Extra annoying is the truth that the TV froze on me a couple of instances whereas streaming with each Apple TV+ and Disney+, often when attempting to rewatch or fast-forward a scene. A streaming field is a straightforward answer, however I’m hoping LG will tackle these points in a future replace.
The G5’s Gaming Portal is the one place I couldn’t appear to kill the advertisements, however the 2025 iteration makes up for it with the addition of Xbox Cloud streaming, alongside choices like Amazon Luna, Nvidia GeForce Now, and others. The TV is constructed for gaming on all fronts, with 4 full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 inputs, assist for VRR at as much as 165 Hz with suitable PCs, and Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM). Video games look good by default, and LG’s Sport Optimizer gives a great deal of customization choices.
There are many different methods to customise your expertise, together with a number of “AI” options akin to LG’s AI Image and Sound modes. AI is a giant theme with the G5 (it’s even within the full identify), together with the brand new AI Concierge, which is a useful if clunky navigation software.
Talking of navigation, the brand new distant is extra fashionable and extra complicated. I’m glad LG saved the Wii-like point-and click-cursor, however the lack of a mute key requires you to carry the amount key right down to mute, which I needed to lookup to determine. The shortage of a devoted enter key additionally tripped me up till I attempted the encircled dwelling key, which pulls up the total enter listing alongside a devoted sensible hub. In step with the AI theme, each Google Assistant and Alexa are supported, as is streaming over AirPlay and Google Solid.
{Photograph}: Ryan Waniata
On Image Modes
I’ve acquired an in depth information to locking in an ideal image, and you may definitely get within the weeds with the G5’s many choices and cinema-forward modes, however probably the most correct image proved delightfully easy to realize. After futzing with modes and settings just like the Skilled Mode for exact tone mapping at completely different mastering ranges, the Filmmaker Mode appeared practically excellent as-is for each SDR (commonplace dynamic vary) and HDR10 (LG does not assist the fancier HDR10+).
If Filmmaker is just too dim, you’ll be able to increase the backlight in SDR or activate Tone Mapping for HDR10 for a severe enhance. That’s not accessible for Dolby Imaginative and prescient, so I used the marginally brighter Cinema Dwelling with a couple of minor tweaks, together with turning off movement smoothing. For constant testing, I additionally turned off the TV’s mild sensors within the eco and film mode settings.
Image Excellent
LG’s revolutionary MLA OLED panel pushed TVs to a complete new degree, evidenced by final 12 months’s G4 and Z95A. Including actually impactful HDR brightness to a display screen that emits mild from a wonderfully black void is a stirring expertise, with all the things from menus to a flickering candle seeming to emerge from the blackness like ink drawn with flame. These TVs are vivid sufficient for practically any use case, particularly since most streaming content material is capped at simply 1,000 nits.
The G5 is brighter nonetheless, however like Sony’s wonderful Bravia 9, LG is considered with its new Brightness Booster. Most scenes look refined and even resigned within the Filmmaker modes. That retains movies and status dramas wanting wealthy, saturated, and luxurious because the TV follows the director’s intent, saving the true glitz and punch for choose highlights. However when this TV pops, it actually pops, particularly once you feed it high-nit 4K Blu-rays.
