Let the panel games begin

November 2025

What Hi-Fi UK

As the rival OLED TV-panel makers battle for prominence, we have pitted four of the leading screens against each other

This is a massive year for OLED TV technology. After just two years in the sun, LG's MLA (Micro Lens Array) panel tech has been consigned to the great electronics dustbin in the sky, with Primary RGB Tandem (snappy name, guys) taking its place as the pinnacle W-OLED panel tech- and boasting a brightness increase of a third.

Because lots of TV manufacturers source their OLED panels from LG (or from LG Display, which is distinct from LG's TV-manufacturing division, LG Electronics), the new Primary RGB Tandem tech is now found in a handful of TVs from different brands. And we have included the two most popular and prominent examples in this test - the LG G5 and Panasonic Z95B (the Philips OLED910 unfortunately wasn't available in time).

Just because these two TVs share a panel doesn't mean they will perform the same. The panel is just one - admittedly very important - ingredient in the recipe that makes up a TV. Each TV's unique picture processing is just as critical.

There are also, of course, feature differences to consider as well, from the operating system to the number of gaming-friendly HDMI 2.1 sockets. The builtin sound systems differ wildly as well, although that won't matter if you have (or are planning to add) a soundbar or home cinema amplifier and speaker package - as we recommend.

But we have still introduced only half of the TVs in this flagship-OLED battle royale, which also features two QD-OLED models, the Samsung S95F and Sony Bravia 8 II.

QD-OLED has recently had some big upgrades. According to Samsung Display (Samsung's equivalent to LG Display), which produces all of the QD-OLED panels used in TVs, the 2025 version of QD-OLED has the potential to go about a third brighter than the previous version. That's a bit of a coincidence, don't you think?

Again, while the underlying panel tech might be the same, in most ways, the Samsung S95F and Sony Bravia 8 II couldn't be more different.