LG refreshes its OLED range for 2024

Electronics manufacturer LG has revealed details of its new television ranges alongside updates to its webOS smart platform.

There are no huge surprises where model numbers are concerned – all of last year’s key entries are receiving a 2024 revamp – but there have been some interesting updates on the processor and functionality fronts.

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Alpha 11 AI Processor 4K

The LG M4 and LG G4 OLEDs will be powered by a new Alpha 11 AI Processor 4K, with LG deciding to skip Alpha 10 due to the performance bump over the Alpha 9 chips found in its 2023 flagship OLEDs.

The new Alpha 11 silicon is said to deliver four times the AI performance of the Alpha 9, 1.7x the graphical performance and 1.3x the processing power, extra clout that facilitates upgrades to LG’s AI Picture Pro and AI Sound Pro technologies.

AI Picture Pro is now able to use deep learning to enhance image quality regardless of its source. Previously, its abilities were limited to certain broadcasts and streaming services, so this is a very welcome change.

It will tweak PQ using an expanded suite of tools too, with Object Enhancing by Visual Perception and AI Director Processing joining AI Super Resolution, Noise Reduction and OLED Dynamic Tone Mapping Pro in the processor’s arsenal.

Object Enhancing by Visual Perception can analyse each pixel in a particular scene, pick out specific objects in that scene that require additional emphasis and enhance them accordingly. AI Director Processing, meanwhile, detects a content creator’s intended colour tone and uses this information to enhance on-screen colour expression.

AI Sound Pro also reaps the benefits of the new Alpha 11 chip. Models packing the new processor support virtual 11.1.2-channel surround sound upmixing from stereo sources and make use of Voice Remastering, which extracts the voice signal separately from other elements of content to ensure dialogue is delivered clearly.

LG M4 and LG G4 OLEDs

As was the case last year, the OLED panels found on certain sizes of the M4 and G4 will use Micro Lens Array technology in conjunction with LG’s Brightness Booster Max algorithm to drive brightness up to 70% brighter than regular OLED screens.

The wireless M4, which comes with a Zero Connect box to transmit pictures and audio completely cable-free, gets a new 65in model to join 77in, 83in and 87in options and all but the largest model support the brand’s brightness-boosting tech. It’s the same story for the G4, although that TV is also available in a 55in screen size.

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LG C4

LG’s most popular OLED receives an upgrade to its predecessor, with all six screen sizes (42in, 48in, 55in, 65in, 77in and 83in) running the seventh-generation Alpha 9 AI Processor 4K.

This draws on a more powerful deep-learning database to improve picture and sound quality, and LG has said that the 42in and 48in models will be brighter than last year’s models, despite still not supporting its Brightness Booster technology.

Every screen size gets a refresh rate upgrade from 120Hz to 144Hz, however. The M4 and G4 also receive this (except for the 97in models) to become the first consumer TVs available to support both Nvidia G-Sync and 144Hz.

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LG B4

While the C4 makes do with an updated processor, the entry-level B4 gets a new one in the form of the Alpha 8 AI Processor 4K. This is inherited from the sixth-gen Alpha 9 chip, providing the B4 access to many of the same features as its more expensive stablemates.

It’s limited to 120Hz, however, and doesn’t support the brightness-boosting technology found higher up the range so won’t be able to hit the same levels of luminance. There are no 42in or 83in models, either, though the addition of a 48in screen size should prove popular to those looking for a compact and relatively affordable OLED TV.

webOS 24

All four OLED models get the version of LG’s TV operating system, webOS 24, and this brings with it various updates and some new functionality.

Quick Cards, which were introduced to make finding relevant content quicker and easier in last year’s webOS update, have been shrunk in favour of recommending content via “Top Picks for you” and are now dynamic, providing user options whenever they’re hovered over using the Magic Remote.

The number of available user profiles has been increased to 10 and each of these can now be passworded to safeguard children and ensure that content recommendations aren’t skewed by youngsters watching cartoons on their parents’ profiles. Additionally, every user can now have their very own Picture Wizard setting, enabling each individual in a household to enjoy a personalised visual experience tailored to their specific tastes.

But perhaps the biggest improvement to the LG OLED TV lineup’s smart capabilities is the addition of support for Chromecast. New LG TVs will come with Chromecast built-in and also support Google Home, although it’s not been confirmed whether or not older sets will be updated with support for Google’s device-to-device streaming format.

LG has committed to upgrading the operating system on this year’s releases for five years, however, meaning that if you buy a 2024 OLED, it will be able to run webOS 28 when we eventually get there.