LG G6 vs LG G5: is LG’s new flagship OLED worth the extra money?

LG’s G-series models are among the best TVs around, one of the big four OLED flagships that duke it out every year.

For now, though, we’re more concerned about which member of the G-series is worth your hard-earned cash. The LG G5 was quite the revelation when it arrived in 2025, boasting the world’s first Primary RGB Tandem OLED panel for new levels of OLED brightness.

The LG G6, however, boasts some improvements of its own, including even higher brightness, better black performance in ambient light and “Hyper Radiant Colour Technology”.

But what else is different from the G5? And, most importantly, are the new G6 additions worth the extra cash now that the G5 is highly discounted?

We’ll answer these questions (and more) below…

LG G6 vs LG G5: price

The new LG G6 launched at a lower price than last year’s G5. We tested the 65-inch G5 at £3299 / $3400 / AU$5299, while the 65-inch G6 came in at a notable £299 less at £3000 / $3400 / AU$4999. See below for a full launch price comparison:

After a year on sale, however, the LG G5 is now available with significant discounts. At the time of writing, the 65-inch LG G5 can be bought for £2199, and we have spotted it for as low as £1709 previously.

While credit must go to the G6 for the rare case of a product launching lower than its predecessor, the G5 still takes the win as the cheaper option right now.

**Winner: LG G5**

LG G6 vs LG G5: design

Once again, there is very little design difference between generations of LG's flagship. The LG looks identical to the G5, to the point that our testing team had to double-check the serial numbers of the two TVs when setting up to make sure which was which.

We are fans of the sleek, attractive design of the G6 and G5, but it’s hardly modern – very little has changed since the GX all the way back in 2020.

Both the LG G6 and G5 are designed to be wall-mounted (hence the G for ‘Gallery’), with LG’s Zero Gap design allowing it to be mounted pretty much flush against the wall. However, the 55- and 65-inch versions of both TVs are also available with stands.

In both cases, the stands are sturdy and come with two height options – a sleek, low-profile look, or a higher position to accommodate a soundbar.

And finally, the remote control is also unchanged for the two TVs in the UK, despite other markets receiving a premium backlit zapper.

**Winner: Draw**

LG G6 vs LG G5: features

The LG G5 had a radical transformation last year, becoming the first TV to launch with the new Primary RGB Tandem OLED panel. The technology is made up of four individual OLED layers – two blue, one red and one green – to boost higher peak and operating brightness levels, while retaining colour volume and accuracy.

The LG G6 also employs a Primary RGB Tandem OLED panel, with the only change being the inclusion of a new Reflection Free Premium display certification. This promises to reduce reflections to less than 0.5 per cent. Which means the G6 should work better than the G5 in less than ideal conditions with lots of stray, reflection-causing light.

Under the hood, however, the differences between the G5 and G6 become more apparent. The G6 boasts a new Alpha 11 Gen 3 AI processor, an upgrade from the G5’s Alpha 11 AI Processor Gen 2.

At the heart of this new chipset is “Hyper Radiant Colour Technology”, which, according to LG, enables the G6 to go 20 per cent brighter than the already dazzling G5.

Peak brightness is only one part of the equation, however, and LG also claims better colour accuracy, a generally “more lifelike” picture and improvements to motion handling, upscaling, tone mapping and audio processing for the G6.

Both the G6 and G5 support Dolby Vision, HDR10 and HLG, with Samsung’s HDR10+ technology unsurprisingly missing on both counts. There is no support for Dolby Vision 2 either, which is particularly interesting in the case of the G6, as several other 2026 flagships are confirmed to be compatible with the format.

Otherwise, LG’s flagships have been consistently flawless in their feature set for some time, and the G6 and G5 are no different. The webOS platform on both supports pretty much every app you can think of, from Now, Apple TV, Netflix, Disney+ and Amazon Prime Video to BBC iPlayer, ITV X and Channel 4.

All four HDMI 2.1 inputs on both the G6 and G5 offer up to 4K/165Hz gameplay with VRR and ALLM, making this a gamer’s dream, whether you play on a console that is limited to 4K/120Hz or a powerful PC that can reach those lofty framerates.

