LG C2 OLED TV overview: likelihood is you’ll well’t plug unsafe

LG’s C2 OLED is a in fact spectacular 4K TV that affords impeccable listing quality and supreme-in-class gaming performance. Even supposing the larger-tier and more costly G2 is LG’s flagship and affords a brighter exhibit, the C2 is more uncomplicated for your pockets and detached delivers a viewing abilities that could wow anybody sitting on your entrance room. 

I reviewed , which costs $2,499 however is robotically on sale for plenty much less. On sage of those frequent reductions, the C-sequence has established itself as the sweet space of LG’s lineup, and this selection-packed TV showcases all the pieces the firm has learned after years of manufacturing OLED sets. Chances are you’ll well rely on an piquant listing with unmatched blacks, placing disagreement, and a comfy level of depth. There’s been a trend of buzz this year about the advent of QD-OLED TVs, and while they develop provide some noticeable listing advantages, the predominant sets from Samsung and Sony are pricier than the C2 — and neither can match LG’s comprehensive gaming chops.

Nonetheless one in all the predominant enhancements that LG has made to the C2 will be glaring lengthy earlier than you energy it on. The most principal aspect about this TV’s accept as true with is ravishing how remarkably light it’s miles. By switching to composite fiber affords, LG has diminished the heft in a gigantic means. The sixty five-toddle mannequin I’ve been testing weighs forty.eight pounds with the stand or 36.6 pounds with out. Stack that up against closing year’s version, which came in at seventy one.9 pounds with the stand linked or 52.9 pounds with out, and the variation is shapely. You’ll detached desire a serving to hand when unboxing and constructing one in all the larger-sized C2s, however that’s in fact simplest as a result of the conceal conceal’s width; the weight is entirely manageable now. The pedestal stand is furthermore now lighter, narrower, and appreciably taller; my Sonos soundbar partially obstructed the conceal conceal with my dilapidated CX, however that’s no longer an bid this implies that stand’s extra clearance. 

A TV’s weight is the get of aspect likelihood is you’ll well by no means mediate about again after placing it on a media stand or mounting it, however the diminished heft ought to invent for much less stress for your wall within the latter bid. Above all else, it’s ravishing spectacular engineering and a welcome swap after years of weighty OLEDs that furthermore happened to be very fragile. That mixture on the whole proved tense, however the C2 felt far more uncomplicated to unbox and maneuver by comparability. It’s far available in sizes starting from Forty two inches ($1,399) the whole means as a lot as a huge Eighty three-toddle mannequin ($5,499). Again, all of them are regularly on sale for enormously much less. No matter how gigantic or diminutive you plug, the TVs fragment the identical capabilities, and all savor four HDMI ports.

In other places, the C2 takes after its aloof predecessors in general accept as true with, however there are detached noticeable upgrades. LG has managed to shave down the bezels to the point that they’re virtually imperceptible when the TV is powered on, conserving you entirely immersed in no matter’s on the conceal conceal — be that a film, sport, or those shapely Apple TV screensavers that could on the whole desire my attention for minutes at a time. The sleek glass panel is also inclined to distracting reflections reckoning on the time of day or the get the TV is positioned in a room; I uncared for the anti-glare coating of the TCL 6-Series and different TVs once in a while. Nonetheless when the viewing prerequisites are positive, LG’s chosen affords simplest beef up the richness and punch of the TV’s listing. 

As for the HDMI ports, all four are succesful of 120Hz 4K gaming and your whole array of HDMI 2.1 capabilities. It’s wonderful no longer having to be so precious about which machine gets plugged into what port. Obviously, you’ll desire to invent particular that your soundbar is working through the eARC HDMI port, however the reduction provide accurate flexibility. LG has been doing this for years, and while some TV makers are sooner or later catching up and going fleshy-bandwidth on every HDMI port, others care for Hisense and TCL detached restrict one of the primary crucial supreme capabilities (care for 120Hz) to 2 ports as an alternative of your whole lot.

Change on the C2 using LG’s Magic Motion faraway — certain, likelihood is you’ll well detached consume it care for a Wii wand controller with motion controls when you happen to desire to savor — and you’re greeted by the most up-to-date version of webOS. The firm’s TV instrument switched to a fleshy “homescreen” abilities a couple years ago that’s more the same to Samsung’s Tizen and Vizio’s Smartcast OS. I most well liked the much less busy decrease-zero.33 “blades” interface of older LGs, however I’m succesful of’t fault the firm for getting with the times. Navigating around webOS on the C2 is gentle and responsive, whether or no longer you’re browsing apps on the homescreen, using capabilities care for AirPlay 2, or toggling on aesthetic lights through the Residence Dashboard.

Sadly, webOS has grown very busy, bloated, and random in its contemporary convey. Are there a trend of capabilities? Sure. The C2 supports Amazon Alexa, Google Assistant, and LG’s own impart assistant, as ravishing one instance. AirPlay 2 and HomeKit are furthermore in there. Nonetheless LG is attempting to develop too a lot, and all of it feels messy. The tip of the homescreen has viewed some iteration and experimentation over the last few months, none of which has resulted in a lot development. On the origin, it modified into once a hodgepodge of climate, solutions for using the TV’s capabilities, and ads.

