We’re turning the page on 2024, and while I saw (and tested) my fair share of LG TVs over the last 12 months, I’m still excited to see what the maker of some of the best OLED TVs on the market has in store for 2025.
With CES 2025 right around the corner, I wanted to take a moment to organize my thoughts about the future of LG TVs. More specifically, it’s a wishlist of what I want to see out of the brand’s lineup in 2025 and beyond.
We won’t know what’s in store for LG until it unveils more at CES, but until then, a person can dream.
Brighter OLEDs and an expansion of MLA tech
Across the industry, OLED TVs have seen slow-but-steady increases in brightness over the last several years. Even garden-variety OLEDs that don’t leverage added display enhancements have seen a consistent uptick in brightness (LG’s award-winning C Series, for instance). It’s not a stretch to assume that the next batch of LG OLEDs will be brighter than the last — and I hope it pans out that way.
However, what I’d really love to see is an expansion of the brand’s Micro Lens Array (MLA) technology. This marvelous OLED enhancement harnesses microscopic lenses to refocus light, allowing for brighter highlights and higher average picture brightness than run-of-the-mill OLEDs. For the last few years, this has been the key hardware feature that separates LG’s top-of-the-line G Series from its mid-range C Series. The LG C4 is plenty bright for an OLED, but if you really want a punchy picture, you’ve got to spring for the LG G4.
Were it up to me, I’d expand that technology to the C Series lineup. LG’s primary competitor in the OLED space, Samsung, has already brought quantum dot-enhanced OLEDs down to a mid-range point with the S90D (at least in the 55-, 65-, and 77-inch models).
If MLA tech is truly intended to be an answer to QD-OLED’s many benefits, LG’s mid-range TVs should be bringing it to the fight against Samsung’s mid-range TVs. The wider the availability, the more people can enjoy it.
Ditch the Magic Remote
I recently wrote at length about why I think LG should replace the Magic Remote, but I haven’t been able to shake the idea. It might be a controversial take, but I’m ready to move on from the remote’s key feature: motion-activated controls.
The feature can be bypassed with a couple clicks of the directional pad, but it can’t be deactivated altogether via LG’s settings menu. It’s always there — watching, waiting.
I’m ready to move on from the remote’s key feature: motion-activated controls.
This isn’t the extent of my issues with the Magic Remote (though it remains my biggest). I’m also not a fan of the remote’s numbered buttons, which I consider to be a vestige of home theaters past. It’s bulky, too, compared to the slim-and-sleek clickers shipping with Samsung and Sony TVs these days.
All told, it’s time to say goodbye to our awkward old friend Magic Remote. But don’t worry: There’s a magical farm upstate where remote controls run and play all day. Magic Remote will be very happy there.
Reintroduce ATSC 3.0 support
The only thing better than getting free TV channels is watching stuff in 4K on those free TV channels. Along with a reliable antenna, ATSC 3.0 makes this possible. Right now, LG TVs don’t support it — not even the G4. Once upon a time, LG TVs did support ATSC 3.0. That changed a few years ago when LG quietly removed it from its lineup.
I’m not sure why LG is operating under the assumption that most people have no use for 4K, over-the-air programming. Yes, it’s true that 4K, terrestrial broadcasts are few and far between, but they do exist. (The Super Bowl comes to mind.)
And despite the ubiquity of streaming, countless people still pipe TV into their living room by way of an HD antenna. It’s undeniable: Free TV absolutely rocks. And if you’re shelling out for a mid-range or high-end TV, it ought to be equipped with ATSC 3.0 for 4K broadcasts.
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