I’m still rocking a standard 1080p HD TV, even in these days of 4K. In fact, my television is a relic of a long-gone time in that it includes 3D and even came with a few sets of 3D glasses. How many TVs today even have 3D as standard?
Not many.
3D aside, when LG Australia offered me the opportunity to take the CX 65-inch OLED 4K TV for a spin, I couldn’t refuse. I knew I was in for a treat, I’d seen 4K displays in action before and expected the leap in quality from 1080p.
However, it was my partner’s reaction that exemplifies the difference you can expect from an LG OLED TV. After setting it up, I headed straight to Disney+ and started streaming The Rise of Skywalker. When my partner walked into the room she looked at the screen and stared for a few moments before saying, “ok, we need a 4K TV.”
Her reaction was my version of the ‘everyman test’ and I guarantee, nine out of 10 regular punters will react the same way if they’ve not been exposed to 4K, or 4K of this quality before.
LG CX 65-inch 4K OLED TV
Even before turning the 65-inch screen on, the LG CX 65-inch 4K OLED TV is a thing of minimalist beauty. Sure, it’s not going to blend into your decor like some other TVs we’ve seen but it’s sleek, smooth and undeniably the product of design-forward manufacture.
The unit itself is almost impossibly thin, such that from side-on it’s difficult to understand how it even functions. Combined with a virtually bezel-free panel, the LG CX 65-inch 4K OLED TV is pushing the boundaries of the living room TV almost into science-fiction territory. The brushed chrome base is as gorgeously minimalist as the unit itself. It’s form and function come together in one and unlike garish legs, the base serves the screen without creating an eyesore in your living space.
That said, even the most aesthetic of TVs can be a let down once you switch the thing on. Thankfully, this is LG and that was never going to happen. Thanks to the new and improved processing power on-board the LG CX 65-inch 4K OLED TV and Dolby Vision IQ, (most) of your viewing experiences are going to be optimal.
Dolby Vision IQ is the fancy name for the TV automatically choosing the best settings based on what’s being displayed. This includes brightness, contrast, motion smoothing, HDR and more and makes it much easier to get the best out of your TV. If you’re like me, you probably leave your TV set up the way it arrives (albeit with motion smoothing switched off) and never bother to muck around with the myriad settings. Dolby Vision IQ takes the guesswork out of getting the best picture and really shows off what the LG CX 65-inch 4K OLED TV is capable of.
As this TV uses an OLED screen, what the LG CX 65-inch 4K OLED TV is capable of is pretty breathtaking. OLED TVs differ from standard LCDs in that every single pixel on an OLED TV has it’s own individual illumination, where every pixel on an LCD display is backlit together. Essentially, this gives much greater depth and range to colour and darkness with an OLED TV. Black is truly black and the contast between light and dark is incredible.
Given that the LG CX 65-inch 4K OLED TV includes HDR10 Pro, you’re going to see some truly impressive images. While I had the LG CX 65-inch 4K OLED TV in my possession I tested a lot of Disney+ content (Star Wars, The Mandalorian, Pixar) and games on both PS4 Pro and Xbox One X. This TV made every experience significantly better than I was used to and honestly, it’s been difficult to go back.
Gaming on the LG CX 65-inch 4K OLED TV is incredible, but it’s not quite as good as it could be, yet. Yes, the LG CX 65-inch 4K OLED TV is NVIDIA GSync compatible, which renders games immaculately, if you want HDR on top of that you need to be sending the signal via HDMI 2.1. Sadly, there isn’t much support at this point. However, this makes the LG CX 65-inch 4K OLED TV future-proof (to a point) and the perfect companion for next-gen consoles.
That being said, even though you’re not getting the absolute best quality image from the LG CX 65-inch 4K OLED TV whilst gaming right now, it’s still incredible. The fact that it still has room to improve and will as HDMI 2.1 becomes standard means this TV is going to continue to amaze even as it ages.
At $5399 AUD, it’s an expensive proposition but one that’s worth every cent. If you want to get the best out of your viewing and gaming experiences, the LG CX 65-inch 4K OLED TV delivers.
The LG CX 65-inch 4K OLED TV was loaned to PowerUp! for this review.
For specs and more information, check the official page.
