The LG G3 OLED is brightest lg TV, After using it for a month, I believe this could be the best TV to buy. It offers the usual features like 4K 120Hz, Dolby Vision, and VRR. However, it also comes with a few upgrades that set it apart from the rest.
These features really enhance its appearance. But is it still worth buying? After spending hundreds of hours watching movies and gaming on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X, I think now is the perfect time to share my full review.
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Design and Build Quality
Most TVs these days have a similar appearance. They usually feature thin bezels and borders, giving them a sleek look. The LG G3 OLED follows this trend with its ultra-thin bezels, creating a floating effect. Additionally, it sports a brushed metal frame, adding a touch of style instead of the usual black or plastic edges. There’s no noticeable chin at the bottom, just a small notch housing the sensor and a physical power button. Overall, it has a slim and clean profile.
Picture Quality
It’s probably no surprise that, like with any of LG’s OLED TVs, the image quality is incredible. Playing 4K movies or demo content on the screen shows how awesome LG G3 OLED can be. Everything is crystal clear, sharp, and vibrant, and I’m blown away by how well it performs.
Watching any movies or TV shows that support HDR or Dolby Vision really shows off what it’s capable of. Whether it’s live action or animated, the colors really pop. What’s great is that, provided you turn off some of the default options in the settings, the image never looks overprocessed or over sharpened. It’s as natural-looking as you would expect.
So HDR looks great, but it’s how it handles the SDR content that has really surprised me. It’s rare that I’ve watched SDR now, as most movies and TV shows are available in HDR. But on the off chance I do watch some live TV or an old movie, it’s always worth checking these things out.
LG’s A9 Gen 6 processor, which is designed for OLED TVs, it upscales and sharpens the pictures to create an improved image. Essentially, it means older content will look even better on it.
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Black Levels
And as we have a glossy screen, the colors look deep rather than flat. The self-lighting pixels that we get from an OLED mean the contrast on black levels is perfect. You just cannot beat this level of contrast on a non-OLED TV. But even with the great black levels and infinite contrast, we are not getting black crush at all.
Black crush is when the black areas of the screen lose too much detail, and the opposite ends up being blown out. The black or dark areas are in scene, which not only helps with the contrast but also makes the colors and highlights pop even more.
Anti-Reflection
Usually one of the biggest issues of watching an OLED in a bright room or during the day is the reflection handling, especially in those dark areas. However, due to two things – the reflections of the mirror-like screen and the brightness levels – with the new OLED Evo panel, both of these have been significantly improved.
This transformation in how it looks has genuinely made me excited about watching it day and night. The reflection handling on LG G3 is the best that I’ve ever seen. I mean, coming from an LG C1 I had before, it was like a giant mirror. But LG’s OLED Evo panel has some crazy anti-reflective coating that I don’t think I’ve ever seen on their TVs before. It’s not a perfect match, as it’s still 100% glossy, but it has a super dark tint to it that helps in reducing those reflections.
I tested a few dark scenes just to see how it would handle them during the day, and honestly, I cannot express how impressed I am. Sure, you’re going to see windows and light if you point it directly at a window, as it still acts like a huge black mirror. However, this improvement makes daytime viewing so much better, and it is certainly closing the gap between OLED and LED TVs for those bright rooms.
Brightness
There’s something else that’s different about the LG OLED Evo panel this year, and that’s the new Brightness Booster Max. This is one of the biggest changes that we’ve seen. By default, OLEDs don’t get super bright when compared to LCD or LED TVs. However, the new MLA Tech or the micro lens array, the LG G3 OLED is now 70% brighter than non-OLED Evo models, and that is huge. It’s seriously brighter than any previous LG OLED TV I’ve ever had, and it shows.
Now, you might wonder what the benefits are of having a brighter screen. Well, for me, it means being able to use it during the day in a well-lit room without having to close the blinds. It means being able to game day or night without worrying too much about reflections. It also means you have more control over how bright you need it. and by default, the energy-saving mode is switched to Auto. It’s something that I always switch off to give me more control over the brightness levels.
