This Awesome LG C2 Series 48-Inch OLED TV Is All You Need
Prices pulled from the Amazon Product Advertising API on:
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on [relevant Amazon Site(s), as applicable] at the time of purchase will apply to the purchase of this product.
- Very light and slim build
- 4x HDMI 2.1, 3 x USB, eARC, Optical out, LAN
- New 42-inch screen size
The LG C2 OLED is incredibly light and slim; according to the company, the 65-inch model is 50% lighter than 2021’s C1 OLED, made possible by using a new composite material that LG says is just as durable as the previous model.
The TV’s super-thin bezel means that, if you choose to wall-mount the C2 OLED, you’ll pretty much only see the screen. If you’re into the minimalist look, this could be the perfect TV for you.
You can also sit the C2 OLED on the stand included in the box. This sloping silver stand gives the TV a low center of gravity and a good sense of stability, though its relatively large footprint could be an issue if you want to place a soundbar in front of the TV. If you’re not interested in using a soundbar at all, you could opt for one of LG’s rather attractive minimalist stands; the C2 OLED works with both the Gallery Stand and the Floor Stand, which are cool options for anyone who doesn’t want a regular TV cabinet.
he panel itself is razor thin – it’s about half as thick as our iPhone 13 mini – with a thicker section around the back that houses the TV’s speakers and components.
Made of a glass substrate, the LG C2 OLED’s panel is slightly reflective, which means you might see your own image staring back at you when you’re watching darker scenes. It’s not a problem when you’re watching bright, colorful scenes and facing the screen head on (and we don’t think the panel is as reflective as the C1 OLED), but it’s worth bearing in mind that you’ll need to shut your blinds for uninterrupted viewing of night or space scenes. If you’re really dedicated to your home theater setup, a set of blackout curtains wouldn’t go amiss.
Around the back of the TV is where you’ll find all your connectivity options. 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. Like 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 there’s no major gains in brightness vs. non-Evo models, due to the pixel pitch. 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.
You get LG’s Magic Remote included in the box, which comes with a built-in microphone that allows you to search for content with your voice. There are buttons to take you straight to Netflix, Disney Plus, Prime Video, and Rakuten TV, and buttons to summon Google Assistant and Alexa.
Powered by two AA batteries, the remote feels light and easy to handle, and we love the ability to use the Wii-style motion controls and the more traditional directional pad to navigate the TV. It’s worth noting that the motion controls don’t work in every app (BBC iPlayer only works with the directional pad, for example), so it can be a little jarring to switch between the two on the fly.
- webOS 22
- New personalized home screens
- Easy navigation
As with the new LG G2 OLED, the C2 model comes with the company’s webOS smart TV platform – and now thanks to a new naming convention that’s based on its year of release, it’s now referred to as webOS 22 (the previous version was called webOS 6.0).
The home screen is very easy to navigate, and includes a number of helpful widgets, including weather, updates, and recent inputs. Below this, you’ll see a carousel of ‘trending’ shows and films, followed by a list of apps. Here is where you get access to pretty much all the major streaming platforms, including Netflix, Disney Plus, Apple TV, Prime Video, and HBO Max, as well as LG’s own Sports Alerts, Web Browser, and Media Player apps. Some of LG’s own apps are expanded lower down on the home screen; for example, a carousel for the Web Browser gives you a handy list of recommended sites, including Google, BBC.com, and Wikipedia.
Beneath this is where you’ll see an overview of your connectivity options, and a display of all your connected devices. Finally, right at the bottom of the homepage, you’ll find an overview for some of the major streaming platforms, giving you a quick way to find content without opening the apps individually.
The smart TV platform hasn’t been given a huge overhaul compared to its predecessor, but it does come with some new, family-friendly features that make it easier for everyone in the household to enjoy a personalized experience.
For starters, you now have the ability to set up profiles for each member of your household, which gives you unique home screens that display recommended content based on your preferences. There are also new Family Settings, which allow you to monitor and limit screen time, adjust eye care settings, and set volume limits.
Another new feature worth mentioning is Always Ready, which we used extensively during our tests. When you’re not actively watching the TV, this feature displays artwork or weather and news reports, while keeping the voice recognition tech active, so you can easily ask the TV to do things like play music without touching your remote.
Generally speaking, webOS 22 is extremely easy to use and navigate, and it gives you a neat, concise overview of all your content in one place. And, with the ability to customize it for each household member, it represents an incremental (but not insignificant) improvement upon the previous version
- Excellent brightness and contrast
- Dolby Vision, HDR10, HLG
- Capable AI upscaling
The LG C2 OLED is a great-looking TV, with excellent brightness and contrast – in fact, it’s one of the best OLED panels we’ve ever seen.
It uses LG’s OLED Evo technology, which we first saw in 2021’s LG G1 OLED, which adds additional brightness through a new lighting element in the self-emissive pixels. Compared to the previous model, the C1 OLED, the increase in brightness and color was immediately apparent – and because this is still an OLED TV, you’re getting incredibly deep blacks and piercing whites. As we mentioned, the glass screen does introduce a small amount of glare, which eats into those deep black levels, but it’s not so reflective that your content will suffer.
The color saturation has also been increased thanks to the new Evo panel, to around 100% of the DCI-P3 color space. That’s not quite as much as you’ll get from QD-OLED models that have blue OLEDs and quantum dot filters, but the effect is noticeable compared to last year’s model.
We did notice that colors desaturated slightly when we moved around the room as a result, but if your living room is laid out in a way that everyone sits directly in front of the TV, this shouldn’t be an issue.
Another new feature for the C2 OLED is the Alpha a9 Gen 5 processor, which is designed to offer better object enhancement and dynamic tone mapping than its predecessor. In other words, the picture looks more realistic, with improved contrast and detail.