LG OLED TVs promise brighter pictures at CES 2023

THESE 2023 is still a few days away, but LG has taken the leap by announcing some details about its new OLED TVs. Models will include the C3, successor to the best premium TV for the money, as well as a G3 model promising improved brightness.

The biggest difference between current and new LG OLED TVs is higher brightness on the G3. New light control architecture and light amplification algorithms increase brightness by up to 70% in 55, 65 and 77 inch G3 models.

OLED TV offer better overall image quality than other high-end TVs and, in my experience, are already plenty bright for most lighting environments. Every bit — uh, slow — brightness helps, however, especially in bright rooms and with HDR TV shows and movies, and maybe the G3 will match or exceed the light output of competitors QD-OLED models from Sony and Samsung. They still won’t come near mini LED sets like Samsung QN90B and Hisense U8H however, that can get more than twice as bright as any OLED TV. LG does not mention higher brightness for other models, including the C3.

None of the other improvements announced by LG are what I would call major. The TVs have a new “α9 AI Gen6 processor”, but in my previous tests better processing was hard to discern. The company has also given the G3 a design that hugs the wall even closer than before, “leaving no visible gap” when mounted to the wall. The company’s smart TV system, which I don’t like, has been tweaked to add better categorization, personalized recommendations and “a selection of trending content,” according to the press release.

LG also claims that its 2023 OLED TVs will be the first to be certified by the HDMI organization for Quick Media Switching VRR (QMS-VRR), which “can eliminate the momentary ‘black screen’ that sometimes occurs when switching between content played from various peripheral sources connected via the TV’s HDMI 2.1a compatible ports.” This (again minor) feature is intended for video playback as opposed to gaming and requires a QMS-VRR source device — the Apple TV 4K soon receives help, for example.

Over the past two years, LG’s OLED TVs, particularly the “C” models, have delivered the best picture quality for the money among high-end TVs, and I expect the C3 compete again for this honor. That said, the 2022 LG C2 continues to be my favorite, and none of the improvements so far seem significant enough for me to recommend waiting for a C3.

LG hasn’t announced specific sizes, prices or availability for its 2023 OLED TVs, although the G3 and Z3 will no doubt cost more than the C3. The company typically doesn’t announce pricing for its TVs until the spring when they hit stores. In the meantime, I expect to have more information, as well as hands-on impressions of the new models, in the coming days as CES kicks off.