I thought I loved LG’s new OLED TV Magic Remote, but it has changed too much to my taste
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When the LG G5 OLED TV was announced on CES 2025, you would have had trouble removing the Cheshire Cat Grin from my face. The G5’s introduction of a new panel typeWho promised an enormously improved image quality, had me further than dizzy with excitement. And ours LG G5 Review Supports this, take over from where the previous two generations of LG’s flagship OLED TV – the G3 and G4 – have gone. I used them both and believed that they are one of the Best TVs I have seen it personally.
In addition to its new TV, LG also unveiled a completely redesigned magical remote control – the first revision in the best part of a decade. Between the two I thought LG was on track to deliver the ultimate housing experience.
After having lived with the G5 for a few weeks, I came to the conclusion that the screen is really not of this world. But the remote control? It does not meet my expectations.
My colleague Al Griffin, which was also established in the US, who also wrote our TV review, recently participated from him Love for the new design of the magical remote controlBut I am the opposite opinion. It is not because of the physical redesign (although I do have thoughts about it), but because of the decision to remove certain buttons that I found really useful, and then replaces them by those who go untouched forever … at least in my household.
Controversial design is dead, Long Live Controversial Design
I know that the previous remote control is subject to a good part of the controversy, in particular because of the ability to act as a pointer to quickly move the screen to click on apps and channels.
I have rarely used this function because I have demonstrated the counter -intuitively. It is intended to make navigation and selections quickly and easily, but in my experience the opposite is true. Instead, I have the natural desire of the remote control to act as a pointer, to replace it and use the directional buttons to move around the Webos interface.
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It is not exactly surprising that the pointerstand has been held with the new magical remote control, and I still use the directional buttons to ignore it. However, what has changed somewhat with the new design is the central select button – which retains its scroll welfare functionality – feels less reassuring for me when I make a selection. I just don’t get the same feedback as with the previous remote control.
The general physical design has also changed. Beyond the elongated, rounded wand has now been replaced by a more rectangular affair. I agree that the new look is more modern and, to a certain extent, more premium -looking, but I find it less ergonomic than before. There is no more special recess for fingers to rest naturally. It is certainly a small problem, but I think it makes a difference in use, especially if I choose to use the Pointer option to move around the screen.
Knot
Apart from new form, the biggest change in the updated LG Magic Remote is a new button layout. A few of the buttons are not only in new positions, but some useful from the previous remote control have been replaced by some I have found completely unnecessary so far.
Like so many other companies in recent years, LG has grown up on AI with its 2025 TVs. Chief among the new functions is being able to call for LGs AI Chatbot To help you with every question you have. These may include that you tell that you find the photo too dark, which results in the chatbot that yields a number of photo -clearance options for you to choose from.
I can understand that this can be a useful function for some users, but so far I have found the pre -set photo modes of LG – the mode filmmaker usually – perfectly found – perfect and without the need for further adjustment.
Or at least, that is the intention to express a prompt like this. It worked during an LG demonstration that I witnessed before the official launch of the G5 and it worked when I received it for the first time at home. But when I made images for this article, I asked the chatbot with the same line and every time it led me to the built -in media player of the TV. I still have to determine why.
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I also tried to ask: “What’s new on Netflix?” And although it opened the Netflix app, it was looking for ‘new’ who has just returned the results with new ones in the title, instead of recently added content.
Because the AI integrated, I wanted to see if the chatbot of LG could respond to prompts that were not on TV. I asked the simple question “What is 2 + 2?” And it actually collected a web browser page with the correct answer. But when I asked, “Which country has the most time zones, including the overseas areas?” It resulted in the results of the LG Gallery+ Wallpaper Library, along with a link to ask Microsoft Second pilot.
In general, my experiences with LG’s Ai Chatbot are less than satisfying, making it a superfluous function in my household and, by extension, also the button.
LG also wants it clear that owners use his shiny new TV as a hub for connected smart devices in the house. As such, there is now a special button to open the Dunq screen of the company.
I have a few smart lights in my house, but I control them all through the Apple Home -app on my iPhone. It is a fast and seamless process, a process that I can never see myself changing. Although I had forgotten that the LG G5 could be used as a home hub, the process of controlling my lights via the TV requires more steps than to use my phone.
There you go, another button that is rarely used. And I mean ‘rarely’ because the only time I have visited the home hub via the remote control is to change inputs because LG has decided to delete the input Select Control.
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Uh-huh, another useful button disappeared. How much of an obstacle this will be for owners will depend on how many (if none) external devices are connected and how they are connected.
I currently have one Sony UBP-X700 Blu-ray player and a Nvidia Shield Pro connected to my TV and both have enabled HDMI CEC, which means that when one of them is switched on, the input changes automatically.
However, I have been in situations in which I wanted to compare the photo or sound quality between the Blu-ray player and the Nvidia, for example, and this is useful when an input select button would be useful. Now I have to press the Home Hub button and then move the cursor to the input that I want to select. I really miss the fast access entry menu that appeared along the bottom of the screen on earlier LG OLED TVs.
What is also missing is a special stupid button. Whether it is loud advertisements or I want to quickly cut the volume to hear my partner ask me a question, having a stupid button on the previous remote control was invaluable.
When I first started dampening the volume of my G5 using the new remote control, I thought it worked in the same way as Samsung Remote controls, in the fact that the volume button presses in, would do this. How wrong I was. If you want to dampen now, you have to hold down the volume button for a few seconds. Again, a small change, but one that I don’t fully understand. Just give me the stupid button back!
A missed opportunity
There is one function inherited from the old remote control that surprised me a bit. LG has continued to use AAA batteries for the new magical remote control instead of giving it a rechargeable battery design.
I could have the decision shifted to use batteries in earlier remote controls, but it is 2025! Did we not have any further? Samsung, for example, makes charging solar energy possible and, just like the Apple TV 4k Remote has a USB-C port to charge. This is cheaper for the environment and it is also much more convenient for users.
Not the star of the show
Of course you may think that my thoughts are above all measure geeky. In reality, they are small things that, in general, do not necessarily detract from the main event, the LG G5 itself. As I said before, I’ve been using it for a while and, if you ask me, I think it’s phenomenal.
I just wish the extensive user experience was used to as Phenomenal as the images on the screen.
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