The LG C1 OLED is the 2021 replacement for the LG CX OLED. As expected, it's an amazing TV, but aside from a few minor tweaks and upgrades—like the new 'Game Optimizer' settings, a redesigned Magic Remote, and a new version of webOS—it performs about the same as its predecessor. Like all OLED TVs, it has self-lit pixels that can be turned off individually to produce an almost infinite contrast ratio, with dark inky blacks and no distracting blooming around bright objects. Unfortunately, the unit we tested has exceptionally poor out-of-the-box color accuracy, but that can vary between units, so we may have just gotten one with a bad panel. Our testing also confirmed that, unlike the higher-end LG G1 OLED, it doesn't have LG's new evo panel. Despite these quibbles, the C1 still has a lot to offer, including a new setting for lower input lag, as well as a near-instantaneous response time and variable refresh rate (VRR) support.
The LG C1 OLED is an amazing all-around TV. It has stunning picture quality thanks to its near-infinite contrast ratio, which is great for watching movies or gaming in the dark. The near-instantaneous response time makes motion look exceptionally clear in fast-moving games and sports, and its low input lag is great for gaming or use as a PC monitor. While it doesn't get very bright for HDR, its high contrast helps it deliver an impressive HDR experience.
The LG C1 OLED is great for watching TV shows in a bright room. It has incredibly wide viewing angles, so the image is accurate, even if you have a wide seating arrangement or if you like to move around while watching TV. Unfortunately, it's not bright enough to overcome direct sunlight, but most people won't have any issues with it. On the upside, it has incredible reflection handling.
The LG C1 is an excellent TV for watching sports. Thanks to its near-instantaneous response time, motion looks exceptionally clear. If you like to watch games with friends, its wide viewing angles provide an accurate image even from the side. That said, its brightness is limited, so it's not great if you have a room with lots of direct sunlight.
The LG C1 OLED is incredible for playing video games. It has very little input lag and a near-instantaneous response time for smooth motion. It supports FreeSync, G-SYNC, and HDMI Forum VRR, and its near-infinite contrast makes games look stunning when playing in a dark room. Unfortunately, the risk for burn-in goes up with extended exposure to static elements like a game HUD, but we don't expect it to be an issue if you watch and play varied content.
The LG C1 is amazing for watching movies in HDR. It supports HDR10 and Dolby Vision but not HDR10+. It's unfortunately not very bright, so it may not bring out the brightest highlights, but its near-infinite contrast ratio still allows it to deliver an impressive HDR experience. It also has a wide color gamut but doesn't map every color well, which most people won't notice, but some colors may appear inaccurate.
The LG C1 OLED is a superb TV for HDR gaming. Motion looks exceptionally clear thanks to the near-instantaneous response time, and input lag is very low. Unfortunately, its HDR brightness is just okay, so the brightest highlights don't stand out as well as they should, but the near-infinite contrast ratio still helps deliver an impressive HDR experience. There's a risk of permanent burn-in, but we don't expect this to be an issue if you watch and play varied content.
The LG C1 TV is excellent for use as a PC monitor. It has wide viewing angles, so the image doesn't look washed out at the edges when sitting up close. It also has a very low input lag and exceptionally fast response time. Finally, it can display proper chroma 4:4:4, which is important for clear text, and it supports FreeSync and G-SYNC VRR. Unfortunately, static elements like a desktop interface increase the risk of permanent burn-in, but there are options to reduce the likelihood of this issue.
We tested the LG 55 inch C1 (OLED55C1PUB), which also comes in 48 inch, 65 inch, 77 inch, and 83 inch sizes. For the most part, we expect our results to be valid for those models as well. We tested the 48 inch model as a monitor, but note that our methodology isn't quite the same, so most of our results aren't directly comparable. There are many variants of these TVs, all of which have the same model code, but the last three letters may vary. We expect our results to be valid for those variants as well, but there may be some slight cosmetic differences.
We've received reports that some C1 owners have confirmed their units have the new evo panel, but LG has only officially confirmed it for the LG G1 OLED, and our C1 doesn't appear to have the new panel.
Size | North America Model | Short Model Code |
---|---|---|
48" | OLED48C1PUB | OLED48C1 |
55" | OLED55C1PUB | OLED55C1 |
65" | OLED65C1PUB | OLED65C1 |
77" | OLED77C1PUB | OLED77C1 |
83" | OLED83C1PUA | OLED83C1 |
If you come across a different type of panel or your LG C1 doesn't correspond to our review, let us know and we'll update the review. Note that some tests like gray uniformity may vary between individual units.
Our unit was manufactured in March 2021, and you can see the label here.
Like its predecessor, the LG C1 is one of the best consumer OLEDs on the market, with incredible picture quality and lots of extra features. That said, it's not a huge upgrade over the LG CX OLED, and depending on your needs, may not be worth the price difference.
For more options, check out our recommendations for the best OLED TVs, the best 4k gaming TVs, and the best TVs on the market.
The LG C4 OLED is better than the LG C1 OLED. It gets brighter overall, so it overcomes more glare in a bright room while watching SDR content, and highlights pop way more while watching HDR content. The C4 has significantly better pre-calibration accuracy, so colors are displayed much more accurately, and it displays colors brighter in HDR due to its better color volume. The C4 also has a sharper and cleaner image when watching low-resolution or low-quality content due to its better image processing and has less banding due to its better HDR gradient handling. On top of that, the C4 supports 144Hz, which is great for PC gamers with high-end rigs.
