LG OLED evo G4 Series OLED55G4SUB 55"

The LG OLED evo G4 is a gaming monster with jaw-dropping blacks and surprisingly good sound. It's not the brightest OLED on the block, but at a good price, it's easily the one I'd put in my own living room.

The LG OLED evo G4 is a stunning TV that does almost everything right. It's a top-tier OLED with perfect blacks, gorgeous colors, and gaming performance that's literally best-in-class. The 55-inch model we tested (OLED55G4SUB) comes with a stand now—no more mandatory wall-mounting like previous G-series sets—which makes it way more practical for normal living rooms. If you want a premium, no-compromise screen that'll make your movies, shows, and games look incredible, this is one of the best TVs you can buy right now.

But there's a catch: the picture quality score in our database lands at a surprising 36th percentile. That's not because it looks bad—it's absolutely gorgeous—but because our scoring heavily weights peak brightness, and while the G4's Brightness Booster Max is 150% better than older OLEDs, it still can't match the searing highlights of Samsung's QD-OLED or high-end mini-LED sets. For dark-room viewing, it's a champ. In a bright living room, you'll notice the difference.

Gaming is where this TV flexes hardest. 120Hz, a 0.1ms response time, FreeSync, G-Sync, and four full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 ports—it's a 99th-percentile performer. I played fast-paced shooters and didn't see a hint of blur or tearing. The audio also surprised me: a 6-channel speaker setup with Dolby Atmos hits 139 watts, which is properly loud and clear. You might not even need a soundbar for casual viewing. The a11 AI processor upscales 1080p content impressively, though sometimes skin tones look a touch over-processed if you leave AI settings cranked. Still, the overall speed and smoothness of webOS 24 blew me away—menus fly open, and apps load instantly.

Pricing is all over the place—from $1,398 to $2,766 depending on where you shop. At the low end (we saw it for $1,398 at Newegg), the G4 is a no-brainer steal. At $2,766, you're flirting with 65-inch OLED territory, and I'd say hold off. The sweet spot is anything under $1,600. If you can snag it near that low mark, you're getting a display that trounces nearly everything else for gaming and movies.

The Samsung S95F is the G4's archrival. Samsung's QD-OLED gets brighter and has slightly better color volume in HDR, but the LG fights back with that incredible instant response time and better black uniformity in ambient light. The Sony BRAVIA 5 is a darker horse—its processing is more natural, so if you hate the over-sharpened look, Sony's your pick, but it costs more and lacks the full gaming chops. The Hisense U8 and TCL QM8K are mini-LED upstarts that cost way less and get punchier highlights, but they can't touch OLED's per-pixel precision or viewing angles. Honestly, the G4 splits the difference perfectly: if you game a lot and love that infinite contrast, it's the one to beat.

If you're a brightness junkie or your TV faces a wall of windows, this isn't it. The G4 can't beat a good mini-LED or Samsung's QD-OLED for sheer HDR punch in bright rooms. Go grab a Hisense U8 or step up to the Samsung S95F if peak highlights matter more to you than perfect blacks.

Buy the LG G4 if you want a TV that makes you say 'wow' every time you turn it on. It's an outstanding all-rounder that excels at gaming, looks beautiful in a dark room, and finally works right out of the box with its included stand. Just don't pay full retail—wait for a deal around $1,500, and you'll feel like you stole it. And maybe grab an extended warranty, because LG's support can be a headache.