LG C3 OLED evaluation: Subtly does it

• Design
• Options
• Image efficiency
• Sound efficiency
• Verdict

LG’s C Sequence has been the corporate’s best-selling TV vary for quite a lot of years now – to not point out one of many best 4K TVs you can purchase. By balancing value and efficiency it has made itself a simple advice as the best LG TV to purchase – slightly unusually taking the limelight off of the flagship G Sequence within the course of.

In 2023 although, it looks like LG has made an effort to shift that focus again to its flagship vary, with solely pretty incremental enhancements to the C Sequence in comparison with huge strides forwards with the LG G3.

With the technological hole getting wider, does the C Sequence nonetheless do sufficient to stay a prime advice – notably with a value rise that sees it costlier than the LG C2 at launch? Here is our full evaluation.

Design

• Display sizes: 42in, 48in, 55in, 65in, 77in, 83in
• 4x HDMI 2.1, 3x USB
• Extremely-slim design

Issues have remained just about unchanged within the design division, in contrast with the C2. Which means a light-weight composite fibre development with silver trim, an nearly bezel-free display and a super-slim profile – although issues aren’t fairly as uniformly slender right here as you may discover on the G3, with its Zero Hole design.

As an alternative, there is a extra seen bump out the again right here that holds the TV’s connections. This covers off 4 HDMI 2.1 inputs (one in all which is eARC), three USB ports, two RF aerial inputs and an ethernet port.

At 45mm thick, it would not make the C3 a no-go for wall mounting, however you’ll need to purchase a bracket individually.

What you may get with the C3 is an aluminium central stand that is sensible but minimalistic. It isn’t fairly as easy to suit as Samsung’s stands – which merely slot in – but it surely would not take lengthy to get the 4 screws in place.

The LG C3 is obtainable in six display sizes – we’re testing the 65 inch model right here, however they go as little as 42 inches and all the way in which as much as 83 inches. All screens include LG’s Magic Distant, which is exclusive in its design and can be utilized in 3 ways – as an on-screen pointer, utilizing the wheel at its centre to scroll by menus, or utilizing the D-pad that surrounds it as an alternative.

It is probably the most versatile distant that we have used and discover it turns out to be useful to have the choice in use when coping with totally different menus – although it is a disgrace it is not backlit for night-time watching.

As we’re used to seeing from most producers there are shortcut buttons on it to common apps, like Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, Rakuten and Alexa – plus LG Channels, LG’s personal content material service streaming over 100 channels over the net.

Options

• Alpha 9 Gen 6 processor
• 4K/120Hz, VRR and ALLM help
• Dolby Imaginative and prescient Gaming to 4K/120Hz
• Simplified webOS sensible TV system

The LG C3 makes use of the identical panel know-how because the LG C2, which is LG’s OLED Evo panel with Brightness Booster know-how. This know-how is right down to software program tweaks run by the brand new Alpha 9 Gen 6 processor, slightly than any {hardware} doing the heavy lifting. There’s not one of the built-in warmth sink or micro lens array know-how of the LG G3 right here.

The brand new Alpha 9 Gen 6 processor does convey with it some image processing enhancements although. These embrace LG’s AI Tremendous Upscaling Professional for decreasing noise in decrease high quality content material, Object Enhancer, which higher sharpens objects within the foreground of a picture, and Dynamic Tone Mapping Professional, which breaks a picture into 20,000 zones as an alternative of 5,000 for higher a greater, extra correct HDR consequence.

Avid gamers have a fairly full suite of options, together with help for 4K/120Hz throughout all 4 HDMI ports, VRR and ALLM (together with help for AMD Freesync Premium and Nvidia G-Sync), and Dolby Imaginative and prescient Gaming all the way in which as much as 4K/120Hz. With enter lag coming in below 10ms with Recreation mode activated, there needs to be no grumbles right here if getting used as a gaming monitor too.

LG’s WebOS sensible TV platform has had a shake up this yr, to make it less complicated to navigate. It is now been condensed to simply two pages, with the primary web page internet hosting a brand new Fast Card system for grouping collectively apps and options into totally different subjects – like Recreation, Music, Sport and Dwelling Hub, the place you may join and management your sensible house units.

There’s additionally a rail of all of the obtainable apps – you may count on all the massive names, together with Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, Disney+, Hulu, Paramount Plus, Peacock, YouTube and, for these within the UK, Freeview Play.

