LG G4 TV Review

The LG G4 is one of the most talked-about OLED TVs in its class — and for good reason. It delivers the kind of picture quality that makes home theater enthusiasts build entire basements around it. But it also comes with a known quirk that LG has been suspiciously quiet about, and you deserve to know before handing over your money.

The Picture That Sells the Room

Walk into a home theater built around the G4 and the first thing you notice is the image. OLED blacks, infinite contrast, colors that feel like they're lit from inside the screen. One Reddit user who installed an 83-inch G4 as the centerpiece of a full 7.1.4 Atmos setup called it the right call over a projector — especially for gaming and mixed-use rooms where ambient light isn't always perfectly controlled.

Physical media enthusiasts are particularly emphatic. Owners watching 4K Blu-rays on the G4 describe the experience as a clear step above streaming, with one user noting that even 1080p Blu-ray looks better than 4K streams on this panel. That's a testament to the display's ability to reveal detail and color depth that compressed streaming simply compresses away.

Real-World Use: Gaming, Movies, and Home Theater Builds

The G4 has shown up repeatedly in serious home theater builds — paired with Denon AVRs, RSL speaker systems, and high-end seating setups. It handles Dolby Vision and HDR content confidently, and the gaming credentials (4K, high refresh rate) make it a genuine dual-purpose display. For anyone building a dedicated room, the G4's gallery-style thin profile also makes it a cleaner wall-mount than most competitors.

One practical note from a builder who ran fiber HDMI through conduit to the back of a G4: use a conduit. Mistakes happen during installation, and having that flexibility saved him what could have been a costly and messy re-run. It's the kind of tip that sounds obvious until you don't do it.

The Cracking and Popping Problem — Don't Skip This

Here's where things get complicated. There's a persistent and well-documented issue with the G-series OLED panels (G2, G3, G4, and reportedly G5) producing audible snapping, cracking, and popping sounds during use. One owner spent months attempting every fix imaginable — removing the back panel entirely, applying gorilla tape to absorb resonance, adjusting HDR modes — and ultimately concluded there is no reliable fix. The pops returned, sometimes silent for hours, then firing 25 times in five minutes.

His conclusion: the sound originates from the actual screen panel expanding and contracting, not any peripheral component. He eventually sold the G4 and moved to a Sony A95L.

"There's no way to get rid of the pops entirely, plain and simple... I wonder if there isn't a way to make this problem more widely known. There's no reviewer on YouTube or no article that I found that is talking about this problem."

That last observation is worth sitting with. If your unit has this issue, LG's warranty process is functional — another owner had boards replaced on a G4 that arrived dead from a third-party Amazon seller — but the popping problem is a thermal/physical characteristic of the panel itself, not a board failure. Warranty repair won't resolve it.

To be fair: not every G4 owner reports this issue. Many are perfectly happy. But the risk is real enough that you should factor it in, especially if you're sensitive to ambient noise or plan to watch in a quiet, treated room where every sound is audible.

Buying Tips (Learn From Others' Mistakes)

• Buy from Best Buy or a reputable retailer with a solid return policy — not a third-party Amazon seller. One buyer received a dead 83-inch G4 delivered by a solo driver and spent three weeks fighting for a refund. The only upside was he eventually ended up with two G4s after LG repaired the first under warranty. That story had a happy ending; most don't.
• The G4 has appeared at significant sale prices as inventory clears for the G5. If you can find it discounted, the value proposition improves considerably.
• Spend 30 minutes on initial settings. The out-of-box picture mode is not optimized. RTINGS and AVForums both have calibration guides for LG OLEDs that make a meaningful difference.
• For gaming, check the optimized settings threads for your platform (PS5, Xbox, PC) — HDR configuration on LG OLEDs has nuance that the default settings don't address.

Who Should Buy the G4

The G4 is built for people who care deeply about image quality and are building or upgrading a serious viewing space. Paired with a good AVR and speaker system, it anchors a home theater setup that punches well above its price class. Gamers who want premium OLED with high refresh rates will also find a lot to love here.

If you're noise-sensitive, plan to watch in a very quiet room, or simply can't tolerate the idea of a lottery-ticket risk on a premium TV, the Sony A95L is the alternative name that keeps coming up from owners who switched. It's older technology at this point, but QD-OLED and a reputation for build consistency.

The G4's picture quality is genuinely exceptional. The cracking issue is genuinely real. Whether you buy one comes down to how you weigh those two facts — and whether you can get it from a seller who will make returns easy if yours turns out to be one of the unlucky ones.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is the LG G4 worth buying in 2025?

A: Yes, with caveats. The picture quality is exceptional for movies, gaming, and home theater use, but the G4 has a known panel cracking/popping issue that LG has not officially addressed. If you can find it at a significant discount compared to the G5, the value is compelling — just buy from a retailer with a strong return policy.

Q: What is the snapping and popping noise on the LG G4?

A: It's a thermal expansion issue with the OLED panel itself — the screen physically cracks and pops as it heats up or cools down. It affects the G2, G3, G4, and reportedly G5 as well. There is no confirmed permanent fix, and LG has not publicly acknowledged the problem as a widespread defect.

Q: How does the LG G4 compare to the Sony A95L?

A: Both are premium OLEDs, but they use different panel technology. The G4 uses a W-OLED panel with a brightness booster layer, while the A95L uses QD-OLED. Users who switched from G4 to A95L cited the popping noise as the dealbreaker, not picture quality. For a quiet, dedicated dark room, the A95L is the safer long-term bet if noise concerns you.

Q: What are the best settings for the LG G4?

A: Out-of-box settings are not optimal. RTINGS publishes calibration settings for LG OLEDs, and separate optimized gaming settings exist for PS5, Xbox, and PC on Reddit's LGOLED community. Spend time on initial setup — it makes a meaningful difference to picture quality.

Q: Should I buy the LG G4 from Amazon or Best Buy?

A: Buy from Best Buy or a major physical retailer. A third-party Amazon seller experience documented on Reddit involved a solo delivery driver for an 83-inch TV, a dead-on-arrival unit, and weeks of back-and-forth for resolution. Reputable retailers offer better delivery, easier returns, and clearer warranty support.