The LG C3 OLED is essentially just a brighter version of the LG C1 OLED. The extra brightness of the C3 in SDR makes it a much better choice for use in a bright room, as it can overcome more glare than the C1. Highlights in HDR content also pop much more on the C3 due to its much better HDR brightness, so HDR content is more impactful. The smallest sized C1 is a 48-inch model, but the C3 also comes in a smaller 43-inch model, which is great if you plan to use the TV as a PC monitor.
The LG C2 OLED is slightly better than the LG C1 OLED, although the performance of the two is quite similar. The C2 is a bit brighter, especially in SDR and when displaying small, bright highlights in HDR. The C2 has a slightly wider color gamut but worse tone mapping, so it doesn't respect the creator's intent as well. The C2 also has slightly improved smart features, including a new hands-free voice control feature, and the smart interface now supports user profiles, meaning you can customize the user experience to each family member.
The LG C1 OLED replaces the LG CX OLED, and overall they're very similar TVs. The biggest differences are that the C1 comes in a larger 83 inch variant, has the newest version of webOS, and includes new 'Game Optimizer' settings, including an input lag boost that reduces input lag by a few milliseconds. Our unit of the C1 has poor out-of-the-box color accuracy and lower brightness compared to the CX, but this could just be due to panel variation. All things considered, if none of the minor additions are essential to you, the CX may offer a slightly better value.
The Sony A80J OLED and the LG C1 OLED are amazing TVs capable of turning pixels off individually to produce deep inky blacks with a near-infinite contrast ratio. You can't go wrong with either, but they do have some differences. The LG offers a bit more for gamers, with two more HDMI 2.1 ports than the Sony and it has lower input lag. The Sony, however, has better out-of-the-box accuracy, although this can vary from unit to unit.
The LG C1 OLED and the Sony A90J OLED are both amazing TVs. They each have OLED panels with near-infinite contrast ratios and perfect black levels. That said, the Sony can reach higher peaks of brightness in both SDR and HDR. The LG, however, is the better option for gaming since it has FreeSync support and lower input lag, while the Sony is G-SYNC compatible.
The LG B3 OLED is a bit better than the LG C1 OLED. They're very similar and about equally bright in HDR and SDR. However, the B3 has a few upgrades over the older C1, such as better image processing and advanced DTS audio passthrough, making it the more versatile of the two products. The C1 has four full 4k @ 120Hz HDMI ports, while the B3 is limited to two 4k @ 120Hz ports, so if you have a ton of HDMI 2.1 devices, the C1 is more accommodating. Otherwise, the B3 is a slight upgrade over its older cousin.
The LG C1 OLED and the LG G1 OLED are both excellent OLEDs. They have similar features and picture quality, except the G1 uses LG's new evo panel. It allows it to get brighter in HDR, making small highlights pop. The G1 also has a unique design meant to sit flush against the wall, and it doesn't come with a stand like the C1. The G1 has better accuracy, but this can vary between units. However, overall the TVs are very similar, and if you aren't going to wall-mount it, the C1 is likely the better choice for you.
The LG A1 OLED and the LG C1 OLED deliver very similar picture quality but differ in the extra features available. The C1 is a better gaming TV, with four HDMI 2.1 ports, support for variable refresh rate technology (VRR), and a 120Hz refresh rate. For movie lovers, the C1 is also a slightly better choice, as it can remove judder from any source, and it has an optional Black Frame Insertion feature to help reduce persistence blur.
The Samsung S90C OLED is better than the LG C1 OLED. The LG model has one advantage over the Samsung TV: Dolby Vision support. Still, the Samsung is much brighter in HDR and SDR and is the more colorful of the two, so Dolby Vision alone doesn't compensate for the Samsung's image quality advantage. Plus, if you care about accuracy, the Samsung TV has you covered here, too, as it is much more accurate than the LG in SDR. The Samsung is also the better PC gaming TV due to its four 4k @ 144Hz HDMI ports, while the LG has four 4k @ 120Hz ports.
Although there aren't many differences between them overall, the LG G2 OLED is a bit better than the LG C1 OLED. The G2 is a lot brighter, especially when displaying small, bright highlights in HDR. The G2 has better smart features, including hands-free voice control, and the webOS smart interface on the G2 supports multiple user profiles. Finally, the G2's HDMI ports support 48Gbps bandwidth instead of the 40Gbps limit on the C1.
All in all, the LG C1 OLED is a step up from the LG C9 OLED. Because most OLED panels perform similarly, you can't really go wrong with the C9, but in the years since its release, LG has improved upon certain things that are apparent with C1, despite the fact that our unit falls short in certain areas like color accuracy and brightness due to panel variation. Most notably, gaming performance is improved on the C1, including better VRR with a wider range, more BFI options, and lower input lag. Still, if you can find the C9, it still offers amazing value.
The LG B1 OLED and the LG C1 OLED sit alongside each other in the 2021 LG lineup. They have many of the same features and performance, but they use different processors, which we don't test. The C1 gets brighter, but the difference isn't very noticeable. The C1 also has a wider refresh rate range because it has low frame rate compensation that allows the VRR to drop below 40Hz, which the B1 doesn't have. The B1 has much better gradient handling, so there's less banding in HDR content.
