LG OLED G4 vs Samsung The Frame 2025 (LS03F)

The LG G4 excels in delivering an incredibly vivid HDR experience, positioning it as one of the best models in its class. Equipped with second-generation Micro Lens Array (MLA) technology, it achieves a remarkable peak brightness of 1474 nits in real-world scenes. While it may not match Mini LED-backlit LCD TVs in full-screen white scenes, the overall performance is outstanding. The fine details in HDR content shine brightly, a distinct advantage of OLED technology over non-OLED displays. With this impressive brightness and wide DCI-P3 colour gamut coverage, HDR content is brought to life with unmatched engagement and immersion.

The Frame LS03F is a television that can surprise with its brightness. The maximum luminance reaches around 650 nits, which already looks solid on paper. But as we know, lab tests are one thing, and real movie scenes tell a completely different story. When watching HDR content in natural conditions, The Frame 2025 maintains very good results. In most film scenes, peak brightness remained at levels of 550–650 nits. This is enough to feel the difference between standard image quality and that of HDR – bright highlights, reflections on water, and moonlight appear clear and impressive.

It’s also worth noting that the LS03F is a QLED television, which translates to solid color saturation. The coverage of the DCI-P3 color space reaches about 92%, allowing for vibrant, intense colors in HDR content. It may not be at the level of top premium models, but for a lifestyle screen, the result truly deserves recognition.

Before calibration, the "Filmmaker" mode on the TV had a noticeable red and green colour dominance, resulting in a warm-yellow hue across both SDR and HDR content. This warm tone, typical of modes like "Cinema" and "Filmmaker," led to a yellowish cast that was evident when switching from the "Standard" mode.

Looking at the brightness characteristics, the Gamma chart showed decent performance for mid-tones and bright whites, but it struggled with the darkest details, which tended to merge into a black blob. HDR content, as represented by the EOTF curve chart, displayed a drop in contrast due to excessive brightness, which overshadowed fine details and negatively affected the overall image quality. Additionally, the "ColourChecker" chart revealed that colours were under-saturated, contributing to a less accurate and vibrant visual experience.

This provided a good foundation to build on, but calibration was needed to bring out the full potential of the "Filmmaker" mode and address these issues.

When it comes to image quality right out of the box, even in Filmmaker mode, which is supposed to be the closest to reference, there were issues. In both HD and 4K HDR content, we noticed noticeable deviations in white balance. The image was heavily skewed towards red and blue, giving the screen a characteristic rosy tint. This effect was most visible in bright scenes – for example, in shots with a lot of white, where neutral light should naturally dominate. In such moments, the screen clearly leaned towards pink tones, which can also be seen in the attached comparison photo. As for brightness characteristics – it wasn't as bad as one might expect given such color inaccuracies. Analysis of the gamma curve and EOTF showed a slight brightening of the image compared to the reference, but not enough to drastically affect the perception of the material.

The manufacturer has been offering extensive support for the calibration process in its LG televisions for many years. Therefore, we used 2- and 20-point grayscale adjustments along with an advanced CMS (Colour Management System) to optimise the display. As shown, the calibration procedure greatly improved each parameter. The results included studio-quality colour reproduction, enhanced detail in dark areas, corrected brightness characteristics, and accurate colour saturation. This led to a near-perfect match with the reference image—the one the film director saw on the preview monitor. It’s also worth mentioning that LG G4 televisions are unique in offering even deeper image adjustments through 3D LUT matrices, a feature primarily suited for post-production or graphics studios.

After calibration, the movie mode gained a completely new quality. The issue of pink tint, which had previously been clearly visible, especially in bright scenes, was effectively eliminated. Colors began to look much more natural, and the white balance no longer dominated the rest of the image. It was no longer the same exaggerated “box picture” – everything gained coherence and a cinematic character. Additionally, the tendency of the television to slightly brighten scenes, previously visible in the EOTF curve analysis, was partially corrected. Of course, this was within the limits of what the design allows without local dimming – it’s hard to speak of perfect brightness management here. Nevertheless, the final effect was definitely closer to what one would expect from a mode called Filmmaker.

The LG G4 does not perform well with materials rich in tonal transitions, leading to a pronounced posterization effect. However, the manufacturer has included a smoothing system called "Gentle Gradation," with three levels: Low, Medium, and High. These settings are effective at smoothing bright colours, though less so for darker tones. It is recommended to use the Low setting, as the higher levels can distort the director's intentions by removing film grain.

When it comes to upscaling lower-quality material, the television's performance is quite good, delivering a sharp and clear image. However, attention should be paid to the jagged edges of fine details and the occasional halo effect around figures. This occurs due to the sharpening imposed by the LG G4, even when the lowest setting is selected (0). This is a noticeable change from the LG G3, which did not apply such strong sharpening, even at setting 0.

