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What is the LG OLED C2
The LG C2 is a premium OLED TV that replaces its popular predecessor, the LG C1. Built on self-emitting pixel technology, it exhibits an almost infinite degree of contrast with perfect blacks, providing an exceptionally spectacular picture. The LG C2 is equipped with a rich set of features, including gaming, and runs on the well-established smart webOS platform. As part of this model, for the first time in the history of OLED comes a small modification of 42 inches (106 cm).
The C series is traditionally the most popular in the LG OLED lineup. Above the C2 in the hierarchy of the Korean manufacturer is the flagship G2, and below – the more affordable B2 model.
Arguments for:
+ infinite degree of contrast with perfect black
+ Excellent anti-glare properties of the screen
+ wide viewing angle
+ high peak brightness in HDR format
+ powerful gaming performance
Arguments “against”:
– Aggressive ABL function in scenes with extensive highlights
– Minor reservations about screen uniformity
The LG OLED C2 is a great TV for a variety of uses. It provides exceptional visuals for watching movies in darkened environments. At the same time, the C2 is one of the brightest OLED TVs available, making it a great choice for use in a bright living room, especially since it offers a wide viewing angle. The gaming capabilities of the new product are also impressive, including ultra-low incoming signal latency.
Image and sound processing in LG OLED C2 is responsible for the top-of-the-line Alpha 9 processor of the fifth generation
Movies
The LG C2 is a terrific TV for movie nights. Its OLED screen with infinite contrast conveys deep black tones when viewed in darkened environments, yet the picture is devoid of annoying phenomena such as light leakage and haloing around bright objects. The TV automatically eliminates frame shake effects when playing back from any source and is able to rediscover your old DVD movies in converted 4K resolution. Unfortunately, because of the instantaneous response, some scenes show picture freezes.
TV Programs
The LG C2 is a great TV for watching TV programs during daylight hours. It is bright enough to withstand ambient light and does a great job with glare. The C2 offers a wide viewing angle, so you’ll still see a quality picture while doing household chores and looking at the screen from the side. And if you have a collection of old TV shows, this TV will convert them for you in impressive 4K resolution. And finally, with the clever webOS platform, there will be no such problem as “nothing to watch” for you.
Sports Software
Sports fans will appreciate the LG C2, because this TV has advantages such as a wide viewing angle, anti-glare screen and instant response, which provides quality transmission of dynamic scenes. Unfortunately, we paid attention to some heterogeneity of the image, which is expressed by the fact that on one side of the screen a faint purple tint appears. In addition, the overly aggressive ABL (automatic brightness limitation) function causes brightness jumps in some scenes.
Video Games
The LG C2 is a terrific TV for video games. Thanks to its instant response, it delivers quality dynamic scenes, with almost no sign of blur behind fast-moving objects. Plus, the C2 supports all three versions of VRR and is fully compatible with the latest PS5 and Xbox Series X consoles. The ultra-low latency incoming signal on this TV ensures fast screen response to player commands and all four of its four HDMI 2.1 ports have maximum bandwidth for connecting multiple gaming devices at once.
HDR Movies
Watching HDR movies on the LG C2 screen in a darkened environment will give you a pleasurable viewing experience thanks to its endless contrast and ability to deliver perfect blacks, with bright flashes in the background looking extremely spectacular. The picture of this TV is devoid of such undesirable phenomena as light leaks and halo effect. Note also the good peak brightness and support for a wide color gamut. But unfortunately, the amount of color in the C2 is not at the highest level, resulting in other colors on the TV screen not being as saturated as pure white.
HDR gaming
The LG C2 is the ultimate HDR video game TV. Its powerful gaming performance is complemented by a spectacular picture with infinite contrast and high peak brightness. And it doesn’t suffer from light leakage and halo effects that are prevalent on other televisions. Finally, it is fully compatible with next generation game consoles and broadcasts high-quality 4K/120Hz HDR, and with four high-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 ports, multiple devices can be simultaneously connected.
Using as a PC monitor
You won’t make a mistake if you decide to use the C2 as a PC monitor, because the TV has such advantages as a wide viewing angle, ultra-low latency of the incoming signal and instantaneous response. However, there is also a note – the image on one side of the screen has a faint purple tint, distracting when working with a light interface.