The LG C1 OLED and the LG B2 OLED are similar OLEDs. The B2 is the better choice if you need something to use in a well-lit room because it gets brighter in SDR. However, their HDR brightness is similar, and the C1 has better gradient handling, so if you watch HDR content, it's better to go for the C1.
The LG A2 OLED and the LG C1 OLED are similar TVs in terms of picture quality, but the C1 has an advantage for gaming. It has HDMI 2.1 bandwidth and VRR support, both of which the A2 doesn't have, meaning the C1 can take full advantage of the latest gaming consoles.
The LG C1 OLED and the Samsung QN90A QLED are both excellent TVs, but they use different panels. The LG is an OLED with a near-infinite contrast ratio, nearly instant response time, and wide viewing angles. The Samsung has a VA panel, so it still has an excellent contrast ratio, but its viewing angles are only decent. OLEDs don't get as bright as LED TVs, and the Samsung uses Mini LED backlighting, allowing it to get exceptionally bright and making it better suited to very bright rooms.
The Sony A8H OLED and the LG C1 OLED are both excellent TVs that use OLED panels. That means they're both capable of turning pixels off individually to produce a near-infinite contrast ratio, ideal for watching movies in the dark. The LG is better suited for gaming since it supports VRR and HDMI 2.1 and has less input lag.
The LG C1 OLED and the Sony A80K/A80CK OLED are very similar TVs. They each have similar peak brightness and overall picture quality. The main advantage the LG has is that it has lower input lag for gaming, and if you're a PC gamer, it has FreeSync VRR support.
The Sony A95K OLED and the LG C1 OLED are fantastic for different uses. If you primarily watch movies, the Sony TV is the better choice because of its better color volume and tone mapping, which displays a wider range of colors and makes them look more vivid. It also gets brighter, so bright highlights will stand out more. However, the LG C1 is better for gaming because of its lower input lag and four high-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 ports, versus the two on the Sony.
The LG C1 OLED and the Hisense U8G use very different panel technologies, each with strengths and weaknesses, so which one is better depends on your usage. The LG has a nearly infinite contrast ratio, so blacks are inky black in a dark room. The LG also has much better viewing angles, making it a better choice for a wide seating arrangement. On the other hand, the Hisense is much brighter, and unfortunately, the LG has a risk of burn-in with static content, which may be a concern for some people.
For the most part, the LG C1 OLED is better than the Samsung Q80/Q80T QLED, but they use different panel technologies. While the OLED panel on the LG delivers much deeper and more uniform blacks, the Samsung gets brighter and doesn't suffer from the risk of permanent burn-in. The LG also has wider viewing angles than the Samsung. They each have HDMI 2.1 inputs and VRR support for gaming, but motion looks smoother on the LG thanks to the near-instantaneous response time.
The Samsung S95C OLED is better than the LG C1 OLED. Colors are more vibrant and lifelike on the Samsung due to its wider color gamut and better color volume, and there is less banding. The S95C also overcomes glare better in a bright room thanks to its higher SDR peak brightness, and highlights pop a lot more in HDR content thanks to its better HDR brightness.
The Samsung S95B OLED is a bit better than the LG C1 OLED overall. The Samsung can display a wider HDR color gamut, and colors are significantly brighter, but this also looks unnatural with certain content. On the other hand, the LG has better black levels in rooms with a bit of natural light, whereas the Samsung is really best enjoyed in a completely dark room. The LG supports Dolby Vision, and it delivers a slightly more accurate HDR experience.
The Sony X90J and the LG C1 OLED are very different TVs. The Sony is an LED TV with a VA panel, while the LG is an OLED. The LG has a near-infinite contrast ratio and can produce much deeper blacks than the Sony. It has a wider color gamut, much quicker response times, and unlike the Sony, FreeSync works on it. Since the LG doesn't have a backlight, it doesn't have any blooming around objects in dark scenes like the Sony. It handles reflections better than the Sony, but it doesn't get as bright, so if you tend to watch TV in a well-lit room, the Sony might be a better choice. The LG has a much lower input lag, and unlike the Sony, it supports HDMI 2.1 on all of its ports.
The LG GX OLED and the LG C1 OLED offer very similar performance overall. The biggest difference between them is design. The GX is more of a statement piece, extremely thin, and designed to sit flush against the wall. It doesn't even come with a stand out of the box—you have to buy one separately. In terms of performance, both TVs have OLED panels with stunning picture quality, but the C1 comes with the latest version of webOS and a redesigned Magic Remote, along with a new gaming setting to reduce input lag further. Both are amazing TVs.
The LG C1 OLED delivers a better dark room viewing experience than the Samsung QN95B QLED, but the Samsung looks better than the LG in a bright room. The LG delivers incredibly deep, uniform blacks, with no blooming around bright objects in dark scenes. Its near-infinite contrast ratio helps it to deliver an incredible HDR experience, as bright highlights stand out incredibly well. The Samsung, on the other hand, gets significantly brighter, so it's a better choice for a bright room with lots of natural light.
The LG C1 OLED and the LG QNED90 use different panel technologies, each with strengths and weaknesses. The C1 uses an OLED panel, and as such, has a nearly infinite contrast ratio and no blooming in dark scenes, without the need for a local dimming feature. The QNED90, on the other hand, uses an LED backlight, so it doesn't look as good in the dark, but it's much brighter, so it might be a better choice for a bright room.
