LG is shaking things up for 2021, and this year's successor to the fan favorite LG CX OLED TV could be set to lose out on the latest picture enhancements to come to the TV maker's models.
LG has informed TechRadar that the LG G1, a new iteration on last year's Gallery Series OLED, is set to get a panel upgrade to differentiate it even further from the LG C Series or A Series OLEDs also launching in this year's range.
The LG G1 features "a new luminous element to the panel structure, to help brightness and add a further punchiness to the color", which will give it a curious "OLED evo" branding not extended to the LG C1 (this year's successor to the CX OLED).
Considering the generally low brightness of OLED TVs compared to their QLED counterparts, it could be quite a notable improvement, but we won't know for sure until we lay our eyes on the G1 ourselves.
Both the G1 and C1 will feature the same a9 Gen 4 AI processor, as will the Z1 8K TV set to replace last year's LG ZX.
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Playing favorites
It marks quite a distinct shift in direction over LG's 2020 range, which saw the same underlying OLED panel used for the LG BX, CX, GX and WX OLEDs. Along with the creation of a new budget A Series range, it shows a TV maker keen to further differentiate its OLED TVs from each other, with cheap or low-spec models becoming more so, and the same happening at the high-end.
Having a flagship OLED with a custom panel is more in line with what we usually see from Panasonic, with its HZ2000 – and now, in 2021, JZ2000 – models.
Picking the Gallery Series as the flagship to improve, though, does strike us as somewhat odd, especially given the popularity of last year's LG CX OLED. Some greater disparity between TV models will only help shoppers differentiate, though, and is a welcome change after LG's curious handling of its new 48-inch OLED size.
In 2020, LG introduced a 48-inch model for the C Series, but not the B Series – which would have lowered the entry-point price for the range rather than simply expanding choice for the step-up model. This year, however, LG assures us that all of their 4K OLEDs will be available in a 48-inch size, as well as a new 83-inch variety, making the new options somewhat more equitable across the range.
We now know that a 42-inch OLED size is also in the works at LG Display, but we'll be the first to update you when the size is confirmed for specific 2021 OLED models.
- Check out all of TechRadar's CES 2021 coverage. We're remotely covering the online-only show to bring you all the breaking tech news and launches, plus a smattering of hands-on reviews.