Style
The design of the LG C2 is done in a minimalist style using high quality materials. The thin bezel around the screen is almost invisible when viewed from a normal distance. And the silver color of the bezel and the stand are designed to easily blend in with any interior.
The C2 screen is quite low, about 5 cm. As a result, placing a soundbar in front of it can cause interference with viewing. For a sleek look, the center stand is made small, so the case wobbles when exposed to the outside.
The rear view of the C2 leaves no doubt that you’re looking at an expensive premium TV. So, the thin panel on the back of the screen is covered with durable metal with a nice textured surface. Attached to it is a compact compartment with the electronic stuffing, which takes into account the depth of the body of C2 is 4.4 cm.
Build quality
The build quality of the TV is excellent. Its production uses high quality materials and the body is made solid and without gaps, although the back panel does sag slightly under pressure. For the sake of design, the stand is made in a miniature style, resulting in the TV rocking even with light impact.
Picture quality
OLED TVs have no backlighting whose role is performed by self-emitting pixels. Each is individually controlled, allowing you to achieve an almost infinite degree of contrast. Especially impressive view of such a screen provides in a darkened environment.
SDR peak brightness
Real image peak brightness of 422 cd/m2
The C2 shows good peak brightness in the standard dynamic range, allowing you to use the TV even in a bright room. But, unfortunately, the overly aggressive ABL function pours a spoonful of tar. When you watch ordinary content, its work is not very noticeable, but when you see scenes with extensive light areas, such as a hockey field, it significantly darkens the entire frame.
The OLED Evo panel in the C2 has a higher brightness compared to standard OLED panels
HDR peak brightness
Real image peak brightness of 842 cd/m2
The peak brightness in HDR is also good, although its value is below the level of the LG G2 flagship. As in the previous paragraph, we note here again the specifics of the ABL function.
The EOTF curve shows that most content is displayed with correct brightness.
Gray Uniformity
Grayscale uniformity is excellent with only a slight muddy screen effect in the center of the pattern, making the C2 a great choice for watching sports programs or for use as a PC monitor.
We did, however, have additional comments. First, we caught some colored vertical stripes on the pattern, second, a purple tint peeks out along both of its edges, and finally, barely noticeable vertical stripes are also present in very dark scenes. All of them are the side effects of OLED panel technology.
On the plus side, we can mention the absence of such phenomena as the lattice pattern and the louver effect, which were noted in previous models.
Uniformity of black
OLED screens are able to turn off every pixel, creating a perfect black uniformity. No light leakage or halo effects around bright objects.
Viewing Angle
If you have a wide living room or like to gather in front of a screen with friends and family, the C2 with its amazingly wide viewing angle is the perfect solution for you.
Glare
The C2 does a great job with glare. The glossy coating of the TV screen does a great job of diffusing the light that falls on it, leaving just a small spot of purple in the spot of reflection.
Color gamut.
Another fat plus in favor of the C2 is the excellent color gamut. The DCI-P3 standard, used to create HDR content, is covered almost entirely by the TV screen. On the higher standard Rec.2020 the C2 also shows good results, although it has difficulties with the green and blue. Unfortunately, tonal compression, especially when displaying saturated green tones, is not the strongest point of this TV, and the most demanding buyers may not be thrilled with the accuracy of its color rendering in HDR format.
Left: DCI-P3 xy coverage – 99.23%, DCI-P3 uv – 99.75%
Right: REC 2020 xy coverage – 73.35%, REC 2020 uv – 77.99%
Color Volume
Color volume is another relative weakness of the C2. Although the TV has increased peak brightness, the other colors are not as intense as pure white. However, the saturation of the dark tones on the C2 screen is excellent.
Gradient
The LG C2 shows an excellent gradient. Some fluctuations are still noticeable, especially in dark reds and blues. You can smooth out rough transitions with the Smooth Gradient feature, but this can lead to a loss of detail, so we don’t recommend its continued use.
Risk of screen burn-in
The LG C2, like all OLED TVs, may be at risk of screen burn-in. However, you won’t face this problem if you watch a variety of content. Plus, the TV has protective features including Pixel Recovery, Screen Shift, and Static Brightness.
The LG C2 is based on the latest OLED.EX panel, which is more resistant to burn-in, LG claims.
Response time.