On the subsequent web page you may discover extra content material solutions, although it looks like at the least a few of this might’ve been squeezed onto the primary web page if there wasn’t an enormous promoting house taking over half of the primary web page.

Nonetheless, it is easy sufficient to navigate, notably with the LG Magic Distant, and the Fast Settings menu, that pops as much as the left hand facet can also be useful for tweaking image and sound modes, altering display brightness or switching on options like Multi View – the place you may have totally different screens operating subsequent to at least one one other – or Recreation Optimiser.

From a connectivity perspective, it is received plenty of the specs you’d need to see, together with Wi-Fi, Bluetooth 5.0, AirPlay 2 and Alexa voice management – which may be fingers free in the event you select to.

Image efficiency

• 4K, 3840 x 2160 pixels
• Assist for Dolby Imaginative and prescient IQ, HDR10 Professional, HLG
• Filmmaker Mode

With so many nods to the LG C2 within the C3 thus far, it could appear impolite to not embrace a hat tip to it within the efficiency part too – particularly as a result of plenty of the nice stuff you may see within the C3 you will discover to nearly the identical diploma within the C2 as nicely.

That is not a foul factor. The LG C2 did take a good step ahead on the C1 final yr, and there is nonetheless so much to like, however in making an attempt to provide the G3 the limelight this yr, it has taken a little bit of a shine off of the C3, in a market that’s shifting ahead on a regular basis.

What you’d count on from an LG OLED is all current and proper. Color stability is supremely pure, with simply the correct amount of pop obtainable when it is wanted, element is nice, movement dealing with excellent.

Filmmaker Mode is – as its title would recommend – a one-click image setting that does away with additional processing and presents the image because the director might need deliberate for it to look.

It is our alternative for HDR10, SDR and TV content material, however Dolby Imaginative and prescient content material appears greatest with Dolby Imaginative and prescient Cinema Dwelling, which provides in a smidge extra brightness to the general image than the usual Dolby Imaginative and prescient Cinema mode.

We might hasten a guess that the latter might be the extra correct mode, however for anybody not in a devoted cinema room, the brighter image helps to provide it a bit extra dynamism with out affecting the general stability.

Netflix

Watching Luther The Fallen Solar on Netflix in 4K Dolby Imaginative and prescient, the LG C3 comes into its personal, gripping on to all of the element it might probably discover and making certain nothing is left unnoticed. From sweeping snowy landscapes in Norway to the feel in Luther’s tweed jacket, the whole lot is introduced with unbelievable depth and subtlety.

The result’s a really cinematic image that we have develop into accustomed to experiencing with LG’s OLED TVs.

There are many moody scenes right here to check the LG C3’s dealing with of black ranges and shadow element too, and unsurprisingly, it’s superb information certainly. Even within the darkest of scenes, the LG manages to select extra refined particulars from the depths, and naturally, when black is required, the C3 can ship depth in absolute phrases.

Brilliant highlights sit brightly and exactly towards these darkish scenes, probably a contact brighter than they did on C2, although we’ve seen these components – the headlights from a automotive, the neon indicators of Soho or the hearth that consumes the mansion with the captured youngsters – pack a bit extra punch in brighter screens just like the G3 and the S90C.

It is honest to say the LG C3 does its easiest work in darker rooms too, and we did discover ourselves having to attract blinds for one of the best expertise with darkish scenes, on account of some reflectiveness from the home windows behind our viewing place. A bit extra brightness behind the panel would have the ability to give these scenes a contact extra power and dynamism in shiny rooms – that is achievable by deciding on the Vivid preset, however this comes on the detriment of accuracy throughout the board.

As we talked about, color dealing with is extremely nicely managed – pores and skin tones particularly are supremely life like and nothing ever appears pushed or overdone, regardless of having loads of “pop” when required.

Samsung’s S90C would possibly push this vibrancy a contact tougher for a richer, higher affect however in isolation, there’s nothing to complain about right here. Colors are each saturated and refined while you’d need them to be – and that is the case throughout HDR and SDR content material.

With Filmmaker Mode on, watching Drive on Blu-ray exhibits simply how nicely the LG C3 handles upscaling. There may be next-to-no noise, edges are explicitly drawn and element retrieval is incredible – you’d nearly battle to know you were not watching a 4K image for probably the most half.

