LG’s OLED TVs are comfortably the most popular around, so each new range is hugely anticipated. At first glance, the four-strong 2025 range – which encompasses the M5, G5, C5 and B5 – looks a little uninspiring, with a heavy focus on AI over obvious picture quality improvements.
That’s not the whole story, though, because the new M5 and G5 are described as ‘Brightness Booster Ultimate’ models, whereas the previous M4 and G4 were ‘Brightness Booster Max’ models. While LG Electronics hasn’t specified it, it seems that this refers to the use of a new OLED panel technology that isn’t MLA.
Read on for more detail on that, the upgraded processors, new remote and more, or hop down towards the bottom of the page for a breakdown of the four new models.
New panel technology for even more brightness
MLA OLED technology has only been around for a couple of years, but it seems that LG has already had enough of it. While LG Electronics hasn’t confirmed it (the brand never actually acknowledged its use of MLA in the first place), a combination of industry reports and new performance claims clearly suggests the move to cutting-edge ‘Four Stack’ OLED panel tech for the new G5 and M5. This is said to enable these TVs to hit higher brightness levels and deliver more vibrant colours, and LG Elecronics is referring to it as ‘Brightness Booster Ultimate’.
LG is always a bit obtuse when it comes to quantifying picture upgrades, and it’s no different this year, with no specific nits figures being provided. What the brand has said is that the G5 is three times brighter than the B5 on a 10 per cent window (a white box that is 10 per cent the size of the screen, with the rest of the display black). Assuming the B5 is no brighter than last year’s B4 (and LG has made no claims to the contrary), we should be looking at a peak brightness of about 1800 nits when the TV is in an accurate picture preset such as HDR Filmmaker Mode, and significantly higher when in one of its less accurate and more vivid modes. For reference, last year’s G4 was clocked at about 1500 nits in the same circumstances, so we’re looking at a jump in peak brightness of about 300 nits, even for those of us who value picture accuracy. That’s not to be sniffed at.
LG is claiming an even bigger increase in full-screen brightness (a pure white image that fills the whole display), with the G5 apparently 40 per cent brighter than the G4 in that regard. So it should be able to deliver punchier highlights and be better at accurately reproducing overwhelmingly bright images such as those in the “lots of guns” scene from The Matrix.
There’s a 48-inch version of the G5, but it and the 97-inch model are less bright than their siblings
Exciting news for those who crave the finer things in life but don’t have a capacious living room: in a G-series first, the G5 will be available as a 48-inch model. Before you get too excited, though, it’s worth noting that the 48-inch and 97-inch versions of the G5 lack the new panel technology found in the 55-, 65-, 77- and 83-inch models, so they will go less bright and will likely be a little less vibrant in their colours.
So, if the 48-inch G5 lacks the new panel technology, how does it differ to the 48-inch C5? That’s a good question: there’s the picture frame-style ‘Gallery’ design, of course, and a more advanced processor, which will likely result in some picture improvements. Like the larger models, it should have a heatsink, too, which would result in a brighter image, but that needs to be confirmed. We look forward to getting more detail on this new, smaller G5 in due course – and, of course, putting it through its paces in our test rooms.
The M5 is very much like the G5, but wireless
LG’ third-genertion M-series model follows the precedent set by its predecessors by essentially combining the panel technology and processing of the G5 with the Zero Connect Box that wirelessly transmits the picture and sound signals to the display. It is worth noting that the M5 has just three HDMI 2.1 inputs, whereas the other models in the range all have four. It also supports slightly lower refresh rates than the G5.
Speaking of…
The G5 supports 4K/165Hz gaming
With the exceptions of the 48- and 97-inch models, the G5 can handle refresh rates up to 165Hz, up from the 144Hz of the G4 and C4. The C5 and M5 stay at 144Hz, and the B5 at 120Hz.
It is worth remembering that no games console can currently go beyond 120Hz, so anything above that is only of use to gamers with seriously hardcore PCs. VRR is supported on all of the new TVs, right up to their respective maximum refresh rates.
Upgraded processors, but LG is being a bit vague on picture improvements
For the first time in a long time, LG isn’t introducing a brand new TV processor this year, and is instead upgrading last year’s processors. The flagship chip for 2025 is therefore the Alpha 11 Gen 2, which features in the M5 and G5, while the step-down C5 uses the Alpha 9 Gen 8 and the B5 gets the Alpha 8 Gen 2.
Our briefing was rather vague on the improvements coming with these upgraded processors, but LG did hint that the AI Picture Pro feature, which automatically enhances content through a combination of features (AI Super Upscaling, Dynamic Tone Mapping Pro and Object Enhancing by Visual Perception) has been enhanced for 2025.
