I stared at the LG G6 next to the Samsung and Sony devices – and what I saw surprised me |

Something green is happening

I looked at the LG G6 next to the Samsung and Sony configurations - and what I saw surprised me

Something green is happening

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Putting new TVs into context is sometimes not easy.Tour a glitzy CES booth like LG's in Las Vegas this year and you'll be impressed by products like the W6 Wallpaper TV and the OLED evo G6, but it's hard to know how they compare to the competition.

This week, however, I saw the LG G6 not only stand alone without comparison but also line up against its predecessor, the five-star LG G5, as well as the excellent Sony Bravia 8 II and the Samsung S95F to boot.That's three five-star TVs from last year, lining up alongside LG's next OLED G6 smartphone.

What did I learn?In some ways, LG's new set is a clear improvement over its predecessor, removing some of the minor problems of recent hardware and solving them all at once.However, I have some doubts on a few key points.

Starting with the undeniably good, there's raw image quality from the best viewing angles.LG showed us a deliberately dark and gloomy scene, minimizing the frame to show that even the brightest sets like 2025 can show a clear band with the most complex equipment.

However, the G6 was clearly the best in its field in this regard - its ability to display dark color gradations without obvious transitions was significantly improved and from that point of view it certainly ranks as one of the best consumer panels on the market.

However, I already mentioned the excellent viewing angle, and not by accident.From basically every angle, the G5's image had a really noticeable green tint that I couldn't get my head around, and I know this isn't the first generation of LG OLEDs to go down this path.The bottom view makes it relatively easy to see (the G6 is the middle set with a panel above it).

LG's attitude (via reps) seems to be that high-end panels have some color science at their heart, and their fit can have a slight green tint that contrasts with, say, the red of other sets (like Sony's).Whether you're happy with that explanation is a matter of your attitude, but I was quite surprised at how obvious the green color was on the G6, especially since last year's G5 didn't have the same problem.

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However, the G5 is weaker and left me feeling like there was a middle ground that could only lead to positives rather than requiring qualification.Obviously, we'll know a lot more when we test the G6 over a longer period.

LG also wanted to show off the TV's new sound tuning, and it was actually hotter and warmer than the G5's display.To be honest, some people might find it a little overwhelming, and the new AI sound enhancement mode seemed overkill to me - but I'm a Filmmaker mode purist with a 5.1 sound system, so maybe that's not a huge surprise.

It can detect speech, effects and many other layers and theoretically arranged more clearly for you.We saw scenes from Saving Private Ryan, for example, making quieter moments lean more heavily on dialogue, while the famous Omaha Beach scene was much louder and more explosive with the mode on.

To my taste, however, the trade-offs weren't worth the benefits - those adjustments left some of the soundscape in the lurch, and it felt like loudness was the main selling point rather than accuracy.

Of course, this brings me to one major caveat regarding my qualms about the AI ​​modes and the actual shade of green, which is probably something that individual users can resolve quite easily.

I wouldn't use the AI ​​image or audio modes, which is an easy way out,​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ but LG offers enough editing options in its maps (including some sound map options this year) that it is not a matter of thinking to be able to reduce the image directly.

After spending a few hours with the G6, I'm very interested to see how it fares among reviewers (including ours) as it gets closer to being available.It's clearly a panel that's capable of some amazing things, but it may indicate some internal tension at LG between loaded AI features and simpler upgrades that are more telling in the long run.

Max is a specialist editor for the Tech section - with many years of experience in reporting on technology and entertainment.He's also a gaming expert, both in the game itself and in testing accessories and consoles, before replacing that expertise at Pocket-lint as a features editor.

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