LG 2019 TVs: 8K, 4K, OLED, LCD – everything you need to know

LG 2019 TVs: 8K, 4K, OLED, LCD - everything you need to know

8K, rollable 4K, OLED and LCD – LG has ticked all the TV boxes in 2019. So, we've come up with a useful guide to the key models being launched by LG this year, plus links to relevant 2019 LG TV reviews.

As we head towards the end of the year sales, we've seen a lot of what LG has to offer so you can head over to our dedicated Buying Guide to find out the best LG TVs of 2019.

This is the page where we lay out all the sizes, features and tech highlights for you to absorb before drawing up a shortlist.

You’ll find all this information below which will definitely come in handy if you're looking for a deal on a new LG TV. There are usually some great savings to be made every year and 2019 looks no different.

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Best LG TVs 2019: LCD, OLED, 4K HDR

LG 2019 TVs: What's new?

Why you can trust What Hi-Fi? Our expert team reviews products in dedicated test rooms, to help you make the best choice for your budget. Find out more about how we test.

LG's premium 2019 TVs are powered by the company's new Alpha 9 Gen 2 processing engine. It features across all five OLED ranges and also powers LG's 75in SM99 8K LCD TV. This latest Alpha 9 chip combines with LG's two-pronged approach to tackling picture and sound quality on its 2019 TVs.

AI Picture uses a Deep Learning algorithm which optimises the picture by consulting a look-up table of content and comparing it to the incoming signal. The TV then adjusts the image automatically to deliver what it believes is the most accurate picture. It's a system similar to one already used by some rival TV manufacturers, including Panasonic and Sony. LG claims it should result in a cleaner, sharper picture than its 2019 sets, with less banding.

The technology also uses an advanced ambient light sensor which can adjust the TV’s tone mapping curve based on your lighting conditions. The tech works on two levels depending on the content being shown. With SDR content it adjusts the overall panel brightness, but with HDR content it can adjust the picture to an ever finer degree.

LG's AI Sound technology introduces more advanced audio processing to LG's 2019 TVs. It gives compatible sets the ability to upmix a stereo signal into virtual 5.1 surround sound. AI Sound Tuning (carried over from 2018) allows LG's sets can also take into account the specifics of your room layout and acoustics, and tweak the sound accordingly.

As was the case with LG's 2018 premium OLED and LCD models, Dolby Atmos (and Dolby Vision) support is included.

LG 2019 TV features

The arrival of HDMI 2.1 inputs on LG's 2019 TVs means support for 4K resolution and high frame rates (HFR) up to 120 frames per second is now included. The sockets also bring with them eARC support and they're also compatible with variable refresh rate (VRR).

LG is also promising a big decrease in game lag for its 2019 OLED TVs, with a claimed figure of 12.9 milliseconds (down from 21ms).

Select LG TVs, including its entire OLED range and premium NanoCell LCD models  have Apple AirPlay 2 and HomeKit support, so you can enjoy Apple’s 4K HDR content (including Dolby Vision and Atmos) through compatible sets.

For 2019, LG's smart TV system gets a boost in power. Google Assistant support is built-in at launch, while Amazon Alexa arrived via a mid-year update. LG is promising more contextual conversations compared to its 2018 models.

Press the dedicated mic button to interact with ThinQ AI and the TV decides whether it can carry out the command or if it’s one for the Google Assistant. To use Alexa, press the dedicated Alexa button on the remote.

On the audio side, all of LG's OLED and flagship LCD sets are WiSA (Wireless Speaker and Audio) Ready. The technology allows for wireless streaming of up to eight channels of uncompressed 24-bit audio and also includes support for formats such as Dolby Atmos and DTS:X.

OLED TV

At CES 2019, LG officially announced five new ranges of OLED TV – Z9, R9, W9, E9 and C9 – with screen sizes ranging from 55in to 88in.

The big news is that both 8K OLED (Z9) and 4K rollable OLED TVs (R9) have finally gone on sale. Z9 and R9 landed in the latter half of the year - the R9 went on sale in Korea first. The former is available in a mammoth 88in screen size and the latter as a 65in set.

The OLED88Z9PLA comes with its own stand which carries all the connections and a built-in soundbar. Meanwhile, LG's physics-defying OLED65R9 rolls up into its own TV stand which doubles as a wireless speaker.

2018's 'G' range has been jettisoned, presumably to make way for the rollable and 8K sets, while E9 continues LG's 'picture on glass' design, with slight refinements to the amount of glass on display and the speaker configuration used (the E9 loses its middle 'foot'). The C9 range gets a refreshed 'Alpine' stand for 2019 which doesn't protrude as much as previous iterations.

There's also an additional entry-level B9 range on the market. Like 2018's B8 models, they are powered by a different processor to their siblings. The B9 uses LG's Alpha 7 Gen 2, rather than the Alpha 9 which is slightly less powerful and uses a smaller look-up table.

