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LG G5: Two-minute overview
The LG G5 is the corporate’s flagship TV for 2025, and it modifications the sport for OLED TV tech with a totally new panel design that delivers notably larger brightness than its LG G4 predecessor. I’ll get into the specifics of that within the Image High quality part of this overview, however what it is advisable know is that with its spectacular, mini-LED TV-rivalling brightness, the G5 succeeds brilliantly in bringing the best OLED TVs out of the darkness as a viable choice for daytime, vivid room viewing.
LG’s G4 relied on a micro lens array (MLA) layer to spice up brightness over what standard OLED TVs have been able to, however the brand new LG G5 incorporates a new Primary RGB Tandem structure OLED display panel. This makes use of particular person crimson, inexperienced, and blue layers to supply mild, and the ensuing brightness is just not solely leaps and bounds higher than what the G4 achieved with MLA, but it surely additionally yields enhancements in coloration replica.
You’d suppose that the G5’s revamped show panel would command a better worth, however the LG pricing is equal to its G4 predecessor. Nonetheless, at $3,399 / £2,399 / AU$5,299 for the 65-inch mannequin I examined, it’s nonetheless very a lot a premium TV.
Together with larger brightness and richer coloration, the LG G5 gives a spread of options that make it a versatile choice for viewing in a spread of lighting circumstances. These embody a brand new, simpler anti-glare display screen, and a Filmmaker Ambient Light Mode that makes use of the TV’s built-in mild sensor to dynamically alter brightness with out sacrificing image accuracy within the course of.
LG’s Alpha 11 AI processor Gen 2 is accountable for a spread of AI image and sound enhancements on the G5. These embody AI Image and Sound modes, voice recognition, and personalised content material suggestions.
LG’s webOS 25 good TV interface has been tweaked with the flexibility to change between personalized dwelling display screen layouts that get triggered by the viewer’s voice, and there at the moment are onscreen wizards to information you thru the method of establishing distinctive AI image and sound presets to accompany your customized dwelling display screen.
LG’s flagship G-series OLEDs are designed for wall-mounting, and the G5 has an All the time Prepared mode that lets the TV be used as a body for displaying pictures and artwork (now together with pictures generated by AI with the TV’s help). However it’s additionally a extremely succesful gaming TV, with assist for 4K 165Hz, Nvidia G-Sync, and AMD FreeSync Premium. The G5’s Fast Card gaming portal additionally offers over 500 titles plus Nvidia GeForce Now, Luna, and different apps, and Xbox Game Pass assist needs to be added in the course of the begin of 2025.
Whereas the LG G5 has turned out to be a best-in-class OLED TV choice for 2025, many individuals shall be equally happy with its step-down LG C5 mannequin, which is already trying to be one in all 2025’s best TVs. The C5 is not as vivid because the G5, however you’ll save fairly a bit by going with LG’s mid-range OLED .
LG G5 overview: Value and launch date
- Launch date: April 2025
- 48-inch: £1,799
- 55-inch: $2,499 / £2,399 / AU$4,199
- 65-inch: $3,399 / £3,299 / AU$5,299
- 77-inch: $4,499 / £4,499 / AU$7,999
- 83-inch: $6,499 / £6,999 / AU$9,999
- 97-inch: $24,999
The LG G5 is broadly obtainable in 55- to 83-inch display screen sizes. A 48-inch mannequin can also be obtainable within the UK, and a 97-inch choice within the US, although these fashions don’t use the identical Major RGB Tandem construction panel as the opposite sizes, and will not be as vivid.
Costs for the G5 collection are equal to final 12 months’s LG G4 collection, regardless of the inclusion of a brand new panel design, however are notably larger than the mid-range LG C5 collection OLED TVs.
LG G5 overview: Specs
|
Display screen sort: |
OLED |
|
Refresh fee: |
As much as 165Hz |
|
HDR assist: |
Dolby Imaginative and prescient, HDR10, HLG |
|
Audio assist: |
Dolby Atmos |
|
Sensible TV: |
webOS 25 |
|
HDMI ports: |
4 x HDMI 2.1 |
|
Constructed-in tuner: |
ATSC 1.0 (USA) |
LG G5 overview: Benchmark outcomes
LG G5 overview: Options
- Fourth-generation panel with Brightness Booster Final
- Filmmaker Ambient Mild Mode debuts right here
- 4K 165Hz gaming assist on PC
A key function of the LG G5 is a brand new fourth-generation OLED show panel with Major RGB Tandem construction. In distinction to earlier designs, which used two blue OLED layers plus a 3rd layer with crimson, inexperienced, and yellow components, the brand new panel makes use of particular person crimson, inexperienced, and blue layers to supply mild.
