LG C2 OLED
The LG C2 OLED has big shoes to fill. Its predecessor, the LG C1 OLED, topped many tech reviewers’ lists of the best TVs of last year (including ours).
To improve on last year’s excellent model, however, LG has equipped the new C2 with its OLED Evo technology, a combination of new panels and LG’s high-end Alpha a9 processor.
The results, as we can attest to after a recent demonstration at LG’s North American headquarters, are a brighter OLED TV (approximately 20% brighter than before) and better upscaling thanks to the aforementioned a9 processor. We’ll get better audio upscaling - up to 7.1.2 virtual surround sound - and a brand-new 42-inch size, too.
One feature we had never heard about, though, is room-to-room share that will allow you to share a video stream from one LG OLED in your house to another. That means you can use the LG OLED in your bedroom to grab the football game in your living room - so long as it’s running on a new 2022 LG OLED TV. There are some caveats that we’ll cover below, but it's one reason to consider the LG C2 OLED if you aren’t sold on its picture quality and design alone.
Price and release date
The LG C2 OLED is part of LG’s 2022 TV lineup with most models in the line-up coming out in March 2022 and a few sizes coming a bit later. To start off, we’ll see the 48-, 55-, 65- and 77-inch models releasing in March, then the 83-inch model in April and finally the long-awaited 42-inch screen size in May.
In terms of pricing, we’re looking at similar prices to last year:
- The 42-inch OLED42C2PUA is $1,399
- The 48-inch OLED48C2PUA is $1,499
- The 55-inch OLED55C2PUA is $1,799
- The 65-inch OLED65C2PUA is $2,499
- The 77-inch OLED77C1PUA is $3,499
- The 83-inch OLED83C2PUA is $5,499
LG C2 OLED Photo Gallery
Design and features
If you can only remember one thing about the LG C2 OLED, remember that it uses LG’s new OLED Evo technology - the same technology that we saw in last year’s LG G1 OLED. That’s going to give it a host of new benefits that we’ll cover in the performance section, but it also gives the C2 some advantages in the design department, too.
To wit, you’re looking at one of the slimmest and lightest C-Series models we’ve yet to see. According to LG’s measurements, the 65-inch C2 OLED is 50% lighter than last year’s model and equally slim. It achieves the reduction in weight by using composite material that LG says remains just as durable.
Like its predecessor, the LG C2 OLED will come out of the box with four HDMI 2.1 ports that all support 4K/120Hz. There’s also support for G-Sync, FreeSync and regular VRR, plus an upgrade to the game bar, which you’ll enjoy if you ever connect your PC to your TV. Similarly to last year’s design, there’s not a great way to manage cables around the back - which means you’ll be looking at a G2 OLED if you want some way to keep cables out of sight.
The good news is that, unlike its predecessor, the LG C2 OLED has an all-new screen size: 42 inches. This is LG’s first 42-inch OLED that straddles the line between gaming monitor and full-on TV. Taken in tandem with the gaming-centric specs we just mentioned, this is going to be a very enticing option for gamers.
The only downside to choosing one of LG OLED’s smaller OLEDs, according to LG’s Tim Alessi, is that due to the pixel pitch there's no major gains in brightness vs. non-Evo models. You’re still getting the 120Hz OLED panel and all the design advantages we’ve talked about above, but you won’t see some of the advantages in performance that we’ll talk about below.
Last but not least, LG is updating its built-in smart platform from webOS 6.0 to webOS 22 (the name of the year the software was released). WebOS 22 doesn’t bring a whole host of new updates, but you will be able to create separate accounts for each user in the home to get better TV show and movie recommendations.
On top of that, new models will actually be able to share incoming content from a cable box or antenna to other LG OLED TVs in the house. That feature is called room-to-room share and while it comes with a few caveats, like the fact that streaming to another TV turns off the television in the first room, it could be a great way to get around buying a second cable box for your bedroom if you just want to watch the nightly news before bed when everyone’s done in the living room.
Performance
For our demo, LG lined the new C2 OLED up next to a G2 OLED, C1 OLED and a rival OLED from another company.
Right off the bat, the increase in brightness was apparent. According to LG, the increase in brightness is thanks to more precise wavelength and a heat dissipation unit. Not only is it brighter and more colorful, but because this is still an OLED, it retains its perfect black levels.
In a clip of Sully shown to us by LG, the C2 OLED had significantly more details in the brightest areas of the screen; details in the screens of Times Square were noticeably more detailed than in the rival screens.
In other clips, clouds weren’t homogeneous masses of white, but rather nuanced objects with real depth. Also, where the competitor TV suffered from banding in the sky, the LG C2 OLED did a great job of gradually shifting from one hue to another.
Color saturation has also been increased thanks to the new Evo panel to around 100% of the DCI-P3 color space. That’s big, but it will pale in comparison to the new QD-OLED models that have even better coverage thanks to the blue OLEDs and quantum dot filters.
We also noticed that color did seem to desaturate when you moved far off-axis compared to the QD-OLED models we’ve seen from other manufacturers. That won’t be a dealbreaker for most, especially if your living room is laid out in a way that everyone sits directly in front of the TV, but it is a minor issue worth mentioning.
In terms of processing, LG says it’s switching from a multi-step process to a single-step process that interpolates motion and reduces noise simultaneously. In practice, the Alpha a9 Gen 5 offers better object enhancement than the Alpha a9 Gen 4, better dynamic tone mapping and audio upscaling to virtual 7.1.2.
How that audio will sound coming out of the LG C2 OLED’s speakers that didn’t get any meaningful updates this year remains to be seen, but we’ll be curious just how close to a true Atmos experience it gets.
Early verdict
The LG C1 OLED felt like it was a leap forward for OLED technology. It had all the inputs needed to stay ahead of the game for the next few years, plus an impressive processor. The LG C2 OLED has all those things - as well as higher brightness and the new room-to-room share feature - but it doesn’t quite feel like the monumental leap forward we made last year with the LG C1.
That said, the C2 OLED should launch at a price that’s very similar to what the LG C1 is retailing for right now, which means if you’re in the market for a new TV, you may as well wait to get the C2 fresh off the production line for the same amount you would’ve spent on the C1.
Ultimately, the C2 looks like a better OLED TV than last year - but nothing that C1 owners should lament over if they can’t afford a new TV one year later.
- Need an OLED ASAP? Check out our guide to the best OLED TV
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