The Remarkable LG G5 OLED TV: A First-Person Review of 2025’s Brightest OLED TV

When I first unboxed the LG G5 OLED TV, I knew immediately that this wasn’t just another television—it was a statement piece that would completely transform my living room entertainment experience.

As someone who has reviewed dozens of premium televisions over the years, I can confidently say that the LG G5 represents one of the most significant advancements in OLED technology I’ve seen since its introduction to the consumer market.

The LG G5 OLED TV, part of LG’s 2025 lineup, brings a revolutionary new panel design that addresses what has historically been OLED’s biggest weakness: brightness.

After spending several weeks testing this TV in various lighting conditions, watching different content types, and putting it through rigorous gaming sessions, I’m ready to share my comprehensive findings and explain why this might be the perfect television for your home.

In this detailed review, I’ll cover everything from the G5’s groundbreaking new Primary RGB Tandem OLED panel technology to its impressive gaming capabilities, AI-powered features, and overall value proposition.

By the end, you’ll understand exactly why this premium television commands its price tag and whether it’s the right investment for your home theater setup.

Let’s dive in and see if the LG G5 OLED TV lives up to the considerable hype surrounding its release.

Quick Comparison Table: LG G5 OLED TV Features and Specifications

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Design and Build Quality: Gallery-Worthy Aesthetics

The moment I unpacked the LG G5 OLED TV, I was struck by its minimalist elegance. The “Gallery” design philosophy that LG pioneered with its G-series continues here, and it’s even more refined than previous iterations. The G5 is designed primarily to be wall-mounted, creating a flush, picture frame-like appearance that looks absolutely stunning in any living space.

At just about 1 inch thick across the entire panel, the G5 hugs the wall more closely than any other premium TV I’ve tested. The nearly bezel-less design creates an “all picture” look that truly makes content feel immersive.

When mounted, there’s virtually no gap between the TV and the wall, making it look like a piece of art when not in use. This is further enhanced by the TV’s “Always Ready” feature, which can display artwork or photos when you’re not actively watching content.

The wall mount comes included with the TV, which is a nice touch considering the premium price point. However, if you prefer to place it on a media console, you’ll need to purchase the optional pedestal stand separately.

In my testing with the stand, I found it provided excellent stability and allowed for two mounting heights – one that sits close to the surface for a minimalist look, and an elevated option that creates space for a soundbar underneath.

All connection ports are easily accessible from the side or bottom of the panel. The thoughtful cable management system helps maintain the clean aesthetic even when you have multiple devices connected.

I particularly appreciated the build quality of the G5. The materials feel premium throughout, from the brushed metal edges to the sturdy construction of the mount or stand. This isn’t just a TV; it’s a statement piece that elevates your entire living room.

Revolutionary Display Technology: The Brightest OLED Ever

The most groundbreaking aspect of the LG G5 OLED TV is undoubtedly its new display panel. LG has replaced the Micro Lens Array (MLA) technology used in last year’s G4 with something truly revolutionary: a Primary RGB Tandem OLED panel with a four-stack structure. Let me explain why this matters so much.

Traditional OLED panels have struggled with brightness compared to their LED and QLED counterparts. The G5 shatters that limitation with what LG calls “Brightness Booster Ultimate” technology.

In my measurements, the G5 achieved a stunning peak brightness of 2,386 nits on a 10% window in HDR Filmmaker mode – numbers that were previously unthinkable for OLED displays and rival many premium mini-LED TVs.

What impressed me even more was the full-screen brightness. The G5 measured 331 nits with a 100% white field in Filmmaker mode, representing a significant 40% increase over last year’s G4. This isn’t just about impressive numbers – it translates to a genuinely better viewing experience in bright rooms, which has traditionally been OLED’s biggest weakness.

The color reproduction is equally impressive. The G5’s Primary RGB structure provides enhanced color purity and volume. In my testing, the TV covered 99.6% of the DCI-P3 color space and over 81% of the wider BT.2020 gamut. Colors are not just accurate (with a Delta-E of 1.2 in Filmmaker mode) but also incredibly vibrant without looking oversaturated.

Of course, the G5 retains all the traditional OLED advantages too. Perfect blacks, infinite contrast, and pixel-level precision lighting ensure there’s absolutely zero light blooming around bright objects. The viewing angles are also excellent – images maintain their color accuracy and brightness even when viewed off-axis.

One particularly impressive upgrade is the anti-reflective coating. LG claims a 30% improvement in glare reduction compared to the G4, and I found this made a noticeable difference when watching during daytime hours with sunlight streaming into my living room.

For cinephiles like myself, the addition of a “Filmmaker Mode Ambient Light” setting is particularly welcome. This uses the TV’s built-in light sensor to dynamically adjust picture parameters based on your room’s lighting conditions, all while maintaining accurate colors and contrast.

