LG G2 OLED TV review

The LG G2 OLED TV is the brightest LG OLED TV ever, and we have the test results to prove it. OLED TVs typically suffer on this front compared to the best QLED TVs, but no more. If we weren’t quite sold on OLED evo technology before, writing this LG G2 OLED TV review has made us believers. The change from last year’s LG G1 TV is stark, with the second-generation OLED evo panel featuring a dedicated heat-dissipation system that lets the picture get much brighter without causing the dreaded OLED burn-in. 

There’s more to this TV than just brightness, though: an updated Gallery Series design, new webOS version and high-scoring performance across the board makes this one of the best TVs on the market this year. However, the premium features come at a premium price; this is LG’s most expensive 4K OLED TV of the year, with a $2,999 ticket on the 65-inch configuration. 

Is it worth it for you? Read our full LG OLED G2 review to find out.

LG G2 OLED TV review: Price and configurations 

The LG G2 OLED TV is the company’s top-shelf 4K OLED set this year and it has a premium price to match. The LG G2 will fall among the expensive sets we’ll test in 2022, and it’ll include two bigger sizes to create the largest Gallery Series collection yet. The 65-inch configuration we tested costs $2,999, but here’s a closer look at all the sizes and prices: 

• 55-inch OLED55G2PUA: $2199
• 65-inch OLED65G2PUA: $2999
• 77-inch OLED77G2PUA: $3999
• 83-inch OLED83G2PUA: $6499
• 97-inch OLED97G2PUA: N/A

You can find last year’s LG G1 for less thanks to the best cheap TV deals right now, but the G2 won’t receive discounts until the holiday season. Make sure to check our LG Promo Codes page around key seasons to secure those discount. If you’re wondering “What size TV should I buy?,” the G2 has a good range of options. But if you're looking for something more compact, check out the best 50-inch TVs.

Compared to our G2 test model, you’ll see similar performance across every size of the set. All configurations have OLED evo, 4 HDMI 2.1 ports, the latest webOS version and the newest Alpha 9 Gen 5 processor.

LG G2 OLED TV review: Design

As the name may suggest, LG’s Gallery Series TVs prioritize design. The set is wrapped by a minimalistic silver frame with subtle texture, but it doesn’t curl over the screen, instead maintaining a bezel-less appearance. 

The G2 OLED TV’s one-inch-deep body holds everything the TV needs, so you won’t find a rear protruding component box like you might on other OLED TVs. The uniform chassis also features a recessed mount and input panels on the back.

How come? The LG G2 isn’t meant to sit on a stand or hang on the wall with any ‘ole VESA mounting bracket. Instead, it’s designed to be mounted with the company’s proprietary bracket, which comes in the box. We did request the compatible stand for testing, but it definitely distracted from the TV’s intended flush-mount effect, so plan on hanging the G2.

LG recommends professional installation with a recessed AV box for the full Gallery Series effect. But thanks to a clever cable-management system, unsightly cords are kept organized, even when we plugged in several peripherals.

LG G2 OLED TV review: Ports and connectivity

The LG G2 OLED TV’s port selection includes four HDMI 2.1 ports, which is expected for LG’s OLED TVs at this point but not for all the best TV brands. HDMI 2.1 supports frame rates up to 120 Hz with 4K video, plus an enhanced audio return channel (eARC on HDMI 2). Gaming benefits from HDMI 2.1, too – it’s what makes settings like variable refresh rate and auto low latency mode possible. If you’re looking to leverage the next-gen graphics of the PS5 and Xbox Series X consoles, you’ll want to use these features. The LG G2 supports NVIDIA G-sync, NVIDIA GeForce Now, Google Stadia cloud gaming and AMD FreeSync, too.

Additional connections include 3 USB 2.0 ports, one Ethernet port, and an RF coaxial plug for cord cutters. The Gallery Series lost the 3.5mm headphone-out jack but the Gallery Series OLED TVs also come with built-in NextGen TV ATSC 3.0 tuners. ATSC 3.0 provides 4K broadcasts over the air and a return channel that allows for interactivity and targeted advertising in select cities.

