LG C2 (OLED)

LG C2 (42" OLED)

LG C2 (OLED)

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BEST RATING
Movies & TV shows:
4.7
PICTURE QUALITY: Very Good8.7/10
MOVIES & TV: Excellent9.1/10
GAMING: Very Good8.9/10
SPORTS: Very Good8.4/10
CARTOONS & ANIMATION: Very Good8.6/10
NEWS & TALK: Very Good8.8/10
BRIGHT ROOM: Good7.5/10

The LG C2 OLED TV is an upper midrange model favored for its excellent picture quality, particularly in dark rooms, and is also very good for gaming, sports, and movie watching. It excels in contrast and black uniformity, which is typical of OLED TVs, making it ideal for movies and gaming where dark scenes are common. However, if you plan on watching in bright rooms, the LG C2 is only rated as good, meaning it may not be as bright as some other TVs. It offers wide viewing angles and sports features like HDMI 2.1 ports, making it suitable for the latest gaming consoles. Sound quality is also very good, but if you're looking for the best audio experience, additional speakers may enhance your setup. The TV supports Dolby Vision and HLG, ensuring compatibility with a wide range of HDR content. Give Feedback

this description is based on the product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars.








Evaluation

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Pros
  • Excellent dark room performance
  • Very good overall picture quality
  • Great for gaming
  • Wide viewing angles
  • Supports Dolby Vision, HLG, HDR10+
Cons
  • Only good, not excellent bright room performance
  • Motion processing could improve
  • Speakers are great but not outstanding
  • Upscaling quality is good, not best

Ratings by Category

Movies & TV shows:
4.7
The LG C2 OLED excels in movie-watching experiences particularly in dark rooms due to its perfect black levels and outstanding contrast, which means it can display deep blacks without any blooming around bright objects. Additionally, with its wide viewing angles and good color accuracy out of the box, the picture will look great from various seating positions and require less calibration for an immersive cinematic experience.
Gaming:
4.7
PerfectRec’s gaming score measures a TV's performance when it comes to playing video games. It is based on several factors that can significantly impact the quality of the gaming experience, including screen response time, input lag, and refresh rate. Screen response time is a critical factor that determines how quickly the TV can transition from one color to the next, while input lag measures the delay between the gaming console output and the TV display. Refresh rate refers to the number of times per second that the TV displays a new frame, which can impact the smoothness of the gaming experience. The gaming score also takes into account two other features: local dimming in gaming mode, which can enhance contrast and picture quality, and black frame insertion, which can reduce screen brightness and create a smoother gaming experience.
News, Talk & Reality TV:
4.7
The LG C2 excels in upscaling lower resolution content and has good SDR brightness, ensuring that news and TV programs, often broadcasted in non-HD resolutions, look clear and vivid on the screen. Additionally, its ability to display accurate colors right out of the box, along with a very good color gamut and excellent contrast due to its OLED panel, means that even regular TV content will have rich, true-to-life colors without the need for professional calibration.
Cartoons & Animaton:
4.6
The LG C2 OLED TV is excellent for cartoons and animation as it displays accurate colors right out of the box, reducing the need for calibration, and it has a very wide color gamut, ensuring vivid and diverse hues that bring animated content to life.
Overall Picture:
4.6
The LG C2 boasts exceptional picture quality due to its perfect black uniformity, which enhances contrast and delivers true deep blacks, and very good color gamut along with good color volume, ensuring a wide range of colors that remain accurate at different brightness levels. Additionally, its good HDR brightness ensures that high dynamic range content pops as intended, complementing its excellent color reproduction to create an immersive viewing experience.
Sports:
4.5
The LG C2 OLED TV excels in watching sports due to its exceptional response time and excellent motion processing, ensuring that fast-moving scenes appear smooth and clear. Its ability to handle reflections and provide wide viewing angles also contribute to a great viewing experience in various lighting conditions and seating arrangements.
Bright Room:
4.2
PerfectRec’s bright room score is a proprietary score of a television's performance in a bright environment, taking into account the following factors: screen brightness, reflections, and color volume. A higher score indicates better TV performance in bright conditions, minimizing glare and producing a more pleasant viewing experience. Brightness is crucial in how well the image displays in direct sunlight, and low reflections reduce glare. Color volume contributes to color vibrancy and depth, which are vital in a bright environment.

Full Specs

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GENERAL

Price
$1,237
Brand
LG
Release Date
March 1, 2021
Full name
OLED42C2
Screen Size
42"
Screen Resolution
4K

TV FEATURES

Operating System
webOS
Sound Quality Score
PerfectRec logo
8.6/10
NextGen Ready
No
HDMI Ports
4
Coax Ports
1

DISPLAY QUALITY SCORES

Picture Quality Score
PerfectRec logo
8.8/10
Bright Room Score
PerfectRec logo
7.6/10
Gaming Score
PerfectRec logo
9/10
Movies & TV Score
PerfectRec logo
9.1/10
Sports Score
PerfectRec logo
8.4/10

PHYSICAL

Dimensions w/o Stand (H x W x D)
21.3" x 36.7" x 1.6"
Dimensions with Stand (H x W)
22.7" x 36.7"
Weight without Stand
19.8 lbs
VESA Mount
300 x 200

DISPLAY

Color Depth
10 bit
Black Frame Insertion
Yes
Auto Low Latency Mode
Yes
Contrast
PerfectRec logo
10/10
Local Dimming
PerfectRec logo
10/10

SOUND

Speaker Setup
2.0
Speaker Power
20 W
Dolby Atmos
Yes
DTS:X
No

Shopping

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LG C2 (OLED)

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Dig into reviews and images

CNET

David Katzmaier | November 2022
"The C2 offers image quality that's a clear step above any non-OLED TV I've seen. The C2 is rare among high-end TVs in that all four of its HDMI ports support 4K/120, great for hard-core gamers with multiple next-gen devices. The C2 is plenty bright enough for just about any viewing environment. It also outperforms QLED TVs like the Samsung QN90B and TCL 6-Series. That's why I consider the LG C2 the best high-end TV for the money of 2022."

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This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec TVs team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest TV information and makes it digestible for you.

By the numbers

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TVs evaluated
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Joe Golden, Ph.D

CEO and TVs Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.

Jason Lew

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
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Chandradeep Chowdhury

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.

Jaime Roldán

TVs Expert
Jaime is a Colombia-based TV expert. He is an electronics engineer with 8 years of experience in the telecom sector and has been making TV recommendations for 12 years.

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