Brighter, faster, better: LG presents its new OLED TV generation

This year, the tech industry will once again be showing its innovative side at CES in Las Vegas. OLED monitors for PCs with extremely high pixel density in particular are becoming real stars of the future trade fair, as colleague Samuel Buchmann reports.

LG has traditionally been at the forefront when it comes to OLED TVs: The South Korean tech giant has been delivering models for years that regularly occupy the top spots in purchase recommendations - including my own. Particularly innovative was the introduction of the unique microlens layer (MLA), which enables the G-series to deliver brilliant, high-contrast images even in bright rooms.

It is all the more surprising that LG wants to do without the MLA layer in its flagship series (G and M) this year. Nevertheless, the new TVs should be brighter - and smarter, thanks to the integration of an AI language model (LLM), which should understand and process complex requests similar to ChatGPT.

OLED evolution: LG's new TVs at a glance

At the top of the range is the M5, which, like its predecessors, relies on LG's Zero Connect Box. It can be placed up to ten metres away from the TV. External playback devices such as consoles, Blu-ray players or set-top boxes are then no longer connected directly to the TV, but to the Zero Connect Box. It then streams the video and audio signals to the TV with UHD resolution and at up to 144 Hz - uncompressed, including all HDMI 2.1 features, Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos and DTS:X.

Yes, that's impressive. And yes, probably still nobody really needs it.

For nerds and enthusiasts, the G series remains more interesting and sensible. LG promises up to three times higher brightness compared to conventional OLED models with the new Brightness Booster Ultimate technology and the Quad-Layer OLED panel.

In concrete terms, according to the reliable panel analyst Ross Young, the M and G series should achieve a peak brightness of 3700 nits. That is 700 nits more than the G-series promised last year. The G-series should also achieve a frame rate of up to 165 Hz, including support for AMD FreeSync Premium and Nvidia G-Sync, which is important for gamers who want to connect a PC with powerful hardware to the TV.

However, I doubt that the promised peak brightness is actually achieved. In my tests, the G4 achieved a peak brightness of 1465 nits, which is not even half of the promised value. Whatever special laboratory conditions the manufacturers create to achieve such values - they are not realistic. Nevertheless, a peak brightness of 1465 nits is damn impressive for an OLED TV. By comparison, a typical LED TV achieves around 1000 nits. And if the upcoming G or M series can go one better, LG's OLED TVs will also be among the brightest on the market next year.

What will become of the much-praised MLA layer is still unclear. It is quite possible that it will finally "seep" into the C and B series intended for the masses this year. Or it may even disappear completely from LG's line-up because the new technologies and panels are not compatible with the MLA layer.

Of course, there will also be changes to the processor: The two top models rely on LG's latest Alpha 11 Gen 2 processor, which is designed to polish up low-resolution content to 4K level. According to LG, many of these image optimisations will also find their way into the more mass-market C5 model. Nice.

AI in the living room: progress or overkill?

LG is making AI a central topic of its 2025 OLED TVs: all new models will be equipped with Microsoft's Copilot - a powerful LLM chatbot. The microphone button on the remote control will directly activate "LG AI" so that you can use voice commands to find content from various apps more efficiently and better control the TV itself. The new webOS home screen should be faster, more intuitive and tidier than ever.

Another great feature is the improved Filmmaker Mode, which takes ambient light into account and automatically adjusts the picture settings. LG promises to preserve the "original intention of the film makers". In addition, LG has announced that it will regularly update the software of the new models for five years, similar to smartphones.

This all sounds exciting. However, too many AI gadgets could also overwhelm users or confront them with data protection concerns. This also applies to manufacturer Samsung. It will also be integrating Microsoft's Copilot this year. TV manufacturers that work with Google TV are also planning something similar: Google will incorporate new Gemini features into its TV operating system and equip corresponding TVs with new microphones so that voice commands can no longer just be spoken into the remote control.

It remains to be seen whether the new AI strategy will work. What do you think?