The LG G3, featuring its MLA OLED panel, represents one of the most notable advancements in white OLED technology. It is a brilliant TV that can get stunningly bright in HDR sequences and always manages a clean picture with amazing tone mapping. It also has a stunningly accurate filmmaker mode out of the box, catering to enthusiasts.
LG has maintained dominance in the OLED TV space for several years. The challenge to this dominance came last year with the introduction of QD-OLED TVs, and LG’s new G3 aims to reclaim the spotlight by incorporating radical enhancements and bringing white OLEDs back into the competition. Does the TV live up to the hype, or does it fall short of delivering the ultimate OLED experience? Let’s explore these questions and more in our review.
LG OLED evo G3 4K Smart TV Specifications
- Model number: OLED65G3PSA
- Display Panel Size: 65-inch
- Display Panel Type: OLED (MLA OLED)
- Display Panel Resolution: 4K UHD – 3840 x 2160
- Display Refresh Rate: 120Hz
- Supported HDR Formats: Dolby Vision, HDR10, HLG
- Speakers: 60W
- Audio formats: Supports Dolby Atmos, AI Sound Pro
- Processor: α9 AI Processor Gen6
- Built-in RAM and storage: 3GB + 8GB
- Software: WebOS 23
- HDMI Ports: 4x HDMI 2.1 ports (supports 4K 120Hz, eARC, VRR, ALLM, QMS)
- Other connectivity options: 3 USB 2.0 ports, Dual Band Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.0, Ethernet, SPDIF, Antenna
- MRP – ₹265,990
LG OLED evo G3 4K Smart TV Review: Design and Remote
LG G3 is a slim and premium OLED TV that brandishes a premium metallic frame. The bezels are narrow and distraction-free sans LG branding and the multi-function button at the bottom can be used for basics like powering on/off the TV, adjusting volume, and changing input.
The TV ships with a full-motion wall mount. LG doesn’t bundle any table mount stand in the box and the service personnel told us that there was no option to buy one separately in India. So, if you need to mount it on a table, you will need to look for third-party options.
The flexible wall-mount stand ensures easy access to all ports on the rear, including the bottom-facing ones that are positioned in an alcove.
The TV ships with the familiar LG magic remote that has curves in all the right places. The distinguishing or ‘Magic’ feature is that the remote has a gyroscope and accelerometer to guide the pointer. You can flick the remote like a wand and directly point to and select your desired options. This pointer feature worked remarkably well as compared with last year’s model and does make life simpler.
The remote has a full deck of buttons and still manages to squeeze in room for two AA batteries without sacrificing ergonomics. All frequently used buttons are within easy reach and you can long press the home or input button to access the LG ThinQ Smart Home Hub to monitor and manage connected devices.
Our only major gripe is that Netflix and Prime Videos are the only popular apps that get a dedicated hotkey. The rest of the 4 hotkeys are reserved for LG services. Also, we do think at these prices the LG G3 should qualify for the metallic magic remote that the company ships with its premium Signature lineup.
LG OLED evo G3 4K Smart TV Review: Performance and Software
The LG G3 is powered by an Alpha 9 Gen 6 processor that’s aided by 3GB RAM but only 8GB of storage (out of which around 5GB is free at the user end). During our review period, the UI transitions were smooth. Most of the popular apps worked well, save for some occasional hiccups in the YouTube app. The interface felt perfectly snappy when switching between apps or fast-forwarding content in apps.
The new processor enables several smart AI-powered features in the WebOS like AI Picture Pro, AI Brightness Settings, AI Genre Selection and more. The interface is intuitive and we could easily find the options that we were looking for. The quick settings menu overlay makes it convenient to switch picture mode and audio mode when the content is playing. We didn’t face any issues casting from popular apps on our phones to the TV or with mirroring the phone screen.
The TV supports Apple AirPlay 2 and HomeKit. WebOS makes it easier to remotely connect and access other devices like your PC or your browser. There is also a Multi View option for split screen usage but it supports very limited apps as of now.
The LG voice assistant can’t quite match up to the dexterity of Alexa or Google Assistant when it comes to looking up content within apps. LG provides a dedicated key for Alexa which works by activating the LG TV skill on your Amazon account. Once set, you can press the Alexa button to use Alexa voice commands to open apps, search content or operate smart home devices.
