Don’t like reading? Check out my video review on YouTube instead.
Why Choose OLED?
The LG C1 is my first OLED TV. At first, I wasn’t sure of the OLED hype, but now I completely get it. The first time you witness an image or video and the screen goes to perfect black in the dark areas; it’s a special experience.
I’ll get into why I think this TV is a must buy for pretty much all types of content consumption, but I’ll tell you now, if you’ve been debating getting an OLED TV, or this TV specifically, just get it now. The price has dropped due to the LG C2’s release, but the differences between both models still make the LG C1 an amazing choice.
Some Technical Specs
✅ Display Type: OLED Display with Pixel Level Dimming
✅ Resolution: 4K Ultra HD (3840 x 2160)
✅ HDMI: 4 Inputs (1 input with eARC)
✅ Native Refresh Rate: 120Hz
✅ Response Time: >1 ms
✅ HDR: Cinema HDR (Dolby Vision, HDR10, HLG)
✅ Sound: 2.2 Channel
✅ Sound Output Power: 40W
✅ FreeSync Premium™ Supported
✅ G-SYNC Compatible
✅ VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) Capable
✅ Bluetooth Version: 5.0
✅ Weight: 72 lbs (TV with Included Stand)
✅ Dimensions: 57.0″ x 33.9″ x 9.9″ (TV with Included Stand)
✅ Model: ‎OLED65C1PUB
Full specs on LG’s website here.
Please be advised that the link above is a referral link, which means that I earn a small commission for each qualifying sale. There is no additional cost to you.
What’s In The Box?
I bought the 65″ LG C1, and it came in a pretty large box. Make sure you have two people to help with the setup. You will damage the TV trying to set it up yourself due to the thin panel. In terms of the packaging, it’s well packed and secure.
In the box, you’ll get the TV, a pretty heavy weighted TV stand, the magic remote, batteries for the remote, screws for the TV stand, a backplate cover and manuals. Btw, read the manuals because they specify where you should and should not place pressure.
Installation
You do need two people to set up the TV properly, especially on the larger sizes. With the 65″ version, it was a bit nerve-wracking when handling the screen because there was some noticeable flexing when lifting it from the table after the heavy TV base was attached.
The installation process is easy, though. The top of the box can be pulled upwards after the plastic straps are cut. Then the TV panel can be placed on a table using the protective material to prevent scratches to the screen. The TV stand comes in two pieces that need to be secured with the screws before the TV stand can be attached to the TV panel using the remaining screws. Once that is done, all cables can be connected to the rear inputs and cable managed at the back with a plastic cable strap and a cable cover located in the rear middle of the TV.
Build Quality
Aside from the temporary TV panel flexing that I experienced trying to lift the TV from the table with the weight stand attached, the rest of the TV seems pretty solid, but I guess some flexing is to be expected for a larger panel size. The TV panel comes in at an impressive 3.9 mm!
The TV stand is pretty heavy, coming in at around 18 or 19 lbs, so there’s no chance of the TV falling over even with decent pressure applied. The back of the TV panel is all plastic and does feel a little cheap compared to the rest of the premium build quality. The TV power cable is around 5 feet long.
In terms of branding, there is only one LG logo situated at the bottom right of the TV stand, so there are no distracting elements on the TV frame.
LG C1 HDMI Ports & Inputs
The back of the TV has 4 HDMI 2.1 inputs (HDCP 2.2). One of those HDMI inputs supports eARC, and all HDMI ports support 4K at 120Hz. There are also input ports for an ethernet cable, optical digital audio out, 3X USB 2.0 ports and cable in.
Picture Quality
I am a first-time user of an OLED TV, and it is an entirely different visual experience from my previous TV. Now that I have seen what OLED is capable of when it comes to true blacks and achieving extraordinary contrast levels, it will be hard to consider other types of TV panels.
One concern I’ve seen online about this TV is that the peak brightness is not enough compared to other types of competing TV panels. I have not found any viewing situations where I felt like the brightness was not enough, and I keep the picture mode on the Standard setting instead of the Vivid setting, which boosts brightness.
The LG C1 also has an AI Picture Pro that can be used to dynamically adjust scenes for the best viewing experience across a variety of different content.
Keep this in mind, since this TV can offer pure black levels, whenever there are bright parts on the screen, the contrast between dark and light really emphasizes the bright areas even more. There is no worry for most viewing situations unless you have window light pointed directly at the TV.
When viewing the TV at night, the viewing experience is even better. I’m a fan of horror movies, and it’s such a treat to watch movies that have many dark scenes on this TV.
Viewing angles issues are also done away with when it comes to this TV. At the widest viewing angle, all parts of the TV panel remain fully lit and without dimming or shading.
A great feature that can be activated is to have Filmmaker Mode take effect when the TV detects that you are watching movies. I leave this feature turned on, and I love the viewing experience it offers, especially during night viewings.
Overall, it’s a beautiful viewing experience, and I doubt most users would find any complaints or issues with the LG C1.
