LG C6 OLED  TV Review

Review updated Mar 01, 2017 at 06:31am
Tested using Methodology v1.0 
LG C6 OLED
8.6
Mixed Usage 
Value for price beaten by

Not at the latest test bench

9.4
Movies 
Value for price beaten by

Not at the latest test bench

8.4
TV Shows 
Value for price beaten by

Not at the latest test bench

8.3
Sports 
Value for price beaten by

Not at the latest test bench

8.4
Video Games 
Value for price beaten by

Not at the latest test bench

8.9
HDR Movies 
Value for price beaten by

Not at the latest test bench

8.4
HDR Gaming 
Value for price beaten by

Not at the latest test bench

7.8
PC Monitor 
Value for price beaten by

Not at the latest test bench

 0
 TV Settings
Notice: This TVs was replaced by LG C7 OLED
The LG C6 is a 4k OLED TV with excellent picture quality. The dark scene performance can't be beat, and the picture remains accurate even when viewed at a wide angle. Motion handling is excellent, with no motion blur following moving objects. As with other OLED TVs it's not perfect though as the screen can't get very bright to deal with glare and it suffers from temporary image retention after displaying static images.

Our Verdict

8.6
Mixed Usage 

Excellent all-round performance. Perfect blacks results in infinite contrast ratio. Picture quality is excellent. Motion blur is non-existent. Picture remains accurate when viewed at an angle. Input lag is slightly higher than ideal. Some temporary image retention after static images.

Pros
  • Picture remains accurate when viewed at an angle
  • Great blacks
  • Excellent motion handling
Cons
  • Automatic brightness limiter (ABL) causes brightness to fluctuate depending on content
  • Displaying static images results in temporary image retention
9.4
Movies 

Terrific for watching movies in a dark room. Picture quality and dark scene performance are excellent due to perfect blacks.

8.4
TV Shows 

Excellent for TV shows in a bright room. Picture quality is unbeatable, and looks great from any angle. Unfortunately the whole screen can't get bright to deal with glare. WebOS smart platform works well.

8.3
Sports 

Excels for watching sports. Picture quality is great and remains accurate at an angle. Negligible motion blur which is great. The uniformity is great, and results in almost no dirty screen effect.

8.4
Video Games 

Great for gamers. Picture quality can't be beaten, and motion performance is excellent. Unfortunately the input lag is only slightly better than average, so may be an issue for the most hardcore gamers. Some temporary image retention may be visible after static content.

8.9
HDR Movies 

Exceptional HDR performance for movies. Supports HDR10 and Dolby Vision. Perfect blacks results in excellent dark scene performance. Highlights can get quite bright, and supports a wide color gamut for vivid colors.

8.4
HDR Gaming 

HDR picture quality is exceptional, with support for wide color gamut. Unfortunately highlights can't get as bright as some other high end TVs and high HDR input lag may be an issue for some people.

7.8
PC Monitor 

Great choice for PC monitor. Picture remains accurate when viewed at an angle. Supports chroma subsampling and a wide range of resolutions for clear text. Motion handling is excellent. Unfortunately there is some temporary image retention.

  • 8.6
    Mixed Usage
  • 9.4
    Movies
  • 8.4
    TV Shows
  • 8.3
    Sports
  • 8.4
    Video Games
  • 8.9
    HDR Movies
  • 8.4
    HDR Gaming
  • 7.8
    PC Monitor
  • Changelog

    1.  Updated Mar 01, 2017: Review published.
    2.  Updated Oct 12, 2016: Our testers have started testing this product.
    3.  Updated Oct 03, 2016: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.

    Check Price

    55"OLED55C6P
    SEE PRICE
    Amazon.com
    65"OLED65C6P
    SEE PRICE
    Amazon.com

    Differences Between Sizes And Variants

    We tested the 55" (OLED55C6P). For the most part, we expect our review to be valid for the 65" (OLED65C6P).

    If someone comes across a different type of panel or if their LG OLED 55C6P doesn't correspond to our review, let us know and we will update the review. Note that some tests such as the gray uniformity may vary between individual units.