LG OLED evo G3 4K Smart TV Review: Picture Quality
This was our experience with LG’s MLA OLED technology or LG’s ‘Meta’ OLED panels and we have to say we have to admit that our expectations were not only met but exceeded. The innovative LG OLED Meta panels incorporate a Micro Lens Array (MLA) layer that pushes back light reflected internally within different OLED panel layers, thus resulting in a significant boost in overall brightness and viewing angles. LG also adds a meta booster algorithm that maximizes the peak brightness of different areas on screens after analysing luminance data in the video signal.
Also Read: Different types of white OLED panels explained
We measured a maximum brightness of 1820 nits on a 10% window (in Vivid Mode) which is truly remarkable for an OLED panel. The best part is that the Filmmaker mode on the LG G3 is incredibly accurate out of the box, which is a huge positive for enthusiasts. Even in this filmmaker mode with a white point closer to industry standard D65, the LG G3 managed up to 1350 nits of peak brightness on a 10% window.
The Cinema Mode offers a similar white point and a few subtle enhancements like smoother motion and gradation. Luminance in this mode tracks closers to Gamma 2.2 which makes it preferable for use in bright living rooms.
In the Filmmaker mode, the luminance tracking in SDR mode is closer to gamma 2.3. As for colours, we got an average delta error of less than one and a maximum delta error of just 1.8 which is brilliant. In other words, the colours in SDR content are extremely accurate in the Filmmaker mode and we could verify the same in our perceptual testing.
In HDR, the colour accuracy is again excellent but the maximum error jumps a bit due to higher error in 100% saturated primary and secondary colours towards the extreme end.
The LG G3 tracks the EOTF curve perfectly with extremely precise RGB balance out of the box. The deep OLED blacks and high brightness enable a very impactful HDR experience that triggers awe and emotions, especially while gaming.
The skin tones in HDR were spot-on in both bright and dark scenes.
The LG G3 also performed remarkably while upscaling legacy content.
The panel can cover 100% of the RGB colour gamut, almost 96% of the DCI P3 colour gamut and roughly 73% of the BT2020 colour space, which is again excellent.
So, overall, LG G3 is one of the best options to go for if you are serious about colour accuracy on your TV. Advances users further have the option to easily calibrate different modes using auto cal.
LG OLED evo G3 4K Smart TV Review: Gaming and Audio
LG’s proprietary chipset supports four full bandwidth HDMI 2.1 ports on the G3, so you get full 120Hz VRR support with the latest consoles. The HDR gaming experience on the TV is also fabulous. The TV has HGIG mode for accurate HDR tone mapping and is also Nvidia G-sync and FreeSync Compatible. The Game optimizer gives you a gaming dashboard to quickly access and monitor stats and frequently used game settings.
The 60W audio system on the TV is loud and well-balanced. LG’s AI Sound Pro mode uses deep learning technology to optimize the audio based on the music genre. There is also an AI tuning feature that uses microphones on the remote to optimize the audio based on the ambient room. This AI tuning didn’t work very well in the wide room (or rather a hall) where we had installed the LG G3. The TV offers a premium audio experience but we’d say Sony still has the lead with Acoustic Surface Audio+ technology when it comes to native TV audio.
Should you buy it?
The competition in the premium OLED market is stiffening. LG G3 presents the best of white OLED technology and will be up against QD-OLED options from Sony and Samsung which are the Sony Bravia A95L, Samsung S95C and Samsung S90C. Last year, QD-OLED TVs held a distinct advantage but the LG G3 with its new MLA OLED panel and other picture processing refinements brings White OLEDs back in the game.
It is a brilliant TV that can get stunningly bright in HDR sequences and always manages a clean picture with amazing tone mapping. It also has a stunningly accurate filmmaker mode out of the box for enthusiasts. LG’s WebOS is an intuitive and well-designed interface and the native audio from the TV is quite intuitive.
LG G3 65 inch Smart OLED evo TV (OLED65G3PSA) Key Specs, Price and Launch Date
| Release Date: | |
| Market Status: | Launched |
Key Specifications
Screen Resolution
3840 x 2160
-
Screen size (in inches)
65
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Smart TV
Yes
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Deepak Singh
Deepak is Editor at Digit. He is passionate about technology and has been keeping an eye on emerging technology trends for nearly a decade. When he is not working, he likes to read and to spend quality time with his family. View Full Profile