On the sound front, LG has confirmed that the Virtual 11.1.2-channel upmixing it introduced with last year’s G4 will trickle down to this year’s C-series model, the C5, and that it’s AI Sound Pro mode has a Voice Remastering feature that intelligently boosts dialogue clarity without sacrificing the other elements of a soundtrack.
Heavy focus on artificial intelligence with LG AI TV
LG says it asked ChatGPT what some of the key technology trends for 2025 would be, and it unsurprisingly gave ‘Artificial Intelligence’ as the top result. That seems sort of like asking a dog the same question and getting ‘biscuits’ as the top result, but there we go.
Digging a little deeper, LG then asked what people actually expect from AI, and the top two results were ‘Enhanced Efficiency and Productivity’ and ‘Personalisation’. LG obviously isn’t really using ChatGPT for product development (at least, we hoped it’s not), but it is these areas that LG is focusing its AI attention on in 2025.
The new LG AI TV system has three categories: ‘Recognise You’, ‘Customise to You’ and ‘Care Around You’.
‘Recognise You’ is all about making the TV better at understanding who is using it at any given time. LG’s introduced multiple user profiles for its TVs in 2024, but switching between them was a manual process. The 2025 TVs, though, will have Voice ID, which will automatically switch profiles based on who issues a voice command. So, regardless of who was previously watching the TV, if you ask something such as “what should I watch?”, the TV will recognise your voice and present suggestions specific to you.
‘Customise to You’ refers to the fact that you will be able to customise various facets of the new TVs, from the home screen to the picture and sound settings. Again, these customisations will be specific to each user profile, so one person in the house could favour a vivid image and bassy sound, while another might prefer a more natural picture and more balanced sound. What happens when several people are watching TV together? That sounds like a recipe for a family feud, but let’s see once we get the TVs in for testing.
This personalisation also extends to the AI Concierge feature, which LG introduced last year. Now, with one press of the dedicated AI Concierge button on the remote, the AI Concierge will pop up on-screen and offer personalised suggestions. LG gives the example of a user who does yoga through their TV every morning – if they simply press the AI Concierge button at the start of their day, the pop-up on the screen will ask whether they want to start their yoga program.
LG is also introducing a feature called ‘Your Art’, which allows you to create art or edit photos using AI. Artificial Intelligence is also being added to search results provided by the TV, too, but only in the US and South Korea for the time being.
The final section of the LG AI TV system is ‘Care Around You’, which is focused on an AI Chatbot that is integrated into the TV. This is designed to solve common usage issues that might otherwise have an owner searching the internet or calling customer services, and guide the user to customisations they might want to make. For example, if a user says “make the screen sharper”, the AI Chatbot can offer alternative picture settings that will boost sharpness.
Finally, a new remote control – but not for all
LG is finally retiring its long-standing Magic Remote, and new models will come with the new AI Magic Remote. As you can imagine, AI takes centre stage, with a dedicated AI button sitting right where your thumb will naturally rest. Press this once to bring up the AI Concierge feature or hold it to issue voice commands.
LG says the new remote is also much slimmer and sleeker than the previous model. The reduction in size has been achieved primarily through the removal of the number buttons which, in the era of voice control and streaming, have become far less useful. The new remote does still feature the pointer and scroll functionality of the previous one.
There’s just one catch: LG’s briefing notes that ‘AI Magic Remote is not applied to UK, Italy, Singapore, Thailand’, so it seems that some of us will have to make do with the older remote for a little longer. We have approached LG for comment.
LG 2025 OLED TV range breakdown
So that's the overall technical outlook of LG's 2025 OLED TV range, but what about the specific models? Scroll down for a full breakdown.
LG M5 'Wireless' 4K OLED Evo TV
The third-generation M-series OLED, the M5 is essentially a G5 with wireless technology. Instead of running HDMI cables from your sources directly to the TV, you run them into the Zero Connect box, which then wirelessly transmits the video and sound signals to the display.
It is worth noting that the M5 has just three HDMI 2.1 sockets (every other model in the range has four), and that it can't handle 4K/165Hz signals – but it can handle 4K/144Hz, which is already beyond what most gamers will be able to output anyway.
Like the G5, the M5 is a Brightness Booster Ultimate TV. As discussed, we believe that this is LG Electronics' name for the new Four-Stack OLED panel technology that should result in significant upgrades to brightness and colour vibrancy compared with last year's M4 and G4.
