LG’s 2023 OLED TVs are brighter (again) and make webOS better

Last year, LG pushed brightness to new heights in its G2 and C2 series TVs, bringing a meaningful improvement to the company’s already-impressive OLED lineup. These televisions are considered by some to be the best in the market dollar for dollar, with their perfect black levels, incredible contrast and excellent gaming capabilities. How is LG going to improve on that with the new models it will launch at CES 2023?

It’s going to push the brightness even further while focusing on image processing and software improvements.

The G3 succeeds the G2 and, according to LG’s press release, “features an all-new light control architecture and light-enhancing mechanisms that increase brightness by up to 70 percent.” That figure compares to “regular” OLED — like last year’s B2 series — so don’t expect a 70 percent increase over the G2. But it is desire Brighter than the G2. It’s still bested by mini LED LCD TV brightness champs like the Hisense U8H, but LG is making strides in closing the gap. The G-series is already LG’s best TV in terms of style and aesthetics, and with the G3, the company says there’s “no visible gap when mounted on a wall.”

The G3 may be flashy and flashy, but if last year’s method is anything to go by, the C3 OLED will end up being the best LG TV most people get at the best balance of performance and price. It offers the same comprehensive HDMI 2.1a support as the G3 and some picture improvements of its own, but those mostly come down to better processing. LG says it’s thanks to its new α9 AI processor Gen6 chip. Here’s the marketing spiel:

The latest Alpha Series processor uses LG’s cutting-edge AI-assisted deep learning technology to ensure the best picture and sound quality. AI Picture Pro now offers enhanced enhancement for better clarity and improved dynamic tone mapping, helping to bring out depth and detail in every frame. AI Picture Pro also integrates an image processing technology that detects and refines important objects such as people’s faces, giving them lifelike HDR quality. In addition to fine-tuning image reproduction, the α9 AI Processor Gen6 powers LG’s AI Sound Pro; A feature that helps viewers engage with the action on screen by delivering virtual 9.1.2 surround sound from the TV’s built-in speaker system.

The WebOS software that runs on LG TVs gets some design and UX tweaks on this year’s sets. The company adds “Quick Cards” that group apps and services into themed categories, such as home office, gaming, sports and music. LG says recommendations on multiple categories of content across WebOS will also be better personalized. The home screen felt disjointed and thrown together in 2022, so LG’s efforts to tighten things up could make a difference.

And as we learned in the release Apple’s latest Apple TV 4K, 2023 LG OLEDs will support QMS-VRR. QMS stands for Quick Media Switching, and this feature eliminates the brief black screen when switching between different video frame rates. (This No (Unfortunately, prevent blackouts when switching HDR modes.) Elsewhere, expect LG’s new lineup to continue to offer the wide range of software features it’s seen in recent years. Gamers certainly don’t need to worry:

The ultimate gaming displays, LG’s self-lit OLED TVs boast a 0.1 millisecond response time, low input lag, and up to four HDMI 2.1a-compatible ports. LG OLED TVs are equipped with Game Optimizer, which allows users to quickly select and switch gaming-specific features such as game-type display presets. Settings for G-SYNC^® Compatible, FreeSync™ Premium and Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) are also easily accessible from Game Optimizer.

LG is only getting started with its TV announcements ahead of CES 2023, and hopefully we’ll get a chance to see this year’s lineup in person from Las Vegas soon. Will those webOS refinements be noticed in practice? What screen sizes are available? Stay tuned for all the details, and Follow along with our StoryStream this week For the latest news.