At least when it comes to making TVs, LG can do no wrong. Year after year, the company's OLED sets top most reviewers' recommendation lists. They have overcome the weakness of older models – brightness – thanks to clever innovations such as the micro lens array, which made G3 And Last year's G4 Bright enough to make HDR shine in any viewing environment.
So it should come as no surprise that LG's 2025 OLED TV lineup has once again raised the bar. At the top of the lineup is the M5, the latest series to use the company's Zero Connect box for a wireless link between the TV screen and your gaming console, streaming box, and other external devices. The M5 will come in 65-, 77-, 83- and 97-inch sizes. The Zero Connect Box is an impressive trick that works quite well in every way. The wireless connection is apparently even more reliable this year. but no one really requirements He. So I see the G-series as LG's more practical flagships for consumers.
Luckily for us TV lovers, the G5 is (somehow) getting even brighter. LG says its latest Brightness Booster Ultimate technology “enhances the light control architecture and light-boosting algorithms to achieve three times more brightness than traditional OLED models.” (For reference, that comparison is being made to OLEDs No (Include the Micro Lens Array technology found in the M5 and G5.) LG is increasing the refresh rate on its premium G5 to 165Hz, which it claims is an industry first, marking a new refresh rate for PCs. Offers smooth gameplay of levels. Crowd. You'll be able to get the G5 in sizes ranging from 55 inches to 83 inches. There are also 48-inch and 97-inch models, but they won't offer the same peak brightness.
The two highest-end models feature LG's latest Alpha 11 Gen 2 processor, which improves image processing and upscaling to make low-bitrate content look as good as possible on these 4K screens. LG says a lot of those processing tricks are coming to the more mainstream C5, too. With so many people watching Internet TV services and other streaming content these days, that magic sauce can make a noticeable difference. Sony is known for being the best at this game, but LG has made huge strides in recent years.
Goodbye input buttons, hello endless AI features
This year's Magic Remote no longer has any dedicated input buttons. In what may prove to be a controversial decision, LG is pulling the Home Hub button to do double duty: You can press it to access webOS's Home Hub dashboard or hold down the button to pull up a list of your inputs. . It's not the end of the world, but it's still one more thing worth remembering for fundamental TV interactions.
And then comes the avalanche of AI features. The usual AI Picture Pro and AI Sound Pro optimization modes are present. The C5 series is getting the same virtualized 11.1.2-channel surround sound that debuted in the G4 last year. LG is also expanding Image Wizard It was introduced two years agoWhere viewers choose from a range of images to arrive at their ideal image settings, a similar process occurs for audio.
How much AI is too much for a TV?
But this year, the AI focus is much bigger than that. LG has new “LG AI” branding – that's what the mic button now activates. oh I'm sorry. Did I call it the Magic Remote earlier? The remote has been rebranded as AI Remote. And a complete LLM chatbot is built into these TVs. Heck, even Microsoft's CoPilot is getting involved.
The risk that LG faces here is getting in the way and pushing this stuff on customers too aggressively. The company's OLEDs are some of the best TVs on the market. They offer spectacular viewing with every feature a home theater enthusiast could want. In 2025, it includes an advanced Filmmaker Mode that takes into account the ambient lighting of your room and adjusts picture settings accordingly – ensuring “the original intent of the filmmaker is maintained.”
On its part, LG claims that the latest webOS homescreen is fast and easy to use. And the company has vowed to continue software updates over the next five years, just as our smartphones gain new features over time.
Still, I find myself at this stage putting up With webOS and spending most of my usage time in a different interface – whether it's Apple TV, Google TV, or something else. I expect LG's mega push into AI won't be too overwhelming, but we'll have to see how it all comes together once the 2025 TV lineup starts shipping this spring. If customers find that their normal flow is being disrupted due to AI gimmicks, there may be some complaints.
When the M5, G5, C5 and B5 OLED hit stores in a few months we'll have a better idea of how LG AI fits into these great TVs – and whether it ultimately detracts from them. By then we will also know how much they will cost.