LG G2 OLED TV review: Performance

We first saw this set side-by-side with the LG C1 OLED and this year’s LG C2 OLED, and the brightness (and brightness control) is unparalleled for an LG OLED. This is the first time in a few years we can say the Gallery Series performance has an undeniable advantage over the C series. 

Watching Dune gave us a well-rounded understanding of the LG G2 OLED TV’s performance. Thanks to pixels that are turned on or off entirely for so-called perfect blacks are the expectation. We looked closely in dark or nighttime scenes where subtle shades of blacks may be a challenge to differentiate, yet the blacks in Timothy Chalamet’s iconic wet-look locks did his ‘do justice, with the desert-weary inky strands looking real enough to run a brush through. 

Not only that, but this is also the first OLED TV I’ve tested that is bright enough to recommend to people who will find themselves watching TV in a naturally lit room during the daytime. While there will still be a degree of glare in this environment, even in high-contrast scenes such as when Paul hides from a hunter-seeker in a web-like projection, the picture maintains all of its sophistication. The shadows dance around the Duke’s face without haloing or adding more light unintentionally. 

Then, in the “box” scene, we noticed how the Bene Gesserit Mother’s beaded face veil seemed to pop out of the screen with such a sharpened focus that we assume was LG’s AI Picture Pro and Alpha 9 Gen 5 processor in action. In general, this set delivers some of the best dynamic tone mapping we’ve ever seen. 

Moving onto Spider-Man: No Way Home, we took a closer look at color, picture clarity and motion-handling performance. We liked how the slight color differences between each Spider-Man’s suit demonstrated what’s assumed to be the filmmaker’s intention. Better yet, the textures of each suit were more than clear to see, as were other details like the hardware on Doc Ock’s glasses. The clarity provided an immersive viewing experience.

Motion handling was perhaps one of the set’s performance shortcomings, however, as we did see a little bit of artifacting in both movies — though exclusively in busy scenes or scenes.

LG G2 OLED TV review: Test results

When we tested last year’s LG G1 OLED TV – the first ‘OLED evo’-branded LG set — we were a bit disappointed by the results. By comparison, the G2 delivers what we were looking for: a truly brighter OLED TV. The LG G2 reached a max brightness of 590.54 nits, which is a considerable improvement over the LG G2’s 412.05 nits. Nearly 600 nits is excellent by OLED standards, and is only bested by the Sony Bravia XR A80J OLED TV (713.65 nits.) 

Note that LED TVs such as the Samsung QN90A Neo QLED TV (1813.83 nits) beat OLED on brightness, though the roll-out of QD-OLED technology could change the tides. We’ll update this review with test results of the Samsung S95B OLED TV and Sony A95K QD-OLED TV, once we receive them. 

Color accuracy is another highlight of the G2 OLED TV. It earned a Delta-E score of 1.30. Any result of 2.0 or less is good, with lower scores being more accurate. It’s a slight improvement over the G1 (1.64) and much better than the Samsung QN90A with Neo QLED (2.57), while the LG C1 OLED TV (1.25) is a close match.

The LG G2 also provides an impressively wide color gamut, producing 131.75% of the Rec 709 color space, surpassing the basic color standard by a significant margin. The results are mostly the same compared to last year’s LG G1 and C1 OLED TVs, and it just beats out the Sony A80J OLED TV (128.05%.)

Lastly, when it comes to lag times, the Gallery Series remains a top option for gaming thanks to its auto low latency mode. It measured a lag time of just 13.1 milliseconds. We will say the LG C1 has a better score (12.6 milliseconds), making it a stronger gaming TV recommendation. Still, the LG G2 is one of the best gaming TVs you can buy, especially if you like the high-end Gallery Series design.

