LG G1 (OLED65G1) 4K HDR TV review

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Jump to:

• LG G1 review: summary
• What is the LG OLED65G1?
• How much is the LG OLED65G1?
• LG OLED65G1 features
• LG OLED65G1 design
• LG OLED65G1 picture quality
• LG OLED65G1 sound quality
• Our verdict
• Where to buy

LG G1 (OLED65G1) review: summary

The LG G1 has a style all its own, and we think it’s a great looking 4K HDR flatscreen. If you can rise to the wall-mounting challenge, hide away all the wires, and afford the spenny price tag, you’ll get to enjoy top-notch picture quality and excellent connectivity. But if you want a screen you can pull from a box and quickly plug in, then it’s probably not the TV for you. The G1 is a bit more demanding than that.

Price: The 65-inch LG G1 TV has an RRP of £2,799, but typically can be found for less (£2,199) at Currys.

Key features:

• High brightness EVO panel
• Gallery design
• 4K HDR with Dolby Vision IQ
• Web OS smart platform
• Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa support
• HDMI v2.1 connectivity

Pros:

• Top-notch 4K picture quality
• Interiors friendly design
• Cutting-edge panel
• 4K 120fps High Frame Rate support

Cons:

• You’ll probably need to wall-mount a soundbar
• A bit on the pricey side

What is the LG G1?

The LG G1 is a no-compromise 4K OLED TV with a home decor bent, available in 55-, 65- and 77-inch screen sizes (OLED55G1, OLED65G1, and OLED77G1, respectively). Our test sample is the 65-inch model.

What does the LG G1 do?

• The LG G1 is a Freeview Play OLED TV with an advanced webOS 6.0 smart platform.
• Its Freeview Play tuner offers all mainstream catch-up TV players
• LG’s all-new EVO OLED panel offers higher average picture brightness than the rest of LG’s OLED range, so images really pop
• It features Dolby Vision IQ, which will automatically adjust picture parameters to make 4K HDR programmes look better when viewed in rooms with bright light
• It can send Dolby Atmos cinematic audio to a Dolby Atmos soundbar or home cinema system
• It has a Game Optimizer mode that allows console gamers to optimise the screen to best suit the games they play
• It can display high frame rate games at 4K 120fps from a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X console
• It works with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa

How much is the LG OLED65G1?

The 65-inch G1 is listed at around £2,799 but can be found for less. The 55- and 77- models are listed at £1799 and £4799 respectively. It’s priced at the higher-end of the posh TV market.

• Buy the 55-inch LG G1 for £1499 at Currys
• Buy the 77-inch LG G1 for £3999 at Currys

Is the LG OLED65C1 TV good value for money?

It’s probably a stretch to describe this Gallery series screen as ‘good value.’ It’s premium-priced for a reason: this is currently the only LG model in the world to offer an EVO screen ( you can expect the technology to trickle down to other models during 2022), and it adopts a premium design and finish.

‘Reassuringly expensive’ is a better description - and remember, if you don’t want to wall-mount, you’ll need to budget for a different stand option. That said, the set has been subject to some heavy price-cutting, which does make it more attractive.

LG OLED65G1 features

Smart functionality, aided by more than a little AI (artificial intelligence), heads up what is an impressive feature set. The G1 works with Google Assistant and Alexa, while LG’s own ThinQ AI technology powers voice control and content search.

The TV has a Freeview Play tuner, which means there’s a full set of catch-up TV players built-in, along with copious free to watch box sets.

LG’s webOS smart platform, v6.0, comes with a huge variety of streaming apps, including Netflix, BBC iPlayer, ITV Hub, All4, My5, Apple TV+, Now, Sky store and YouTube. You’ll not be short of shows to binge on.

The set also boasts LG’s new Game Optimizer interface, which offers gamers specific presets to make the most of their preferred games - there are dedicated modes for FPS shooters, RPG role-playing or RTS strategy games.

The screen is a good choice for gamers. We measured image lag at 12.7ms (1080/60) in Game optimizer mode, which can be considered very good.

LG OLED65G1 design and set-up

That Gallery tag means the set has a uniformly flat back, ideal for flush wall mounting. It’s 2cm deep and has a really thin black bezel. Minimal sums it up.

In addition to a regular stand mount, available separately, LG also offers a cool, retro-style tripod stand.

The G1 comes with the latest version of LG’s Magic cursor remote control. This sports dedicated buttons for Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+ and Rakuten TV, as well as Google Assistant and Alexa shortcuts.

Connectivity is leading edge. All four HDMI inputs are the latest v2.1 spec and support 4k 120fps sources (that’s games consoles, to you and me). They’re also blessed with eARC, ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode), VRR (Variable Refresh Rate), VRR G-Sync, and VRR AMD Freesync. That’s a lot of acronyms.

Set up is straightforward, aided by simple onscreen prompts. Once online and terrestrial channels are tuned, it’s all plain sailing.

LG OLED65G1 picture quality

We had high hopes coming to the G1, and we’re pleased to report that it doesn’t disappoint. Images are sharp and colour-rich, with superb levels of contrast. Handling the heavy lifting is LG’s processor du jour, the brilliant 4th gen Alpha 9.

LG’s new AI Picture Pro picture system, which is able to analyse picture content in real-time, also does a remarkably good job. It uses Auto Genre selection, trained by clever deep learning, to distinguish what is displayed and optimise the picture accordingly.

The set offers a variety of picture presets. Straight from the box, it comes with the Eco mode as the default. We would suggest you swap this to Standard, as it gives slightly punchier images. Other options include Sports, Cinema, Filmmaker Mode. ISF Expert bright/Dark and Vivid. Select Dolby Vision content on Netflix, and you’ll unlock Cinema and Cinema Home options; the latter is a really satisfying option for movie watching.

That EVO panel gives a slightly brighter overall picture. The benefit isn’t quite as pronounced as we might first have imagined, at least when compared to the brand’s C1 model, but we’ll take it.

LG OLED65G1 sound quality

By design, the G1’s sound system is meant to be ‘invisible’, and it largely succeeds - but you’ll certainly know it’s there. Overall power output is rated at a fierce 60W, and for casual viewing, most users will find it acceptable.

The G1 has a Dolby Atmos decoder onboard, but it doesn’t really have the speakers to deliver cinema style sound (it uses a simple down-firing driver array), but it does pass Dolby Atmos over eARC HDMI out to a Dolby Atmos soundbar or AV system.

Our verdict: should you buy the LG OLED65G1?

If you’re happy to wall-mount your TV and are prepared to pay a tad extra for a premium viewing experience, the LG G1 is a mouth-watering prospect. If you’d prefer a more conventional stand mount set-up, you’ll need to budget extra for a pedestal.

Our first taste of LG’s EVO OLED panel has left us suitably impressed. Picture quality is vibrant yet cinematic, with superb detail and OLED’s characteristically perfect black level performance. Contrast is excellent.

The set’s webOS smart platform also offers a healthy selection of top drawer streaming apps, while Freeview Play means you’ll not be short of catch-up.

The G1 also has excellent connectivity, perfect if you want to hook up a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X games console.

The G1 isn’t going to be for everyone, but it’s pretty special nonetheless.

Our rating:

• Features: 4/5
• Design: 4/5
• Picture quality: 5/5
• Sound quality: 3.5/5
• Value for money: 4/5
• Overall rating: 4/5

Where to buy the LG OLED65G1

The LG OLED65C1 is available at Currys and John Lewis.

For more reviews and product guides, head to our Technology section. Want to see how this smart TV model compares to the brand’s others? Try our LG C1 review.