LG G2 review: "A hugely impressive TV"

With TVs like the LG G2, the television maker positions its Gallery Series at the premium end of the best gaming TV TV market - and with good reason. Design chops are top dollar and the entire tech behind the glass is cutting edge. This next-gen screen combines the latest OLED.EX glass with crafty Brightness Boosting technology and the brand’s Alpha 9 Gen 5 processor, a combo that elevates the brand’s Evo concept higher than we’ve seen before.

What’s more, the G2 also has extensive Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) support and High Frame Rate (HFR) 4K 120fps compatibility on every HDMI input so is also a shoo-in for any best TV for PS5 and Xbox Series X guide too. 

Features & Design

As befits its Gallery Edition moniker, the G2 embraces an interior design aesthetic. It’s beautifully finished, with a uniform depth of just 24mm. There is no pedestal in the box, so you’ll have to budget for one separately, but it does come with a bespoke wall-mounting plate - which is the way the TV is designed to be used. Though be warned: the 65-incher weighs 50lbs/22.8kg, and the 83-incher a formidable 90lb/40.9kg.

LG continues to offer first-class HDMI connectivity, making the G2 a great partner for next-gen games consoles. All four HDMIs are of the 2.1 variety which means the G2 is, of course, a premium contender for best 120Hz 4K TV of 2022 for sure. HDMI 2 has eARC/ARC, for soundbar hook-up, and there’s VRR support with NVIDIA G-Sync and AMD FreeSync. 

Elsewhere, the TV comes with a terrestrial aerial input, and a satellite tuner, and there’s also an optical digital audio output, plus Ethernet to support Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. The set ships with the latest LG Magic Remote control, which has dedicated buttons for Netflix, Disney+, Rakuten TV and Prime Video.

Topping the set’s feature list is the Game Optimizer, a dedicated user interface which groups all game info and offers access to particular game genre presets, including Standard, FPS and RTS. There’s also ALLM Game mode, HGIG *HDR Gaming Interest Group) support.

Latency is low at 13ms with 1080/60 games but a Boost Mode within the Game Optimiser can be used to reduce 1080/60 lag down to 9.6ms. It’s then much lower at the higher 120fps supported frame rate.

There are no big changes to LG’s webOS smart platform, which offers comprehensive streaming TV support, including Now, Netflix, Sky Store, Prime Video, and the usual complement of catch-up services.

Performance

When we say the G2 represents the pinnacle of LG’s current OLED display technology, you should automatically know what to expect: perfect blacks, artful near-black detail, and fabulous colour. Give the G2 a 4K source and you can expect to see it perfectly presented.

Where LG’s OLED panels have perhaps fallen a little short, even in comparison to other OLED brands, is brightness, both in average terms and HDR peaks. The G2 rectifies that, thanks to its new Evo class configuration. 

The display uses OLED.EX glass with Brightness Boosting technology. The latter is actually a suite of algorithms, powered by the Alpha 9 Gen 5 processor. It’s able to analyse images and prioritise the brightest areas of a frame. In the G2, this is aided by a physical heatsink  which allows the panel to be driven a little brighter. On top of this, HDR support is good, covering Dolby Vision IQ, HDR10, and HLG, but there’s no HDR10+, as used by Prime Video.

We had the opportunity to make a side-by-side comparison with an LG C2 screen (which is positioned one rung down the performance ladder) and discovered that while the G2 definitely has the edge, the real-world differences are subtle, and greatly influenced by your preferred viewing preset and content. Watch The Revenant, with its denuded colour palette and dark tone, and there’s not much between them. 

Brighter, more airy fare shows the G2 in its best light, however. A run-through of Sully, featuring bright white uniforms and blue skies, confirms just how much more dazzle the G2 has.

Audio quality is fine, aided by AI Sound Pro processing, but the set doesn’t offer the same level of speaker sophistication seen on flagship OLED screens from Sony, Philips, and Panasonic. Total power output is rated at 60W, and it’s also Dolby Atmos compatible, so there are soundbar upgrades that can be made. 

Overall - should you buy it?

The G2 is a hugely impressive OLED TV, with fabulous near-dark detail, and gorgeous colour. It’s also quite the design piece. And there’s the rub. For many buyers, it’ll be just a little too esoteric for its own good, and that price tag is on the rich side.

The specification though is undeniably a winner, both for gamers and streaming show addicts.

How we tested the LG G2

The G2 was viewed with a variety of content to assess its performance with movies, static images, and test patterns, in both light and dark viewing conditions. An optional stand was used to keep it upright (rather than hung on a wall), and an LG C2 was used for comparison purposes.

You can read more about how we test gaming TVs at 12DOVE in our dedicated article, or for more on our approach to all gaming tech, check out our full GamesRadar Hardware Policy.

The LG G2 is one of the best bits of PS5 and Xbox Series X companion tech going - why not browse other such gear in the shape of our guides to the best PS5 SSDs, best PS5 headsets, and best Xbox Series X headsets to round out your setup.