LG G2 OLED TV review: Audio

The LG G2 OLED TV audio performance is among the most impressive I’ve seen (or rather heard) for an OLED TV. It packs quite a selection of sound modes, from standard and cinema to sports and music, and even a setting that amplifies voices. The default the set encourages during setup is AI Sound Pro, which upgrades the set’s standard 2.1 stereo to virtual 5.1 surround sound, effectively adding dimension and height to audio. 

Listening to Fall Out Boy’s “Just One Yesterday” with AI Sound Pro emphasized the vocal’s megaphone effect, creating a stadium concert atmosphere in our mere testing studio.

More than that, LG AI Sound Pro takes cues from on-screen images to create sound movement in scenes. While watching Dune, the frequent spilling or shuffling of sand seemed to happen not just on screen but above and below the display, too. Dolby Atmos came into play here as well.

In Spider-Man, when Peter and MJ return to Peter’s apartment to do damage control upon the world discovering his identity, there’s total chaos in terms of sources. From noisy neighbors ringing, helicopters outside the windows and Peter panicking to Happy tearing up over a breakup with Aunt May, Aunt May meeting MJ for the first time and the news blaring on the TV, each sound had a distinct space on the screen and filled the room, throwing us right into the movie.

LG G2 OLED TV review: WebOS 22 and smart features

All LG 2022 TVs ship with webOS 22, evolving from webOS 6.0 (the software version will be represented by the year from this point forward.) It looks mostly the same as last year’s major redesign, which ditched the launcher bar and bottom menu tiles. Content is navigated on a whole-screen home page, meaning you’ll need to stop what you’re watching to search for something new. At least you can adjust some key settings easily without interrupting your show.

The notable software upgrade is user profiles. These help curate recommendations and keep each household member’s relevant content in reach. Thanks to a new NFC control, using LG ThinQ app’s Magic Tap function you can tap your smartphone to the TV remote to switch profiles. Magic Tap lets you easily mirror content from your smartphone to the LG G2 TV, too. 

LG’s ThinQ platform also acts as a hub for controlling many of the best smart home devices, from a connected InstaView fridge to your living room smart lights. The LG G2 also has both Alexa and Google Assistant built-in, so you can use your TV to control devices, certain TV settings and more. LG’s voice assistant also works with the set’s fair-field microphones, meaning you control hands-free.

WebOS doesn’t offer as many apps as Roku or Google TVs, but you’ll be able to watch every Marvel movie on Disney Plus, all the best Netflix shows and more. The Content Store has even added more sports apps in the past year, plus it has a built-in Apple TV app. 

Meanwhile, Game Optimizer is back, offering all the necessary gaming settings and with a few additions this year. There’s a Dark Room Mode and a new preset for sports gaming, too.

LG G2 OLED TV review: Remote

The LG G2 OLED TV remote is unchanged from the G1’s remote, which trimmed down the crowded design LG previously favored for a more streamlined experience. You can navigate with buttons or by wireless cursor, which will never not feel like using a Nintendo Wii remote.

There are also six dedicated buttons, including ones for Alexa and Google Assistant. If you watch Netflix, Amazon Prime Video or Disney Plus regularly, the LG G2 OLED remote makes it easy to jump right into your favorite content.

LG G2 OLED TV review: Verdict

Brightness has been a long-time OLED shortcoming because of the need to preserve color volume and mitigate OLED burn-in. But the LG G2 OLED TV with second-gen OLED evo technology makes a major improvement. There’s no way to know now whether this panel will truly prevent burn-in in the long-term, though our testing raised no concerns. 

In fact, we’re encouraged to see LG step up OLED evo to take on QD-OLED, which is the route Sony and Samsung are betting on this year. We will say the price makes this a splurge purchase, so it might be difficult to ultimately recommend the G2 over the LG C2 OLED. But if you’re a fan of the wall-mounted, Gallery Series design and care to experience one of LG’s most ambitious TVs in years (not including the $100,000 rollable OLED TV, obviously) you won’t be disappointed by the performance.

Next: Is this the best OLED TV? We compare Samsung OLED TVs vs LG OLED TVs to see which one is a better buy.