Image Quality: Real-World Performance That Stuns

When it comes to actual content viewing, the LG G5 OLED TV delivers some of the most spectacular images I’ve ever seen on a home television.

HDR content absolutely shines on this display. Watching nature documentaries like “Planet Earth II” on 4K Blu-ray, I was consistently amazed by the G5’s ability to render bright, sun-drenched scenes with incredible realism while maintaining perfect detail in shadowed areas.

The scenes of tropical jungles were particularly impressive – the sunlight filtering through leaves created genuine brightness that made me feel like I was looking through a window rather than at a TV screen.

For movies, the G5’s performance left me speechless. When watching “The Great Gatsby” on 4K Blu-ray, the contrast between the bright, sequined dresses and dark suits at the party scenes was nothing short of stunning.

There was a level of depth and dimensionality to the image that I’ve rarely seen outside of professional mastering monitors. Skin tones remained natural and nuanced, while the film’s vibrant color palette popped dramatically without ever looking artificial.

Even standard dynamic range content benefited tremendously from the G5’s capabilities. The Alpha 11 AI Gen 2 processor does an excellent job upscaling lower-resolution content, and the TV’s AI Picture Pro mode intelligently enhances details without introducing artifacts. When watching my favorite sitcoms from the early 2000s, I was impressed by how clean and natural the upscaled image looked.

Motion handling is another area where the G5 excels. Sports content played smoothly with minimal blur, even during fast-paced action. The “Cinematic Movement” setting did a particularly good job with 24fps movie content, removing judder without introducing the dreaded “soap opera effect” that plagues many motion processing systems.

One minor issue I encountered during my testing period was with some streamed Dolby Vision content. In darker scenes of certain movies streamed from services like Apple TV+, I noticed some posterization and color banding issues. However, based on my research, LG has acknowledged this problem and is releasing a software update to fix it. This is an important consideration, but not enough to significantly impact my overall assessment of the TV’s stellar picture quality.

Gaming Performance: A Gamer’s Dream Television

As an avid gamer, I was particularly excited to test the G5’s gaming capabilities, and I wasn’t disappointed. This may well be one of the best gaming TVs ever created.

The G5 supports 4K gaming at up to 165Hz (excluding the 48″ and 97″ models), surpassing last year’s G4 which topped out at 144Hz. While current gaming consoles like the PS5 and Xbox Series X max out at 120Hz, PC gamers with high-end rigs will appreciate this extra headroom.

The TV’s response time is lightning-fast at 0.1ms, and I measured an input lag of just 9.2ms in Game Optimizer Boost mode, which is about as low as TVs get. During my testing with fast-paced competitive games like “Call of Duty,” I never once felt like the TV was slowing me down.

All four HDMI 2.1 ports support the full range of gaming features, including Variable Refresh Rate (VRR), Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM), and both NVIDIA G-Sync and AMD FreeSync Premium certifications. This ensures tear-free, smooth gameplay regardless of your gaming system of choice.

I was particularly impressed with the Game Optimizer dashboard, which can be quickly accessed during gameplay. It provides easy access to game-specific picture settings and important information like frame rate and VRR status without having to exit your game. The ability to quickly adjust dark areas’ visibility for competitive advantage in darker games was especially useful.

Additionally, the LG Game Card hub offers access to over 500 cloud gaming titles through services like Nvidia GeForce Now and Amazon Luna. Xbox Game Pass support is also expected to arrive via an update in the coming months.

HDR gaming was where the G5 truly shined. Games like “Horizon Forbidden West” and “Spider-Man 2” on PS5 looked absolutely spectacular, with highlights that popped dramatically while maintaining perfect black levels in darker areas. The Color Volume and depth provided a level of immersion that genuinely enhanced my gaming experience.

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Smart Features: webOS 25 Brings Advanced AI Integration

The LG G5 OLED runs on the latest webOS 25 smart platform, which introduces several meaningful improvements over previous iterations.

I found navigation to be smooth and intuitive, with the home screen organizing content into helpful categories through “Quick Cards.” These cards group related content and functions together – there’s a Home Card for smart home controls, a Game Card for gaming services, a Sports Card for sports content, and more. This made finding what I wanted significantly faster than traditional app-based navigation.

The platform supports all major streaming services including Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, Max, YouTube, and many others. I never encountered any apps that were missing from LG’s extensive library.

Voice control has been significantly enhanced in this year’s model. The most impressive addition is Voice ID, which can recognize different users by their voice and automatically switch to their personalized profile.

This worked surprisingly well in my testing – when my partner asked “What should I watch tonight?”, the TV immediately recognized her voice and provided recommendations based on her viewing history rather than mine.

The new AI Concierge feature learns your viewing habits and proactively suggests content you might enjoy. After a week of regular use, it was impressively accurate at predicting what I might want to watch at different times of day.

