We bought and tested the LG 48 CX OLED as a computer monitor, and even though this is meant to be a TV, it offers impressive overall performance as a monitor. Its 4k resolution delivers an exceptionally clear image, and its near-infinite contrast ratio allows it to produce inky blacks. It's an excellent choice for gaming because it has near-instantaneous response time, a 120Hz refresh rate, as well as native FreeSync variable refresh rate (VRR) support and G-SYNC compatibility. Although it has wide viewing angles, colors shift quickly when you move off-center. This makes images appear slightly inaccurate at the sides of the screen when sitting up close or when viewing from the side, so it isn't ideal for work that requires exact color reproduction. Sadly, it doesn't get very bright due to its aggressive automatic brightness limiter (ABL), but it does handle reflections extremely well. It's a really well-built TV with a sleek design, but unlike most monitors, its stand doesn't allow for any adjustments.
Like any OLED, it has the risk of permanent burn-in. This could be an issue with constant static displays like a computer's interface, but if you use a screensaver when you're not using it or if you also use it for watching varied content, you may avoid, or at least reduce, the risk.
Our Verdict
The LG 48 CX OLED is an impressive overall TV to use as a computer monitor. It's a great choice for any type of use, and it's excellent for gaming. It has a 120Hz refresh rate, native FreeSync support, and a near-instant response time. It has excellent viewing angles, great if you want to use it in an office setting or sit close to the screen. Sadly, the screen doesn't get bright enough to combat glare, but it has outstanding reflection handling. Lastly, it's a great choice for watching movies since it has an infinite contrast ratio.
Note: This isn't comparable to the 8.8 score the LG CX received in our TV review because of different scoring methods between monitors and TVs.
The LG 48 CX OLED is great for office use. It has a big 48 inch screen and a 4k resolution, great for opening multiple windows at once. Sadly, its stand doesn't allow for any type of adjustment and the screen doesn't get very bright. On the upside, it has outstanding reflection handling and extremely wide viewing angles.
Excellent choice for gaming. The LG 48 CX OLED has FreeSync VRR support and owners of NVIDIA graphics cards can take advantage of the G-SYNC compatibility. It has a 120Hz refresh rate, a near-instant response time, and a low input lag, although it's not as low as other monitors. It's an ideal choice for gaming in the dark as it's able to individually turn off pixels, producing perfect blacks.
Note: This isn't comparable to the 9.1 score the LG CX received in the TV review because of different scoring methods between monitors and TVs.
The LG 48 CX OLED is impressive for watching movies and videos. It has a high 4k resolution, it has an infinite contrast ratio and perfect black uniformity, and it handles reflections extremely well. It's also a great choice for watching videos with friends since it has very wide viewing angles. Lastly, it has a built-in smart operating system, so you get a ton of apps available to download without even turning on your PC.
Despite the high score, the LG 48 CX OLED isn't well-suited for content creation because colors shift quickly as you move off-center. This makes the image appear inaccurate at the sides when sitting up close and when viewing from the side. Also, it has limited coverage of the Adobe RGB color space used in photo editing. On the upside, it has a large high-resolution screen and a near-infinite contrast ratio to produce inky blacks.
The LG 48 CX OLED is an excellent choice for HDR gaming. It has native FreeSync VRR support, it's G-SYNC compatible, and it has a 120Hz refresh rate. The response time is near-instant and it has a low input lag. It supports both Dolby Vision and HDR10 and it displays a great wide color gamut for HDR content. It also gets bright enough to make small highlights pop in HDR the way they're supposed to.
Note: This isn't comparable to the 8.8 score the LG CX received in the TV review because of different scoring methods between monitors and TVs.
Changelog
- Updated Jul 05, 2021: Retested the VRR range, input lag, and SDR brightness; recalibrated it in Game Mode.
- Updated Feb 24, 2021: Retook the response time photo.
- Updated Jan 20, 2021: For consistency, we've changed the height adjustment from N/A to '0.0'. The score has been adjusted accordingly.
- Updated Dec 08, 2020: Retested input lag and HDR peak brightness.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the 48 inch LG CX OLED (OLED48CXPUB) and we expect our results to be valid for the 55 inch (OLED55CXPUA), 65 inch (OLED65CXPUA), and 77 inch (OLED77CXPUA) models.
If someone comes across a different type of panel or if their LG CX OLED doesn't correspond to our review, let us know and we'll update the review. Note that some tests such as the gray uniformity may vary between individual units.
| Size | US Model | Canada Model | EU Model |
| 48" | OLED48CXPUB | - | OLED48CX6LB |
| 55" | OLED55CXPUA | OLED55CXPUA | OLED55CX6LA |
| 65" | OLED65CXPUA | OLED65CXPUA | OLED65CX6LA |
| 77" | OLED77CXPUA | OLED77CXPUA | OLED77CX6LA |
The unit we reviewed was manufactured in June 2020, and you can see the label here.
Popular Monitor Comparisons
The LG 48 CX OLED delivers excellent overall picture quality, and even though it's a TV, it's a great choice to use as a PC monitor. Its replacement, the LG 48 C1 OLED, is nearly identical. Not many monitors on the market have an OLED screen like this, which displays perfect blacks and has wide viewing angles. Even though its input lag is higher than most monitors, it has an extremely quick response time. Regardless, if you're worried about the permanent burn-in risk, it's still better to get an LED monitor for much cheaper, like the LG 27UK650-W. Also see our recommendations for the best monitors for multimedia use, the best gaming monitors, the best 34-49 inch monitors, and the best TVs to use as PC monitors.
The LG C1 48 OLED is the replacement to the LG 48 CX OLED, and both are very similar in performance. The C1 has lower input lag at 60Hz because of a new 'Prevent Input Delay' setting. The built-in webOS is updated, and it comes with a new Magic Remote. The CX scores higher for SDR peak brightness, but that's because we tested it with a different Picture Mode, and the C1 has about the same brightness in that Picture Mode.
The LG 48 CX OLED and the LG C2 42 OLED are very similar. If you care about text clarity, the C2 is a better choice because it has a smaller screen with improved text clarity. Other than that, they're both very similar overall, but the C2 has a few more features.
Although the ASUS ROG Strix XG27UQ and the LG 48 CX OLED score similarly overall, they're very different types of displays. The ASUS is an IPS monitor with a slightly higher refresh rate, lower input lag, and higher peak brightness. It allows for ergonomic adjustments, which the LG doesn't offer, and its smaller screen results in a higher pixel density, so images and text look sharper. On the other hand, the LG has an OLED panel that can produce perfect blacks, making it better for dark rooms. It also has faster response time and supports HDMI 2.1. Although the LG has wider viewing angles, colors shift quickly when moving off-center, so it isn't ideal for content creation.
The LG 48 CX OLED is slightly better than the Gigabyte AORUS FO48U OLED. They have deliver nearly identical performance, but the LG is a bit brighter in HDR. The Gigabyte has slightly better viewing angles and a wider SDR color gamut, but this could be unit variance. The LG has a built-in smart interface and more advanced image processing options. The Gigabyte has better connectivity, though, as it has a DisplayPort connection and a built-in USB hub with a keyboard, video, and mouse switch.
We buy and test more than 30 monitors each year, all of which we purchase ourselves, without cherry-picked units or samples. We put a lot into each unbiased, straight-to-the-point review, and there's a whole process from purchasing to publishing, involving multiple teams and people. We do more than just use the monitor for a week; we use specialized, custom tools to measure various aspects and deliver objective, data-driven results. We also consider multiple factors before making any recommendations, including the monitor's cost, its performance compared to the competition, and whether it's easy to find.
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