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Hands-on with LG's 2022 OLED TVs (A2, C2, G2, Z2, Art90)

22 Mar 2022 | Rasmus Larsen |

LG OLED TVs in 2022 get brighter, lighter, larger (97 inches), smaller (42 inches), and cheaper in large sizes. FlatpanelsHD saw LG A2, C2, G2, Z2 and Art90 in action and here are our first impressions.

LG A2 vs. C2 vs. G2

LG A2, B2 and Z2 will feature the same panel as last year's models while C2 and G2 will be 'OLED Evo', which is a combination of an improved OLED panel and new panel algorithms designed to increase brightness, improve panel efficiency and prolong panel life-time, according to LG. Also read: LG 2022 TV line-up Is it OLED EX? LG Electronics is not using LG Display's term as it prefers its own branding OLED Evo but the company admitted that it uses "an advanced panel" that is "very similar" to OLED EX. In addition, G2 is fitted with a heatsink to further increase brightness compared to C2. LG refers to it as Brightness Booster and Brightness Booster Max in C2 and G2, respectively.

LG 2022 OLED

LG G2 (left), LG C2 (top right), LG A2 (bottom right)

LG 2022 OLED

LG G2 (left), LG C2 (top right), LG A2 (bottom right)

At the event, FlatpanelsHD had a chance to compare G2, C2 and A2 side-by-side. All three were in Vivid mode to push the TVs to their maximum brightness capability for this particular demonstration. You will obviously want to use another picture mode to get accurate pictures and we will examine that and more in detail once we receive review samples. The following video was not filmed in HDR and crushed highlight details are caused by the camera's limited dynamic range – don't put too much thought into it. Still, you should be able to notice that G2 (and C2) can deliver higher brightness.
Standing in front of the TVs, the differences were clearly noticeable but mostly in bright whites. LG A2 was fairly bright but C2 was visibly brighter and G2 even brighter at times. There were some sequences were saturated colors reached higher brightness levels on C2 and G2 but we still do not know how much of the extra brightness can be attributed to red, green and blue improvements as opposed to boosting of the white sub-pixel. Samsung's QD-OLED will arrive soon to challenge LG's WOLED so 2022 should be a very interesting year for OLED. LG's official statement on the matter is that C2 is 20% brighter in full-screen white as compared to B2, while G2 is 30% brighter in full-screen white as compared to B2.

Lighter TVs, thinner bezels

LG C2 and G2 will have a thinner bezel (6 mm in 2022 vs. 10.2 mm in 2021) as compared to last year's models, and be significantly lighter due to a strong composite fiber material:
  • With stand: 16.8 kg for 65" LG C2 vs. 32.6 kg for 65" LG C1
  • With stand: 22.8 kg for 65" LG G2 vs. 29 kg for 65" LG G1

    LG G2 OLED

    LG G2 has a thinner bezel and a redesigned frame

    We did not carry the TVs around but the reduced weight now allows a 65-inch LG G2 to hang on a simple wall bracket (included in the box) that can be extended from the wall. The slimmer bezel is noticeable and G2 has a resigned frame too. LG G2 is a very elegant TV but still not comparable to the 'wallpaper' W series, which LG has discontinued. Also read: LG announces US pricing for 2022 B2, C2, G2 and Z2 OLED TVs The other new LG OLED models will also be lighter but not feature the slimmer bezel. We should receive weight specifications soon.

    LG 48 42 OLED

    LG introduced the first 48-inch OLED TV last year and is introducing the first 42-inch OLED TV in 2022

    LG 42 OLED

    LG's first 42-inch OLED TV

    As you can see in the photo, C2 finally has four side-facing HDMI 2.1 ports. This applies also to the 42-inch C2, but note that the different C2 sizes will have different stand designs. LG A2 has one rear-facing HDMI ports and two side-facing. B2 was not on display. Overall picture quality was obviously excellent, as you would expect from the latest OLED TVs. However, there are a few caveats. As we reported in January, the 42- and 48-inch C2 are OLED Evo but they will not get as bright as the larger C2 sizes due to the higher pixel density. The 42- and 48-inch C2 models will therefore not be advertised as having Brightness Booster.

    LG C2 back

    LG C2 finally has four side-facing HDMI ports

    LG C2 back

    The 42-inch LG C2 also has four side-facing HDMI ports

    8K OLED, Art90 and "QNED"

    LG's 97-inch G2 was unfortunately not on display at the event. The company said that it will launch in the second half of 2022 and cost 25000 Euro. 8K OLED? Well, the 77-inch Z2 gets a price cut to $13000 but it is still a non-Evo model and you can get a 77-inch G2 for less than one-third of the price. Unless the retail price of Z2 drops like a rock later this year, we still view 8K OLED as mostly irrelevant considering that there is also a dearth of content. Maybe in the next couple of years – a 65-inch 8K OLED panel is being developed by LG Display.

    LG 2022 OLED

    LG's 77-inch Z2 8K OLED TV gets a price cut but is still wildly expensive

    We asked LG for an update on the VRR flicker and raised blacks issues inherent to LG Display's OLED panel. There is nothing new to report. You are still advised to use the TV's 'Black Stabilizer' controls to mitigate the issues. LG informed FlatpanelsHD that the CS9 model announced in some regions is a local model that will not reach most markets. There will, however, be multiple C2 variants such as C24, C25 and C26 with 'A', 'B' or 'D' designations. 'B' and 'D' are white (back) design models with a lighter tint on the stand. 'A' is a black (back) design model. 'D' models have a manual swivel stand (20 degrees).

    LG 2022 OLED

    LG's 65-inch Art90 design OLED TV

    The company had its new design OLED TV, Art90, on display. It will be available in select markets as a 65-inch model. The screen can show you information about the weather, music playback, and more in the upper part of the screen when set to an 'Always Ready' mode. The panel slides down to reveal the full TV when you turn on the screen. LG Art90 can hang on the wall, stand straight up against the wall or lean back against the wall. It has a metal frame with a built-in cable management system as seen in the second photo. LG's new "QNED" LCD TVs were there too but they looked more or less unchanged to our eye. Despite the miniLED local dimming capabilities, these IPS LCD TVs are low-contrast screens that cannot match LG's OLED TVs.

    LG 2022 OLED

    LG's 65-inch Art90 design OLED TV

    LG 2022 OLED

    Cable management system in LG Art90

    webOS 22

    The latest version of LG's TV operating system, webOS, is called webOS 22, which refers to the year 2022. LG has tweaked the look and functionality but the biggest new feature is support for user profiles. Owners can create up to 10 user profiles and each user can customize the content lists on the webOS homescreen. In addition, users get personalized recommendations and most probably also personalized ads further down the road.

    LG 2022 OLED

    How webOS 22 will look. Notice the new user profile selector in the top right corner

    The new Always Ready mode in the LG C2, G2, Z2 OLED models and the QNED99, QNED95, and QNED90 LCD models lets users display digital art, photos, weather, time, and a few other things on the screen when it is not in use. We saw it demonstrated during the event on the LG Art90 OLED TV and seemed to work but we will need a review sample to test it properly. Some TVs can accept voice commands in the Always Ready mode through a microphone embedded in the TV. Always Ready is off by default due to energy concerns. Overall, webOS 22 is an iteration on last year's webOS 6.0. LG has no plans to bring webOS 22 to any of its previous TV models through OS updates. WYSIWYG.

    LG A2 OLED

    LG A2 OLED

    LG G2 OLED

    LG G2 OLED

    LG 2022 OLED TVs – specifications

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