With both the LG B4 and Philips OLED759 on offer, you’re spoilt for choice when it comes to OLED Black Friday bargains
The two cheapest 55in OLED TVs on the market have both received Black Friday discounts but which one should you buy?
OLED TVs were once priced out of reach of your average consumer but, as the industry has matured, we’ve started seeing more options catering to a cost-conscious audience.
Thanks to the magic of Black Friday, two appealing 55in models from competing manufacturers are both now available for just £899.
The models in question are the Philips OLED759 and the LG B4. The former received a glowing review from TV expert John Archer earlier this month, with the doyen of home entertainment technology describing it as “a consummate entry-level OLED”.
We’ve not tested the LG B4 but its step-up stablemates, the LG C4 and LG G4, were bestowed with Recommended and Best Buy badges, respectively, and the B4 carries many of the same features.
With both the 55in OLED759 and LG B4 available for best-ever prices this Black Friday, I wanted to lay out the key reasons to buy one over the other if you’re considering picking up an affordable OLED during the year’s biggest sales event.
Buy the Philips OLED759 if…
You want a unique viewing experience
The unique selling point of the OLED759 is its use of Philips’ Ambilight technology. This uses LEDs built into three sides of the television’s panel to illuminate the wall behind it. Purists might find the light show distracting but we love it; if used responsibly, it can add immersion to your viewing experience and help improve perceived contrast. You won’t find Ambilight on any TVs outside of the Philips range so if you like the look of it, the OLED759 is the way to go.
You want support for every HDR format
The OLED759 supports HLG, HDR10, HDR10+ Adaptive and Dolby Vision, completing a full house of high dynamic range formats. This means you’re guaranteed the best version of any content you’re watching. The LG B4’s HDR support omits HDR10+ Adaptive, so the Philips model has the edge here, though this is far from a dealbreaker.
Buy the LG B4 if…
You want a more comprehensive and established smart TV operating system
The LG B4 uses LG’s webOS operating system, which is widely considered to be the best in the business. It’s well laid out, easy to navigate and supports just about every streaming platform you could ask for. The Philips OLED759, meanwhile, uses Titan OS, which is a newcomer to the scene. It’s pretty robust but did crash a couple of times while we were testing the OLED759 and isn’t in the same league as webOS where content recommendations are concerned. It also lacks Apple TV+, which is a big miss.
You’re a gaming fanatic
Both the Philips OLED759 and LG B4 have native refresh rates of 120Hz and support 2.1 features across all four of their HDMI ports. AMD FreeSync, Nvidia G-Sync, VRR and ALLM are available on both, making them brilliant choices for gamers. But we think that LG’s Game Optimizer is slightly superior to the equivalent mode on the OLED759. We don’t have input lag data for the B4 so can’t compare it directly to the OLED759’s 13ms but judging by what I’ve seen elsewhere online, the B4 has a slight edge here, too.
Regardless of which option you pick, you’re getting an engrossing viewing experience at a superb price. Thanks to their self-emitting pixels, OLED TVs deliver exceptional contrast and very wide viewing angles, making them a great choice for family rooms. They don’t get as bright as their premium LED counterparts but they’re sleeker and more slender, which is an important consideration if you’re thinking about the aesthetics of your room.
At £899, you’re saving yourself £100 on both sets, which might not be as much as the discounts we’re seeing on more expensive models but is by no means chump change.
For a comprehensive list of the offers available on a wide range of televisions this Black Friday, head on over to my Black Friday TV deals live blog. There’s something there for everyone, whether you’re after a 32in FHD TV for your kitchen or an 85in monster to wow your friends on movie night.
If you’re shopping around for deals more generally, our Black Friday hub is tracking unbeatable discounts on a huge range of products, including smartphones, headphones, mattresses and air fryers.
