LG 2020 TV range – Update 15 April

LG 2020 TV range

LG has announced Australian pricing and availability for its LG 2020 TV range. In all, we get 27 new models and sizes from 55-88″ covering OLED, NANOcell and 4K LED.

The LG 2020 TV OLED range includes ZX 8K, GX 4K Gallery series and 4K BX and CX models. Its 8K Nano Cell (Quantum Dot) has NANO95 and 99 models. The 4K Nano cell has NANO 91, 86, 85 and 80 models. The lower-cost 4K LED/LCD come in UN81 and UN73. There is no soundbar announcement yet..

To say the LG 2020 TV range is niche marketing at its best is an understatement.

What we see in the LG 2020 TV range is a focus on excellence. LG has long led the pack with its self-emissive OLED (and is still the premier manufacturer of panels used by other brands) and last year introduces its take on Quantum Dot – Nano Cell that competes strongly with Samsung’s QLED and Hisense ULED TVs.

You can see some details on its Australian site here.

Some new features of the LG 2020 TV range (on all OLED and Nano-cell models)

  • CTA (Consumer Technology Association) certification making them among the first 8K models good enough to use the CTA 8K Ultra HD logo. This means at least 50% contrast modulation (CM) and in 33 million active pixels. Many TV makers just adjust brightness by turning off pixels as GadgetGuy discovered last year – LG doesn’t. As we said, “You would feel pretty silly spending all that money to get what is really no better than a 1K picture.”
  • New ultra-thin Gallery models for flush mount wall or stand mounting that contains the electronics in the 20mm thinness.
  • Alpha 9 Gen 3 processor on ZX. GX and CX OLED and 95 Nano-cell models – advanced deep learning algorithms to further boost picture and sound quality. BX and NANO91 and896 get Alpha 7 Gen 3.
  • eARC (replaces ARC) Enhanced Audio Return Channel and HDMI 2.1 All OELD and NANO95/91/86. It also supports Ethernet over HDMI, high bitrate 32-channel 24-but/192kHz sound, 37Mbps (for 8K@60fps versus 1Mbps on ARC), lip-sync correction and has ARC fallback for older devices.
  • Hollywood Professional Association’s Excellence in Engineering Award and deliver integrated calibration software that performs to a hardware level.

And picture features

  • Dolby Vision IQ for ‘Beyond HDR’ optimises Dolby Vision content by using sensors to measure the brightness of the room. Dolby Vision content is just as good when watched in a bright room as in a dark room. ON all OLED and NONO95/91/86.
  • UHD Alliance’s Filmmaker Mode – turns off motion smoothing and adjusts the TV for movies. It automatically gets rid of the ‘soap opera’ effect of motion smoothing.
  • Dolby Atmos
  • Nvidia G-Sync compatible and low lag and input for gamers as well as HGiG mode (All OLEDs)
  • 120Hz refresh
  • Two Bluetooth device connection (e.g. for headphones)
  • Customizable alerts let you name your favourite sports and teams to follow including messaging you about program times and reminders about shows
  • Content-aware tools that can tell you what’s being worn by actors on screen, and provide immediate access to buying your favourite wardrobe pieces as you watch (some countries)
  • Far-field microphones built into the bezel of the TVs to listen for voice commands from Google and Alexa.
  • ATSC 3.0 TUNERS
  • LG WebOS with the on-screen cursor, Netflix, Amazon, Apple TV+, Disney+ and a huge range of apps
  • Apple AirPlay 2 and HomeKit, enabling users to share or mirror content from their compatible iPhone, iPad or Mac

OLED 4K and 8K

First, and most important is that the 2020 OLED range has the letter ‘X’ (as in 10) instead of the number 9 for 2019.

In 2020 the letters after the size stand for – G (Gallery series), Z (Signature series), R (Rollable), W (Wall mount ultra-thin with external TV box), B (entry-level stand only) or C (processional level or wall mount).

LG 2020 TV range
  • ZX – 8K 77/88″ $35,999/71,999
  • GX – 4K super 20mm slim includes wall mounting hardware (replaces the E-series) 55/65/77 $4139/5999/11399
  • CX 4K Nvidia G-Sync compatibility 55/65/77″ $3959/5399/10199
  • BX 4K entry-level, Alpha 7, 55/65″ $3,599/4799

We understand the few technical differences between the GX and CX.

Super UHD Nano Cell (all with nano prefix)

The new 2020 Super UHD range is Nano 99, 95, 91, 86, 85 and 80.

  • 99 8K, CTA, Advanced FALD Pro (full-array backlight), Dolby Vision IQ &Atmos 65/75″ $7199/10199
  • 95 8K CTA, FALD standard, Dolby Vision IQ &Atmos 65/75 $5399/7799
  • 91 4K Alpha 7 Gen 3, FALD standard, Dolby Vision IQ &Atmos 65/75/86″ $3239/5039/7439
  • 86 4K Alpha 7 Gen 3, Dolby Vision IQ &Atmos, Edge-Lit, 55/65 $2159/2759
  • 85 4K Alpha 7 Gen 3, Edge-Lit 75″ $4199
  • 80 4K, Quad-core processor, Edge-Lit 55/65 $1799/2279

UHD (all 4K with UN prefix)

  • 8100 – four-core processor, 75/86″ $2,799/4869
  • 7300 – four-core processor, 43/50/55 $1079,1199,1499

New Soundbars (all with SN prefix website here) not announced yet

The new soundbars have the prefix SN instead of SL for 2019. G=Google

  • 11RG – 770W & 7.1.4 Channels, Meridian Technology, Dolby Atmos/DTX:X/Hi-Res Audio, Google Assistant, Rear/up-firing speakers included
  • 10YG – 570W & 5.1.2 Channels, as per SN11RG – no rear speakers
  • 9YG – 520W & 5.1.2 Channels, as per SN10YG
  • 8YG – 440W & 3.1.2 Channels, as per SN10YG
  • 7Y – 380W & 3.1.2 Channels, as per SN10YG – no Google
  • 6Y – 420W & 3.1.2 Channels, DTS Virtual:X for a surround sound-like experience, High-Resolution Audio, AI Calibration and optional rear speaker kit (otherwise it is 3.1)
  • 5Y – 400W & 2.1 Channels, as per SN6Y (2.1.2 with rear speaker kit)
  • 4Y – 300W & 2.1 Channels, DTS Virtual:X, HDMI In/Out, Optical &USB

GadgetGuy’s take – the LG 2020 TV range is extensive

We have a soft spot for LG OLED – if you ask any expert what is currently the best TV picture then LG OLED wins. Not taking away from Sony (that uses LG panels anyway).

The OLED updates are evolutionary – as we expected a later processor, new Dolby IQ (that others will argue they do anyway) and at least HDMI 2.1 and eARC. So if you can bag a bargain on a 2019 model – go for it.

From what we can see now it is more a matter of what you want to do with the TV that determines what model you purchase. Gamers will love LG OLED G-Sync and low latency. Movie Buffs will appreciate that Dolby IQ largely gets over the issues of bright ambient light washing out OLED images. All have AI upscaling and voice assistants.

It is the future of TV that remains interesting. Samsung has pressed ahead with Quantum Dot QLED and may even make a Quantum Dot OLED. Hisense is banking on micro-LED and dual-sandwich screens. TCL is hoping its mini-LED will put it in the lead.

And there is movement in holo laser, rollable screens and some impressive 4K tri-laser technology from LG and Hisense. Stay tuned.