In previous years, the difference between LG OLED G series and C series was often very small. In 2020, LG therefore gave the OLED GX series a very specific goal: wall mounting. We test the super-slim 65-inch version that will look fantastic on any wall.
LG OLED65GX6LA – Specifications
- What: Ultra HD OLED TV
- Screen size: 65 inch (165 cm), flat
- Connections: 4x HDMI (4x v2.1 (40 Gbps), eARC, ALLM, VRR, HFR), 1x optical digital out, 3x USB, 1x headphones, 2x antenna, Bluetooth 5.0, WiSA
- Extras: HDR10, HLG, Dolby Vision, Dolby Atmos, WiFi (802.11ac) built-in, WebOS 5.0, AirPlay 2, USB / DLNA media player, DVB-T2 / C / S2, CI + slot, Alpha 9 Gen 3 processor
- Dimensions: 1,446 x 888 x 284 mm (including foot)
- Weight: 29.8 kg (including foot)
- Consumption: 143 / 0.5 watt (Energy label A)
- List price: 3,099 euros
LG OLED65GX6LA – Design
OLED screens are super slim, and therefore invite you to be hung on the wall in an almost futuristic way. LG had already seen that a few years ago, which is why it made the W series (Wallpaper) available. But that Wallpaper version is of course very expensive, too expensive actually.
The G-series now gets a new design, the Gallery design, with the specific purpose of wall mounting, in a somewhat more acceptable price range. Overall, the appliance is a maximum of 2 cm deep. Due to the completely flat back, it also fits perfectly against the wall.
The wall bracket is included in the box. It is a compact, fold-out bracket that, when fully folded, disappears neatly into the back of the set, so that the TV hangs flat against the wall. It can fold out a small 10 cm to the front, handy if you want to connect an extra cable, for example. And you can tilt the TV to the left or right to a limited extent. The wall bracket also allows you to hang the device level if you have deviated slightly while drilling the holes.
Those who wish can get an optional stand to place the appliance on a piece of furniture. That is also the way we tested the device.
The feet are relatively small and are almost completely at the ends of the screen. That means that you must provide a TV cabinet that is at least as wide as the TV. The feet are strong, provide a good placement, and underline the Gallery Design by their minimalism.
All connections point to the side or down so that they do not interfere with wall mounting. The four HDMI connections are at the bottom. The three USB connections are on the side. At the bottom we also find the optical digital output, headphone output, network connection and antenna connections.
The headphone output is relatively difficult to reach, connecting an adapter cable and leaving it hanging is a good solution. You can also use Bluetooth for wireless headphones.
The GX has built-in cable guides, so you can bring all cables neatly to the bottom center.
It is also equipped with WiSA (Wireless Speaker and Audio Association). A handy solution if you want surround without the hassle of cables, read more about WiSA here . The WiSA offer remains relatively limited.
LG OLED65GX6LA – Use and smart TV
The GX series is identical to the CX series in terms of ease of use. The new WebOS 5.0 version is mainly a cosmetic adjustment. The color scheme is a bit more sedate, but there are also minor functional changes. This is evident from the first installation which was completely renewed and even more clear and simple than before. The device now also tries to recognize connected devices, so that you no longer have to configure them yourself.
The Quick Menu is now adjustable, so you can choose which settings appear and in what order.
The ‘Home Dashboard’ still groups all connections, and you will also find network sources, the option to quickly select a different audio output and things like Sound Share or Airplay. The dashboard now also offers a PiP (Picture In Picture) for the current source. Of course you can still add smart devices that support OCF (Open Connectivity Foundation) and turn it into an IoT dashboard. With these devices you can create ‘routines’ to switch everything off at once, for example in the evening.
A new feature is Sports Alert. You can choose teams from different sports and competitions. When a match of your favorite team starts on live TV, or someone scores, you will be notified. The Belgian or Dutch football competitions are not available, but they may still come.
WebOS remains one of our favorite smart TV systems, but it’s a shame LG isn’t making the new versions available on older models.
For a complete overview of WebOS you can provisionally visit our overview ( WebOS 5.0 ).
Remote control
With the Magic Remote you point to the screen, and with small movements you move the cursor on the screen. You can also use the arrow keys and the other keys if you prefer not to work with that pointing.
The remote fits well in the hand and the keys are, with the exception of the two bottom rows, sufficiently large. They are easy to press and provide good feedback. The layout is fine, and there are shortcuts for Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Rakuten tv (Movies).
You can also configure it for use with your connected devices via the ‘Home Dashboard’. LG also supplies two IR blasters on this model. You connect it to the TV and then place it in front of the devices to be operated. This way you can put the source devices in a cabinet.
