LG C2 Review

I have one word for you….. OLED! If you haven't tried OLED yet then I strongly recommend you do so. And if you're opting for an OLED TV you'll find none better than the 2022 LG range. The C2 is essentially a beefed up version of the renowned LG C1. Which just so happens to be my personal favourite, and arguably the best gaming TV on the market, until now. This is in large part down to OLED technology, but the array of gaming specific enhancements and features play a very important role too.

Here's an overview of the LG C2 According to LG:

Bright and brilliant

The brilliant beauty of LG OLED Self-lit pixels is now better. Powered by the a9 Gen 5 AI Processor, Brightness Booster can produce images with more luminance, for superbly vibrant visuals with amazing clarity.* *Compared to 2022 LG OLED TV non evo models and based on Full White Screen measurement.

a9 Gen 5 AI Processor

The brains behind the beauty. The powerful a9 Gen 5 AI Processor can enhance objects in the foreground and background to add natural depth to images, and helps make colours appear vivid and accurate.* *Image quality dependent on source material.

Infinite Contrast

With no backlight to dull their impact, Self-lit pixels can achieve the deepest blacks, for extreme contrast. Discover realistic images that reveal subtle, beautiful details you may previously have missed.* *Image quality dependent on source material.

The details set the tone

All-new Dynamic Tone Mapping Pro goes deeper to improve the picture. Previously, it elevated just the frames. Now, the technique hones in on 5,184 areas across the screen, for more vivid and detailed High Dynamic Range (HDR10) pictures.

Immersive Virtual Surround Sound

AI Sound Pro transforms 2-channel audio into virtual 7.1.2 channel sound.* Sense the action and drama around you and feel like you're a character in the scene. *Sound quality dependent on source material.

The minimalist view

With bezels this narrow, you can feel fully immersed in the picture with nothing to distract your view. The incredibly slim design can fit seamlessly into your home.

True Home Cinema Experience

Dolby Vision IQ can reveal extraordinary depth and detail in almost every scene, even as lighting conditions in your room change. And with surround sound from Dolby Atmos, your favourite films will captivate your senses.* *Dolby Vision High Dynamic Range content required. Dolby Atmos source content required for full audio effect.

ThinQ AI & webOS

Need inspiration for movie night? LG ThinQ AI gives recommendations based on your taste. Set up profiles for everyone at home so they can quickly dive back into their favourite TV series, and receive tailored news and sports updates.* *Internet connection and subscriptions may be required for certain features and to access certain content. Internet usage charges and conditions apply. Content, features and third party services will vary from time to time without notice. LG ThinQ AI account/s required.

All your favourites in one place

Ready for movie night? Find virtually anything to watch on the available streaming apps. With Netflix, Disney+, Amazon Prime, Stan, Kayo, Binge and Apple TV+, something exciting is always showing.* *Internet connection and subscriptions may be required for certain services, features and to access certain content. Internet usage charges and conditions apply. Content, features and third party services will vary from time to time without notice. Apple, the Apple logo, Apple TV and Apple TV+ are trademarks of Apple Inc, registered in the U.S. and other countries. ⓒ 2020 Disney and its related entities. Amazon, Prime Video and all related logos are trademarks of Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates. Amazon Prime membership and/or Prime Video fees apply. See primevideo.com/terms for details. Smart Assistant & Connectivity

Support for Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, Apple AirPlay 2, and HomeKit can make controlling your TV and connected devices quicker and more convenient than ever.*

*Hey Google™, Amazon Alexa™ and Apple AirPlay 2 and HomeKit functionality require an internet connection as well as a Google, Amazon or Apple Account (as applicable). Internet connection and subscriptions may be required for certain features and to access certain content. Internet usage charges and conditions apply. Content, features and third party services will vary from time to time without notice.

My Profile

See only what you want to see, with a customisable profile for every member of the family. Enjoy tailored content recommendations and quick access to your frequently used apps.* *Internet connection and subscriptions may be required for certain features and to access certain content. Internet usage charges and conditions apply. Content, features and third party services will vary from time to time without notice. LG ThinQ AI account/s required. An unlimited number of profiles can be created, but home screen will display up to ten profiles only

A powerful winning machine

Go to the next level with Dolby Vision gaming at 4K 120Hz. With a 1ms response time, NVIDIA G-Sync compatibility, AMD FreeSyncTM Premium, and VRR support, even ultra-fast action can appear clear and smooth.* *Feature activated when showing HFR content and connected to a compatible gaming device with an Ultra High Speed HDMI certified cable. All HDMI ports receive up to 48Gb/s bandwidth (supporting up to 4K 120Hz 4:4:4 RGB @ 12 bits per component).