Now there’s ravishing a huge “webOS” designate within the tip banner taking on a ton of room. Below which shall be trending recommendations mixed with blatant ads. Next is the App Checklist — the fraction you’ll possible consume most on the whole — after which the Residence Dashboard, which combines HDMI inputs and aesthetic home machine controls within the identical row. After that, it’s row after row of forgettable cruft, and the general abilities feels thrown collectively and convoluted. Why is a full row on the homescreen dedicated to the built-in web browser that I’ll by no means delivery? If I don’t savor any curiosity in LG’s sports alert carousel, there’s no means to cowl or make a selection it; the supreme I’m succesful of develop is switch it further down the conceal conceal. Even within the Apps Checklist row, which is customizable, a trend of LG’s apps can’t be removed. After which there are repetitive rows of suggested affirm material, some of them simplest that comprises three or four items. There’s runt rhyme or cause, and I’d care for to mediate about LG rein some of this in and give webOS bigger point of curiosity and cause in its next lineup of TVs. Nonetheless I’m no longer optimistic.

Fortunately, the TV’s proper settings menus remain the same to past years and are straightforward ample to gain what you’re buying for. By default, LG enables vitality-saving capabilities that could gloomy the conceal conceal and withhold the C2 from attempting its supreme doable, so you’ll desire to flip those off as you explore the several listing modes and different settings. And if the haphazard structure or ads of webOS’ homescreen get for your nerves, likelihood is you’ll well continuously hook up a streaming participant from Apple, Roku, Amazon, or Google and largely ignore the TV’s instrument beyond the most main menus.

Nonetheless let me listing you: you’ll straight away neglect any quibbles with the C2’s homescreen or default settings when you launch staring at a film or TV. Merely put, here is the supreme listing quality likelihood is you’ll well get for the worth. With HDR peaking at quite over 800 nits, the C2 is perceptibly brighter than closing year’s C1 (and with out a doubt the CX I owned previously), even when it’s no match for Mini LED TVs care for the TCL 6-Series and contemporary Hisense sets care for the blindingly vivid U8H. In case your entrance room catches a ton of daylight, it could well invent sense to head with those choices — or one in all the QD-OLEDs I talked about earlier, since their improved coloration brightness can invent your whole listing seem more shapely. LG’s flagship G2 furthermore u.s.the whole brightness beyond what the C2 is succesful of with the merit of an built-in heatsink.

So it’s no longer going to snatch out in every bid, however the C2 by no means left me attempting for more. It makes correct on the comfy disagreement and inky blacks that OLEDs savor lengthy been known for. Colours are shiny with out going overboard, and HDR highlights pop with strengthen for Dolby Vision IQ, HDR10, and HGiG. Looking out at High Gun: Maverick on this aspect is a different abilities. 

Nonetheless there’s more to it than that. I’ve been in fact impressed by how a lot depth and dimensionality the C2’s listing affords. I mediate this comes correct down to the means LG’s Alpha 9 Gen 5 chip separates the foreground self-discipline from the background and optimizes the image processing of both. Within the past, I’ve brushed off this get of aspect as a marketing gimmick, however I’m equipped on it here. It’s no longer 3D by any stretch; the assemble is refined however adds ravishing that runt bit extra to the C2’s video fidelity. The immediate response time of OLED panels can fabricate judder when staring at movies and different 24fps affirm material. Have to you’re comfy to that more or much less aspect, LG’s Cinematic Motion toggle does a correct job of smoothing things out with out leaning too onerous into the cleaning soap opera assemble.

I don’t know many of us that splurge on an OLED TV simplest to rely on its built-in audio system, however when you happen to gain your self with out a soundbar or surround machine for a while, the C2’s audio output is better than tolerable. The firm uses some AI tricks to withhold correct steadiness at real looking quantity stages, however don’t put an bid to a lot within the strategy of bass. These audio system are beautiful as a stopgap, however you’ll desire to pair the C2 with a a lot bigger sound machine to bring its audio abilities as a lot as par with its visual one. 

Have to you leap over to a gaming console, LG robotically acknowledges the hardware. Pressing the settings button on the faraway brings up a gaming dashboard that shows the contemporary physique fee, helps you to dial in granular dark level modifications, or snatch from listing presets per the trend of the sport you’re taking part in. The C2 reveals splendidly low enter plug all the draw through all of its HDMI ports, and LG stands by myself in supporting Dolby Vision gaming as successfully as to every incarnation of VRR likelihood is you’ll well desire, at the side of AMD FreeSync Top class, Nvidia G-Sync, and the starting up identical old version. This TV is an awesome match for the PS5 and Xbox Series X and could well get essentially the most from this technology of consoles. Again, different TVs can plug brighter, however the gaming abilities isn’t continuously as fixed. Samsung has had some firmware increasing grief with its S95B QD-OLED this year which savor once in a while negatively affected brightness and gaming / VRR performance.

LG’s C2 is an efficient attempting TV, and as we enter the shuttle season, it’s already being discounted into very tempting territory at many retailers. Nonetheless likelihood is you’ll well furthermore detached gain gigantic financial savings on closing year’s C1, and there’s no longer a ton conserving aside the 2. The C2 gets quite brighter and affords smoother day-to-day performance, however a trend of its supreme attributes is also exhibit in closing year’s mannequin. LG is coping with spectacular opponents from Samsung and Sony within the OLED TV home, however it’s detached the heavyweight in this market with years of abilities. The C2 is all of that distilled into an shapely, versatile, and shockingly light rectangle. Chances are you’ll well get an awfully correct TV for a full bunch much less, however few are as uncompromising. 

Pictures by Chris Welch / The Verge