    Size Model
    55" OLED55C6P
    65" OLED65C6P

    Popular TV Comparisons

    Comparison picture

    Top left: Samsung KS8000 (UN55KS8000). Bottom left: LG B6 (OLED55B6P). Middle: LG C6 (OLED55C6P). Top right: Vizio P Series 2016 (P65-C1). Bottom right: LG UH8500 (55UH8500).  Unlike our other photographs, this picture wasn't taken under a controlled environment, so do not draw conclusions from it.

    Although the LG OLEDs are priced above the competition, they offer superior picture quality especially in darker scenes. The 2016 models all offer similar performance, which makes the C6 a great choice as one of the more affordable models. Keep this in mind when viewing our recommendations below.

    How We Test TVs
    How We Test TVs

    We buy and test dozens of TVs yearly, taking an objective, data-driven approach to deliver results you can trust. Our testing process is complex, with hundreds of individual tests that take over a week to complete. Most of our tests are done with specially designed test patterns that mimic real content, but we also use the same sources you have at home to ensure our results match the real-world experience. We use two main tools for our testing: a Colorimetry Research CR-100 colorimeter and a CR-250 spectroradiometer.

    Test Results

    Sort:
    RATINGS
    Category:
    All
    Design
    9.5
    Style
    CurvedYes

    The design is almost exactly the same as the LG B6, but with a curved screen. It looks great, and stands out in any room. The clear plastic stand and the thinness of the screen are nice touches to the otherwise minimal look. Unlike the higher model E6, the speakers are built into the body of the TV.

    Stand

    The stand looks the same as the B6, and is made of transparent plastic. It has a small footprint but feels stable.

    Footprint of the 55" TV stand: 11.3" x 27.0"

    Back
    Wall MountVESA 400x200

    The rear of the TV looks almost the same as the B6. It has a brushed metallic finish, and provides a wide VESA mount for good support.

    Borders
    Borders0.39" (1.0 cm)

    The borders are very thin and look good. They feature a metallic edge, and a small black border around the screen.

    Thickness
    Max Thickness2.72" (6.9 cm)

    The appears slightly thicker due to the curve. It is still a very thin TV, and looks good from an angle.

    Temperature
    Maximum Temperature
    37 °C
    Average Temperature
    32 °C

    Since OLEDs are self-emissive, the heat is produced throughout the screen with a few hot spots where electronic components are located.

    Picture Quality
    10
    Contrast
    Native Contrast
    Inf : 1

    The OLED panel has a perfect native contrast ratio. Adjacent pixels can be turned off completely, leading to perfect blacks.

    10
    Local Dimming
    Local Dimming
    No
    Backlight
    N/A

    The video is for reference only, since there is no need for a local dimming feature on OLED TVs.

    7.2
    SDR Peak Brightness
    SDR Real Scene Peak Brightness
    284 cd/m²
    SDR Peak 2% Window
    405 cd/m²
    SDR Peak 10% Window
    407 cd/m²
    SDR Peak 25% Window
    407 cd/m²
    SDR Peak 50% Window
    224 cd/m²
    SDR Peak 100% Window
    128 cd/m²
    SDR Sustained 2% Window
    405 cd/m²
    SDR Sustained 10% Window
    407 cd/m²
    SDR Sustained 25% Window
    407 cd/m²
    SDR Sustained 50% Window
    224 cd/m²
    SDR Sustained 100% Window
    128 cd/m²

    The LG C6 OLED TV have an average SDR peak brightness and is on par with the LG E6. The ABL (Automatic Brightness Limiter) also affect the brightness of highlights bigger than 25%, making anything beyond that point darker than the smaller highlight.