The new league of gaming

LG TV brings access to hundreds of new games to you, with NVIDIA GeForce Now built-in.* *Internet connection required. Subscriptions and data costs may apply. Content, features and third party services will vary from time to time without notice. Compatible controller required. Copyright © 2021 Pentanet Limited. All Rights Reserved.

Game Optimiser & Dashboard

Game Optimiser keeps your gaming settings in one easy-to-use menu, while the upgraded Gaming Dashboard provides quick access to your current settings.

AI Picture Pro

The ultimate picture is closer than ever. AI Picture Pro provides upgraded AI Upscaling and AI Tone Mapping to enhance contrast and resolution for optimal detail, plus foreground and background Effect Enhancement to maximise depth of field and colour expression. Be rewarded with outstandingly lifelike images.* *Image quality dependent on source material. AI Picture Pro may not work with any copyright-protected content services.

AI Sound Pro

Your LG TV recognises voices, audio effects, and audio frequencies, allowing it to optimise sound based on the type of content you're watching and generate amazingly immersive, spatial sound.* *Sound quality dependent on source material.

Sports Alert

Don't miss out on the latest news from your favourite teams and leagues. Receive match reminders and real-time updates for all the big games on your TV screen, even when watching other content.* *Internet connection required. Subscription and data costs may apply. Content, features and third party services will vary from time to time without notice.

HDR 10 Pro

LG's own High Dynamic Range technology, HDR10 Pro automatically adjusts screen brightness and intensifies regular HDR content to help reveal superb detail and clarity. Be mesmerised by how realistic your content can look. *High Dynamic Range (HDR 10) content required for this function.

FILMMAKER MODE™

View movies as the director intended with FILMMAKER MODE™. The mode preserves the original colours, settings, and frame rates to bring the creator's original vision to your TV.* *FILMMAKER MODE™ is a trademark of UHD Alliance, Inc.

Comfortable Viewing

As certified flicker-free, low blue light displays, LG OLED TVs are easy on your eyes.* So settle in to the couch, and enjoy the view. *Flicker-free feature operates in standard settings. Users who activate OLED Motion or OLED Motion Pro may experience flickering.

Out of the box, the first thing you'll notice is that LG has opted for a larger screen thickness compared to the C1. Some may dislike this, but in all honesty, aside from the novelty factor, the screen thickness on the C1 was in my opinion way too thin. This new brushed steel bezel not only gives me much more comfort in the knowledge a slight breeze won't shatter my TV, but it looks really sleek and modern. The base is a similar design to the previous model however is not as wide and sits the TV just a few millimeters higher than its predecessor. This increase in height still isn't enough to allow most sound bars to fit underneath without blocking a small section of the screen. This isn't a big deal if, like me, you sit on a PC chair to play games or watch movies. But I can imagine that if you sit on a rather low set sofa it might be quite annoying. Overall, they look quite similar but the C2 edges it for me just for that sexy bezel.

The TV I am using is the 55” model, and just like the LG C1 it has 4 HDMI 2.1 inputs which is perfect for gaming. However this time round all 4 HDMI ports support full 48Gbps which is an upgrade over the previous model which only supported 40. This won't really make any difference to current performance but it essentially “future proofs” the C2 in a way. These HDMI 2.1 ports make the LGC2, (just like the C1) fully compatible with everything either the PS5 or Xbox Series X have to offer.

So let's talk about performance, and specifically, gaming performance. As mentioned above, the C2 is fully compatible with everything the PS5 and Series X have to offer thanks to those 4x HDMI 2.1 ports. However what sets the LG C2 apart from most TVs, in my opinion at least, is the OLED technology. If you're new to OLED then let me explain the technology a little. OLED stands for Organic Light Emitting Diode. What this means is that every pixel in an OLED display creates its only light independently and depending on how much current you send to it, the brighter that light will be. This individual emitting of light allows whatever pixels aren't being used to be switched off completely leading to perfect blacks with bright and vivid detail in the active part of the screen. All of this makes a huge difference to the overall image quality of a TV. Without being technical it's very difficult to explain how much of a difference it makes, just trust me when I say it is a whole different ball park. OLED technology will blow your mind seeing it for the first time.

