LG OLED65G5 Review

Price

Just like it was with the G4 OLED, customers get the option of purchasing one of two versions: the wall-mount version (OLEDxxG54LW) or the model that comes with a stand (OLEDxxG56LS).

Prices are the same regardless of which version you go for. The difference is that the stand is only available in 48-, 55-, and 65-inch models. If you want a bigger version of the G5, it’s available in the wall-mounted version in 77-, 83- and 97-inches.

Design

• Stand or wall-mount version
• Vanta Black Anti-Reflective coating
• Strong viewing angles

LG has settled on its look for the G-series OLED, and it’s not one for changing (much). It’s a simple but premium appearance with a classy, minimalist look.

The one I had in for review came with the stand, although this was pre-built, so I didn’t have to spend as much time putting it together. If you opt for the wall-mount version, you simply (I say simply) plant the screen on your wall, and it’ll sit flush against it. It’s not as slim as the unbelievably thin Samsung S95F.

The stand is adjustable in a similar fashion to Sony’s Bravia 8 MkII, whether you want to sling the TV low or push it up high to place a soundbar beneath.

The G5 models feature LG’s Vanta Black Anti-Reflective coating to reduce reflections and maintain black depth in a bright room. It does work on the second count, but I’d say that both the Bravia 8 Mk II and Samsung S95F are better at mitigating reflections and glare, though each model has its advantages and disadvantages.

Wide angles are strong, though this is another area where QD-OLED has the advantage over the G5, as its viewing angles are even better (and brighter) at narrower angles.

User Experience

• Five-year software updates
• Microsoft Copilot AI
• LG webOS platform

I won’t cover exactly the same ground I did in my previous G5 review. For the too-long, didn’t-read option: LG’s webOS interface is slick and fast, with a degree of customisation and personalisation in the Quick Cards, though I would disagree with the notion that LG webOS learns your habits and tailors the interface to them. I’ve seen no real evidence of that happening.

You also get five years of updates with LG’s Re:New program. Not as much as Samsung Tizen’s seven years, but five should be more than enough until your next TV purchase.

Updates over the course of 2025 have added Stingray Cityscapes which, when the TV is idle, plays a selection of images with Jazz music over the top. It’s slightly odd way and has more in relation to demo videos you see in retail stores than something you’d want on your TV in the privacy of your own home.

What I’ve noticed more is the presence of more LG apps. To go along with LG Channels for TV, there’s also LG Radio+, which is a series of music and radio stations that you can stream online. The TV actually functions as a pretty good speaker with music, with some nice warm bass in the TV’s Standard mode when listening to Tyler, The Creator.

LG Gallery+ is a version of Samsung’s Art Store where you can browse and download works of art to display on the TV, but to access it, you do need to cough up money for the subscription.

There’s also Microsoft’s Copilot, which was announced earlier in 2025. The Internet seemed miffed that there’s (more) AI present on the TV, but it’s not intrusive and you aren’t forced to use it. I tried it but I couldn’t even figure out how to ask Copilot a question, let alone get an answer from it.

Gaming

• Cloud gaming options
• 4K/165Hz for PCs
• AMD and Nvidia VRR

All the features present on the 55-inch model are available on the 65-inch G5. Input lag remains quick at 13ms (9.3ms in Boost mode); while ALLM, VRR and 4K/120Hz is available across all four HDMI 2.1 inputs.

PC gamers benefit from 165Hz refresh rates, and there’s both AMD FreeSync Premium and Nvidia G-Sync to buff up stability and picture quality. Dolby Vision Gaming HDR and the HGIG standard are included as well.

The Game Optimiser pop-up allows for deeper customisation, and with the Game Genre setting, you can optimise the TV’s performance for specific games. If you don’t have a gaming console, LG’s gaming portal features GeForce NOW, Amazon Luna, Xbox app Utomik, and Blacknut as cloud gaming options, while there’s support for Twitch broadcasting built-in too.

Connectivity

• Four HDMI 2.1 inputs
• WiSA audio support
• Bluetooth streaming

Just like in previous years, the connectivity options for LG’s premium TVs are comprehensive.

All four HDMI inputs support the HDMI 2.1 standard, which along with ALLM, VRR, and 4K/165Hz refresh rates; there’s eARC for connecting a sound system to, QFT which reduces latency during gaming and QMS that eliminates the black screens when switching HDMI sources.

The rest of the physical connections include a headphone out, digital optical out, satellite, two RF aerials, Ethernet, three USB 2.0 inputs, and a CI+ 1.4 common interface slot.

Wi-Fi 6 support brings Google Cast, AirPlay 2 (for Apple devices), and WiSA into the mix, while Bluetooth 5.3 extends that to any Bluetooth-capable device. With the Bluetooth Surround Ready protocol you could connect LG xboom speakers if you want to keep the AV kit within the LG family.

Features

• Brighter Primary RGB Tandem panel
• α11 AI Sound Pro

2025 marks the first year of LG Display’s Primary RGB Tandem panels, which this G5 OLED sports. It’s brighter than previous models, which should help improve the G5’s performance with regards to contrast, viewing angles and colour.

It’s so bright, in fact, that the equipment I use to test was not able to record the measurements, but expect it to be in line with the 55-inch model.

