You've probably seen the charts. Those jagged lines showing peak nits climbing higher and higher every year until it feels like we’re buying miniature suns for our living rooms. It's a bit much. Honestly, when you look at the LG OLED G4 55, the conversation usually starts and ends with "How bright is it?" But that’s actually the wrong question to ask if you want to know why this specific TV is currently making everything else look kinda dated.
The G4 isn't just a marginal bump over the G3. It's a shift in how the brain of the TV—the silicon—talks to the panel. We’re talking about the Alpha 11 AI processor. LG basically decided to stop playing it safe with subtle incremental updates and went for a chip that has four times the AI performance of its predecessor. Does that matter when you’re just watching The Bear? Yeah, it actually does.
The Micro Lens Array Secret Sauce
Let’s get into the weeds for a second because this is where the LG OLED G4 55 earns its keep. It uses Micro Lens Array (MLA) technology. Think of it like billions of microscopic lenses layered over the OLED pixels. Normally, a lot of light produced by an OLED panel gets trapped inside and wasted as heat. These lenses catch that light and redirect it straight at your eyeballs.
LG calls this "Brightness Booster Max." In the 55-inch model, it’s remarkably dense. Because the screen is smaller than the 77-inch behemoths, the pixel pitch and the lens concentration feel incredibly tight. The result is a 150% increase in brightness compared to a standard B-series OLED. It’s vibrant. It’s punchy. It’s enough to make you squint if you're watching a HDR scene in a dark room.
But here’s the thing. Brightness without control is just a flashlight.
What makes the G4 special is the "Peak Highlighter" feature. It’s not just making the whole screen white; it’s identifying a single glint of sun on a chrome bumper or the spark of a lightsaber and pushing just those pixels to nearly 3,000 nits in certain windows. That’s the real trick.
The Zero Gap Design Reality Check
If you’re buying the G-series, you’re likely doing it for the "Gallery" aesthetic. It’s meant to sit flush against the wall. No gap. No dangling wires. Just a slab of glass that looks like art.
Wait.
Before you click buy, you need to know that LG changed the game slightly this year. In many regions, the LG OLED G4 55 actually ships with a stand in the box now. For years, the G-series didn't include a stand at all—it was wall-mount or bust. This shift is a massive win for people who want the top-tier tech but live in a rental or just don't feel like drilling into their drywall.
The stand itself is sturdy. It has a slight tilt to it, which some people hate, but it helps with reflections if your TV stand is a bit lower than eye level. However, if you do wall mount it using the included slim-fit bracket, it’s a thing of beauty. The chassis is a uniform thickness. No "bump" at the bottom where the speakers and electronics live. It’s all integrated into a single, sleek frame.
Gaming on the LG OLED G4 55 is Overkill (And We Love It)
Look, if you're a gamer, you probably already know LG is the gold standard for HDMI 2.1 features. But the G4 pushes it.
We now have a 144Hz refresh rate.
Does your PS5 or Xbox Series X support 144Hz? No. They cap out at 120Hz. But if you hook up a high-end gaming PC with an RTX 4090, the LG OLED G4 55 stops being a TV and starts being a massive, glossy gaming monitor.
The input lag is practically non-existent. We're talking sub-10 milliseconds.
- G-Sync compatible? Check.
- FreeSync Premium? Check.
- Four full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 ports? Naturally.
- A Game Optimizer menu that actually makes sense? Surprisingly, yes.
One detail most reviewers gloss over is the "AI Game Sound." Usually, AI sound is garbage—it makes everything sound like it’s being played through a tin can in a cathedral. But the Alpha 11 chip actually does a decent job of isolating voice frequencies from background explosions. It’s not a replacement for a dedicated soundbar (let’s be real, the built-in speakers are still just "okay"), but it’s better than the flat, lifeless audio of most thin TVs.
The Elephant in the Room: WOLED vs. QD-OLED
We have to talk about Samsung and Sony. They use QD-OLED (Quantum Dot OLED). LG uses WOLED (White OLED) with that MLA layer.
There’s a massive debate online about which is better. QD-OLED tends to have "purer" colors at very high brightness levels because it doesn't use a white subpixel to boost luminance. If you look at a bright red Ferrari on a QD-OLED, it might look slightly more saturated than on the LG G4.