The G6 has also added some more features to support game streaming, including a new low-latency interface. There’s also a new dedicated controller developed alongside gaming peripherals manufacturer Razer, though this is sold separately.

We’ll have to wait until the picture section to see how some of these features pan out, but, on paper, the G6 has all the features of the G5 and more – and takes the win this time.

**Winner: LG G6**

LG G6 vs LG G5: picture

Sitting the G5 and G6 next to each other in their out-of-the-box settings, two things become immediately apparent: just how bright the G6 can go, while also simultaneously increasing the amount of dark detail on offer.

The G6 is not only noticeably brighter than the G5 – which is strikingly bright itself – but brighter than any previous OLED we have tested. There are plenty of positives to this, with higher peaks and more vibrant colours than the G5, while darker parts of the image look sharper and more detailed.

As eye-catching a spectacle as this is, there are some downsides. Even in the most accurate Filmmaker Mode, we find that the G6 looks over-brightened in some areas, and that some colours occasionally look over-saturated, reducing the authenticity and naturalism that we’ve come to expect from LG's OLEDs.

Switching to our go-to brightness stress test, 2015’s Pan, our suspicions that the G6 is clearly brighter than the G5 are confirmed, but we also note a slight loss of colour volume in the brightest highlights.

It’s quite a contrast to a viewing of Pan on the G5, which doesn’t go quite as bright but is more consistent in its colours.

Skin tones in particular are superbly realised by the G5, with a hint of red in the cheeks of the titular character in Pan, whereas the skin tones on the G6 come across a little green during a viewing of Sinners.

While we did settle on ideal settings for the G5 – and indeed we do for most TVs – this wasn’t the case for the G6. No matter which picture mode we tried and which settings we fiddled with, we couldn’t settle on a combination that we were happy delivered the authentic, accurate picture we would expect.

LG has also seemingly chosen to raise the black floor slightly on the G6 to increase shadow detail, but this does result in blacks looking just a touch grey. Despite fiddling in the settings once again, there is no optimal Goldilocks balance between black depth and shadow detail.

While there are those out there who will certainly prefer the G6’s pop and extreme brightness, it comes at too high a cost in our eyes. The G5, surprisingly, is the better all-around option for someone who values accuracy as well as pop and dynamism.

**Winner: LG G5**

LG G6 vs LG G5: sound

Unlike with the picture round, we can see a clear frontrunner as the G6 takes a step forward in the right direction.

When Preacher Boy Sammie plays the blues in an iconic scene from Sinners, the G6 offers a noticeably fuller, more robust sound than the G5. The older TV ends up sounding thin and hollow in comparison.

There’s bass to the plucked strings of the guitar on the G6, and Sammie’s wailing vocals are clear and noticeably separate from the background.

The audio is far from perfect, though, with even the LG G6 struggling to keep a rhythmic and tonal hold as more musical strands are added later in the scene.

The two TVs struggle with bass, too, with the synth soundtrack of Blade Runner 2049 sounding rather weak and flabby on both counts.

Neither TV will trouble a dedicated sound system – or even rivals such as the Sony Bravia 8 II and Philips OLED910 – but the LG G6 does trump its predecessor for audio quality.

**Winner: LG G6**

LG G6 vs LG G5: verdict

With a Primary RGB Tandem OLED panel and an uncompromising feature set, the LG G5 gave the G6 a strong basis to work from.

And the G6 took this basis and made some promising adjustments, with fuller, more robust audio and a fancy new processor that promises higher peak brightness and better colour accuracy.

Once we actually see the picture in person, though, issues start to creep in. The picture is undoubtedly brighter and more colourful than the G5, offering a bombastic, punchy experience that makes a big impression and will undoubtedly appeal to some.

However, this comes at a cost – namely, cinematic authenticity and the balance of black depth and shadow detail.

The LG G5, in comparison, is still plenty bright and colourful, but it’s also more balanced and consistent. Thanks to heavy discounting, it is also currently much, much more affordable.

The G6 comes close to greatness, and there is clearly potential here for a best-in-class TV. As things stand for now, though, it’s a rare case where the predecessor is the better buy.

**Overall Winner: LG G5**

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