HDR support covers HDR10, HLG, and Dolby Vision IQ version, with the Dolby Vision x Filmmaker mode covering film enthusiasts by mixing those two modes together. There’s no HDR10+, an annoying omission, but if Samsung aren’t going to play ball by adding Dolby Vision, I can see why LG wouldn’t want to help its rival in beefing up adoption of HDR10+.

The 4.2-channel system has 60W of power at its disposal, and LG’s α11 AI Sound Pro feature claims to be able to up-mix Dolby Atmos sound to 11.1.2 virtual channels.

The AI Acoustic tuning features tweaks the sound in accordance to the environment the TV is, while WOW Orchestra combines the TV’s speakers with that of an LG soundbar to create a bigger sound.

Picture Quality

• Crisp, clear, detailed 4K images
• Not the brightest Dolby Vision performance
• Slick motion processing

The LG G5 is bright. It’s sharp, it’s clear and detailed, it’s colourful. It’s all the things you’d expect from a premium 4K TV.

But it’s not the best performer, at least not when it comes to colour. I’ll get to that later.

With Alien: Romulus, it delivers inkier black levels than the Sony Bravia 8 Mk II can muster in bright living room environments. The contrast is utilised effectively, but more so than on any other 4K TV I’ve reviewed recently, the LG’s processing develops a pretty impressive sense of depth to the image. Compared to a Sony Bravia 8 Mk II sitting next to it, the sense of depth makes for an image you feel as if you could reach out and dip your hand into.

Romulus does show that the LG G5 isn’t quite as subtle as other TVs. There’s a red push to skintones, which strikes me as more natural on the Sony, while dark detail out of the box is better on the Bravia 8 Mk II.

Add to that, and in a dark room environment, the black levels on the Sony match the LG and when it comes to brightness, despite the 4000 nit headroom on the LG, the Sony genuinely looks perceptively brighter, regardless of whether it’s a bright or a dark room.

Unusually for the LG, it consistently delivers an image that is dimmer than the Sony when displaying Dolby Vision. I double checked to see if the adaptive HDR image was on but it didn’t seem to be. The LG isn’t as good as the Sony, at least with Dolby Vision content.

With superhero fests in the Fantastic Four: First Steps and Superman, the LG G5 delivers sharp, crisp and detailed images that immediately impress. Judged on its own and without comparison to other competing OLED displays, the LG G5 is frequently stunning to look at.

The range of colours, deftness and shades the Sony can display with its QD-OLED panel is better than the LG. This isn’t the case with all films – Fantastic Four comparisons are pretty close – but the Sony goes to places that the LG can’t quite match.

Its TruMotion processing is a match for the Sony, though your best option for the smoothest performance is Cinematic Movement. With both the Smooth and Natural options, you got judder, stutter and noisiness around the edges of characters and objects. The Bravia 8 Mk II is the more natural-looking of the two, though even Sony’s MotionFlow can trip up from time to time.

Upscaling

• Clear and detailed
• Very good with low-quality sources

Upscaling has been a real forte of LG’s recently, and it continues with the 2025 models. They are excellent at taking low-quality content under 4K and giving it a spruce-up.

A 2004 DVD of The Matrix Revolutions is still a 2004 DVD of The Matrix Revolutions, but the LG G5’s AI processing massages the softness of the low bitrate with impressive clarity and detail in close-ups and medium shots. It’s with wide shots where it looks the softest, with some understandable noise, blurriness and lines drawn in a slightly rough manner if you look closely.

But the LG understands textures – the clothes, the environments – it all upscales them in an authentic manner. While it’ll never look like a HD Blu-ray, you can watch lower-quality content without much fuss.

A Blu-ray of The Force Awakens looks fantastic on this TV. Colours look authentically rich and detailed, it’s bright (brighter than the set’s Dolby Vision performance in some ways). The levels of detail are super, from Captain Phasma’s chrome detailing to the sand and dust of the planet of Jakku. The LG can take a good quality Blu-ray and make it look even better.

Sound Quality

• Lacks bass
• Clear dialogue delivery
• AI Sound Pro with Atmos

The audio quality remains an issue, even with this bigger-sized G5. With The Force Awakens, the Atmos track sounds tame, lacking energy and sounding undercooked. That’s not to say it’s not detailed and clear, but it lacks punch and excitement, even at louder volumes.

The soundstage is wide, at times wider than the width of the TV itself, and while the LG G5 doesn’t really make an attempt to push sounds towards the listening position, it is a spacious soundstage with clear and natural sounding dialogue, and effects placed where you’d expect them on the screen.

Watching Superman, and there’s some bass but not much; the set’s levels of dynamism are on the low side. When the action scenes get going, the G5 feels left behind.

It’s the same with Civil War’s action scenes; the balance between the sounds the G5 chooses to focus on isn’t quite right in terms of foreground and background details. And it’s worth mentioning that AI Sound Pro should be switched on with Dolby Atmos soundtracks as it provides a significant boost in terms of clarity, detail and just the scale of the soundstage.

But the built-in sound system feels reined in and unexciting. Panasonic, Sony and Hisense have built TVs with better sound systems than this one, and not all of them as expensive as the G5 either.

Should you buy it?