The LG C1 OLED is much better than the Samsung QN85B QLED. The LG has a near-infinite contrast ratio, resulting in much deeper blacks with no blooming around bright objects. The LG also has much better reflection handling and better gaming performance thanks to its nearly instantaneous response time. The Samsung is a lot brighter, so it can better handle glare in a bright room. However, it has worse picture quality overall.
The LG C1 OLED is much better than the Samsung AU8000. The LG is a high-end TV with an OLED panel with a near-infinite contrast ratio, perfect black uniformity, and wide viewing angles. The LG also has more gaming features like HDMI 2.1 and VRR support to reduce screen tearing.
The LG C1 OLED is much better than the Hisense H9G. The LG delivers much better dark room performance thanks to its near-infinite contrast ratio, resulting in deep blacks with perfect uniformity. The LG is also better for gaming because it has advanced features like HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, meaning you can play 4k games up to 120Hz, and it also has VRR support to reduce screen tearing. The Hisense is a lot brighter, so it can handle more glare in a bright room, but it delivers worse picture quality overall.
The LG C1 OLED is much better overall than the Samsung Q60/Q60A QLED. The LG is a high-end TV with an OLED panel that has a near-infinite contrast ratio, but the Samsung is an entry-level QLED with a brighter LED panel. The LG has many more gaming features like VRR support, HDMI 2.1 inputs, and a much quicker response time. On the other side, LED panels are immune to permanent burn-in, which OLEDs aren't.
The LG C1 OLED and the Samsung QN85B QLED use different panel types, each with strengths and weaknesses. The Samsung looks best in a bright room, as it has high peak brightness to overcome glare, but low contrast, so blacks look gray in a dark room. On the other hand, the LG's OLED panel has a near-infinite contrast ratio, so blacks look deep and uniform in a black room. The LG also looks good in a bright room, but it's not as bright as the Samsung.
The LG C1 OLED and the LG BX OLED perform similarly overall since they both use OLED panels with near-infinite contrast ratios, nearly instant response times, and wide viewing angles. However, the C1 is available in more sizes and gets a bit brighter in HDR. It also has four HDMI 2.1 ports, while the BX only has two.
The LG C1 OLED is very different from the Samsung QN900A 8k QLED since they use different panels. The Samsung is an 8k TV with a VA panel, while the LG is a 4k OLED. That said, 8k content still isn't widespread, so it's not worth the investment at this point. The LG also has a near-infinite contrast ratio, allowing it to produce deep blacks with no blooming, while the Samsung has a surprisingly low native contrast ratio and has some issues with blooming. All in all, the LG offers more value.
The Samsung Q90/Q90T QLED and the LG C1 OLED are excellent TVs, but they use different panel types. The LG has an OLED panel with a near-infinite contrast because it can turn off individual pixels, and there's no blooming around bright objects. It also has wider viewing angles and a quicker response time than the Samsung. On the other side, the Samsung gets much brighter because it has an LED panel, making it a better choice for well-lit rooms. Also, LED TVs appear to be immune to burn-in, unlike OLEDs.
The Sony X900H and the LG C1 OLED are different types of TVs. The Sony has an LED panel while the LG has an OLED screen, and each has pros and cons. The OLED delivers perfect blacks thanks to its near-infinite contrast, and it has much wider viewing angles. However, the LED screen gets brighter and doesn't suffer from the risk of burn-in. In terms of features, the LG is better for gaming because it has FreeSync support, which the Sony doesn't have.
The LG C1 OLED and the TCL R745 QLED use different panel technologies, each with pros and cons. The LG has an OLED panel with a near-infinite contrast ratio, perfect black uniformity, and wide viewing angles. It also has HDMI 2.1 inputs, while the TCL is limited to HDMI 2.0, so you can only play 4k @ 120fps games on the LG. On the other hand, the TCL is an LED TV only available in an 85 inch size. It gets much brighter than the LG, so highlights pop more, and it has much better out-of-the-box accuracy, but this can vary between units. LED TVs like the TCL also don't suffer from the risk of permanent burn-in like OLEDs.
The LG C1 OLED is better overall than the Samsung Q80/Q80A QLED. The LG's OLED panel produces much deeper blacks because it has a near-infinite contrast, and there's no blooming around bright objects. The Samsung has an LED panel that gets much brighter, and it's immune to burn-in. Even though the Samsung has an IPS-like panel with wide viewing angles, the viewing angles are still better on the LG. They have the same gaming features with VRR support, but motion looks better on the LG due to the quick response time.
The LG C1 OLED is better overall than the Hisense U9DG. The LG has much better motion handling, so it's a better choice for sports fans or gamers. The LG also has much better contrast, resulting in perfect blacks with no blooming around bright objects in dark scenes, and it has better reflection handling. Finally, the LG has better gaming features, with much lower input lag, and it doesn't skip frames with 4k @ 120Hz signals.
The LG C1 OLED is much better overall than the Samsung Q70/Q70A QLED. The LG has an OLED panel with a much higher contrast ratio for deeper blacks, and it also has wider viewing angles and a quicker response time. However, the LED panel on the Samsung gets brighter in SDR, making it a better choice for well-lit rooms, and it won't burn in like an OLED.
