If you’re looking for Black Friday TV deals on the LG C2 OLED but aren’t sure whether to buy one, you’ve come to the right place. We put the TV to the test a few weeks ago, scored a perfect score, and gave it an Editors’ Choice award, essentially the highest award that can be given to a TV in 2022.
The LG C2 OLED takes the top spot in the best TVs of 2022 and the best OLED posters. However, despite being exceptional and probably the TV most people should try to buy this year, it’s not 100% perfect.
So, what are its flaws, and should you forgive them and buy them anyway? We’ll break it all down below. Here are five reasons to buy the LG C2 OLED and two potential reasons to skip it.
Reasons to buy LG C2 OLED
Best OLED for price performance
The LG C2 OLED is the middle child of LG’s OLED TV lineup, so there are cheaper OLED TVs and better performing OLED TVs. However, the LG C2 OLED gives us the perfect price-performance ratio.
We certainly felt it before the Black Friday deals started. Are TVs now cheaper than before? This price-performance ratio is better than ever.
What LG manages to pack into this TV for the price is a 120Hz OLED Evo panel, the latest processor, HDMI 2.1 ports, and tons of gaming-friendly features like WebOS that help it feel like a cutting-edge OLED. wasting time on unnecessary functions.
It uses the latest processor for better zoom and motion control
At the heart of the LG C2 OLED is the new Alpha a9 Gen.5 processor, designed from the ground up for the best performance in sub-4K content and enhanced motion interpolation. Although you still have to tweak the settings to get everything in perfectly, the processor can do a lot of the heavy lifting for you.
The issues we notice on other TVs, such as color cast and motion, are almost non-existent on the LG C2 OLED. Of course, you can see grain from time to time, but LG has been working on its scaling algorithm for years and has made some progress.
There is a lot to do in this area (hints and tips) but we recommend the LG C2 OLED over the LG A2 or B2 OLED because the C2 is the most affordable TV in the OLED series with the Alpha a9 Gen 5 processor.
Its color reproduction and contrast are top notch
OLED TVs are only as good as their OLED panels, and LG’s C2 OLED uses the best of the best, LG OLED Evo. Introduced last year in the LG G1 OLED, the panel offers higher brightness than previous OLED panels, which in turn helps with better contrast and color reproduction.
For OLED TVs, the OLED Evo panel is the best that money can buy right now. Samsung and Sony may beat this soon with new QD-OLED panels that use blue OLED backlight panels and quantum dot filters, but QD-OLED black levels aren’t great at the moment. Here’s what we see on the LG C2 OLED.
WebOS is one of the best smart platforms out there
Like other LG TVs, the C2 OLED uses the latest version of WebOS, WebOS 22. A big change this year is the ability to create multiple viewing profiles on the TV, which will have different recommendations and different arrangements for streaming services.
In addition to the new features, WebOS offers access to both Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, screen casting functionality, and support for AirPlay 2. It has access to all major streaming platforms, and the interface can be easily customized with new aesthetics. Use the UI.
The competition for the best smart TV platform is fierce, but LG’s WebOS is still top dog in our book.
The LG C2 has an HDMI 2.1 port that supports [email protected]
HDMI 2.1 is the next most important TV connection standard that allows devices to transmit audio and visual data. If you connect two HDMI 2.1 devices such as LG C2 OLED and Xbox Series X or PS5, you will be able to get the best possible data transfer rate for gaming at [email protected]. For gamers who are interested in getting the highest frame rates possible, this is a huge deal.
Not only does the TV have multiple HDMI 2.1 ports, one of them is eARC, which lets you output Dolby Atmos sound to a soundbar or AV receiver. Players don’t have to choose between the best audio or the best visual fidelity. With the LG C2 OLED, you can get both.
Reasons to skip the LG C2 OLED
There is no ATSC 3.0 tuner inside
It was discussed in the review … and again in our emails after the review was published: the LG C2 OLED does not have an ATSC 3.0 tuner. This means that when broadcasters in your area start broadcasting 4K signals over the air, this TV won’t be able to receive them. (Some broadcasters have already started implementing part of the ATSC 3.0 standard, so check the ATSC website. (opens in new tab) (to find out if your state is included.)
The lack of a built-in tuner is a bummer, but that could be solved by opting for an external ATSC 3.0 tuner, or maybe forgoing 4K content until more broadcasters get on board over the next few years. Admittedly, neither is a good choice. We wish LG had included an ATSC 3.0 tuner in the C2; That way it would be completely future proof.
If you have an existing LG OLED TV, you should skip the LG C2 OLED and upgrade to the LG G2 OLED or wait for a future C-series model.
LG C3 OLED is expected to be announced in January
Another reason why you might not want to invest in the LG C2 OLED right this second is us likely The announcement of the LG C3 OLED phone at CES 2023 is just two months away. We don’t have any specifics on when the C3 will arrive, but we’ve been seeing new LG OLEDs every year. For the past six or seven years, we’ve been more likely to see a new model in January.
But what that new model will update is anyone’s guess. Perhaps a new processor will appear inside the C3 OLED, which we hope will improve the capabilities of the TV. We can also see an ATSC 3.0 tuner, which was absent from this year’s model.
Regardless of what we learned about the LG C2 OLED successor in January, the TV won’t be available for purchase until March or April next year.
If you can hold out for a few more months, I recommend waiting at least until January to avoid buyer’s remorse. But if you’re in the market for an OLED this year, the LG C2 is an exceptional choice that you’ll be happy with.