The AI Chatbot was another useful addition. When I encountered an issue with a specific picture setting, I simply asked the chatbot for help, and it provided clear, contextual guidance that solved my problem without needing to search through complex menus or Google for solutions.

I was particularly impressed with how the G5 handles personalized picture and sound settings. The AI Picture and Sound wizards guided me through creating customized presets by showing different images and audio samples and asking for my preferences. The TV then created profiles that automatically activated when it recognized my voice.

The Always Ready feature effectively turns the TV into a piece of art when not in use. You can display personal photos or choose from a collection of artistic images. New this year is the ability to generate AI artwork directly through the TV, which was a fun, if somewhat niche, addition.

Connectivity options are comprehensive, with AirPlay 2 support for Apple devices and built-in Chromecast functionality for Android users. The LG ThinQ platform also integrates well with smart home systems including Google Home, Amazon Alexa, and Apple HomeKit.

Audio Performance: Good, But Consider a Soundbar

The G5 features a 4.2-channel 60W speaker system that’s a step up from the 2.2-channel setup found in LG’s C-series TVs. While this provides reasonably good sound by TV standards, it doesn’t quite match the exceptional quality of the display.

In my testing, dialogue came through clearly, and the AI Sound Pro mode did an excellent job creating a wider soundstage with virtual height channels that added a sense of immersion to Dolby Atmos content. However, bass response was somewhat limited, as is typical with thin TV designs.

For casual viewing and TV shows, the built-in speakers are perfectly adequate. However, for movie nights and immersive gaming sessions, I would strongly recommend pairing the G5 with a quality soundbar or home theater system to truly match the visual experience with comparable audio.

LG’s WOW Orchestra feature is worth mentioning for those who already own or plan to purchase a compatible LG soundbar. This feature allows the TV’s speakers to work in tandem with the soundbar, creating a larger and more immersive soundstage than the soundbar alone could provide.

Value and Conclusions: Is The LG G5 OLED TV Worth It?

At $3,396.99 for the 65-inch model I tested, the LG G5 OLED TV is unquestionably a premium product with a price tag to match. However, after extensive testing, I believe it offers excellent value for what you get.

The G5 represents the pinnacle of OLED technology in 2025. Its revolutionary Primary RGB Tandem panel delivers brightness levels that were previously unthinkable for OLED TVs, effectively eliminating their traditional weakness in bright room environments. Combined with perfect blacks, infinite contrast, and vibrant colors, this creates an overall picture quality that’s genuinely breathtaking.

For movie enthusiasts, the G5 offers reference-quality picture performance that rivals professional mastering monitors. For gamers, it delivers best-in-class response times, low input lag, and support for the latest gaming features at up to 165Hz. And for everyday users, the intuitive webOS 25 platform and impressive AI features make the TV both powerful and easy to use.

The only significant drawback I encountered was the issue with some streamed Dolby Vision content, but LG is already addressing this with a software update. The audio quality, while good for a TV, also doesn’t quite match the exceptional display, but this is easily remedied with a soundbar.

When compared to other premium TVs in this price range, the G5 stands out for its combination of stellar picture quality, advanced gaming features, and elegant design. If you’re looking for the absolute best TV experience available in 2025 and have the budget for it, the LG G5 OLED TV should be at the top of your list.

Overall Rating: 9.2/10

Pros:

• Revolutionary brightness for an OLED TV (2,300+ nits peak)
• Perfect blacks and infinite contrast
• Stunning color accuracy and volume
• Excellent anti-reflection coating
• Comprehensive gaming features with 4K/165Hz support
• Elegant, gallery-style design
• Intuitive webOS 25 with advanced AI features
• Four full HDMI 2.1 ports

Cons:

• Some issues with streamed Dolby Vision content (should be fixed with update)
• Audio quality doesn’t match the stunning visuals
• Stand sold separately in some regions
• Premium price point

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Buyer’s Guide: Finding The Perfect OLED TV For Your Needs

If you’re considering investing in an OLED TV like the LG G5, there are several factors to keep in mind to ensure you get the right model for your specific needs:

Room Brightness Considerations

One of the most important factors when choosing an OLED TV is your viewing environment. If you have a bright room with lots of windows, the G5’s exceptional brightness makes it an ideal choice. For dark, dedicated home theater rooms, you might not need the G5’s brightness advantage and could save money with the LG C5 model instead.

Size Selection

The LG G5 comes in multiple sizes: 48″, 55″, 65″, 77″, 83″, and 97″. When choosing the right size:

• For average living rooms (10-12 feet viewing distance): The 65″ model provides an immersive experience without overwhelming the space.
• For smaller rooms or bedrooms: The new 48″ or 55″ options are excellent choices.
• For larger spaces or dedicated home theaters: Consider the 77″ or 83″ models for a truly cinematic experience.