The LG OLED Flex and the LG C1 OLED are very similar, minus the Flex's ability to curve. The Flex gets a bit brighter in both HDR and SDR and has slightly better reflection handling to handle glare and bright rooms better than the C1. The Flex is better at smoothing low-quality content, but the C1 is no slouch. Overall they're very similar TVs, so price and screen size options are likely to be the primary factor in choosing between them.
The LG C1 OLED and the LG NANO75 2021 use different panel technologies, each with strengths and weaknesses. The C1 uses an OLED panel, and it has perfect, uniform blacks with no blooming, wide viewing angles, and a nearly instantaneous response time. Unfortunately, this comes with a small risk of permanent burn-in. The C1 is better than the NANO75 2021 in almost every way, but the NANO75 2021 is immune from burn-in.
The LG C1 OLED is much better than the TCL 6 Series/R646 2021 QLED. The LG has a near-infinite contrast ratio, resulting in deep inky blacks in a dark room with no distracting blooming around bright objects. The LG also has much better motion handling than the TCL because it has a near-instantaneous response time. The TCL gets a lot brighter in SDR, meaning it can handle more glare. However, it has worse picture quality overall.
The LG C1 OLED and the TCL 6 Series/R648 2021 8k QLED are different types of TVs. The LG is a 4k TV with an OLED screen, so it has much better contrast, better uniformity, wider viewing angles, and a quicker response time than the LED panel on the TCL. Since the LG is a 4k TV, it displays native 4k resolution better than the 8k TCL because it doesn't have to upscale it. On the other hand, the TCL's higher resolution supports 8k signals, and it gets much brighter, so highlights pop more in HDR. The TCL also doesn't suffer from the risk of permanent burn-in like the LG.
The LG C1 OLED is much better than the Sony X80J, but they're different types of TVs. The LG has an OLED panel with a near-infinite contrast ratio and perfect black uniformity. It also has many more gaming features like HDMI 2.1 inputs, a 120Hz panel, and VRR support. The LG is better for watching HDR content because it displays a wider color gamut and gets brighter in HDR. The main advantage the Sony has is that it doesn't suffer from the risk of permanent burn-in like on OLEDs.
The LG C1 OLED is a high-end TV that's much better than the TCL 4 Series/S446 2021. The LG has an OLED panel that displays perfect blacks with no blooming around bright objects, and it has wider viewing angles. It also has a bunch more gaming features like a 120Hz panel and HDMI 2.1 inputs, allowing you to play high-frame-rate games, and it has better motion handling. The one advantage that the TCL has over the LG is that LED TVs like this one won't suffer from burn-in like on OLEDs.
The LG C1 OLED is much better than the Hisense A6G. The LG displays perfect blacks, with no blooming or uniformity issues, making it a better choice in a dark room. The LG also has much better reflection handling, higher peak brightness, and a nearly instantaneous response time.
Although the LG C1 OLED and the Sony X85J use very different panel technologies, the LG is much better for most people. The LG delivers a perfect dark-room experience, with true inky blacks and perfect uniformity. The LG also has much better viewing angles and better reflection handling. On the other hand, the Sony is brighter, and unlike the LG, there's no risk of permanent burn-in with static content.
The LG C1 OLED and the Sony X91J are different types of TVs. The LG has an OLED panel with a near-infinite contrast ratio for deep blacks and wide viewing angles, and the Sony has an LED panel that gets brighter and doesn't suffer from the risk of permanent burn-in. The Sony is available in an 85 inch size only, while the LG is available in a variety of sizes, including an 83 inch model. The LG is better for gaming because it has better motion handling. The LG also has lower input lag for a more responsive gaming experience, and it also has much better reflection handling.
The LG C1 OLED and the Vizio M6 Series Quantum 2021 are very different TVs. The LG is a high-end TV with an OLED panel with a near-infinite contrast ratio, perfect black uniformity, and wide viewing angles. It has HDMI 2.1 inputs, allowing you to play 4k games up to 120 fps, while the Vizio has HDMI 2.0 inputs, meaning you can play 4k games up to 60 fps, and it's also limited to a 60Hz panel. The Vizio is an entry-level LED model, so the only advantage over the LG is that it doesn't suffer from the risk of permanent like an OLED.
The LG C1 OLED and the Hisense U800GR 8k are two different types of TVs. The LG is a 4k TV with an OLED panel, resulting in a near-infinite contrast ratio, perfect black uniformity, and wide viewing angles. It also has a quicker response time and lower input lag than the Hisense. On the other hand, the Hisense is an 8k TV with an LED panel that gets brighter in SDR, and it doesn't suffer from the permanent burn-in risk that OLEDs have. Also, the Hisense is only available in a 75 inch size, while the LG is available in a wide range of sizes.
Although the LG C1 OLED and the Sharp AQUOS FS1 OLED are similar TVs, the LG is better in most ways. The LG has many features that the Sharp model doesn’t, like a BFI feature, HDMI bandwidth on all four ports, and better image processing. The LG is also a bit brighter than the Sharp, so it can fight a bit more glare in a room with lights on when watching SDR content, and highlights pop more in HDR content. However, the Sharp is much more accurate pre-calibration, so it's better if you care about accuracy and don't want to get your TV calibrated.
