LG OLED65G16LA G1 65 inch 4K Smart OLED TV (2021)

Product Information

We use a variety of scenes and screen measuring images designed to represent certain brightness outputs. This makes sure our tests cover the many different things you can watch on your TV. So, are the G1 and its OLED Evo panel genuinely better than LG’s previous OLEDs? The answer is a resounding yes. Dolby Vision is coming to Xbox Series X and S video gaming later this year too, bolstering LG OLED’s already pretty legendary reputation with high-end gamers.

LG G1 OLED Evo (OLED55G1) review: Picture perfect | Trusted

We uploaded the brightness measurements and uniformity photos after running the TV for two months in our Accelerated Longevity Test. To be more specific, AI Picture Pro can now recognise if an incoming image contains scenery, a cityscape or night footage, and locally ‘massage’ parts of the picture to enhance this sort of content’s impact and realism. Plus the new processor can look for skin tones and individual objects in the picture and subtly refine and emphasise them without impacting other areas of the picture. All with a view to creating an image that better reflects the way your eyes see the real world.Pictures on the OLED65G1, regardless of whether you’re watching TV or gaming, are consistently and jaw-droppingly spectacular. Not least because the combination of the new panel and improved processing has enabled LG to either improve or full-on fix just about everything that’s been a problem for the brand’s previous OLED efforts. Somewhat disappointingly, that’s not the case this year. For 2021, LG has introduced a new ‘OLED Evo’ panel that promises increased brightness and sharpness, and to get the Evo panel you have to step up to the G1. That’s slightly disappointing because you also end up paying extra for a rather niche design that you may not want.

LG OLED65G1 Evo OLED TV review | What Hi-Fi?

For most people, though, little tweaking will be necessary. Dolby Vision content will by default activate the Dolby Vision Cinema Home preset and AI Brightness Setting, and that equates to a Dolby Vision IQ performance. It’s well worth leaving these settings as they are, as the performance is in line with our expectations of Dolby Vision, and the IQ element improves dark detail when viewing in a well-lit room without tampering with the performance under ideal conditions. We’re onto the α9 Gen 4 AI processor and new features include Scene Detection and Object Enhancement. The former optimises a scene depending on its type, while the latter trains its focus on faces and objects to offer more definition. It’s worth adding on this point that the OLED65G1’s accurate Cinema and Filmmaker Mode picture presets are the single greatest beneficiaries of the new evo panel, looking much brighter and richer than they’ve ever looked before on an LG OLED TV. This instantly makes them actually feel more rather than less accurate, especially when it comes to HDR sources. The advances of the OLED G1's new Evo panel (which is exclusive to the G1 series) come in two main areas. That’s great in theory, but some service providers are resistant to having their content included in such aggregators. Sure enough, Netflix is missing from the recommendations on LG’s home menu. The intelligence of the recommendations seems questionable, too: understandably, the TV hasn’t learnt our specific tastes in the relatively short time we've had with it so far, but why are shows such as Teletubbies and Ben and Holly’s Little Kingdom, which are intended for very young children, recommended so prominently at 8pm on a Monday evening?As with any OLED TV, moreover, it’s also recommended that you treat it with care with respect to bright static image elements to avoid burn-in. For the vast, vast majority of people, this won't be a problem, though. For the majority of the time, provided you’re careful about how you set it up the LG G1 sounds impressive. The OLED G1 undoubtedly delivers overall better picture quality than any of LG's 2020 OLED TVs. Whether it delivers as much of an improvement as some quarters might have been hoping for, though, is another question. But there will be some who are drawn to the minimalist, picture frame-like appearance of the G1 and wouldn’t dream of adding a soundbar to this set-up. Those people will simply have to accept that the audio performance will not hit anything like the same cinematic heights as the picture. Verdict

LG OLED65G26LA | 65 inch OLED Evo 4K Ultra HD HDR Smart TV

So, while sound modes other than AI Sound Pro prove to be just acceptable, there are a few methods of improving the LG G1’s sound. There’s the G1 Soundbar due in July, which is a match for the OLED55G1 model but expressly designed to be wall-mounted. Still, watching La La Land and Interstellar in the mode produces slightly more accurate colours and ekes out a smidge more brightness over the Home Cinema picture mode. I dig it. At the time of writing there's a question mark over whether the OLED G1 is sufficiently superior to the upcoming C1 mid-range OLEDs - which don't get the Evo panel - to justify its extra cost. Based on the type of enhancements it brings over last gen's CX models, though, it most likely is a worthy step up from the C1 - if you're looking to wall-mount anyway.HDR covers HDR10, Broadcast HLG (supported by BBC iPlayer and Sky Q) and Dolby Vision HDR. The omission of HDR10+ means the G1 isn’t complete, which gives an edge to Panasonic and Philips’ fuller offering. The OLED65G1 features a refinement on the Gallery design LG introduced in 2020 with a view to creating the ultimate wall-hanging TV. It sports a slim, flat rear, and provides helpful cable channeling for its built-in connections. The 2021 refinements include making the rear substantially slimmer than last year’s, and adding a recess to the rear panel into which the wall mount can slot, enabling the TV to sit completely flush to the wall.