LG M5 specs:
- Sizes: 65-inch, 77-inch, 83-inch, 97-inch
- Display type: Brightness Booster Ultimate (Four-Stack OLED) – except 97-inch model
- Resolution: 4K
- Processor: Alpha 11 Gen 2
- Sound: TBC
- HDMI 2.1: Yes (x3)
- Gaming features: 4K/120Hz, 4K/144Hz (not 97-inch model), VRR, ALLM
LG M5 launch pricing:
- LG OLED65M5: £TBC / $TBC / AU$TBC
- LG OLED77M5: £TBC / $TBC / AU$TBC
- LG OLED83M5: £TBC / $TBC / AU$TBC
- LG OLED97M5: £TBC / $TBC / AU$TBC
LG G5 4K OLED Evo TV
While it looks very much like the G4 it's replacing, the G5 seemingly features brand-new Four-Stack OLED panel technology, which should result in a brighter and more vibrant picture performance. LG claims that the G5 can deliver peaks that are three times brighter than those of the B5, below, and that it is 40 per cent brighter than the G4 for full-screen brightness.
For the first time, there will be a 48-inch G-series model, though it is worth pointing out that this and the 97-inch model won't go as bright as their siblings, suggesting that they don't have the fancy new panel technology.
The G5 is the only model in the new range to support 4K/165Hz.
LG G5 specs:
- Sizes: 48-inch, 55-inch, 65-inch, 77-inch, 83-inch, 97-inch
- Display type: Brightness Booster Ultimate (Four-Stack OLED) – except 48- and 97-inch models
- Resolution: 4K
- Processor: Alpha 11 Gen 2
- Sound: TBC
- HDMI 2.1: Yes (x4)
- Gaming features: 4K/120Hz, 4K/165Hz (not 48- or 97-inch models), VRR, ALLM
LG G5 launch pricing:
- LG OLED48G5: £TBC / $TBC / AU$TBC
- LG OLED55G5: £TBC / $TBC / AU$TBC
- LG OLED65G5: £TBC / $TBC / AU$TBC
- LG OLED77G5: £TBC / $TBC / AU$TBC
- LG OLED83G5: £TBC / $TBC / AU$TBC
- LG OLED97G5: £TBC / $TBC / AU$TBC
LG C5 4K OLED Evo TV
Unsurprisingly, the C5 does not feature the Brightness Booster Ultimate technology of the G5 or M5. Neither does it get the MLA technology of last year's G4. In fact, picture performance upgrades over the C4 are hard to find in LG's pre-release information.
That said, the C5 does have a new Gen 8 version of the Alpha 9 processor, and LG has hinted that this features some of the more advanced processing (particularly of lower-quality signals) that debuted on last year's G4.
It's also worth noting that the C4 looked very similar to the C3 on paper but proved to be a big upgrade in testing, so we're not going to draw any conclusions about the C5 until we've had it into our rooms for comparative testing.
LG C5 specs:
- Sizes: 42-inch, 48-inch, 55-inch, 65-inch, 77-inch, 83-inch
- Display type: Brightness Booster
- Resolution: 4K
- Processor: Alpha 9 Gen 8
- Sound: TBC
- HDMI 2.1: Yes (x4)
- Gaming features: 4K/120Hz, 4K/144Hz, VRR, ALLM
LG C5 launch pricing:
- LG OLED42C5: £TBC / $TBC / AU$TBC
- LG OLED48C5: £TBC / $TBC / AU$TBC
- LG OLED55C5: £TBC / $TBC / AU$TBC
- LG OLED65C5: £TBC / $TBC / AU$TBC
- LG OLED77C5: £TBC / $TBC / AU$TBC
- LG OLED83C5: £TBC / $TBC / AU$TBC
LG B5 4K OLED TV
The B5 is LG's entry-level OLED TV for 2025. It features a new Gen 2 version of the Alpha 8 processor found in last year's B4, but otherwise seems very similar to the TV it's replacing.
Again, specs rarely tell the whole story when it comes to performance, so there's every chance that the B5 is more of an upgrade than it at first appears. We will only know for sure once we have a sample in for testing.
It's a shame that LG hasn't seen fit to launch a 42-inch version of the B5, as that would have provided a new entry-point to the OLED range.
LG B5 specs:
- Sizes: 48-inch, 55-inch, 65-inch, 77-inch
- Display type: 'Standard' OLED
- Resolution: 4K
- Processor: Alpha 8 Gen 2
- Sound: TBC
- HDMI 2.1: Yes (x4)
- Gaming features: 4K/120Hz, VRR, ALLM
LG B5 launch pricing:
- LG OLED48B5: £TBC / $TBC / AU$TBC
- LG OLED55B5: £TBC / $TBC / AU$TBC
- LG OLED65B5: £TBC / $TBC / AU$TBC
- LG OLED77B5: £TBC / $TBC / AU$TBC