The LG C1 OLED and the TCL 6 Series/R635 2020 QLED are different types of TVs. The LG has an OLED panel with a near-infinite contrast, perfect black uniformity, and wider viewing angles. It also has HDMI 2.1 inputs, allowing you to play 4k games up to 120 fps, while the TCL is limited to 4k @ 60 fps gaming. However, the TCL has an LED panel that gets brighter, and it doesn't suffer from the risk of permanent burn-in like the LG.
The Sony X950H and the LG C1 OLED are two high-end TVs with different panel types. The LG's OLED panel has a near-infinite contrast ratio for deep blacks and has wider viewing angles, but the LED panel on the Sony gets brighter and doesn't have the risk of permanent burn-in. The LG is a much better gaming TV because it has HDMI 2.1 inputs and VRR support, which the Sony doesn't have.
The LG C1 OLED is much better than the LG NANO90 2021. The C1 has a near-infinite contrast ratio for perfect blacks, and there's no blooming around bright objects. The C1 also has wider viewing angles, which is great if you have a large seating area, and it has better gaming performance thanks to its nearly instantaneous response time.
The LG C1 OLED and the Vizio M7 Series Quantum 2021 are different types of TVs. The LG has an OLED panel with a near-infinite contrast ratio, perfect black uniformity, and wide viewing angles. The LG also has more gaming features like HDMI 2.1 inputs and a 120Hz panel, allowing you to game in 4k up to 120fps, and it has a near-instantaneous response time. On the other hand, the Vizio has much better out-of-the-box accuracy, but this can vary between units. It's also an LED panel that doesn't have the burn-in risk associated with OLEDs.
The LG C1 OLED and the Vizio P Series Quantum 2021 are different types of TVs. The LG has an OLED panel with a near-infinite contrast, perfect black uniformity, and wide viewing angles. The LG also has a much faster response time for better motion handling, and even though they each have similar gaming features, there are fewer bugs on the LG, providing a better gaming experience. On the other hand, the Vizio is an LED TV that gets much brighter so highlights pop in HDR, and it doesn't have the risk of permanent burn-in like OLEDs.
The LG C1 OLED and the Sony X95J use different panel technologies, each with strengths and weaknesses. The LG delivers a much better dark room viewing experience, as it has perfect uniformity with inky blacks. The LG is better for gaming, with a good selection of additional gaming features. On the other hand, some people might prefer the Sony for watching HDR movies, as it's much brighter, and many people prefer the processing on Sony TVs, although this isn't something we can test for at the moment.
The LG C1 OLED and the LG NANO99 8k 2021 are different types of TVs. The C1 is a 4k OLED TV with much better dark room performance because it delivers perfect blacks, while the NANO99 is an 8k LED TV that gets brighter in SDR. The C1 has a few more gaming features like VRR support and a near-instantaneous response time, and it also has a slightly lower input lag. The C1 also displays a much wider color gamut for HDR, but the NANO99 has much better out-of-the-box accuracy, but this can vary between units. Also, the NANO99 doesn't suffer from the risk of permanent burn-in like the C1.
The LG C1 OLED is a much better TV than the LG NANO85 2021. The C1 delivers significantly better picture quality as it delivers deeper blacks with perfect black uniformity, and it gets brighter in HDR for a better HDR viewing experience. The C1 also has much better reflection handling, meaning glare won't be an issue in most well-lit rooms. Even though they each have the same gaming features like HDMI 2.1 bandwidth and VRR support, the C1 is better for gaming due to the lower input lag and quicker response time.
The LG C1 looks almost identical to the LG CX OLED and the LG C9 OLED. The TV looks sleek and looks great in any environment. While the stand takes up a bit of space, it looks great and unique from other TV stands, and it supports the TV well.
The stand supports the TV well and feels very solid. It sits fairly low, so placing a soundbar in front could potentially block the screen a bit. As mentioned, the stand is quite wide, almost as wide as the TV itself, so you'll need a big table or console if you're not wall-mounting it.
Footprint of the stand: 36.1" x 9.4"
The back of the TV is similar to the LG CX OLED, and the plastic bottom half has slight horizontal etchings to give it texture. The top half of the TV and parts of the stand are made of metal. There's a slot in the back of the stand for cable management.
The top part of the LG C1 is extremely thin, while the bottom is thicker. It's still very thin overall and sits close to the wall when wall-mounted, albeit not as flat against the wall as the LG G1 OLED.
The LG C1 OLED TV feels incredibly well-built, much like the LG CX OLED. The metal on the back and in the stand gives it a premium, sturdy feel, and while there's a bit of flex around the inputs, it feels very solid overall. There are no obvious gaps or areas of concern, and we don't think anyone will have any issues with the overall build quality.
Like all OLED TVs, the LG C1 OLED has a near-infinite contrast ratio, as the panel can turn individual pixels completely off. It delivers deeper, inkier blacks than any LED LCD TV, although the Hisense U9DG is close. Unlike traditional LCDs, contrast doesn't vary between individual OLED TVs.
HDR brightness is okay. As you can see in the EOTF, the overall brightness is on-target, but it may not be bright enough to hit the brightest highlights. The ABL is very aggressive in HDR, which accounts for the variation in brightness and why it gets so dim with scenes that have large areas of brightness. It was especially noticeable and distracting when connected to our PC, as it dimmed any windows that were left open within minutes. Differences in brightness between this and the LG CX OLED may simply come down to panel variation. If you want something that has the new evo panel and gets brighter, then check out the LG G1 OLED.
