A3, B3, C3, G3, Z3 and even M3… LG’s OLED range for the year 2023 is now known. But what is behind each of these references?
Ahead of the LG press conference to be held on January 4 at 5 p.m. French time, the Korean manufacturer has lifted the veil on its entire TV catalog for the year 2023. As often with LG, the spotlight is on OLED and this year, in addition to the traditional A3, B3, C3, G3 and Z3 series, there will be a new family, the M3. The latter “borrows” from Samsung one of the most interesting ideas of its last years: deporting the connectors to a separate box to reduce the thickness of the slab as much as possible. But the M3, the upcoming star of LG’s stand, isn’t the only promise of novelty. Overview of the OLED specialist’s 2023 range, series by series.
Z3/G3: references
At the top of the OLED hierarchy at LG is the traditional G series. The 2023 OLED G3 is also the only Korean TV to offer 8K Ultra HD. Exceptional model if any, it will only be available in two (very) large sizes, namely 77 and 83 inches.
Then comes the series on which LG has communicated the most in recent years, the one that incorporates most of the manufacturer’s new products, but which is “content” with Ultra HD in 4K. The figurehead of the Korean catalog will be available in four diagonal sizes (without certainty that all will be offered in France). For now, LG reveals the upcoming marketing of a 55 inch, a 65 inch and two very large formats (77 and 83 inches). The advantage of this vintage compared to last year’s excellent G2? Brightness of course. OLED’s fight to display a better light peak has also been at the heart of announcements of this technology for at least three years. Nevertheless, LG announces a G3 that is 70% brighter than its predecessors, which would be remarkable. And this is where the manufacturer’s communication deserves to be singled out. Indeed, when LG announces a 70% increase in its brightness, it does not take as a reference the EX panel of the G2, but the slightly more dated panels of the A2 and B2 from last year. This rather crude sleight of hand should not prevent the G3 from approaching a brightness of 2,000 nits (in real progress of 20% therefore). Of course, these values will have to be confirmed during our tests.
How does the G3 achieve such results? Thanks to the MLA (Micro Lenses Array) process, a “new” technique which makes it possible to better manage the diffusion of light thanks to the addition of micro lenses which direct the light beam produced by the diodes directly towards the panel, thus reducing the loss. This rather expensive process should also be reserved for the three “smallest” diagonals (55, 65 and 77 inches), but we are awaiting confirmation from LG on this specific point.
A3, B3, C3: the OLED of “real people”
As every year, the heart of the range, in other words the best-selling models by LG, are concentrated around the A, B and C series, available in A3, B3, C3. There will of course be many similarities between each model, the B3 and A3 being only slightly downgraded versions of the C3. Nevertheless, it is interesting to note that the C3 will be available in six sizes: 42, 48, 55, 65, 77 and 83 inches, giving pride of place to small formats.
The B series, which traditionally arrives a little later in the year, is content with three sizes: 55, 65 and 77 inches. Finally, the entry-level OLED from LG, the A3 will also exist in 48 inches and will also be available in 55, 65 and 77 inches.
M3: the “sporty” from LG?
The real novelty of this 2023 vintage therefore lies in the arrival of a new series, the M3 which will only be offered in very large sizes: 77, 83 and a huge 97 inches! Unveiled at CES 2023, it should only arrive in stores next summer. His particuliarity ? It is totally wireless and benefits from remote connectors in a box to be hidden in a piece of furniture. In this sense, it goes a step further than Samsung and its One Connect which offers the same subterfuge to reduce the thickness of the slab, but which goes through a wire to connect the box and the TV.
To put it another way, the M3 is a copy/paste of the G3 panel with two notable absences: that of the connectors in the television and of the MLA function.
A new Web OS for everyone and HDMI QMS
The whole of this new range will benefit from a brand new version of the in-house interface, WebOS, which is going to version 23 for… 2023. Quite criticized for the latest version of its software, including by us during our test of the G2 , this new version of Web OS will try to correct the defects that we had noticed, namely a particularly cluttered display and a somewhat surprising navigation. As a result, LG promises a simpler interface, separated into two main panels and less focused on content from business partners. There too, we will judge on piece. Among the new features of the range, it should be noted its compatibility with the new Matter home automation standard, which should be talked about a lot in the coming months.
Finally, the latest innovation that accompanies WebOS23 is none other than a long-standing promise, HDMI 2.1 QMS. This feature of the HDMI 2.1 protocol, announced since 2017 (all the same), makes it possible to eliminate the display of brief black screens when switching from one application to another. In the end, it is a fairly gentle evolution that LG promises with this 2023 vintage. Admittedly, the M3’s wireless connectivity deserves some applause, but for the rest, it will be necessary above all to look at the impact of this increased brightness on the rendering of contents. Not really revolutionary let’s face it.
LG Electronics