LG 2019 TVs: 8K, 4K, OLED, LCD – everything you need to know

8K OLED,

Z9 (88in)

LG OLED88Z9

Alpha 9 Gen 2 Intelligent Processor

Deep Learning AI Picture, AI Sound

ThinQ AI (Google Assistant / Amazon Alexa)

Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos

HDMI 2.1 (includes eARC support)

WiSA Ready

4K OLED

R9 (65in)

LG OLED65R9

Rollable design

Alpha 9 Gen 2 Intelligent Processor

Deep Learning AI Picture, AI Sound

ThinQ AI (Google Assistant / Amazon Alexa)

Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos

HDMI 2.1 (includes eARC support)

WiSA Ready

LG OLED65R9 rollable OLED TV (2019) hands on review

W9 (65in, 77in)

LG OLED65W9PLA (£7000) / LG OLED77W9PLA (£13,000)

Alpha 9 Gen 2 Intelligent Processor

Deep Learning AI Picture, AI Sound

ThinQ AI (Google Assistant / Amazon Alexa)

Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos

HDMI 2.1 (includes eARC support)

WiSA Ready

E9 (55in, 65in)

LG OLED55E9PLA (£3000/$3300) /  LG OLED65E9PLA (£4000/$4300)

Alpha 9 Gen 2 Intelligent Processor

Deep Learning AI Picture, AI Sound

ThinQ AI (Google Assistant / Amazon Alexa)

Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos

HDMI 2.1 (includes eARC support)

60W sound

WiSA Ready

C9 (55in, 65in, 77in)

LG OLED55C9PLA (£2500/$2500) / LG OLED65C9PLA (£3000/$3500) / LG OLED77C9PLA (£7500/$7000)

LG OLED55C9MLB (£2500) / LG OLED65C9MLB (£3000)

Alpha 9 Gen 2 Intelligent Processor

Deep Learning AI Picture, AI Sound

ThinQ AI (Google Assistant / Amazon Alexa)

Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos

HDMI 2.1 (includes eARC support)

WiSA Ready

LG OLED65C9 4K OLED (2019) hands on review

B9 (65in, 55in)

LG OLED55B9PLA (£2000) / LG OLED65B9PLA (£3000)

Alpha 7 Gen 2 Intelligent Processor

ThinQ AI (Google Assistant / Amazon Alexa)

Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos

HDMI 2.1 (includes eARC support)

WiSA Ready

LCD TV

LG has dropped the Super UHD label from its 4K NanoCell TVs in 2019 and widened its Nano umbrella to also include specific technology and design elements. NanoAccuracy and NanoColour relates to the advanced picture processing onboard these new models, while NanoBezel nods at the new ultra-thin bezel.

All LG's premium LCD sets boast a full array backlight with local dimming and HDMI 2.1 connectivity. There's also Dolby Vision, Atmos and AirPlay 2 built in.

It's only the 8K SM99 that gets the Alpha 9 2nd Gen processor - the other models in the range use LG's second generation Alpha 7 chip.

LG 2019 TVs: 8K, 4K, OLED, LCD – everything you need to know

8K LCD

SM99 (75in)

LG 75SM99

8K resolution

Full array backlight with local dimming (NanoColour Full Array Dimming Pro)

Alpha 9 Gen 2 Intelligent Processor

Deep Learning AI Picture, AI Sound

NanoAccuracy

HDMI 2.1 (includes eARC support)

ThinQ AI (Google Assistant / Amazon Alexa)

Ultra-thin NanoBezel

AirPlay 2 support

WiSA Ready

4K LCD

SM98 (SM95 in the US) (55in, 65in)

LG 55SM9800PLA (£1900), LG 65SM9800PLA (£2600) / LG 55SM95, LG65SM95

Full array backlight with local dimming (NanoColour Full Array Dimming Pro)

Alpha 7 Gen 2 Intelligent Processor

Deep Learning AI Picture, AI Sound

HDMI 2.1 (includes eARC support)

ThinQ AI (Google Assistant / Amazon Alexa)

Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos

NanoAccuracy

Ultra-thin NanoBezel

AirPlay 2 support

WiSA Ready

SM90 (49in, 55in 65in, 75in, 86in, pictured above)

LG 49SM9000PLA (£1500), LG 55SM9010PLA (£1800), LG 65SM9010PLA (£2500), LG 75SM9000PLA (£3000), LG 86SM9000PLA (£4500)

Full array backlight with local dimming (NanoColour Full Array Dimming)

Alpha 7 Gen 2 Intelligent Processor

Deep Learning AI Picture, AI Sound

HDMI 2.1 (includes eARC support)

ThinQ AI (Google Assistant / Amazon Alexa)

Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos

NanoAccuracy

Ultra-thin NanoBezel

AirPlay 2 support

WiSA Ready

SM86/85 (49in, 65in, 75in, 86in, pictured above)

LG 49SM8600PLA (£1300), LG 55SM8600PLA (£1500), LG 65SM8600PLA (£2300)

LG 75SM8610PLA (£3000)

LG 49SM8500PLA (£1300), LG 55SM8500PLA (£1500), LG 65SM8500PLA (£2300)

Local dimming

Alpha 7 Gen 2 Intelligent Processor

Deep Learning AI Picture, AI Sound

ThinQ AI (Google Assistant / Amazon Alexa)

Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos

NanoAccuracy

Ultra-thin NanoBezel

AirPlay 2 support

WiSA Ready

SM82 (49in, 65in, 75in, 86in, pictured above)

LG 49SM8200PLA (£1100), LG 55SM8200PLA (£1300), LG 65SM8200PLA (£1800)

Local dimming

Quad Core Processor

Deep Learning AI Picture, AI Sound

ThinQ AI (Google Assistant / Amazon Alexa)

Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos

NanoAccuracy

Ultra-thin NanoBezel

AirPlay 2 support

WiSA Ready

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Andy Madden

Andy is Deputy Editor of What Hi-Fi? and a consumer electronics journalist with nearly 20 years of experience writing news, reviews and features. Over the years he's also contributed to a number of other outlets, including The Sunday Times, the BBC, Stuff, and BA High Life Magazine. Premium wireless earbuds are his passion but he's also keen on car tech and in-car audio systems and can often be found cruising the countryside testing the latest set-ups. In his spare time Andy is a keen golfer and gamer.