The LG G4 is, by most accounts, one of the best OLED televisions you can buy. Owners are putting it at the center of dedicated home theaters with Atmos setups, choosing it over projectors for gaming rooms, and hunting it down at open-box prices rather than switching to a different brand. The picture quality is genuinely that good. But there's a problem hiding underneath all that praise — and it's one that LG apparently doesn't want you to know about.

Who Is Actually Buying This TV?

The community around the G4 skews toward serious enthusiasts. One user built a full 7.1.4 Atmos basement theater around the 83" G4, pairing it with a Denon AVR-X3800H and RSL speakers. Another has two of the 83" units side by side after a wild Amazon delivery saga ended with them getting a replacement for free. These are not casual buyers picking up a TV because it was on sale. They chose the G4 specifically, often after extensive research comparing it against the G5, Sony A95L, and other flagships.

For dark room viewing — dedicated theaters, blacked-out living rooms, late-night gaming — the G4's OLED panel is close to unmatched at its price point. One user explicitly chose the G4 over a projector for a 7.5-foot ceiling basement room, citing gaming responsiveness and the ability to block all ambient light.

The Snapping and Popping Problem — And Why It Matters

Here's what you won't find in any sponsored YouTube review: the LG G-series, including the G2, G3, G4, and reportedly even the G5, has a documented snapping, cracking, and popping noise issue that affects a meaningful number of units. One owner spent months attempting every fix imaginable — removing the back panel entirely, applying Gorilla tape to dampen resonance, adjusting settings between SDR and HDR modes. Nothing worked permanently.

"Sometimes nothing for 6 hours, then 25 pops in 5 minutes."

His conclusion, after all that effort, was that the noise originates from the actual screen panel itself — not the stand, not the back cover, not loose screws. There is no DIY fix. He ultimately sold the G4 and bought a Sony A95L 77" for $3,500. His frustration extended beyond the TV itself to LG's apparent awareness of the issue without public acknowledgment, and suspicion that review units are selectively curated to avoid triggering the problem.

This is genuinely important information. If you are sensitive to ambient noise — especially in a quiet, dedicated theater room — this could be a dealbreaker. The problem seems to be non-universal but common enough that multiple community threads have addressed it independently.

Value and Pricing: Where Things Get Interesting

The G4 has been caught at some remarkable prices. One Best Buy shopper was steered by an employee toward a 48" G4 at $600 — a price the app corrected to $1,900 roughly ten minutes later. He walked out with it. Another user is weighing a 65" open-box G4 at $1,194 against a new G5 at $2,199 from an LG partner store.

On that open-box question, community opinion is split. Some warn that OLED panels carry burn-in risk and that you're buying someone else's unknown usage history. Others point out that Geek Squad protection on open-box units changes the calculus significantly — if the panel shows issues, you have a path to replacement. If you go that route, inspect the hours-on-panel carefully before committing.

As for whether the G5 justifies a $1,000 premium over the G4 — community consensus leans toward no, unless you specifically need what the G5 adds. The G4 is already a reference-grade display for most home theater use cases.

Practical Buying Advice

• Buy from a reputable retailer with clear return and warranty terms. One user's nightmare started with a third-party Amazon seller who sent a single delivery driver with an 83" box and no backup plan. Best Buy or an authorized LG dealer is worth the few extra dollars.
• If buying open box, check the panel hours and negotiate Geek Squad coverage. Without it, you're absorbing all the risk of a previous owner's habits.
• The popping issue appears to be somewhat random across units — some owners report zero problems, others are debilitated by it. There is no reliable way to screen for it before purchase, which makes a solid return policy even more critical.
• For gaming rooms with ambient light or beam obstructions, consider that a projector alternative may actually perform worse — multiple users confirmed the G4 OLED was the right call over projection in constrained ceiling-height spaces.

The Bottom Line

The LG G4 earns its reputation as a flagship OLED. The picture is stunning, the gaming performance is excellent, and serious home theater builders keep choosing it as the anchor of elaborate, expensive setups. But the snapping and popping panel issue is real, it has no confirmed fix, and LG has not been transparent about it. If you land a unit without that problem, you have one of the best TVs available at any price. If you don't, you're looking at months of frustration or an expensive switch to Sony. Buy from somewhere with an easy return window, keep your receipt, and know that the first few weeks of quiet operation are not necessarily a guarantee of long-term silence.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Does the LG G4 have a popping or cracking noise problem?

A: Yes, a documented issue affects some G-series units including the G4, where the panel produces snapping or popping sounds during use. It appears to stem from the screen panel itself and has no confirmed permanent fix. Not all units are affected, but the issue is common enough to warrant caution.

Q: Is the LG G5 worth the upgrade over the G4?

A: For most home theater users, community consensus suggests the G5 does not justify a $1,000 premium over the G4. The G4 is already a reference-grade OLED for dark room viewing and gaming.

Q: Is it safe to buy the LG G4 as an open-box unit?

A: It carries more risk than buying new, particularly around burn-in history. However, if you can inspect the panel in person, check hours of use, and add Geek Squad warranty coverage, many buyers consider the discounted price worth it.

Q: Is the LG G4 good for gaming?

A: Yes — multiple users chose the G4 over projector setups specifically for gaming, citing responsiveness and image quality advantages in low-light rooms.

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

A: At least one user who sold their G4 due to the popping issue switched to the Sony A95L 77" at $3,500. They considered it a step up in reliability, though the A95L is significantly more expensive and a few years older as a model.