    8.1
    HDR Peak Brightness
    HDR Real Scene Peak Brightness
    662 cd/m²
    HDR Peak 2% Window
    650 cd/m²
    HDR Peak 10% Window
    652 cd/m²
    HDR Peak 25% Window
    416 cd/m²
    HDR Peak 50% Window
    222 cd/m²
    HDR Peak 100% Window
    126 cd/m²
    HDR Sustained 2% Window
    650 cd/m²
    HDR Sustained 10% Window
    652 cd/m²
    HDR Sustained 25% Window
    416 cd/m²
    HDR Sustained 50% Window
    222 cd/m²
    HDR Sustained 100% Window
    126 cd/m²

    Like with the LG E6P, the C6P is much better than 2015 OLED TVs, but unfortunately ABL (Automatic Brightness Limiter) is still present on the C6 and it limits the maximum brightness allowed on a full white screen. This is why, when you look at the results, the bigger the white surface gets, the dimmer it is. This may be distracting as the brightness changes depending on the scene.

    Like the other LG OLED TVs, the screen brightness of a static image tends to diminish after some time. This might just be a screen protection or an energy saving feature. Once again, it is only when a static image is left on screen for a long time and should not have any impact on normal video content.

    8.4
    Gray Uniformity
    50% Std. Dev.
    1.59%
    50% DSE
    0.134%
    5% Std. Dev.
    0.548%
    5% DSE
    0.1%

    The gray uniformity of the C6 is very good, and better than any LCD TV. Dirty screen effect is not really an issue but still it is not perfect. On our test picture, you can notice some large vertical bands that are warmer than the rest of the screen.

    After playing static material, temporary image retention is still an issue on this TV.

    8.1
    Viewing Angle
    LCD Type
    N/A
    Color Shift
    41°
    Brightness
    68°
    Black Level
    75°

    When viewed at an angle, the picture remains clear and the contrast very high. The colors become slightly less accurate, but as with other OLED displays this is a great result for those with wide seating.

    10
    Black Uniformity
    Native Std. Dev.
    0.268%

    With a completely dark image, the pixels are turned off and emit no light whatsoever. This results in a perfect black uniformity without any blooming.

    9.5
    Gradient
    Color Depth
    10 Bit

    The LG C6 OLED TV is able to display a 10 bit gradient very efficiently without any major banding or color shade issues. Some little imperfections can be seen here and there in the darker shades of color, but this is not really a problem and should not be visible when watching normal content.

    8.4
    Pre Calibration
    White Balance dE
    2.88
    Color dE
    2.97
    Gamma
    2.15

    Prior to calibration the picture is quite accurate. The white balance is a little bit off at high IREs but this isn't really an issue. For most people a calibration isn't necessary.

    9.5
    Post Calibration
    White Balance dE
    0.18
    Color dE
    1.62
    Gamma
    2.19

    The white balance calibration is performed with the inbuilt 2 and 20 point system. It works well to finely adjust the white balance.

    The colors space calibration is a bit less responsive than the white balance one, but it is still possible to bring down the Color dE a bit more.

    You can see our recommended settings here.

    8.0
    480p Input

    Upscaling of low quality content such as DVDs is good. Some artifacts can be seen along the edges of straight lines.

    8.0
    720p Input

    720p content such as blurays look clear. Details are preserved well.

    9.0
    1080p Input

    Upscaling of 1080p content is good. Small details can be seen clearly.

    10
    4k Input

    High quality content at the native resolution of 4k looks good. Image is crisp and clear. Note that a blue tint is slightly noticeable, but this is exaggerated by the camera.

    8.4
    Color Gamut
    Wide Color Gamut
    Yes
    DCI P3 xy
    96.37%
    DCI P3 uv
    96.25%
    Rec 2020 xy
    70.45%
    Rec 2020 uv
    72.86%

    The LG C6P has a wide color gamut, which can cover almost all of the P3 color space. This is about the same as the LG B6 and E6. Setting the color gamut to 'Wide' provides the most colors, 'Normal' is suitable for SDR content and 'Extended' is somewhere in between.

    7.4
    Color Volume
    Normalized DCI P3 Coverage
    87.513%
    10,000 cd/m² DCI P3 Coverage
    59.48%
    Normalized Rec 2020 Coverage
    64.652%
    10,000 cd/m² Rec 2020 Coverage
    43.56%

    Just like the other 2016 OLED TVs, the C6 has a large color volume. It is able to cover almost all of the P3 color volume and produce saturated colors even at low luminance.