This “four-stack” construction advantages from elevated brightness and enhanced coloration purity as a result of panel’s use of separate OLED layers for the first colours. In contrast to the earlier LG G4, the G5 doesn’t depend on a micro lens array (MLA) layer with microscopic lens components to spice up brightness.
LG refers to its new show panel tech as Brightness Booster Final, and it’s accompanied by a number of different options to spice up image high quality in a spread of room lighting circumstances. The primary is an anti-reflective layer that LG says offers 30% larger glare resistance than final 12 months’s G4.
One other is Filmmaker Ambient Mild Mode, which makes use of the TV’s built-in mild sensor to map gamma and PQ (the HDR equal of gamma) primarily based on room lighting circumstances. The G5 additionally has Good Black certification, which confirms {that a} TV can show lower than 0.24 nits in circumstances of as much as 500 lux.
The G5’s Alpha 11 AI processor Gen 2 permits a spread of AI-based image and sound enhancements, together with AI Image and AI Sound modes. Image and sound wizards information you thru establishing personalized presets primarily based in your response to a collection of pictures and sound samples, and as soon as accomplished, these might be mechanically switched on for the precise customers who created them primarily based on voice recognition.
That additionally goes for the format of the TV’s webOS 25 House Display screen – for those who customise the app choice in your consumer profile, it’s going to swap to the format you favor when it detects your voice for those who use the voice management system in any respect.
The G5 additionally will get a gaming enhance over final 12 months’s G4, with 4K 165Hz assist for PC gaming together with Nvidia G-Sync and AMD FreeSync Premium. LG’s Gaming Portal gives over 500 sport titles, with assist for each Xbox and Luna controllers and Xbox Sport Move (coming within the first half of 2025, in response to LG).
Usability options embody AirPlay 2 and Chromecast built-in, together with hands-free voice management. The ThinQ display screen within the webOS interface helps you to configure units to be managed by way of Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, Matter and Apple HomeKit, and there’s additionally a brand new, streamlined Magic Distant and extra superior AI Chatbot function that may diagnose image and sound points.
LG G5 overview: Image high quality
- Distinctive brightness for an OLED
- Anti-reflection layer within the display screen
- Some points with sure streaming codecs
The LG G5 holds the excellence of being the brightest OLED TV we’ve but measured at TechRadar. Peak brightness on a ten% HDR white window sample in Filmmaker Mode measured 2,268 nits, and it was 1,850 nits in Normal image mode. These numbers are what we usually anticipate to see from higher-end examples of the perfect mini-LED TVs, and so they greatest the Samsung S95D – our earlier brightest OLED TV champion – by a sizeable margin.
The G5’s fullscreen HDR brightness measured 331 nits in Filmmaker Mode and 297 nits in Normal mode. That represents a lift over final 12 months’s G4, which measured 257 in Filmmaker Mode, but it surely’s not the 40% fullscreen brightness enhance that LG had beforehand cited for the G5. Measured in Vivid mode, the G5’s fullscreen brightness was 419 nits, a quantity nearer to LG’s declare.
The G5’s coloration gamut protection measured 99.6% for UHDA-P3 and 81.3% for BT.2020 in Filmmaker Mode. These outcomes are higher than what we measured on the G4, and so they match the Samsung S95D’s UHDA-P3 protection.
The common Delta-E worth (the margin of error between the take a look at sample supply and what’s proven on-screen) for coloration accuracy was 1.2, which is superb. (Any end result below 3 is thought to be indistinguishable to the human eye.)
Given the LG G5’s excessive brightness, there was no must dim the lights to make the image look good – distinction, coloration saturation, and shadow element all held up properly even with my room’s overhead lighting on. That’s actually not one thing you’ll be able to say about all OLED TVs, which generally lag behind their mini-LED counterparts in the case of brightness.
Even with the comparatively delicate Filmmaker Mode lively, The Pitt (streamed by way of Max), a TV present that largely takes place in a brightly lit hospital emergency room, regarded staggeringly vivid on the G5.
And darker reveals corresponding to Severance (on Apple TV+) might be watched in brighter room lighting circumstances with out shedding black depth and shadow element. That’s partially as a result of TV’s anti-reflective layer, which manages to scale back display screen glare with out elevating black ranges, but in addition its Filmmaker Mode Ambient Mild setting, which makes use of the G5’s mild sensor to regulate gamma (or PQ for packages with HDR) primarily based on room lighting circumstances.
