LG's Wireless OLED TV Gets More Attainable at 65 Inches
LG's interesting wireless HDMI connectivity is coming to a smaller, more affordable screen size in the 2024 M4 series.
- Although still awaiting his Oscar for Best Picture Reviewer, David does hold certifications from the Imaging Science Foundation and the National Institutes of Standards and Technology on display calibration and evaluation.
The LG M4 OLED TV, seen here in a 97-inch size, uses wireless technology.
One of the coolest products at I saw at CES last year was LG's M3 wireless OLED TV, and this year the company is expanding its wireless TV offering with the new M4 series. The M4 will be LG's flagship OLED TV in 2024, combining that wireless HDMI cool factor with its best picture quality technology. The M4 will come in 97-, 83- and 77-inch sizes, and it adds a new 65-inch model that should make this expensive series a bit more attainable.
The standout extra on the LG M4, offered by no other major TV maker on the market today, is wireless connectivity. Instead of plugging HDMI devices like game consoles into the back of the TV, you plug them into a separate box that you can place up to 30 feet across the room. The picture and sound is sent from the box to the TV without wires at full bandwidth and minimal delay, for no loss in picture quality according to LG. The only wire to the TV is for power.
The M4 also uses the company's brightest OLED TV panel, powered by its MLA (micro lens array) tech. The first OLED TV with MLA, the LG G3, delivered the best image quality I've ever tested, and I expect similar things from the M4. Note that the largest 97-inch size in both series lacks MLA so it won't be as bright. The M4 also uses an all-new Alpha 11 chip that, according to LG, promises AI-powered refinements to clarity, color and sharpness.
For high-end TV shoppers who don't need that wireless connectivity, LG offers the G4 series. The G4 has the same MLA panel and processor, so should deliver the same level of picture quality.
LG hasn't announced pricing on the M4, but the most affordable version of the M3 costs $5,000 for the 77-inch model. That's $1,200 more than the same size of wired G3, and while the new 65-inch size will be less-expensive, I expect the premium for wireless to remain high in 2024.
And let's face it: wireless HDMI is hardly a necessity. Most TV buyers are fine plugging their devices into the TV. Unlike the 55-inch Displace TV ($3,000), which is fully wireless and battery powered, you still need to power the M4 with a wall outlet. Wireless TV technology is cool, but unless it comes way down in price, I don't expect it to really catch on.