LG surprised TV buyers this week with the news that the LG B-series is making an unexpected return with the launch of the new LG B1 OLED.

In March, LG's 2021 TV lineup initially did not announce a 2021 version of the B-series OLED, instead touting the new LG A1 OLED as this year's entry-level OLED model. Other reports indicated that the LG B1 OLED would only be available in the UK and European markets, with no announced plans to bring the B1 OLED to North America.

Still, however, the company did not fully commit to replacing the B series, commenting that a successor to the LG BX OLED could be introduced this year. [LG currently lists three sizes of the LG B1 OLED on the LG website. [It comes in 55-inch, 65-inch, and 77-inch sizes, with the affordable OLED starting at $1,399 and the largest model at $3,099. This is roughly the same price as the A1 series that will replace the B series, with the 55-inch A1 OLED currently selling for $1,299 and the 65-inch for $1,599.

However, the LG B1 OLED is not listed on the websites of major retailers like Best Buy or Amazon. Instead, LG lists the B1 OLED as an online-only model available only on LG.com. Time will tell if this will remain the case for the rest of the year, but for now, this is the only place to purchase this new budget OLED. [The B1 OLED falls between the entry-level A1 OLED and the more premium C1 OLED, making it a great option for TV buyers. The price is reasonable, if not the lowest on the market, and the feature set is superior to the LG A1 OLED. (The LG A1 OLED TV looks cheap, but is it a bargain? Learn more about the A1 here.)

Needless to say, OLED displays offer all the superior picture quality that OLEDs are known for, including pixel-by-pixel illumination, true black levels, razor sharp resolution and contrast [9 So far, the only thing better than the OLED display used here would be the OLED evo technology used in the LG G1 OLED. [It may not be as good as the chips found in top-of-the-line models like the LG C1 OLED or the excellent LG G1 OLED, but it's still a great display with adaptive HDR Dolby Vision IQ, AI Picture & Sound that optimizes the audio and display for the viewing environment and the content being displayed, built-in premium features like Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa.

Even better, all 2021 OLED models boast HMDI 2.1 connectivity (the B1 OLED offers this on two of its four HMDI ports) and support 4K video at 120 Hz, ideal for gaming. It also supports the latest gaming features such as automatic low-latency mode (ALLM) and support for HGiG (advanced HDR tone mapping) from the HDR Gaming Interest Group consortium of console and TV manufacturers.

LG has also added its own Game Optimizer. This feature menu allows users to adjust blue light emissions, turn VRR (variable refresh rate) and AMD FreeSync on or off, toggle LG's AI Game Sound, as well as adjust specific image and audio settings specific to gaming mode.