Functions
The LG OLED65GX6LA is equipped with a single TV tuner for digital TV (DVB-T2 / C / S2) and CI + slot. It is not possible to watch and record another channel at the same time. Given its somewhat more luxurious approach, we would have hoped for a double tuner here.
You can use Apple Airplay 2 and YouTube videos can be sent via Google Cast. The media player is fine, it supports subtitles and HDR, but has lost support for DTS since this year. As a result, he cannot forward DTS via eARC , a difficult side effect. LG’s ThinQ AI provides an extensive list of voice commands.
LG OLED65GX6LA – Image processing
The Alpha 9 Gen 3 processor delivers excellent upscaling and good image processing. The LG GX series easily recognizes different video and film frame rates. Noise reduction works well for random noise, but has a little more difficulty with compression noise (visible as slight blocking in the image). Even in the highest setting, the results are at best mediocre. With ‘Smooth Gradations’ activated, the TV also eliminates color bands in soft gradients. He does that quite well when the color bands are subtle and in clear images. With very dark color bands, the processor has a much more difficult time.
With the introduction in 2020 of “OLED Motion Pro”, an improved version of Black Frame Insertion (what is BFI ), LG has improved the motion sharpness of OLED a bit, without sacrificing too much brightness or visible flicker. We prefer the lowest setting, especially for games and sports. In the highest position there is still some flicker visible. Cinema Clear (translated as Cinema Clear) is a good solution for film. It does a decent job of reducing stuttering in pan images, but doesn’t cause too many image problems. The Smooth mode produces good, smooth images but causes slightly more visual problems.
Main settings
In our article about professional calibration of a TV , you can read all about the possibilities to achieve the best image settings with a professional. Here you will find an explanation of the most important picture settings and tips for setting up your TV.
| General | Picture mode: Cinema |
| Aspect Ratio: Original / Scan: On | |
| Energy saving: Off | |
| OLED Bulb: 80 | |
| Brightness: 50 | |
| Contrast: 85 | |
| Sharpness: 10 | |
| Color: 50 | |
| Hue: 0 | |
| Advanced controls | Dynamic Contrast: Off |
| Dynamic Tone Mapping: Off / On | |
| Super resolution: Low | |
| Color range: Auto | |
| Range: 2.2 / BT.1886 | |
| White Balance: Warm 2 | |
| Maximum Brightness: Off | |
| Image Options | Noise Reduction: Low |
| MPEG Noise Reduction: Low | |
| Smooth Gradation: Low | |
| Black level: Automatic | |
| Real Cinema: On | |
| Motion Eye Care: Off | |
| TruMotion: Cinema Clear or User (De-judderr: 6-8, De-blur: 10 with OLED Motion Pro: Low) |
LG OLED65GX6LA – Image quality
The GX series uses the same type of OLED panel as the CX series.
Uniformity in clear images was good. In dark images, our test model had a visible dark spot in the top left corner. However, it was only visible on test images, not on other content. The screen also suffered very little from the typical vertical banding that OLED sometimes exhibits, but keep in mind that these results may vary from model to model.
The LG GX series also features Filmmaker Mode . This is no more than the Cinema image mode, but with all image processing (noise reduction, TruMotion) turned off. This mode is also relatively dark (around 100 nits), and uses the BT.1886 gamma curve, making it really aim for viewing in darkening. You can adjust Filmmaker mode, for example you can incorporate some of our recommendations. In the future, this mode can be automatically activated by the content.
We prefer the Cinema image mode for daily use. In that mode, the screen uses a gamma curve of 2.2, which makes the mid-tones a bit brighter. This makes it better suited for viewing with some ambient light. This image mode was well calibrated, with a neutral gray scale and very good color rendering. The image also shows a lot of black detail. We only noted that red (and magenta) shades are a bit too dark, but the error is relatively small.
LG OLED65GX6LA – HDR
This LG OLED65GX6LA supports HDR10, HLG and Dolby Vision, but no HDR10 +. With a peak luminance of 754 nits on a 10% window, it scores nicely in the middle bracket, and slightly better than the CX (48 ”and 65”) that came earlier this year. On a completely white field it gets 144 nits. The results are perfectly in line with the expectations for an OLED TV, although they have been virtually unchanged for several years now. We hope that LG can make some progress there next year.
The color range of the GX series clocks in at 95% DCI-P3 and 69% Rec.2020, these are also typical values for OLED. The color reproduction is, just like in SDR, very good in the HDR Cinema image mode, with the same slight deviation for red and magenta (slightly too dark). The GX perfectly follows the required PQ curve and neatly takes the metat data into account so that all white detail is visible.