Movies
From all the different TVs I have reviewed, this is without a doubt one of the best TVs I have used. We have all the apps installed, including Netflix, Apple TV, Prime, and Disney, which are all just one click away on the remote control. But it’s not just that.
The fact that we get Dolby Vision support, those insane black levels, and the reflection handling that I’ve already mentioned, makes watching this TV day or night an absolute dream. It’s always easy to be wowed the first time you switch on a new TV, but it’s when you’re still impressed days, weeks, or months later that you realize it was the right choice.
Read Also: LG G2 Review (2022) Is it Worth Buying
Gaming
LG doesn’t just make great TVs for movies; they also make incredible TVs for gaming. We’re talking about four HDMI 2.1 ports with full 4K and 120 hertz support. That means playing games on the PS5 and Xbox Series X looks awesome. And considering that more and more of us are playing on our TVs, you might want to know why this is probably the best TV for gaming right now.
The PS5 and playing a 60 or 120 FPS game runs incredibly smooth thanks to the VRR support. VRR, or variable refresh rate, allows the screen to remain stutter-free and reduces the chance of screen tearing. Playing games like Spider-Man Remastered is buttery smooth, and it not only supports 4K but also 1440p if you fancy running your games at 1440p and 120 hertz. This TV ticks all the boxes you need for both the PS5 and Xbox Series consoles.
if you’ve ever played on an OLED and thought it wasn’t bright enough, don’t worry. The LG G3 OLED has got you covered. It’s not just how good it looks; it’s also how responsive it is. It boasts a 0.1-millisecond response time, supports Nvidia G-Sync and AMD FreeSync Premium. Whether you’re playing story-driven games, racing through the hills, or trying to hold down the objective in Call of Duty, the OLED Evo does it all. It’s rapid too, with an input lag of around five and a half milliseconds.
I think it’s the fastest LG OLED TV right now, at least faster than last year’s LG G2. And if you’re using a TV for games like Call of Duty, you’ll want the fastest response time possible, and the G3 delivers practically no delay.
LG has also created something called Game Optimizer mode, which we’ve seen over the last few years and is one of the best TV features for gamers. Simply by pressing the settings button on the remote control, it brings up an overlay. Here, you can see the current frame rates, whether VRR is running, and a few other settings.
This is useful if you want to check if the game you’re playing is running at the correct frame rate. On top of that, you can edit and customize which options actually show up. So I’ve removed one and added in the resolution option instead.
Viewing Angles
Most of us will watch our TV straight on, but the fact is not everyone can. Seating positions and room layouts might mean that the TV is not going to be perfectly centered, and it could be off-center. However, the LG G3 has incredible viewing angles.
You can practically see it from anywhere in the room. As I’m often asked how far I sit from a 77-inch TV, well, here it is. I’m sitting 10 feet from the screen, where my head is. I could sit a little further back, but I think this is the perfect distance for a 77-inch TV to get that full immersive experience.
OS and Menus
So, the OS menus and interface have received some nice improvements for 2023. WebOS 23 builds upon what we saw last year and introduces a few new features and functions that have enhanced the overall user experience. When you press the settings button on the remote control, we now get a quick card instead of immediately jumping into the full settings page.
This quick card displays options like picture mode, brightness, and contrast, along with a few others. What’s great is that you can customize this screen to display the buttons you prefer, allowing you to add or remove any from the list. Of course, we still have the full settings menu where we can fine-tune and control every aspect of the TV’s performance, from brightness to colors, clarity, and all the image processing features that you may or may not like.
Another new feature that has been added is the AI picture wizard. This feature presents you with a selection of pictures to choose from, asking which one you prefer based on colors and style. It then gathers that information and creates a customized picture mode just for you. It’s a pretty cool feature for anyone who is unsure about which mode to go for, although I always come back to the ISF and filmmaker modes.
