CES 2026 has officially begun. That means we can only be in one place, LG’s booth, checking out the new OLED TVs.
G6 Hyper Radiant OLED
First up is the LG G6. Let’s start with a rumor I’ve heard — not a very prevalent one — but a rumor I’ve heard that LG has dropped the white subpixel in the new Hyper-Radiant panel technology. That is not the case. We’re still talking about the same tandem OLED or four-stack OLED that we saw in the LG G5 series. The difference, the reason we’re going to get 20% higher brightness over the G5 of last year, is really due to processing. The new Alpha 11 Gen 3 processor, by the way, that we’re going to see in the C series. Little hint there. We’ll get to that in a moment.
At any rate, it’s really about the processing difference that’s going to drive up the brightness of this particular panel. That’s not the only thing that’s new. It’s not just a brighter G6 OLED for 2026. LG has introduced a new polarizing film for its televisions, giving them some pretty remarkable anti-glare properties. And before you get freaked out that it’s another matte screen that you can hate — it’s not. It is not a matte screen. So, it still has a lot of glossy luster, but without all the reflections that come with it, which, let’s be honest, was one of the big issues for people getting these higher-end OLED TVs into brighter spaces. Bright during the day, dark at night; problem during the day, not a problem at night. Now, it’s not a problem at all. The polarizer does nothing — trust me when I say this — it does absolutely nothing to take away from the luster, wetness, or richness of the OLED TV.
Available panel sizes
The other big news for this year is that the hyper-radiant technology, that ultra-bright four-stack panel, goes up to the 83-inch model. Although it stops short of the 97-inch model. I would argue it’s not really necessary at that particular size. Now, if you look at other reports on this particular TV, you might see a small info banner below the TV that says it goes down to a 48-inch model. It does not, in fact, go down to a 48-inch model in the United States, or at least not in North America. It will, though, in international markets. So, my friends who are watching in India, Australia, the UK, and Europe, you might be able to get a 48-inch G6 this year. That’s not a terrible thing, especially since not everybody has a McMansion as we do here in the U.S.
C6 OLED upgrades – with a catch
Speaking of not having McMansion money, let’s go look at a slightly more affordable OLED option. I’m not going to bury the lead on the LG C6 for you guys. The big news here is that you’re going to get the Hyper Radiant panel, the latest version of the four-stack OLED in the C6 at 77- and 83-inch sizes. I think that’s a pretty big move from LG. So, if you want that brighter, punchier, more refined OLED panel, you can get it down at C6 prices. Although let’s be honest, at the 77- and 83-inch levels, you’re kind of spending a bit, right? And I think that’s why they implemented the more premium panel into those larger sizes.
The 65-, 55-, 48-, and 42-inch models will have the standard panel and be more in line with the C-series brightness levels. It will be just a little bit brighter this year because the Alpha 11 Gen 3 processor will also be available in the C series OLED. You don’t have to buy the Gallery series to get the top-end OLED processor. You get the Alpha 11 Gen 3 in all of the C6 models, not just the ones with tandem.
So, you will get a bit of a brightness boost from the C6 this year. I don’t know how notable it’s going to be. I don’t know how meaningful it’s going to be. That’s something we’ll find out when we test these televisions. But I will say, though, the C6 series is looking like the best blend of premium performance and somewhat approachable price point, if LG keeps to its historical pricing for the C series, that I’ve seen in a long, long, long time.
Outside of that, we’re discussing all the usual features like G-Sync, FreeSync, and other goodies that come with this particular TV. There’s almost nothing it doesn’t have, except for one thing. I don’t want to end on a negative note – and it’s not really negative – but there’s no HDMI 2.2, and there is no Dolby Vision 2. I’m only aware of one TV manufacturer bragging about having Dolby Vision 2 this year. I know everyone wants the latest and greatest, and I get that, but we currently don’t have much Dolby Vision 2 content available, so missing out on it isn’t as significant yet. This year is interesting because some TVs may have Dolby Vision 2, but without content to enjoy, it’s not impactful. I think Dolby Vision 2 will be more relevant at CES 2027 than at CES 2026, but I’d love to be proven wrong. At this point, there’s absolutely no need for HDMI 2.2 since nothing has a panel that can really take advantage of that higher bandwidth – at least not yet. I like the direction things are heading, though.
LG Wallpaper OLED returns!
You may have already heard about this, but the Wallpaper OLED from LG is back. Now, if you remember from a few years back, the original Wallpaper OLED looked a little bit different than the new one. It had an integrated sound bar. It had a more pronounced chin at the bottom. It had a ribbon cable that was a little hard to hide when installing.
The all-new one is a little bit thicker, but that’s because they moved a bunch of stuff into the panel itself. It went from about 5mm to about 9mm. But, you know what? I think we can forgive that because it still looks absolutely amazing. Now, in terms of specs, how does this compare to other OLEDs in LG’s lineup? It’s very similar to the new G series. It has the Hyper Radiant panel and the A11 processor built in. So, it’s going to be driving it to very bright levels, although, of course, LG is not talking about just how many nits it’s going to be able put out. But, I can tell you that they are claiming it’s about 20% brighter than last year’s four-stack OLED.
I mentioned above that part of the reason the TV is a little thicker is that LG built some of its internals into it. Some of those internals, however, are actually the receiver for the new wireless M box. So, the big story here is that the Wallpaper is now completely wireless. We get the full wireless M box. Now, we haven’t been able to test this new, updated box, but they have been very deliberate here at the uh LG display about putting it in a little bit of a cubby to show that it does not need a perfectly clear line of sight to function. If you want to put it in a cabinet – a nearby cabinet to be fair – you’re going to be able to do that. You don’t have to have it out and exposed with a clear line of sight.
The other main update to the Wallpaper OLED is the mounting mechanism. We’re basically talking about two screws with very, very flat little mounting pads that go on the wall, and then you just push the TV up onto them. The original wallpaper OLED worked off a magnetic mat. I think this change is for the better. It’s less dicey and has a bit more rigidity, which I think will protect the panel over its lifetime, especially if you need to move it from one place to another.
Transparent OLED
You remember the transparent OLED? It’s still around, folks, and it still looks amazing. I’m still geeking out about this TV. I don’t know how many of you out there have actually bought one. If you do, though, please hit me up. Let me know. I might have to come to your house and see it in action in your space. But let’s not forget that transparent OLED is a thing. Look, transparent OLEDs have been around for a minute. The implementation, which includes a rolling back screen, is new as of 2024, but you’ve probably started seeing transparent OLED and transparent microLED in many films lately. Finally, that super cool technology is coming into our homes. Anyway, I know it’s a last year’s announcement, but it’s amazing, and we couldn’t not touch on it while we were here at the LG booth.
So that wraps up my overview of LG OLED at CES 2026. I’ll be sharing updates throughout the week as I review these TVs and discover how well they perform.