LG systematically activates ‘Dynamic Tone Mapping’ in HDR image modes, even in Filmmaker Mode. LG thus simulates the effect of dynamic metadata. The effect is most visible on clear images, and when the metadata signals that the maximum is far out of the range of the TV (4000 nits). Images then become slightly darker, but get considerably better contrast and slightly more intense colors. We love the result and it also seems safe to keep it activated, although it remains more of a personal choice.
Thanks to ‘AI brightness’ you have the option to adjust HDR images based on the ambient light. The TV then lifts the black detail somewhat so that you see more shadow nuances. This year, with the introduction of Dolby Vision IQ, this is also the case for Dolby Vision content. It is sufficient to activate the light sensor (in the general picture settings, set Energy saving to Automatic).
LG OLED65GX6LA – Gaming, Reflections and Viewing Angles
OLED screens have an excellent viewing angle, so that even those who are not directly in front of the image can enjoy excellent contrast and colors. The LG rejects reflections well, but attention to the correct lighting is still required.
In cinema image mode we measure a lag of 96.8.4 ms, as with all manufacturers this is quite high. In game mode, the lag drops to 13.7 ms and that is a fantastic result.
Like the CX, the GX is an excellent choice for gamers. The 40Gbps HDMI 2.1 connections provide enough bandwidth to deliver 4K120fps images in 10 bit and 444 chroma subsampling. With support for HGIG , ALLM and VRR (AMD Free Sync, NVIDIA GSync and HDMI VRR) he really has everything for the best gaming experience. Keep in mind that when you activate AMD Freesync you will lose support for Dolby Vision. These two are technically incompatible, according to LG. That is admittedly not a serious problem. Non-gamers simply leave Freesync off. Gamers can fall back on HDMI VRR, and only need to activate Freesync if they want to game via their PC with an AMD graphics card.
The first teething problems we reported on in our review of the 48CX have largely been resolved via the latest firmware update (v03.11.30). Only for the
However, the luminance changes in dark images caused by VRR seem more difficult. LG knows the cause of the problem, but whether a solution is possible seems unlikely for the time being.
Gamma for OLED is optimized and fixed for 120Hz by establishing a fixed charging time for OLED sub-pixels. VRR is used when the frame rate is less than 120 Hz. When the OLED TV uses framerates less than 120Hz, the gamma curve is inconsistent with the frame rate. For example, a 40Hz frame rate is longer than 120Hz frame rate. Therefore, the lower frame rates results in sub pixels that are overcharged, causing flickering of dark gray images, which is noticeable for dark images rather than bright ones, because human eyes are more sensitive to low gray colors. LGD will likely solve this problem establishing multiple gamma curves optimized for lower frame rates.
LG OLED65GX6LA – Sound quality
In addition to a specific design, the GX series is also equipped with a slightly more powerful audio system compared to the CX series . In any case, the 4.2 channel 60 Watt setup provides a great audio experience, despite the slim form factor. The sound is warm, with a good amount of bass, crystal clear voices and plenty of volume. Only when you turn the sound very loud, some distortion creeps in. We found the performance to be excellent, and the set even manages to give a lot of spaciousness to our movie soundtracks. With the help of AI Acoustic Tuning, you can adjust the sound based on the room acoustics. The television supports Dolby Atmos and manages to create a beautiful surround experience.
LG OLED65GX6LA – Conclusion
The LG OLED65GX6LA boasts the beautiful image performance of the CX series and combines it with a slim design. He thus perfectly fulfills his objective: it is a beautiful television to hang on the wall. We cannot detect many negatives. We liked to see HDR10 + appear in the specifications for the sake of completeness. But especially its price may be a bit too heavy. Compared to the CX, you pay more than 500 – 600 euros more. For that you actually only get the different design, the supplied wall bracket, and a little better sound.
Anyone who does not mind this extra price can look forward to an impressive statue on the wall. Deep contrast, intense colors, beautiful image results in both SDR and HDR, those are strong assets in themselves. The GX still links this to excellent sound quality, despite its very slim profile. This device is not aimed at gamers, but it is perfectly equipped for it. The HDMI 2.1 connections offer all gaming-related features. Finally, there is the handy WebOS, user-friendly and clear, and equipped with all important streaming services.
Positives
- Smart design for wall mounting
- Very good image processing
- Improved motion sharpness
- Top black reproduction with a lot of shadow detail
- Excellent HDR images
- HDMI 2.1 with the widest feature set
- Great sound, including Dolby Atmos
Negatives
- No HDR10 +
- Relatively expensive
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