We measured HDR brightness before calibration, using the 'Cinema' Picture Mode, with Brightness and Contrast set to max, Peak Brightness on 'High', and Color Depth set to 'Warm 50'. All other picture processing settings were left disabled. If you want to make HDR brighter, you can try enabling Dynamic Tone Mapping or setting Auto Dynamic Contrast to 'High', which can help as seen in this EOTF but is highly dependent on the content and even individual scenes.
To get the brightest possible image at the expense of picture quality, use the 'Vivid' Picture Mode, enable Dynamic Tone Mapping, and set Auto Dynamic Contrast to 'High', and leave the other settings as mentioned above. We hit 860 nits in the 2% window using these settings.
HDR brightness is the same in 'Game Optimizer' mode as it is in 'Cinema' mode. We measured slightly less brightness, but it's very difficult to notice a difference with the naked eye. This is normal as measurements can vary slightly between test runs.
This TV has okay peak brightness in SDR, but it's not as bright as the LG C2 OLED. Scenes with small bright areas can get extremely bright, but it struggles with large bright areas, like the ice when watching hockey. Because of this aggressive automatic brightness limiter (ABL), visibility can be an issue with certain content.
We measured SDR brightness after calibration, using the 'Expert (Dark space, night)' Picture Mode, Color Temperature set to 'Warm 50', Peak Brightness set to 'High' and OLED Pixel Brightness at max. The brightness was about the same before calibration.
To get the brightest possible image at the expense of picture quality, you can set the Picture Mode to 'Vivid', set Brightness and Contrast to max, Peak Brightness to 'High', and Auto Dynamic Contrast to 'High'. We hit 489 nits in the 10% window using these settings.
The LG C1 has a wide color gamut for HDR content. It has near-full coverage of the commonly used DCI P3 color space and decent coverage of the wider Rec. 2020. While it can reproduce a wide range of colors, it doesn't map them very well, so depending on the signal, some colors may be off the mark.
While we received reports that some owners have C1s with LG's next-gen OLED evo panel, we measured the spectrum of our panel, and from this, it appears our unit doesn't have the evo panel. This checks out, considering the lower brightness and the fact that LG only advertises that the LG G1 OLED has it.
Color volume is decent. It's mostly limited by its lower peak brightness. It can produce dark, saturated colors very well, thanks to its high contrast ratio. However, at higher luminance levels, colors start to wash out. New QD-OLED panels, like the one in the Samsung S95B OLED, produce much brighter colors.
Surprisingly, the LG C1 has bad out-of-the-box color accuracy, although this can vary between units. Some other reviews have reported similar findings, so it could be a bad batch. We double-checked our testing equipment and tried adjusting certain settings to rule out interference, but it's just that bad. The white balance is very off, as are most colors, and the color temperature is colder than our target, giving the image a blue tint. Gamma is okay, but some brighter scenes are too bright and darker scenes too dim. If you want an OLED with better accuracy out of the box, check out the Sony A80J OLED.
We also measured the accuracy of the C1 with the Peak Brightness setting turned off, and it improved some of the results:
The difference is minimal, so for consistency with our other reviews, the posted results are with this setting enabled. The color dE is a bit better, but the mapping is still off, as you can see here. Because the difference is negligible, we recommend keeping Peak Brightness on, since prioritizing a brighter image will result in a more enjoyable viewing experience.
After calibration, this TV has much better accuracy, and it looks fantastic. A few colors have slight inaccuracies, but it's not really noticeable to most people. The white balance is perfect, and gamma follows our 2.2 target for a dark room perfectly. The overall color temperature is perfect. Note that this calibration was done with the traditional D65 white point, not the modified Judd white point that some calibrators are recommending for OLED displays.
You can see our recommended settings here.
The LG C1 has excellent gray uniformity. There's very little dirty screen effect, and the sides of the screen are nearly the same brightness as the rest. Near-dark scenes are even better, but like most OLED TVs we've tested, there are some faint vertical lines in near-dark scenes. They're usually not distracting, and in most moving content, you have to look for them to see them. Unlike LCD TVs, there's usually very little difference in uniformity between different OLEDs, so we don't expect this to vary much.
Note: A few owners have reported seeing a grid-like pattern on their TV in uniform scenes. It's usually not noticeable with real content, but this is a manufacturing defect; if you see it on yours, you should exchange it.
The LG C1 has superb reflection handling. The glossy finish and anti-reflective coating significantly reduce the intensity of direct reflections. Visibility can still be an issue if you have a lot of sunlight, though, due to the TV's relatively low brightness with some content.
Gradients look great. There's some noticeable banding in the grays and greens especially, but it looks good overall. The Smooth Gradation setting helps smooth out gradients a bit, especially when set to 'Medium' or 'High', but it can also cause a loss of fine details when used with high-quality content, so we don't recommend leaving it enabled.
With a WRGB pixel structure, the LG C1 uses four sub-pixels, but all four are never used at the same time. This image shows the red, white, and blue sub-pixels. You can see the green sub-pixels here.
