Finally! LG 2016 OLED TV range review

Name: Finally! LG 2016 OLED TV range review
Item: Finally! LG 2016 OLED TV range review
Rating: 5.00
Author: Nick Ross

Simply the best TV you can buy. And now it’s affordable too

Nick Ross

Good Gear Guide

@NickRossTech

30/11/16

Expert Rating

5.00 / 5

Pros

Best picture on the market
Resolved upscaling issues
Great sound
Affordable
Best handling and navigation

Cons

Remote control labels
Slight juddering in scrolling credits

Bottom Line

LG's 2016 OLED TVs are a notch above all the competition and get even better when paired with Dolby Video-compatible content. They sound great and are a joy to use. That you can buy one for well under four grand rounds off the best TV we've ever seen.

Would you buy this?

Price
$ 3,695.00 (AUD)

Handling

There are few more annoying things than trying and failing to get a TV to respond to a remote. Fortunately, LG’s WebOS-based system is a dream.

The single remote has fixed (almost) all of the issues we’ve had with previous LG remotes. Firstly, there’s only one of them and it has the Wiimote-like Wand navigation which is the best on the market now. It only shows up when you shake the remote (no more appearing every single time it gets knocked!) and, in tandem with the excellent WebOS software makes moving through inputs and apps and settings (as well as on-screen typing in areas like YouTube’s Search box) an absolute breeze. You can even scroll and use a directional button at the same time. The layout of the buttons is good too but the labelling may as well be Egyptian hieroglyphics! There’s a lot of trial and error involved in finding the right button initially.

WebOS is laid out very well and easily navigable thanks to a multifaceted remote which includes Wiimote-like point and click.

WebOS is laid out very well with basic tasks all easily accessible and plenty of minor settings available to hardcore tweakers. Even the voice navigation works very well with it accurately detecting outlandish-sounding Italian names in our tests. You can even label which HDMI port is which with helpful icons.

A full complement of the usual ports are included, including four HDMI, USB 3 and Ethernet.

Sound

Sound on the B-Series is provided by 2.2-channel 40-Watt Harmon Kardon speakers and it’s among the best we’ve heard from a TV – light-years ahead of the tinny ‘things’ that appeared in the first generation OLED models. We didn’t listen to the E-Series sound bar speakers but the sound bar on the Signature Edition was exceptionally clear, crisp and punchy. Many people buying a TV at that price will want a proper sound system with it, but frankly, we were always impressed with whatever we threw at it.

Conclusion

Earlier in the year we raved about Hisense’s outstanding Series 7 ULED TV which basically rivalled LG’s OLED TVs for quality – and surpassed them at upscaling – for just $1500. That’s been our recommendation all year. Now, however, Hisense is relegated to our Best Value Choice. If you can afford it, definitely try and buy one of these. Harvey Norman is selling the 55-inch B-series at just $3,695. While that’s not an amount to be sniffed at, just last year we were expecting to pay double that for an OLED TV which had issues. And it’s less than a grand more than Samsung’s Series 9000 equivalent.

Next year, LG brings online a more-efficient OLED factory which will hopefully reduce the cost even more. But for now, this really is the benchmark of what a TV can be in almost all areas (beyond remote labels and scrolling credits).

LG currently has six-percent of the market with OLED TV, we expect that to grow considerably in the coming year.