The LS03F is equipped with the NQ4 processor, which is responsible for improving image quality—especially in lower-quality materials. In practice, it works surprisingly well, particularly with older content and recordings with lower resolution. Activating the "noise reduction" feature yields noticeable effects. The television effectively smooths tonal transitions and removes digital noise that can appear in darker areas of the image. Compared to previous generations, there is a clear improvement—previously, this feature often smoothed everything too much, including details that it shouldn't have removed. In this year's model, the smoothing still occurs, but it is done in a much more acceptable manner. Textures of materials, skin, or fabric details are no longer so heavily muted as before—the image retains more naturalness. However, this does not change the fact that film grain is still removed by the television, which may not be to everyone's liking. On the other hand, it is no longer as aggressive an intervention as in previous models. It is also worth mentioning that the LS03F may struggle with very weak signals—such as recordings from VHS tapes or video in low resolution. In such cases, we noticed slight clipping of the image at the edges—so-called overscan. This can lead to situations where a small part of the image (e.g., subtitles at the bottom edge) gets cut off.

The LG G4 offers a maximum refresh rate of 144 Hz, achievable when connected to a powerful PC. For most users, however, the TV operates at a maximum of 120 Hz, ideal for watching sports or other content with fast motion. To improve image fluidity, the television includes the "TrueMotion" motion smoothing system, which features two separate sliders: De-Blur (for the sharpness of moving images) and De-Judder (for judder reduction). These sliders allow users to adjust the level of smoothing between 0 and 10, ensuring everyone can find the ideal setting.

With a response time of 0.78 ms, the LG G4 delivers exceptionally clear images, outperforming LCD televisions, which can have much slower response times. This results in no trailing blur behind moving objects, as shown in the "UFO Test." The TV also provides precise control over motion smoothing, which is especially beneficial during fast-paced video game sequences. Thanks to OLED technology, the G4 eliminates ghosting, ensuring a crisp and clear image even during the most dynamic sports or action scenes.

A novelty in The Frame for 2025 is the panel with a refresh rate of 144 Hz. Yes – in a television primarily associated with displaying artwork, you can now not only watch Van Gogh but also comfortably play on a console or follow dynamic sports action. This is a definite step towards greater versatility. In the case of Samsung films, as usual in models with a 120 Hz panel and above, it allows you to adjust motion smoothness according to your own preferences. You can set a more cinematic representation while maintaining frame rate or opt for full motion smoothing. The range of options is wide, allowing you to tailor the effect to your taste – whether the viewing experience is meant to resemble classic cinema or a presentation on a modern theater panel.

*this part of the test refers to the model LS03FAU in sizes 55 and 65 inches, which is equipped with a 144Hz panel; the 43 and 50-inch sizes have 60Hz panels, and therefore perform much worse in terms of motion smoothness.

The LG G4 TV supports all the features encompassed by the HDMI 2.1 standard, making it a gaming powerhouse. During testing, every feature activated seamlessly, ensuring a smooth experience for both console gamers and PC users. Notably, the HGIG mode (HDR Gaming Interest Group) is implemented correctly, allowing games mastered to brightness levels higher than the TV’s maximum luminance to map tones accurately, preserving the game’s original visual integrity.

A notable highlight is the dedicated GameBar, which can be accessed at any time to quickly check or adjust game settings. More importantly, enabling VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) does not compromise contrast—a common issue in TVs with local dimming or Mini LED backlighting. This is thanks to the OLED panel’s self-emissive pixels, which maintain consistent contrast. However, a slight grey flicker may appear when VRR is enabled, though this is standard across OLEDs.

In summary, the LG G4, like most OLED TVs, is ideal for gaming and online competitions. Its HDMI 2.1 ports offer a full 48 Gbps bandwidth, supporting features such as VRR, ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode), G-Sync, FreeSync, and HDR Dolby Vision gameplay, ensuring an exceptional gaming experience.

As we mentioned earlier – although The Frame is likely displaying images and artwork most of the time, Samsung recognized that a Van Gogh enthusiast could just as well be an avid gamer. And it must be admitted that The Frame 2025 has almost everything it needs to become a full-fledged gaming TV.

On board, we find support for ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode) and variable refresh rate (VRR) thanks to the implementation of one HDMI 2.1 port. The TV handles lower resolutions at higher refresh rates with ease and features an advanced Game Bar – already known from other Samsung models – which allows for a quick overview and change of the most important gaming-related settings. And for that, it earns extra points from us. The proprietary motion smoothing feature, Auto Motion Plus Game, also deserves a mention, which – and it’s worth emphasizing – works without boosting input lag. Samsung remains the only manufacturer that has managed to implement this feature in a practically unnoticeable way in terms of delays. The result? Much better fluidity in games, especially those that struggle to maintain a steady 60 frames. This solution can genuinely improve gameplay comfort in more demanding titles – especially on consoles that don’t always manage full fluidity, particularly in AAA games.

As for the downsides – the absence of Dolby Vision we already treat as a standard in Samsung TVs, so there’s not much to complain about here. The problem, however, is something completely different. In the latest version of the Tizen system, the HGiG option has disappeared. Literally – it’s gone. This is a significant hindrance when configuring the console for proper HDR content display in games. It’s hard to understand why such a decision was made, but one thing is for sure – it should be fixed as soon as possible. We are talking about a brand that has set standards in gaming on TVs for years. If HGiG returns – and we hope that it will – The Frame LS03F can confidently aspire to the title of a true gaming TV. Not only as a wall decoration but as a device that really provides enjoyment in gaming.

[UPDATE] We have updated our tests of Samsung TVs from the 2025 lineup due to the release of software version 1131, which has restored the critical gaming feature HGiG.