    1.2
    Image Retention
    IR after 0 min recovery
    2.656%
    IR after 2 min recovery
    0.497%
    IR after 4 min recovery
    0.313%
    IR after 6 min recovery
    0.255%
    IR after 8 min recovery
    0.108%
    IR after 10 min recovery
    0.031%

    The LG C6 present image retention, like all the other OLED TVs. The image retention is a bit less intense than on LG LED TVs like the UH8500, but it lasts much longer. The brighter the static image is, more noticeable is going to be the retention. You can clearly see on the left side, where the white background was, it is now much darker than on the rest of the picture. The image retention can be pretty annoying for people that play a lot of video games or may use this TV as a PC monitor, since the static image will get retain for a bit more time than any LED TV. But once again, note that we did not notice any permanent burn-in on this OLED TV.

    9.5
    Reflections
    Reflection
    0.4%
    Screen Finish
    Glossy

    Reflections are dealt with very well. Like the other LG OLEDs of this year, the C6 has a special screen finish which works very well to cut down on the intensity of reflections. Due to the curve, direct reflections appear stretched.

    10
    3D
    3D
    Yes
    3D Type
    Passive
    2D to 3D
    Yes

    The C6P supports passive 3D and it is very good. There are not any major problems or any crosstalk visible when viewed from the front or the side. Note that the passive 3D results in half the number of lines of horizontal resolution.

    Pixels
    TypeOLED
    Motion
    9.9
    Motion Blur
    Refresh Rate120 Hz
    Response Time
    0.1 ms
    Overshoot
    1.6 ms

    The response time is excellent, and results in negligible motion blur. This can be seen by the lack of trail following the logo. Some people prefer a flickering backlight, but this is not possible on the C6.

    4.0
    Image Flicker
    PWM Dimming Frequency
    0 Hz
    BFI
    No
    BFI Frequency
    0 Hz
    BFI In Game Mode
    No

    The C6 uses the 'Sample and Hold' method to display an image. There are no options to enable flickering and so moving images may not appear as clear as other TVs which can flicker.

    8.6
    24p Playback
    Judder-free 24p
    Yes
    Judder-free 24p via 60p
    No
    Judder-free 24p via 60i
    Yes

    Movies played from a Blu-ray player or built-in streaming apps appear smooth. Some judder may be noticed when watching movies over a cable box or home theater PC. Most people don't notice judder so this is not an issue.

    10
    Motion Interpolation
    Motion Interpolation (30 fps)
    Yes
    Motion Interpolation (60 fps)
    Yes

    The C6P is able to interpolate 30 fps or 60 fps content up to the native refresh rate of 120 Hz. To do this and enable the soap opera effect, set 'Trumotion' to 'User'. For a 30fps source increase 'De-Judder' and for a 60fps source increase 'De-Blur'. Note that this may introduce visible artifacts.

    Inputs
    7.7
    Input Lag
    1080p @ 60Hz
    34.1 ms
    1080p With Interpolation
    118.4 ms
    1080p @ 60Hz Outside Game Mode
    50.9 ms
    1080p @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
    34.1 ms
    4k @ 60Hz
    34.1 ms
    4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
    34.1 ms
    4k @ 60Hz + HDR
    34.1 ms
    4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4 + 8 bit HDR
    N/A

    Input lag is better than average, and should be fine for most people. When the TV detects a HDR signal it switches to a HDR picture mode, which has fairly high input lag. For the best result with SDR content, change the picture mode to 'Game'. The input lag performance is the same as the E6, and slightly different to the B6. A video of the input lag differences can be seen here.

    Update 11/08/2016: Some owners have started a petition to LG to address these issues. This can be found here.

    Update 12/02/2016: With the newest firmware update (04.30.19) there has been the addition of a HDR gaming mode. In this mode the HDR input lag is lower, and should be fine for HDR gaming. Note that although the TV accepts a 4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4 + HDR signal, it can't accurately display the chroma subsampling in any HDR mode, even with the 'PC' icon selected. The HDR chroma subsampling looks the same as the B6, visible here .