Viewing the season 2 remaining episode of Severance, a scene the place Mark S and Helly R chat furtively within the Lumon workplace confirmed off all of the LG G5’s greatest features. The background of the darkish workspace was a deep, wealthy black, and the sunshine from the information terminals bathed their faces with a placing blue and inexperienced glow. The refined shadow element gave the image a robust sense of depth that, for me, actually drove dwelling the purpose of why you’ll spend high greenback for a premium OLED TV just like the G5.
An LG G5 overview from our colleagues at What Hello-Fi? cited a difficulty with streamed Dolby Imaginative and prescient motion pictures and reveals, leading to posterization and blocky image artifacts when watching darkish scenes. My G5 overview pattern confirmed the identical posterization on no less than one film, Alien: Romulus (streamed by way of Apple TV), although it wasn’t a difficulty on different streamed darkish Dolby Imaginative and prescient content material I watched.
What Hi-Fi? later reported that an LG software program replace scheduled for a late April launch fixes this Dolby Imaginative and prescient glitch, and after putting in a pre-released model of that replace, the posterization on Alien: Romulus disappeared, although it created different image high quality points when streaming from the G5’s Apple TV app, including unusual horizontal strains in some darkish scenes.
With out these issues, the TV would rating 5 stars for image high quality. These issues are very situational, which suggests I am nonetheless completely satisfied giving the TV an general rating that marks it as best-in-class. As soon as we have totally examined the broad launch model of LG’s software program replace, we’ll replace this overview, and if these issues are eliminated as anticipated, I am going to replace this part.
The G5’s movement dealing with was spectacular, with a reference clip from No Time to Die – wherein James Bond traverses a rugged hillside cemetery because the digital camera pans alongside – displaying solely minimal judder and blur. This identical scene can look downright wobbly on some TVs.
Enabling the TV’s Cinematic Motion setting within the TruMotion menu successfully eliminated any residual movement artifacts with out introducing a ‘cleaning soap opera’ impact.
Sports activities additionally regarded nice – the NCAA basketball championship aired throughout my time testing the G5 – with quick movement trying stable and the TV’s vivid, contrast-rich image bringing out the vivid colours of the gamers’ uniforms.
- Image high quality rating: 4.5/5
LG G5 overview: Sound high quality
- 4.2-channel speaker system
- Efficient AI Sound Professional mode
- Sound Wizard for creating customized sound preset
The LG G5’s built-in 4.2-channel audio system take issues up a notch from the two.2-channel array constructed into the LG C5. An AI Sound Professional mode offers a digital 11.1.2-channel upmix that makes a transparent distinction within the spaciousness of soundtracks when watching motion pictures, but it surely additionally thins out the bass.
Whereas Dolby Atmos is supported on the G5, DTS codecs, disappointingly, will not be. It is a step backwards from the G4, which had DTS assist – although this may not be an issue for individuals utilizing an AV receivers, and a few soundbar setups.
Much like the TV’s Image Wizard, a Sound Wizard guides you thru the method of making a personalized sound preset. That is solely optionally available, and this preset doesn’t work when the TV is related to a soundbar.
A helpful WOW Orchestra mode helps you to mix the output of the TV’s audio system with the audio system of a suitable LG soundbar when used collectively, for a much bigger general soundstage.
The flicks and TV reveals I watched on the G5 all sounded good, with clear dialogue and good spatial positioning of results, particularly with the AI Sound Professional mode lively. The sound may additionally go pretty loud with out coming throughout as strained.
Even so, given how good the G5’s image seems to be, it might be a disgrace to not pair it with one of many best Dolby Atmos soundbars or devoted dwelling theater audio system.
LG G5 overview: Design
- Wall-mount {hardware} included
- Elective pedestal stand
- New, streamlined AI Magic Distant management
The G5 comes with wall-mounting {hardware} in any respect display screen sizes, and a pedestal stand is out there as an optionally available further within the US. Within the UK, you’ll be able to select if you need the stand or the mount in some sizes.
LG’s sturdy aluminum stand, which I used throughout my G5 overview, permits for each an elevated peak to accommodate a soundbar, or a decrease peak the place the TV sits instantly on the stand’s floor.
G5 TVs are designed to be wall-mounted, with the skinny, 1-inch panel aligning completely flat in opposition to a wall like an image body whenever you use the devoted mount.