Note: The 48″ and 97″ models use different panel technology and won’t achieve the same brightness levels as the other sizes.

Design Considerations

The G5’s Gallery design is optimized for wall mounting, with a flush mount included. If you don’t plan to wall-mount your TV, you’ll need to purchase the optional stand separately, which adds to the overall cost. In this case, the LG C5 might be more practical as it includes a stand.

Gaming Priorities

If gaming is a priority:

• For console gaming on PS5 or Xbox Series X: Both the G5 and less expensive C5 support 4K/120Hz gaming with VRR.
• For high-end PC gaming: The G5’s 4K/165Hz support gives it a slight edge for those with powerful gaming rigs.

Budget Options

If the G5’s price is beyond your budget:

• The LG C5 offers excellent picture quality and most of the same features for about $700 less.
• The LG B5 provides a more affordable entry point to OLED technology while sacrificing some brightness and processing power.
• Last year’s LG G4 is now heavily discounted and still offers exceptional performance.

Installation and Accessories

When budgeting for your new OLED TV, don’t forget to consider:

• Professional installation costs if wall-mounting
• A quality soundbar or audio system to match the visual experience
• Additional HDMI 2.1 cables for gaming consoles or PCs
• Potential TV calibration services for the absolute best picture quality

Potential Concerns: Burn-in and Longevity

Modern OLED TVs like the G5 have significantly improved their resistance to burn-in through various protection mechanisms. However, if you plan to use the TV for extended periods with static images (like news channels with fixed logos or certain games with static HUD elements), it’s worth being aware of this potential issue.

LG offers a 1-year warranty on parts and labor, with additional coverage for the panel itself through years 2-5 (though labor would be charged during this extended period).

Frequently Asked Questions

How does the G5 compare to mini-LED TVs in terms of brightness?

The LG G5 achieves peak brightness levels of over 2,300 nits, which is competitive with many premium mini-LED TVs. However, it can’t match the full-screen brightness of the brightest mini-LEDs. The G5’s perfect blacks and lack of blooming give it an overall contrast advantage.

Will the LG G5 work well for watching sports?

Absolutely. The G5’s excellent motion handling, high brightness, and vibrant colors make it ideal for sports content. The anti-reflection coating also helps reduce glare during daytime games.

Is the LG G5 good for PS5 and Xbox Series X gaming?

The G5 is exceptional for console gaming, with four HDMI 2.1 ports supporting 4K/120Hz, VRR, ALLM, and other gaming features. The 0.1ms response time and low input lag create a responsive gaming experience.

Does the LG G5 support all major streaming services?

Yes, the webOS 25 platform includes all major streaming services such as Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, Max, YouTube, and many others.

How difficult is it to wall-mount the G5?

While the included wall mount is well-designed, I’d recommend professional installation to ensure the TV is securely attached and perfectly level. The ultra-thin design requires careful handling during installation.

Does the G5 support Dolby Atmos?

Yes, the G5 supports Dolby Atmos passthrough to compatible soundbars and receivers. It can also virtualize Atmos effects through its built-in speakers using the AI Sound Pro mode.

How does the G5 handle reflections in a bright room?

The G5 features LG’s most advanced anti-reflection coating yet, which is 30% more effective than last year’s G4. Combined with the exceptional brightness, this makes the G5 one of the best OLEDs ever for bright room viewing.

What is special about Samsung Frame?

Samsung Frame TV doubles as both a television and digital art display. When not in use, it transforms into artwork with customizable frames, blending seamlessly into home decor while offering 4K QLED quality.

What are the disadvantages of frame TV?

Frame TVs are more expensive than standard models, may offer lower picture quality in bright rooms, have limited sound performance, and rely heavily on a stable internet connection for art mode features.

What size is the frame pro?

The Frame Pro typically comes in sizes ranging from 43 inches to 85 inches, with popular options including 55″, 65″, and 75″. Exact dimensions vary by model year and region.

Conclusion: The LG G5 OLED TV Sets a New Standard

After spending extensive time with the LG G5 OLED TV, I can confidently say it represents a significant leap forward for OLED technology. The new Primary RGB Tandem panel delivers brightness levels that effectively eliminate what has traditionally been OLED’s biggest weakness, while maintaining all of the perfect blacks, infinite contrast, and vibrant colors that have made OLED the preferred technology for picture quality enthusiasts.

For anyone seeking the absolute best TV experience available and willing to invest in premium quality, the LG G5 OLED TV delivers exceptional value despite its high price tag. Its combination of revolutionary picture quality, advanced gaming features, and elegant design makes it my top recommendation for discerning home theater enthusiasts.

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Remember, if you decide to purchase the G5, consider adding a quality soundbar to complete the premium experience. Your eyes and ears will thank you!