    Update 01/24/2017: The input lag has been updated for the newest firmware (04.30.95). The results are almost identical.

    8.0
    Supported Resolutions
    Resolution4k
    1080p @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
    Yes
    1080p @ 120Hz
    No
    4k @ 30Hz @ 4:4:4
    Yes
    4k @ 60Hz
    Yes
    4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
    Yes

    Although this TV has a 120Hz panel, like other LG TVs it can't accept a 120Hz signal. To activate chroma subsampling, change the input icon to 'PC'. This allows for clear text on all backgrounds. For higher bandwidth signals such as 4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4, activate 'HDMI ULTRA HD Deep Color' on the HDMI port you are using in the 'General' settings.

    Side Inputs
    Rear Inputs
    Total Inputs
    HDMI3
    USB3
    Digital Optical Audio Out1
    Analog Audio Out 3.5mm0
    Analog Audio Out RCA0
    Component In1 (incl. adapter, shared)
    Composite In1 (incl. adapter, shared)
    Tuner (Cable/Ant)1
    Ethernet1
    DisplayPort0
    IR In0
    SD/SDHC0
    Inputs Specifications
    HDR10
    Yes
    5.1 Passthrough ARC Dolby Digital
    Yes
    Dolby Vision
    Yes
    5.1 Passthrough ARC DTS
    Yes
    5.1 Passthrough Optical Dolby Digital
    Yes
    5.1 Passthrough Optical DTS
    Yes
    HDMI 2.0 Full BandwidthYes
    ARCYes (HDMI 2)
    USB 3Yes (1)
    HDCP 2.2Yes
    CECYes
    MHLNo
    Variable Analog Audio OutNo
    Sound Quality
    7.6
    Frequency Response
    Std. Dev. @ 70
    2.72 dB SPL
    Std. Dev. @ 80
    2.52 dB SPL
    Std. Dev. @ Max
    5.06 dB SPL
    Max
    88.8 dB SPL
    Low-end Cutoff
    89.8 Hz

    Good performance. Frequency response is good at lower volumes. At higher volumes though, pumping and compression will be present. Additionally, low-end cutoff and maximum loudness are decent, for a TV.

    4.5
    Total Harmonic Distortion
    Distortion @ 70
    0.018
    Distortion @ 80
    0.149
    Distortion @ Max
    1.148

    Poor harmonic distortion performance. The overall amount of harmonic distortion at 75dB and 85dB are decent. However, at maximum volume, there is significant rise in distortion, especially above 1KHz. Aliasing was also audible with our test signal under maximum load.

    Smart Features
    Apps

    Provides access to the 'LG Content Store' for a wide variety of apps. The most popular apps are included with the TV, such as Netflix and Amazon Video.

    9.0
    Interface
    Smart OSWebOS 3.0

    As with the other 2016 LG TVs, the C6P has the newest version of the WebOS smart platform. It is extremely stable and smooth, and works very well. The smart remote with included pointer allows for very fast navigation, and all of the menus and features are very easy to use. The interface is intuitive which is great. The TV comes with popular apps such as Netflix, Hulu and Amazon Video and provides access to the LG Content Store for a wide range of other apps. It is possible to play photos or videos from a USB drive plugged into the side of the TV.

    0.0
    Ads
    Ad-free
    No
    Opt-out
    No
    TV Controls

    The controls are located under the front of the TV. They provide very basic functionality but are easy to access, even if wall mounted. Note that we took the stand off the TV to take this photo.

    Remote
    RemoteSmart

    Includes the same smart remote as other high-end LG TVs such as the B6 and UH8500. Works well to browse WebOS with the pointer.

    In The Box

    • Manual
    • Cable management strap
    • Batteries
    • Remote
    • Composite adapter
    • Component adapter
    • 2 x 3D glasses
    Misc
    Power Consumption107 W
    Power Consumption (Max)171 W
    Firmware04.30.15