However, the LG OLED G4 55 has a massive advantage in bright rooms: the black levels stay black.
Under direct light, some QD-OLED panels can take on a slightly grayish or purplish tint because they lack a traditional polarizer. The G4? It stays ink-black. If your living room has windows (and most do), the LG is arguably the more practical "real world" king. The color volume on the G4 has also been significantly improved this year, closing the gap with Quantum Dot technology to the point where, unless you have both TVs side-by-side in a lab, you simply won't care.
WebOS 24: Better, But Still WebOS
LG’s smart platform has a reputation. It’s... busy.
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The 2024 version (WebOS 24) tries to clean things up with "User Profiles." Each person in the house gets their own recommendations. It’s fine. It works. The real highlight is the promise of updates. LG is now committing to "Re:New," which guarantees four years of OS upgrades. This is a big deal. Usually, smart TVs are abandoned by their manufacturers after 18 months. Knowing your 2024 flagship will get the 2028 interface features is a nice bit of peace of mind.
Chromecast is also built-in now. Finally. You don’t have to rely solely on AirPlay if you’re an Android user. It’s a small addition that makes a huge difference in daily usability.
Is the 55-inch Size the Sweet Spot?
Size is subjective, but there's a technical reason to love the 55-inch G4.
At 55 inches, the 4K resolution is incredibly sharp. The pixel density is higher than on the 65 or 77-inch models. When you combine that density with the MLA brightness, the image has a "window-like" clarity that is hard to describe until you see it. It looks carved out of light.
It’s also the most affordable entry point into the G-series. You get the flagship processor, the best panel, and the premium build without spending five figures. It fits in bedrooms, small apartments, or as a dedicated "pro" gaming setup.
What No One Tells You About the 5-Year Warranty
LG includes a 5-year limited panel warranty on the G4.
People worry about OLED burn-in. It's the ghost that haunts every OLED thread on Reddit. While modern panels are incredibly resistant to it, LG putting their money where their mouth is for five years is the ultimate safety net.
Note the word "limited," though. It usually covers the part, but after the first year, you might have to pay for the labor of the technician coming to your house. Still, it’s a much better deal than what you get with the C4 or the B4. It shows that LG is confident the MLA tech and the new heatsink design can handle the heat generated by those high brightness levels.
Actionable Insights for Potential Owners
If you're hovering over the "Add to Cart" button for an LG OLED G4 55, here’s how to actually get the most out of it once it lands in your living room.
- Disable Energy Saving Mode Immediately: Out of the box, the TV is throttled to meet strict energy regulations. It will look dim and disappointing. Go into the settings and kill the energy-saving features to let the MLA panel actually breathe.
- Check Your HDMI Cables: If you’re planning on using that 144Hz refresh rate or even just 4K/120Hz with HDR, your old cables from 2018 won't cut it. Ensure you have "Ultra High Speed" 48Gbps certified cables.
- The Stand vs. Wall Mount Decision: Remember that the G4 is designed to be flat. If you use the stand, the TV will sit very low. Measure your soundbar height. If your soundbar is taller than 2.5 inches, it might block the bottom of the screen.
- Calibrate the "Filmmaker Mode": For movies, switch to Filmmaker Mode. It turns off all the "soap opera effect" motion smoothing and sets the white balance to D65 (the industry standard). It might look a little "warm" or yellow at first if you're used to cheap LED TVs, but give your eyes 30 minutes to adjust. You’ll never go back.
- Update the Firmware: LG usually drops a massive day-one patch that stabilizes the Alpha 11’s AI upscaling. Connect it to Wi-Fi and run the update before you do any critical watching.
The LG OLED G4 55 isn't just a screen; it's a statement of where display tech is right now. It balances the raw power of high-nit HDR with the finesse of perfect OLED blacks. While the marketing focuses on the numbers, the real joy is in the subtle stuff—the way it handles a dark hallway in a horror movie or the way it makes an old 1080p Blu-ray look like it was filmed yesterday. It’s expensive, sure. But in this case, you actually get what you pay for.