The LG C1 doesn't have a traditional backlight, and it doesn't use pulse-width modulation to dim each pixel, but it's not flicker-free, either. Like all OLEDs, there's a slight dip in brightness that corresponds to the TV's refresh cycle. This dip exists on every OLED we've tested, and unlike PWM, it's one line at a time instead of the entire backlight, so it's not noticeable at all.
Update 03/02/2022: We confirmed that the BFI mode works in PC Mode, but you need to disable the VRR feature first.
The LG C1 has an optional black frame insertion feature, which helps reduce persistence blur by inserting black frames into content at regular intervals, typically matched to the frame rate of the content.
To enable BFI, first set TruMotion to 'User Selection', then set OLED Motion Pro to 'High' for 60Hz content, or 'Low' or 'Medium' for 120Hz content. You can also set the BFI to flicker at 120Hz for 60Hz if you wish, although it results in some image duplication.
In 'Game Optimizer' or PC mode, the settings are the same, but note that you can't enable BFI if you have Prevent Input Delay set to 'Boost' or if you have VRR enabled.
The LG C1 can interpolate lower frame rate content up to 120fps to make motion look smoother, a feature also known as the 'Soap Opera Effect'. It looks pretty good; while there were some artifacts with our test pattern, it was much better with real content. To enable it, set TruMotion to 'User Selection' and set the 'De-Judder' and 'De-Blur' sliders to 10. If you care about motion interpolation, then look into the Sony A80K/A80CK OLED.
Because of the TV's fast response time, low frame rate content can appear to stutter since each frame is held on for longer. If it bothers you, motion interpolation can help.
Unlike the LG A1 OLED, the LG C1 can remove judder from every source. To do so, Cinema Screen needs to be enabled. You can also enable it at the same time as BFI. When OLED Motion Pro is set to 'Low' or 'Medium', it can remove judder, but it won't remove judder when set to 'High'.
The LG C1 OLED supports FreeSync and HDMI Forum VRR and is NVIDIA-certified as G-SYNC compatible, and we didn't experience any issues. To enable VRR, turn on Game Optimizer and make sure VRR and G-Sync is toggled for G-SYNC and HDMI Forum and AMD FreeSync Premium is 'On' for FreeSync. Like the LG CX OLED, the VRR range is extended to a minimum of 20Hz when using an HDMI 2.1 source. With HDMI 2.0, it begins at 40Hz.
Update 01/26/2022: We updated the firmware to the latest version (03.25.10) and measured the input lag again using the same settings that we did before. The firmware update doesn't have a significant impact on the input lag, and even though the VRR input lag increased by about 1 ms for each resolution, you won't notice the difference. We've updated the review with the new results.
The LG C1 has a very low input lag as long as it's in 'Game Optimizer' mode. For low input lag with chroma 4:4:4, the input icon has to be changed to 'PC'.
There's a new setting for 2021 models found in the Game Optimizer menu, called Prevent Input Delay. There are two options: 'Standard' and 'Boost'. We ran several input lag tests and found that the 'Boost' setting consistently lowers the input lag by about 3 ms when the TV is running 60Hz compared to the LG CX OLED. It works by sending a 120Hz signal to refresh the screen more frequently, meaning it doesn't affect 120Hz input lag. The published results are what we measured using the 'Boost' setting. On 'Standard', we measured 13.1 ms for 1080p @ 60Hz, 13.4 ms for 1440p @ 60Hz, and 13.0 ms for 4k @ 60Hz.
We experienced a bug while testing input lag, where the TV put itself into 'PC' mode automatically without showing it was enabled. However, we could bypass it to get accurate input lag measurements in and out of 'PC' mode.
The LG C1 supports most common resolutions, but it doesn't support 1440p @ 60Hz natively, so it has to be forced. Chroma 4:4:4 is displayed properly in any supported resolution, which is important for clear text from a PC, but only in 'PC' mode.
Like the LG CX OLED, the C1 doesn't support the full 48Gbps bandwidth of HDMI 2.1, but this isn't an issue since the 40Gbps ports can still do 4k @ 120Hz with 10-bit color. The TV can't accept a 4k @ 120Hz signal with 12-bit color because of this limitation, which could improve gradients processing, but it's not a big issue overall.
To enable eARC, go to Select HDMI Input Audio Format and choose 'Bitstream'. Then set Digital Sound Output to 'Auto' and toggle eARC Support.
The frequency response is decent. It doesn't have as much bass as the LG CX OLED, but the overall sound profile is fairly balanced, resulting in clean-sounding dialogue. It also gets quite loud, though there's a lot of compression at higher volumes.
There's a fair bit of distortion. There's not too much audible distortion at moderate listening levels, but it's worse at max volume. That said, distortion depends on the content, and not everyone will hear it.
The LG C1 comes with the newly redesigned webOS 6.0. Instead of the ribbon of tiles from previous versions, it now has a smart hub with various widgets and apps. It's responsive and easy to use.
The Magic Remote has been redesigned in 2021 but still has the same great features like the motion-controlled pointer and scroll wheel. The new Magic Remote is slimmer, with more app shortcut keys to streaming apps and voice assistants. The voice command can change inputs, open apps, and perform searches but can't adjust certain settings.
Note: LG Canada advertises a new NFC feature that allows you to tap your phone up against the remote to cast content to the TV. However, it seems that this feature isn't available with American models, so it's likely that the features depend on the region.