The TV’s practically non-existent bezel offers it an ‘all-picture’ look that provides to the art-like high quality, and a connection panel positioned on the again with backside and side-mounted ports, together with cable administration {hardware}, helps you to hook up sources with out detracting from the neat look.
Connections on the G5 embody 4 HDMI 2.1 inputs, an RF antenna enter, three USB ports and an Ethernet port.
LG’s new AI Magic Distant for the G5 is extra compact and streamlined than earlier Magic Remotes, with a flat floor, a lowered button format, and a smaller central scroll wheel. Sadly, not all areas get this new, largely improved design, although it was included with my overview pattern within the US.
The UK nonetheless will get a design with channel buttons, although it does embody new AI keys.
The brand new AI button offers fast Chatbot entry, and there’s additionally a devoted button to name up the TV’s ThinQ display screen. I by no means actually had an issue with the earlier Magic Distant, however some customers might favor the extra conventional design of this new model.
LG G5 overview: Sensible TV and menus
- webOS 25 good interface
- All the time Prepared function with ‘ambient mode’ choice
- Fast Playing cards and Fast Menu for straightforward app and settings entry
The G5 makes use of LG’s webOS 25 interface, which is without doubt one of the greatest good TV methods going. Like different good TV interfaces, the highest third is devoted to a promotional banner (on this case, one largely directing you to the LG Channels free ad-supported TV portal), alas, however beneath that may be a Fast Playing cards part that gives hubs for Sports activities, Video games, Music, House and extra.
The House Card hub offers details about related wired and wi-fi sources, which might be accessed utilizing the TV’s distant management. It additionally helps you to connect with Google House, Matter, and LG ThinQ good units, which might be managed instantly from the TV.
The order of apps within the dwelling display screen’s center part might be edited in response to which of them you utilize most, and there’s additionally a Dwell TV choice that reveals a grid of each broadcast TV channels pulled in by the best indoor antennas and ones obtainable on the LG Channels portal.
An All the time Prepared function that must be enabled within the Basic menu helps you to show pictures (together with out of your private photograph library) whenever you’re not utilizing the TV, together with ones that may be generated utilizing AI. When in All the time Prepared mode, the voice recognition and AirPlay/Chromecast stay lively, so that you don’t need to energy it on to make use of these capabilities.
A really helpful webOS function is the Fast Menu, which seems as a clear overlay on the display screen’s left facet that lets you choose between image and sound modes, amongst different settings. You too can entry the TV’s AI Chatbot from right here, which can be utilized to information you thru the G5’s many settings and options.
The TV’s AI Image wizard might be helpful for making a preset that corresponds to your preferences, however I discovered that the one I dialed in was overly cool-looking for my choice, regardless of it theoretically following my preferences, and I caught with Filmmaker Mode as a substitute for many viewing.
Whereas I typically discovered navigating the TV’s menus to be straightforward, and was glad with the wide selection of choices for adjusting image and sound, I discovered it annoying that the brand new, redesigned Magic Distant management lacks an enter button for switching sources.
It’s straightforward sufficient to try this by urgent the House hub button on the distant after which navigating to a selected supply, however enter choose is nonetheless a button that needs to be included on each TV distant.
- Sensible TV & menus rating: 5/5
LG G5 overview: Gaming
- 4 HDMI 2.1 ports
- 4K 165Hz, FreeSync Premium and Nvidia G-Sync
- 9.2ms enter lag (Enhance mode)
LG TVs have unbelievable gaming credentials, and the G5 continues in that custom of the best gaming TVs. Its 4 HDMI ports assist 4K 165Hz, FreeSync Premium and Nvidia G-Sync. Enter lag measured in Sport Optimizer mode with a Bodnar 4K enter lag meter was 9.2ms in Enhance mode, which is about as little as TVs get.
The G5’s Sport Card Gamung Hub gives over 500 video games and apps, together with Nvidia GeForce Now and Luna. (Xbox Sport Move assist is coming within the first half of 2025, in response to LG.)
When in Sport Optimizer mode, a Sport Dashboard pop-menu offers fast entry to a spread of changes and presets, which might be chosen with out pausing the sport you’re taking part in.
The brightness degree of the G5 is nice right here, once more, as a result of it means its good for enjoying within the day time with out extreme mirrored reflections distracting from what you are making an attempt to concentrate on.
LG G5 overview: Worth
- Priced competitively with premium OLED competitors
- Step-down LG C5 OLED additionally wonderful
- Excellent general worth
At $3,399 / £3,299 / AU$5,299 for the 65-inch mannequin I examined, the LG G5 is priced larger than one other 2025 premium OLED, the Samsung S95F, which has a equally excessive brightness because the G5 plus a Glare-Free 2.0 display screen that’s much more efficient at eliminating reflections in vivid rooms.
