We’ve covered the LG C3 OLED evo in a separate feature, and we had a demo with the LG M3 wireless TV too during CES, but the LG G3 OLED evo is the model we are focusing on here. It’s bright and it’s beautiful.
Here are our first impressions of the LG G3 OLED evo TV.
LG G3 OLED evo
First impressions
It’s of course very hard to judge a TV based on a short demo in a hotel room, but based on what we’ve seen of the LG G3 OLED so far, we’re excited to get this in for review to see if it is as striking as it initially seemed.
Pros
- Slim and slender design
- Lovely bright display
- Feature upgrades
Design
- Screen sizes: 55in, 65in, 77in, 83in
- 4x HDMI 2.1, 3x USB
- Ultra-slim, Zero Gap design
The LG G3 features much the same design as its predecessor, the LG G2, with a lovely slim and slender design, sporting minimal bezels around the 4K OLED panel.
It’s a fantastic looking TV, and although the company has ditched the “Gallery Series” name for 2023, the LG G3 is a TV which is designed to be on display.
The 2023 model will sit flush to the wall thanks to a ‘Zero Gap’ design that features a special cut out in the rear of the TV. There is of course a stand option if you don’t want it on the wall, but you’ll have to buy that separately.
On the back, you’ll find four HDMI 2.1 ports, like the LG C3, capable of supporting 4K at 120Hz, along with VRR and ALLM. It’s also expected that technologies like Dolby Vision for gaming and HGiG that allows for more accurate HDR tone mapping are on board again, as they were for the LG G2.
Picture features
- 3840 x 2160 pixels, Micro Lens Array panel, Dolby Vision IQ, Dolby Atmos, HDR10 Pro, HLG, Filmmaker Mode
- Alpha 9 Gen 6 AI processor
- Alpha Reality, AI Super Upscaling Pro and OLED Dynamic Tone Mapping Pro technologies
- 4K 120fps compatible
The Zero Gap design isn’t the only area the LG G3 OLED evo TV makes improvements over its predecessor though. The new model is claimed to have a 70 per cent brighter display compared to the older LG B3 thanks to a Brightness Booster Max technology.
It also has a new Micro Lens Array (MLA) panel like the Panasonic MZ2000, which is designed to increase brightness by adding a layer of billions of micrometer-sized convex lenses over the OLED panel. The lenses redirect light previously reflected inwards, out of the screen instead.
Like the LG C3, the LG G3 has a new Alpha 9 AI Processor Gen 6 on board, which enables a range of picture processing features. It’s said the processor is better at detecting depth and will deliver a better sense of realism, such as a fireplace image displaying the correct colours to make you feel warmer, which LG called Alpha Reality.
There is also a feature called AI Super Upscaling Pro which is designed to enhance sub-4K content and reduce noise levels, while OLED Dynamic Tone Mapping Pro enables the G3 to break up an image into 20,000 zones compared to the 5,000 zones that the G2’s processor was capable of.
While the content we were able to view on the G3 was limited during our demo at CES 2023, what we were shown certainly gave us a great first impression. Brightness was really quite striking, while the colours were lovely and vibrant, blacks were beautifully rich and there appeared to be no bleed from light to dark for a great picture quality overall.
We will of course need to spend more time with the LG G3 and non-demo content to be sure, but it’s definitely a TV we currently feel very positive about.
Smart features and webOS
- webOS smart platform
- Notifications
- Personalised Picture Wizard
- Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa support
Alongside the design and picture improvements, there are some upgrades coming to the webOS too, in terms of both design and features.
For starters, there are fewer pages for the webOS Home Screen with the idea being to minimise scrolling and get you to where you want, quicker. LG has introduced what it is calling Quick Cards, designed to group together apps and features, offering a more simplified user experience overall and there are notifications too.
There is also a customisable quick mode that appears on the left of the screen for accessing various settings. The pop-up includes pictures modes and sound modes, along with viewing options, all of which you can change quickly and hear or see the difference each makes in real time without leaving the pop-up.
There’s an extra feature for picture viewing too called Personalised Picture Wizard. The idea of this feature is to help you get your desired picture settings without you having to fiddle around in the settings too much.
The Personalised Picture Wizard will present you with eight sets of six images. For each set, you choose your two preferred images based on colour, brightness and saturation. At the end of the Personalised Picture Wizard, the G3 (and C3) will calibrate the picture image based on your preferences.
First impressions
The entire portfolio of TVs revealed by LG during CES 2023 was impressive, and while the LG G3 OLED evo doesn’t have the wireless technology of the M3, or the transparency of the prototype TV, it has plenty going for it in terms of design, technology and feature updates.
It’s of course very hard to judge a TV based on a short demo in a hotel room, but based on what we’ve seen of the LG G3 OLED evo so far, we’re excited to get this in for review to see if it is as striking as it initially seemed.