Pressing the home button takes us to the home screen, where all of our apps and trending TV shows are displayed. It’s great to see that LG has optimized it this year, as there is no lag when scrolling or navigating around. Across the bottom, we have the same app launcher for popular services like Netflix, Disney, and Apple TV.
The order of these apps can also be edited to suit your preferences. Additionally, there’s the home screen where all available inputs, smart bulbs, and gadgets will show up. Since this TV supports Mata, the new smart home standard, it means it will communicate more seamlessly with future smart home devices as they are launched.
Burn In Prevention
There are some OLED panel care settings that are worth mentioning. Under the general settings, you’ll have access to pixel cleaning. This feature allows you to check and adjust each pixel by performing a screen move, which slightly moves the screen regularly. Additionally, there’s the logo brightness setting, which dims the logo on channels that you frequently watch, such as the news and kids channels. These settings help in taking care of the OLED panel and minimizing the risk of burning or image retention.
Other Features
We have the picture-in-picture mode, which works quite well and allows you to display two screens side by side or one inside the other. For example, you can have an HDMI input on one side, like Sky stream on the left, and YouTube or another app on the other side. However, it’s worth noting that this feature is somewhat limited.
You can only have one HDMI input active at a time, and only certain apps seem to be compatible. YouTube works fine, but I couldn’t get any of the streaming services like Netflix or Disney to work in this mode. Additionally, the TV supports AirPlay, which means that if you’re using an iPhone, iPad, or Mac, you can easily share your screen or photo library from your device directly to the TV.
As for the remote control, we still have the magic wand. This is a feature that I actually use and I’m pleased that we have it for another year. It makes navigation, especially when using the browser, so much easier. Essentially, you get a cursor on the screen that you can wave around with the remote control, allowing for precise and intuitive control.
Speakers
So, during the setup process, you will be prompted with AI sound, where you can toggle it on and off and demonstrate the difference. Personally, I never use the internal speakers as I have some small speakers around the room that I prefer to use. However, considering how slim this TV is and how close it is to the wall, the speakers sound okay. I mean, I would still recommend buying a soundbar to enhance the audio experience. For general TV viewing, the speakers are not bad. Additionally, since Bluetooth is supported, you are able to pair your Bluetooth headphones to the TV and listen to your movies that way.
Improvements
Now, normally, I would get to this part of the review and list a handful of issues or improvements, things that might put you off buying one or the compromises that are worth considering. Well, the only one that I have is a permanently attached power cable.
I really wish LG would adopt a removable cord that would allow people to feed the cable through their walls. Considering this TV is designed to be wall-mounted, most people would want to hide these cables. But that is it. That’s the only negative I’ve found about this TV. In my case, because I have a socket behind the wall, I don’t need to worry about the power cable.
Options to Buy
The G3 is available in four sizes: 55 inches, 65 inches, 77 inches, and 83 inches. However, I wanted to point out that the 83-inch variant does not come with the MLA Tech, so you won’t get the 70% brightness boost that the other sizes offer. These TVs are not cheap by any means; however, you are getting the best and brightest LG OLED in 2023. Additionally, the G3 comes with a 5-year warranty, which provides us all with peace of mind in case anything goes wrong.
Is LG G3 OLED Evo Best TV?
Although I believe LG G3 OLED Evo is currently the best TV to purchase for both movies and gaming, and I would have no hesitation in recommending it to anyone, what are your thoughts? Does the brighter screen alone persuade you to choose the G Series, or is there something else you’d prefer to buy instead? I’ve included a link below for you to check it out, along with the prices.
I believe LG G3 OLED Evo is currently the best TV to purchase for both movies and gaming, and I would have no hesitation in recommending it to anyone
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Design9
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Picture Quality9
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Anti-Reflection8.8
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Gaming9
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OS and Menus9
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Speakers8.5
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Viewing Angles9