I put the C2 next to my C1 and played a bunch of different content side by side and honestly, there's not a whole lot of difference, but that's because the C1 was already a market leading display and lets be honest technology hasn’t evolved that much in the last few years. The main differences however come in the form of processing power and software. The C2 has around 20% higher peak brightness than the C1 but to the naked eye that's about it with just a few little improvements here and there. However, it's in the processor that the C2 pulls away from the C1 a little. Thanks to the α9 Gen 5 AI 4K processor, this has just smoothed everything over and really sped the C2 up in comparison to the C1. The best way to explain this is to say, imagine the difference between 60FPS and 120FPS. That's what it now feels like using the WebOS on the C2. It feels much quicker and more responsive. Loading up things like Netflix takes roughly 30% longer on the C1 which isn't a big deal for some, but shows the gap in performance between the 2 TV’s. The only real issue I have with the C2 however also comes in the software and is a really small detail. The font in game optimiser mode has gone from a very clean and professional looking font to something undeniably “gamery”. It's a tiny detail, however, I can't not notice it every time I pull up the game optimiser menu.

WebOS itself is one of the best TV OS's that I have used. The menus are clean and the dashboard houses everything you can need at the touch of a button. The only thing I don't love about it is the ads for shows and movies on services you are not subscribed to.

There are however drawbacks to OLED technology. While they look outstanding, they do run the risk of permanent burn in where static objects on the screen can, if present for long enough leave a lasting mark on your TV screen. I have owned an LG C1 for over 2 years now and have never suffered from burn in, in fact most people never will and normal use will never cause burn in. However, if you're using the LG C2 as a monitor, the risk is significantly increased due to the number of static images involved in computer usage. This risk can be helped however by tweaking a few windows settings such as making it so that the taskbar disappears etc. If you do this, you too should never experience any issues.

LG have designed the C2 for gaming, and it is in fact targeted towards gamers. One of the ways they have done this is by adding Nvidia GeForce Now built in to the C2 model. Nvidia GeForce Now is NVIDIA’s cloud-based game streaming service, delivering real-time gameplay straight from the cloud to your laptop, desktop, Mac, SHIELD TV, iPhone, iPad, and Android devices. Connect to your store accounts and stream your own library of games, or play your favourite free-to-play games. With cloud saves for supported games, you can pick up your game where you left off, on any supported device, wherever you are. This is a game changer and allows you to play your PC games on your TV without needing to have it connected.

Other gaming features the LG C2 has include:

• G-Sync

• VRR

• AND Freesync

• Low latency mode

• HGiG

• ALLM

and much more...

Another feature I think is worth mentioning and only because it seems a lot of people don't realise the LG TV’s can do it. But that is integration with your consoles. Whenever I discuss which is the best TV for the PS5 for instance, I am always told that it's the Sony flagship because of the integration with the PS5 and the way in which you can control the PS5 with the TV etc. Well the LG C1 and C2 do the same thing. I have my TV set up to automatically turn on when I turn the PS5 on, it automatically switches to whatever HDMI the PS5 is in and I am able to navigate the PS5 menu using my LG TV remote. Which is extremely handy.

I struggle to see a situation in which the LG C2 wont excel. Whether it be as a TV for gaming, movies or even a PC monitor the C2 is as good as you are going to get. With 20% extra peak brightness over the LGC1 it's also much more suitable for watching movies and playing games in a more brightly lit room and just like the C1 model, it is packed full of gaming features and enhancements to really give you the most out of your gaming experience.

Overall if you want the best TV on the market for gaming, then the LG C2 or G2 is currently it. Of course different people will have different opinions, but having experienced LG’s OLED for myself I can absolutely tell you that it is the absolute best there is on the market for gaming. Do yourself a favour and invest in an LG OLED. You'll never look back. However my personal recommendation at this point in time would be to get an LG C1 as they are currently vastly reduced in price and the difference in performance is minimal.