the price.
The LG G4 OLED is the TV that finally answers the “is OLED bright enough for a sunny living room?” question with a confident yes. It pairs a new MLA+ (Micro Lens Array) WOLED panel with the Alpha 11 Gen 2 processor and ships in sizes from 55” to 83” (and a 97” G5 successor pending). It is also aggressively expensive.
The panel
This is an MLA+ WOLED — a microlens layer over the pixels that recovers light that would otherwise be absorbed, boosting brightness without increasing current (and thus without accelerating burn-in). Peak HDR brightness hits 2,100 nits on a 3% window, ~1,600 on a 10% window, and a real, sustained full-screen 450 nits in HDR. That last number is the meaningful one — most OLEDs throttle to ~250 nits full-screen in HDR. The G4 holds.
Infinite contrast, perfect blacks, 0.1ms response time. 144Hz refresh at 4K, VRR up to 144Hz, G-Sync and FreeSync Premium. Color: 99% DCI-P3, 89% Rec.2020.
The processor
The Alpha 11 Gen 2 brings a 70% performance bump and a dedicated neural processing unit. The upscaling is genuinely good — 1080p sources look closer to native 4K than they have any right to. The new “AI Director” feature analyzes scenes and adjusts tone-mapping dynamically. Whether that’s an improvement or a crime against the colorist’s intent is a religious question.
Gaming
Game Optimizer dashboard, 4x HDMI 2.1, 4K@144Hz, ALLM, VRR. Input lag measures 5.4ms at 144Hz — excellent. Dolby Vision Gaming at 4K/120 is supported (a flex Sony doesn’t match). This is one of the best gaming TVs you can buy.
What’s wrong
- MLA+ still has a faint viewing-angle magenta shift off-axis. Not IPS-level, but better than older WOLEDs.
- webOS 2024 is fine but loaded with sponsored content tiles on the home screen.
- The 83” and 97” sizes cost as much as a used car.
- Burn-in is a real, if mitigated, risk for news/sports ticker users. LG’s 5-year panel warranty helps.
- Sound from the built-in 4.2ch system is okay, not great. Pair a soundbar.
The verdict
The G4 OLED is the picture-quality reference of 2026. If you watch in a bright room, it’s the OLED that actually works. If you watch in a dark room, the Sony A95L QD-OLED edges it on color volume. Either way, you’re paying $2,500+ for the 65” — bring a credit limit. The G4 is brilliant and it knows it.