LG unveils 4th gen OLED with up to 4000 nits and “ultra-low reflection technology” for its G5 OLED TV
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LG Display has unveiled its 4th-generation WOLED, set to feature in the upcoming LG G5 series, expected to launch between March and early April 2025. Interestingly, the production of a 4-stack WOLED was hinted at during CES 2025 last week by both LG Electronics and Panasonic. Now, we have more insights into why LG transitioned from the previously adopted 3-stack design. According to LG, the new OLED technology enhances maximum brightness while also improving power efficiency.
“The Primary RGB Tandem structure applied to the fourth-generation OLED TV panel organizes the light source into four stacks by adding two layers of blue elements and independent layers of red and green elements. It improves maximum brightness by increasing the amount of light produced by each layer compared to the previous structure.”
LG Display, via flatpanelshd
LG claims that by switching from 3-stack to 4-stack technology, they have achieved a 33% increase in brightness. Additionally, they have optimized the power supply, resulting in 20% improved energy efficiency, and have entirely removed microlenses (MLA). The new panel now delivers a peak white brightness of 4000 nits, while maximum color brightness has reached 2100 nits.
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For comparison, this represents a 40% improvement over last year's MLA OLED panel, which achieved 3000 nits peak white brightness and 1500 nits color brightness. LG Display also noted that the full-screen brightness of the 4th-gen panel is now approximately 400 nits.
| Peak white luminance (3%) | Full-screen luminance (100%) | Color luminance | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st gen WOLED | 600-800 nits | 150 nits | – |
| 2nd gen WOLED (EX) | 1300 nits | 200 nits | 500 nits |
| 3rd gen WOLED (MLA) | 2100 nits | 220 nits | 700 nits |
| 3rd gen WOLED (MLA+) | 3000 nits | 250 nits | 1500 nits |
| 4th gen WOLED (4-layer) | 4000 nits | 400 nits | 2100 nits |
While we don't expect the actual TVs to reach the exact specifications in calibrated picture mode, it's still interesting to observe the differences between the 4th-gen WOLED and its previous iterations. The company has also stated that DCI-P3 coverage has improved from 98.5% on the MLA OLED panel to 99.5% on the new 4-layer panel.
Toe to toe with QD-OLED and features a new anti-reflection filter
Interestingly, not everything has changed, as LG’s color brightness remains significantly lower than that of QD-OLED. This is because LG still relies on an additional white subpixel to boost brightness, unlike the pure RGB structure used in QD-OLED. However, WOLED continues to outperform QD-OLED in maintaining black depth in bright environments and exhibits less color fringing due to its pixel structure. Another noteworthy observation is that the 4-stack panel has slightly narrower viewing angles compared to last year’s panel with MLA, aligning more closely with previous WOLED panels without MLA.
Apart from the major display specifications, LG is also introducing a new “ultra anti-reflection filter,” which they claim can block 99% of internal and external light reflections. This technology, featured in the company's fourth-generation OLED TV panel, utilizes a special film to counteract light reflected from the display's surface and light absorbed and reflected within the panel. With this innovation, LG aims to deliver a perfect black viewing experience akin to what you'd see in cinemas.
“To solve this customer inconvenience, LG Display has developed a special film that offsets both light reflected from the display's surface and light absorbed and reflected inside the panel. With the advantage of this ultra-low reflection technology, the company's fourth-generation OLED TV panel blocks 99% of internal and external light reflections, realizing perfect black just like in a movie theater with the lights off even in a midday living room setting (500 lux)”
LG Display, via flatpanelshd
We have already seen LG bringing a lot of new innovations this year, including their first-ever 48-inch OLED TV for the G-series. And now, there's this next-gen WOLED panel. As far as we know, this panel will be available in 48, 55, 65, 77, and 83 inches. The products expected to feature this panel include the LG G5, LG M5, and Panasonic Z95B OLED TVs. We also anticipate LG will integrate this 4-stack WOLED into more products and gaming monitors in the future.
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