DVDs do not honest fairly as nicely but it surely’s nonetheless not a foul displaying in any respect, and about what you’d count on when the C3 is having to make up a good quantity of the knowledge. You may have to simply accept extra noise with some fuzzier edges and a little bit of smoothed-out element, but it surely’s definitely not unwatchable.

Understandably, commonplace definition broadcast fares the worst right here – attempt to hold to HD channels and above and also you should not discover a lot cause to grouse.

Movement is fairly nicely dealt with out of the field, although we discovered deciding on the Cinematic Motion preset helped with smoothing out any remaining judder in film content material. Easy Motion is much too aggressive and introduces the cleaning soap opera impact so, until that is your desire, we might undoubtedly advocate avoiding that.

Sound efficiency

• 2.2-channel
• 40W output
• Dolby Atmos and DTS:X decoding – 9.1.2 nearly

LG’s C Sequence has lengthy been on the receiving finish of a less-than-stellar built-in audio system, most likely with the expectation that you’ll improve your sound system with at the least a soundbar. That appears to be a theme that continues with the LG C3, which sadly doesn’t have so much to write down house about within the sound division.

The two.2-channel 40W system can decode Dolby Atmos and DTS:X nearly, with a quoted improve to 9.1.2 channels from the 7.1.2 channels digital efficiency of the C2.

We would not depend on this setup delivering any actual sense of Atmos impact although. Whereas a few of the sound modes may give the pretty fragile out-of-the-box sound some physique and depth, the general efficiency of the C3 is fairly small scale – and struggles to sound snug or completely balanced with any of the modes.

Cinema mode – predictably – tries to ship the beefiest sound, however there is a honest quantity of distortion within the low finish it tries to champion while you try any form of quantity. Strive AI Sound Professional and it sounds surprisingly exhausting and skinny – dialogue is evident and the soundstage is giant, however that fragility is sporting after some time.

Commonplace loses a few of that breadth of sound, and a few of the sharpness, however you’ll hear some distortion creep again in every so often. Nonetheless, it is likely to be one of the best – on stability – possibility of the lot, but it surely means the price of a soundbar ought to completely enter into your sums when deciding whether or not to go for the C3.

Handily, LG has made one with the C3 particularly in thoughts – the USC9S, which comes packaged with a stand to take a seat it completely beneath when wall mounted

This is not going to solely make higher sense of the sound out of your TV exhibits and flicks, however it might probably additionally make the most of LG’s WOW Orchestra performance. This groups the sound from a suitable LG soundbar and TV collectively to create an excellent greater, extra stable audio efficiency.

When it is working nicely, it sounds nice, and does an important job of elevating the sound to the TV panel slightly than localised to the soundbar.

It is not fairly as straightforward as deciding on the WOW Orchestra mode and letting the know-how do its factor although – we skilled a really annoying echo the place the 2 weren’t fairly in sync, and needed to go delving into the menus to rectify it.

Let’s additionally not neglect that this soundbar itself prices £999/$999, so removed from an inexpensive add-on, however we predict to see bundle offers at a reduction, so it is likely to be value conserving a watch out. We’ll have a full evaluation of the USC9S quickly.

Verdict

The LG OLED65C3 is a incredible TV, that gives the entire issues we beloved concerning the C2 with a couple of refined enhancements in issues like brightness and element retrieval.

Nonetheless, these enhancements battle to make sense when you may choose the LG C2 up for £1000/$1000 much less now – whereas shares final – and revel in at the least 90 per cent of the identical expertise.

We all know that LG TVs are a few of the first to come back down in value, however whereas they continue to be near (a now greater) RRP, the competitors from the mid-range OLED and QD-OLED market is starting to shut in on it a bit too.

There are compelling choices from Samsung and Sony on the market to think about now, the place maybe there weren’t in earlier years. You may’t knock the LG C3 for its element and upscaling capabilities, however these with brighter rooms would possibly discover a contact extra punch and dynamism elsewhere. Sound can also be not one of the best, however the C3 shouldn’t be alone there.

Avid gamers will likely be completely satisfied at how nicely they’re attended to right here, and people with darker rooms will nonetheless discover the cinematic image on provide the most effective, however LG’s C Sequence has additionally been overshadowed by the strides forwards that the G3 has made in all of the issues it might fall a bit brief on.

If LG has executed this to lastly shift consideration to its flagship vary, it might nicely have succeeded.