Gaming Performance
If you plan on using the LG C1 for gaming, you’ve made a great choice! It’s capable of 4K gaming at 120 Hz and also offers 1 ms of response time for a really fluid gaming experience. There is also support for AMD’s FreeSync and Nvidia’s G-Sync. As well, VRR is supported and eARC via the HDMI 2.1 port.
However, let’s address one thing first, which is burn-in concerns. Unlike other TVs, OLED TVs are susceptible to screen burn-in. An example of burn-in is having a news channel logo permanently burned into the screen from continuous viewing periods.
As a result, some people would automatically discount OLED TVs because many games have some sort of continuous display on the screen, such as a HUD for FPS games or a mini-map or status bar. This is a valid concern, but the TV does have specific features to help with this issue. Many users have clocked thousands of hours of gameplay on the C1 with no problems. I’m beginning that journey with my C1, and I have not noticed any issues yet, although it is too early to comment.
Once you stop worrying about burn-in concerns, you can truly enjoy the gaming experience. The LG C1 has a built-in Game Optimizer mode that automatically kicks in when playing games on the TV. Not only that, it has preset modes for certain game types such as RTS, FPS, Std, etc. As well, you can fine-tune any of these gaming modes to suit your style by changing the black levels, white levels, making settings for input lag, etc.
Similar to the amazing visuals when watching content, the gaming experience is just as visually pleasing, if not more. Playing certain games on this TV is like rediscovering games for the first time. This was how I felt when I played Battlefield V on this TV for the first time. Oh yea, it also supports HDR, which enhances the gaming experience even more. Of course, the larger you can go, the vaster and more immersive the game world. I have ZERO complaints when it comes to gaming on this TV.
Audio Performance
Take my words with a grain of salt because I am not an audiophile, and I haven’t bought a soundbar for a TV in a while. The first time I set up the TV, I played videos with the default audio setting, and the AI Sound Pro mode turned on. In every video, I preferred how much fuller the sound was with the AI Sound Pro mode turned on, so it has been left that way since. Depending on ambient noise and video type, I can have the volume as low as 5 to as high as 20 with excellent results. It also supports Dolby Vision IQ & Dolby Atmos.
If I crank the volume up into the 30s and 40s, the volume is so loud, it is unbelievable that the TV can produce that volume level with built-in speakers. Mind you; the speakers are outputting 40 W of power. On the C1, the sound bounces off the TV stand, which helps push it towards the viewer. However, I cannot comment on the sound performance if the TV is wall mounted.
Here is a quick demo of how loud it gets: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HS3vgAiPMfk&t=491s
Magic Remote
The magic remote offers a quick way to navigate around the TV, either by buttons or by using motion to control a navigation cursor around the screen. The remote isn’t overly big and is comfortable to use. However, the lack of glow-in-the-dark buttons or the option to light up the buttons is a big misstep. Considering that this TV achieves perfect blacks, sometimes you have to wait for a bright part in the movie to see which button to press, or you have to angle the remote towards the TV screen to get some light cast on it before pressing the button. It sounds like a minor complaint, but it isn’t enjoyable when you go through it nightly.
The remote has preprogrammed buttons to quick launch popular services such as Netflix and Prime Video. Unfortunately, those buttons cannot be reprogrammed, but the remote does allow you to program the numerical buttons to quick launch other apps, such as YouTube or any other app that is downloaded.
LG OS & Dashboard
The OS and Dashboard works, but there is sometimes a slight delay when navigating around or launching apps. However, it isn’t a deal breaker because the delays are slight. The dashboard comes with pre-installed apps, LG channels and the option to download more apps.
Phone Connectivity
The TV supports LG’s ThinQ app, which allows you to control the TV from your phone as a remote. You can turn the TV on and off, cast your phone contents to the TV screen, play music from your phone to the TV or sound from the TV to your phone. It is a useful app to have.
Do I Recommend It?
I can’t say “get it” loud and fast enough when it comes to the LG C1. I was on the fence for a while, especially with the LG C2 coming out. However, the price of the C2 and the sales on the C1 made the C1 an easy decision. I am so satisfied with the C1 so far, and I haven’t found myself wondering what could have been with the C2 yet. From what I’ve seen about the C2, the improvements aren’t worth the price difference unless you really value some more brightness, a faster chip, and a lighter TV stand.
I would recommend that you go with as large a TV as your room can accommodate and that you can afford. Initially, 65″ seemed so large, but now I want even more, maybe 75″? However, the price for the 65″ was a pretty good value since going up in size really cranks the price up. If you can fit 65″ in your room and budget, I say go for it!
If you are concerned with burn-in, consider getting a warranty plan if it covers that type of issue. I did not opt for any warranty plans because I use the TV in various mix-use cases, and I have enabled the options in the menus to help with burn-in, such as pixel cleaning, screen shift, etc.
If you are truly serious about this TV, check it out in a store so you can experience the visuals in person. Just keep in mind that some stores do not feed the TV with proper content to really take advantage of the TV’s visuals. Also, you can check out my YouTube video here.
If there is anything that I missed in the review, or if you have any questions that I did not cover, please leave a comment below.
Please be advised that the link above is a referral link, which means that I earn a small commission for each qualifying sale. There is no additional cost to you.
