This LG OLED TV is my #1 pick for the best picture quality, and it’s $1,100 off on Black Friday

Normally I’m not a fan of LG TVs, but I have the LG G4 OLED TV this year, and I have no choice but to admit that it has the most impressive picture quality of any TV I’ve ever bought, used or tested.

And now that Black Friday is finally here, the 65-inch LG G4 is on sale for $1,100 off the retail price of $3,399 at both Amazon And Best buy. At $2,297, it’s still an expensive TV. You can get two for that price 65-inch Sony X90L TVs — my pick for the best TV for the money.

But if picture quality is your number 1 priority and you have the budget, there isn’t a TV in the world with a better picture than the LG G4. And the ability to get it 32% off on Black Friday is super timely, as most people increase their content consumption during the winter months.

Also: The best Black Friday deals: Live updates

What makes the LG G4 OLED display so good? Different things.

First of all, there are the things that make all OLED displays great – and that’s especially true of LG OLEDs because they’re one of the leading innovators of the technology. We’re talking true blacks (as opposed to washed out dark grays of LCD TVs), deep contrast, more vibrant colors and astonishing dynamic range in shots with both dark and light elements. The LG G4 has all these qualities – and at the highest level I’ve seen on any TV – because it’s LG’s flagship OLED TV for 2024.

So what’s new in this year’s LG G4? The biggest leap forward is in image processing and this is made possible by the new α11 AI Processor 4K. I’ve always considered Sony to be the king of imaging, and it was a long way back to LG and Samsung who were actually in second place, while budget TV makers TCL and Hisense lagged behind the masses. However, with the 2024 α11 AI processor, LG is now pushing Sony into the top spot in image processing – and that’s saying a lot.

Also: Best Black Friday TV deals 2024: Expert-selected deals on QLED, OLED and more

Where this really matters is when it comes to out-of-the-box picture settings, upscaling older lower quality 720p and 1080p content, and the TV automatically adjusting the picture to make today’s HDR content look great. to show. The LG G4 now competes with Sony in all these areas.

And because LG has always made arguably the highest quality OLED TV panels, this upgrade in image processing takes the LG G4 to the top of the class in image quality. For movies, shows, games and virtually any other content, the LG G4 brings them to life in vibrant colors, smooth motion and incredible contrast – more than any other TV you can buy right now.

I tried it with some of my favorite content with challenging visuals, including Dune, Avengers: End Game, and several other groundbreaking cinematic wonders. All the content looked better than I’ve ever seen on any TV I’ve used, bought or tested – and that includes some of the best TVs from Sony, Samsung, LG, TCL and Hisense in recent years.

Also: The Sony TV I recommend to most people is on sale for Black Friday

So what’s the catch?

There are a few drawbacks to note about the LG G4. First, of course, there is the premium price. As I said, you can buy two 65-inch Sony X90L TVs for the price of one 65-inch LG G4. And I think most people would be extremely happy with the mid-range Sony X90L. But you’re not most people if you’re considering the LG G4.

The other drawbacks are the remote control and LG’s built-in webOS software. Both are mediocre at best. I consider LG’s remote to be the worst of all the big five TV makers. It’s big, chunky and has a confusing number of buttons. A TV this good and with such a premium design that is sleek and beautiful deserves a better designed remote control.

LG’s built-in webOS software is almost as disappointing as the remote control. It works fine, but it’s not very intuitive and it’s not nearly as well thought out as the TV hardware. The content icons are small and sometimes difficult to select, the menu system is a bit complicated and there are built-in ads in the software – which feels subconscious for a TV this expensive.

That said, when testing the 83-inch LG G4 in ZDNET’s TV lab, I simply never used the remote or the built-in software. I connected an Apple TV 4K and used that remote and its interface to access all the streaming services and content I wanted. The combination of the LG G4 and Apple TV was glorious. So if you buy an LG G4, I recommend adding a high-end streaming box such as the Apple TV 4K, Google TV Streamer (4K), Amazon Fire TV Cube or Nvidia Shield.

The built-in sound in the LG G4 is fine, but not great – like pretty much every other high-end or budget TV. So if you buy such an expensive TV, I assume you are going to add a soundbar. I would at least recommend getting the Hisense AX5125H 5.1.2 channel soundbar — my pick for the best budget soundbar for $250 for Black Friday. And if you really want to kick it into high gear, I would recommend the Sony Bravia TheaterQuadthat automatically calibrates itself in your room. Or even better: the Lovesac Sactional + Stealthech provides surround sound built into your sofa and makes the cinema experience much more like a real theater.

Finally, if you prefer a high-quality OLED TV with a great remote control and great built-in software so you don’t have to use a separate streaming box, then I would recommend the Sony A95L OLED TVwhich runs Google TV and has a very premium remote control. And if your TV is going to be in a very bright room with lots of windows or lighting, then I would recommend the Samsung S95Dwhich almost matches the LG G4 in picture quality, but comes with an incredibly glare-free screen that looks fantastic in any room.