Why the LG G4 OLED is one of my favorite TVs for picture quality - even in 2025

ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

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

I'm not usually a instrumentality of LG TVs, but since investigating the LG G4 OLED TV past year, I person to admit that it has the astir awesome representation prime of immoderate TV I've ever bought, used, oregon tested. 

Also: I tested the LG G5 OLED beside the industry's champion TVs - and the upgrades are worthy it

I won't hide the lede; its existent discounted terms doesn't needfully suffice it arsenic a fund enactment -- you could get 2 65-inch Sony X90L TVs for that money. But if representation prime is your fig 1 precedence and you person the wealth to spend, there's nary greater TV worth connected the satellite with a amended representation than the LG G4. Not until the LG G5 gets discounted, astatine least.

What makes the LG G4 OLED representation truthful good? Several things. 

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

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

Also: Your TV's USB larboard has an underutilized payment that tin refresh an aged strategy - here's how

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

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

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

Adam Breeden/ZDNET

And due to the fact that LG has ever arguably made the highest-quality OLED TV panels, this upgrade successful representation processing lifts the LG G4 to the apical of the people successful representation quality. For movies, shows, gaming, and virtually immoderate different content, the LG G4 brings them to beingness successful vibrant color, creaseless motion, and unthinkable opposition -- much than immoderate different TV you tin bargain close now. 

Also: The adjacent large HDMI leap has arrived - what the 2.2 modular means for you

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

What are the drawbacks? 

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

The different drawbacks are the distant and LG's built-in webOS software. Both are mediocre astatine best. I see LG's distant to beryllium the worst of immoderate of the large 5 TV makers. It's large, chunky, and has a confusing fig of buttons. A TV that is bully and has specified a premium plan that is svelte and beauteous 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 adjacent the latest model

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

Adam Breeden/ZDNET

That said, successful investigating the 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 the streaming services and contented that I wanted. The operation of the LG G4 and Apple TV was glorious. So, if you bargain an LG G4, I'd urge adding a high-end streaming container similar the Apple TV 4K, Google TV Streamer (4K), Amazon Fire TV Cube, oregon Nvidia Shield. 

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

Also: Changing these 5 soundbar settings made my surviving country consciousness similar a movie theater

Lastly, if you'd similar a high-quality OLED TV with a large distant and large bundle built-in truthful that you don't person to tally a abstracted streaming box, past I'd urge the Sony A95L OLED TV, which runs Google TV and has a precise premium remote. And if your TV is going to beryllium successful a precise agleam country with tons of windows oregon lights, past I'd urge the Samsung S95D, which is besides a now-year-old exemplary but astir matches the LG G4 successful representation prime but comes with an unthinkable glare-free surface that looks astonishing successful immoderate room. 

ZDNET's buying advice

While Sony and Samsung connection OLED TVs with akin terms points, the flagship LG G4 OLED is unmatched successful representation quality, making it a coagulated proposal astatine this merchantability price. Its almighty α11 AI Processor is connected par with the vibrant colors, existent blacks, and dynamic scope displayed connected its sleek panel. For a much immersive, theatre-like dependable experience, see adding a soundbar, arsenic I mentioned above.

With the ever-changing scenery of tariffs and merchandise distribution, instrumentality vantage of the discounts astatine either Amazon oregon Best Buy portion they last. The LG G4 OLED is present positioned to beryllium 1 of the best-value OLED TVs you tin bargain successful 2025.

How we trial TVs

While investigating and researching the 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 with 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 terms points to assistance accommodate antithetic needs.
• Screen size: The astir important origin to consider, aft price, erstwhile buying for a caller TV is whether oregon not it volition acceptable into your space. Each champion TV connected this database was chosen due to the fact that they are disposable successful a wide assortment of sizes to suit antithetic rooms.
• Picture and audio quality: A caller TV doesn't mean much, adjacent if it costs an limb and a leg, if it doesn't supply a large representation and wide audio. Each TV connected this database has been ensured to enactment assorted HDR codecs, including HDR10+ and Dolby Vision, arsenic good arsenic enhanced audio bundle similar Dolby Atmos, Dolby Digital Plus, and object-tracking sound.

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