The color palette is wide-ranging and realistic, and the LG manages to appear vibrant and lively even in low-light scenes. Edge definition is achieved smoothly, and the depth of field is quite impressive at times. Even the most testing movement is handled without alarms, and in moments of extreme crisis, the M4 keeps artifacts and image noise to a minimum.
It is similarly accomplished when it comes to gaming. The M4 delivers a smooth, immersive experience in Game Optimizer mode: it’s razor-sharp in its responses, keeps images free of distortion and tearing, and makes the most of its wide color palette and facilities with contrasts for improved lighting and photography effects. He loves. Enjoying all this immersive and enjoyable experience from a TV that appears to be only plugged into an electrical outlet seems almost decadent.
Photography: Simon Lucas
LG’s WebOS smart TV interface has undergone some minor changes to arrive at the WebOS 24 look, but despite containing more overt advertising, it remains one of the most logical and usable interfaces. Getting what you want is easy whether you use the Wii-like Magic Remote (which will be familiar to anyone who has used an LG TV in the last decade or so), the ThinQ control app, or taking advantage of Amazon’s built-in Alexa voice control.
So far, uncomplicatedly impressive. When you add in the solid, predictable build quality, an impeccable standard of finish, and a nice slim profile, the LG M4 ticks almost all the boxes. The only way it’s not completely enjoyable, actually, has to do with the sound you make.
Worth the upgrade?
Clearly, the M4 isn’t the only OLED TV with sound that’s far less exciting than the visuals that accompany it. But since it features 60 watts of power driving a 4.2-channel speaker array, the basic, minimalist sound quality can’t help but be disappointing. Definition is very good, and Clear Voice Pro’s AI voice rephrasing feature certainly allows dialogue to remain distinct and easy to follow, but there’s very little low-frequency material.
In all honesty, this is likely to be a moot point. It seems unlikely that anyone considering spending more than $4,000 on a 65-inch TV isn’t budgeting for an audio system to do it justice. When you consider that the M4 is compatible with LG’s WOW Orchestra feature, which allows the on-screen speakers to join the LG speakers instead of overtaking them, purchasing one to do the job right is a no-brainer.
Yes, adding speakers or any other speaker system (they can be placed on walls too!) doesn’t exactly go with a clutter-free atmosphere, but that’s not the monitor’s fault. Basically, there are no modern TVs with good speakers. All you have to do is get your interior designer plan for some in-wall speakers, or mount a speaker somewhere.
Let’s not forget that the replacement regular OLED TV you might be considering will likely need some audio help too, and will almost certainly need a bunch of cables to connect it to the back in order to do its job properly. This means that the M4 remains a unique offering as well as a great TV. If you don’t need a wireless connection, you can skip it, but if you do, this is the only game in town. We sure are lucky because it looks amazing.