The G5 can also be priced decrease within the US than one other 2025 premium OLED, the Sony Bravia 8 II, which is able to promote for $3,999 in a 65-inch display screen dimension… nevertheless, within the UK, the Bravia 8 II is definitely priced barely decrease than the 65-inch G5, simply to combine issues
In case you don’t require super-high brightness and wish to avoid wasting cash, the LG C5 ($2,699 / £2,699 at 65 inches) is a superb alternative. The C5’s peak brightness is roughly half of what we measured on the G5, but it surely’s filled with options and its image high quality continues to be distinctive, particularly when seen in a light-controlled setting.
Given its unbelievable all-around efficiency, nice options, and extra reasonably priced price in comparison with a few of its high-end OLED competitors, the G5 earns excessive rankings for worth.
Ought to I purchase the LG G5?
|
Attributes |
Notes |
Ranking |
|---|---|---|
|
Options |
An excellent array of options make the G5 a versatile TV that may accommodate vivid rooms |
5/5 |
|
Image high quality |
Class-leading brightness for an OLED TV plus refined all-around image high quality |
4.5/5 |
|
Sound high quality |
Good dialogue readability and results positioning, together with a large soundstage in AI Sound Professional mode, however bass is restricted |
4/5 |
|
Design |
Slim, wall-hugging design and good new distant. The stand is optionally available, take note |
4.5/5 |
|
Sensible TV and menus |
Helpful Fast Playing cards and Fast menu options are enhanced by voice recognition, viewer personalization, and AI chatbot |
5/5 |
|
Gaming |
4K 165Hz and premium VRR assist, together with low enter lag and cloud gaming apps, make the G5 an entire gaming package deal |
5/5 |
|
Worth |
A superb worth for a flagship OLED TV in 2025, though LG’s mid-range C5 is arguably the higher worth in mild managed rooms |
4/5 |
Purchase it if…
Do not buy it if…
LG G5 overview: Additionally take into account…
| Header Cell – Column 0 |
LG G5 |
Samsung S95F |
LG C5 |
Sony Bravia 9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Value (65-inch) |
$3.399 / £3,399 / AU$5,299 |
$3,299 |
$2,699 / £2,699 / AU$4,299 |
$2,999 / £2,999 |
|
Display screen sort |
OLED |
OLED |
OLED |
Mini-LED |
|
Refresh fee |
165Hz |
144Hz |
144Hz |
144Hz |
|
HDR assist |
Dolby Imaginative and prescient/HDR10/HLG |
HDR10+/HDR10/HLG |
Dolby Imaginative and prescient/HDR10/HLG |
Dolby Imaginative and prescient/HDR10/HLG |
|
Sensible TV |
webOS25 |
Tizen |
webOS25 |
Google TV |
|
HDMI ports |
4 x HDMI 2.1 |
4 x HDMI 2.1 |
4 x HDMI 2.1 |
4 (2x HDMI 2.1) |
How I examined the LG G5
- I spent about 20 hours in whole measuring and evaluating
- Measurements have been made utilizing Calman coloration calibration software program
- A full calibration was made earlier than continuing with subjective assessments
After I take a look at TVs, I first spend a number of days and even weeks utilizing it for informal viewing to evaluate the out-of-box image presets and get conversant in its good TV menu and movie changes. I subsequent choose probably the most correct preset (often Filmmaker Mode, Film or Cinema) and measure grayscale and coloration accuracy utilizing Portrait Shows’ Calman color calibration software.
The ensuing measurements present Delta-E values (the margin of error between the take a look at sample supply and what’s proven on-screen) for every class, and permit for an evaluation of the TV’s general accuracy.
Together with these assessments, I make measurements of peak mild output (recorded in nits) for each normal high-definition and 4K excessive dynamic vary utilizing 10% and 100% white window patterns. Protection of DCI-P3 and BT.2020 coloration area can also be measured, with the outcomes offering a way of how faithfully the TV can render the prolonged coloration vary in extremely high-definition sources.
For the LG G5, I used the Calman ISF workflow, together with the TV’s superior image menu settings, to calibrate the picture for greatest accuracy. I additionally watched a spread of reference scenes on 4K Blu-ray discs to evaluate the TV’s efficiency, together with reveals streamed from Max, Netflix, and different companies.
You possibly can learn an in-depth overview of how we test TVs at TechRadar for extra data.