The LG C2 offers an instant response time of 2.4 ms, which translates into minimal blur behind fast-moving objects. However, OLED technology works on a sample and hold basis, which results in some noticeable afterglow.
Screen flicker
The LG C2 screen is not completely devoid of such a phenomenon as flicker, as it periodically exhibits a brightness drop that coincides in cycle with its refresh rate. However, its intensity is nothing compared to the pulse width modulation in backlit LED TVs.
Black frame insertion
The LG C2 has a black frame insert feature that visually reduces the blur caused by momentary screen response. This year, its 120 Hz mode, which was present in the 2021 OLED models, has been removed, so it now operates only at 60 Hz.
Frame interpolation.
Frame interpolation allows you to improve the quality of dynamic scenes, but leads to a soap opera effect, which is not to everyone’s liking.
With all its maximum settings it does its job well, but in intense scenes there are noticeable artifacts and loss of detail.
Unlike most other TVs, the C2 doesn’t stop interpolating even in the most difficult scenes, resulting in even more artifacts. Overall, however, we give this feature a “good” rating because it maintains a constant frame rate.
Image Hover
The image hover that occurs when viewing low-frequency content is the price you pay for instantaneous response. It is especially noticeable in slow panoramas. This phenomenon can be countered with the black box insertion and frame interpolation features mentioned above, but they are not perfect.
The effect of frame jitter in 24 frames per second video
This TV is capable of eliminating frame jitter when playing 24p movies or TV shows, even when the source is 60Hz cable set-top boxes. However, unlike previous LG TVs, in most cases you have to turn on Real Cinema mode to do this.
Unfortunately, because the black frame insert only works at 60 Hz, activating it doesn’t completely get rid of the frame shake effect in movies.
Variable refresh rate
LG C2 supports all currently available versions of VRR variable refresh rate. As a result, video games from VRR-compatible devices play back with virtually no frame breaks.
The range of VRR performance in the C2 is very wide. Even if the content frequency drops to a very low value, the TV maintains a smooth picture transmission.
Incoming signal delay
4K/60Hz – 13.5ms 4K/120Hz – 5.4ms
1080p/60Hz – 13.6ms 1080p/120Hz – 5.2ms
The LG C2 offers ultra-low incoming signal latency, ensuring that the screen responds instantly to player commands. Even inferior to premium gaming monitors, this TV will fully meet the needs of most gamers. Outside of game mode, incoming signal latency increases.
Next Generation Console Compatibility
The LG C2 is fully compatible with the PS5 and Xbox Series X consoles. The TV is equipped with four full HDMI 2.1 ports, allowing you to connect multiple gaming devices at once.
Connections
All four HDMI ports have a bandwidth of 48 Gbps, which is an advance over the C1. This means the TV’s ability to accept a 4K/120Hz signal with 12-bit color depth.
Audio and video format support
This TV can’t transmit a DTS signal, which is disappointing because the audio tracks on many Blu-ray discs use this format.
Frequency response
The frequency response isn’t bad, but like most TVs, the C2 can’t reproduce deep bass frequencies. The sound is very well balanced with clear dialogue at moderate volume, but there is interference at maximum volume.
The LG OLED C2 audio system has a 2.2 configuration and delivers 40 watts of power, and AI Sound Pro technology is capable of converting conventional stereo sound to a 7.1.2 virtual surround format
Platform interface
The LG C2 runs on the latest version of webOS. Interestingly, for marketing purposes, it is referred to as number 22, while its ordinal number is 7.1.0. The platform’s interface offers quick navigation, is easy to use and now offers customized user profiles.
The webOS platform contains ads which cannot be deactivated.
Apps & Features
LG catalog offers a huge selection of apps for browsing.
Remote Control
The C2 uses the same Magic Remote as last year’s LG models. It can be used as a pointer, making it easier to navigate menus. What’s new about the controls is that voice commands can be sent directly to the TV itself via the built-in microphone. Thus, you can switch signal sources, open applications, search for content within them, and even adjust basic settings.
The diagonal size line
- LG OLED83C2 – 211 cm
- 77C2 – 195 cm
- 65C2 – 165 cm
- 55C2 – 140 cm
- 48C2 – 122 cm
- 42C2 – 106 cm
LG OLED C2 model with 165 cm diagonal was tested in our editorial office. It is assumed that conclusions of this review are also true for other size modifications.