LG Electronics unveiled its new line of OLED TVs in 2023. In this line, the C3 series from the OLED category has been the most popular over the past years. Will the LG C3 live up to its customers’ expectations? What’s new in this series and should I buy the LG C3?
LG C3 Preview
Design
The look and feel of LG’s C-series OLED displays hasn’t changed much since the introduction of the LG C9 TV in 2019 . Some changes were made to the C3, but in comparison to older models and not to the previous LG C2 series . Very wide stand has become smaller in width.
Now, to install this TV, you do not need a very wide cabinet. In addition, the stand has become a little higher to leave room for the soundbar. In addition to the metal stand, LG C3 TVs received a lighter carbon body.
In this regard, when wall mounted, the load on the wall will be less than with earlier models. However, with this installation, this LG OLED65C3 TV model will require a 300 x 200 mm VESA wall mount. It will have to be purchased separately.
Alpha9 Gen6
Just like its predecessor, the LG OLED65C3 TV is equipped with an OLED Evo panel. This means that the peak brightness of this TV remained at 850 nits. Also keep in mind that the 42-inch and 48-inch LG OLED42C3 and LG OLED48C3 models aren’t as bright as their larger siblings.
Otherwise, the feature sets of the LG C3 and C2 are very similar. The LG OLED C3 TVs are powered by the new Alpha 9 Gen 6 processor. It doesn’t seem like a huge upgrade from last year’s Alpha 9 Gen 5. On the other hand, zooming is even better and motion processing is smoother.
In addition, the new processor has the ability to separate the background from the foreground on the fly. Thanks to this, the brightness in some scenes has become even greater. The depth of field has also improved. The sound quality has also improved. And the sound has become better in reality, and not on paper.
Many experts have already confirmed the improved sound quality. Thanks to the new Alpha 9 Gen 6 processor, another of the improvements in the field of sound has taken place. Soundtracks are now down-mixed to 9.1.2 virtual channels instead of 7.1.2 like last year’s LG C2 TVs.
Game Mode
On the gaming front, there are no major changes in C3. Apparently this is because it is very difficult to improve something that is already very good. As before, the C3 and G3 boast four HDMI 2.1 connectors. Most models of many competing brands still have no more than two such ports.
As early as 2022, the performance of these ports has been upgraded from 40Gbps to 48Gbps. However, this is currently of no practical value as there is no commercially available source that outputs a maximum of 48Gbps. On the other hand, such an improvement does not harm anyone.
HDMI 2.1 connectors support 4K@120Hz, VRR and ALLM gaming. As before, the new C3 and G3 support HGiG for more HDR fidelity in games. Xbox Series X Gamers | S can take advantage of the Dolby Vision gaming mode . The input lag in these flagship models is extremely low. It is less than 10 ms.
webOS 23
LG’s 2022 TVs are shipping with the new webOS 23 operating system . This is a pretty significant departure from webOS 22 2022. The main changes have taken place in the user interface of the base page. So-called “Quick cards” have appeared, designed to provide quick access to applications and services that consumers use very often.
Recommendations have also appeared, which are also based on user preferences. So far, these recommendations are only in such sections as Music, Home Office, Sports and Games. The company promised that such recommendations will appear in other categories in the near future.
Companies such as Google, Apple, Samsung and others already have Matter support, which allows you to control all smart appliances of these brands through the Smart Home protocol. In 2023, LG will also join these companies. The company also announced that the smoothness of the webOS 23 operating system will be even better thanks to the implemented Alpha 9 Gen 6.
Most importantly, webOS 22 supports streaming services such as Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos , which may someday be needed bundled with 4K. Like Samsung, LG has an Always Ready mode that can use the screen to display the weather, time, pictures, personal photos, or animations when the TV is in standby mode. Long-range microphones are built into the body of the LG C3 TV. They respond to voice commands in standby mode. This allows you to check the weather without turning on the TV.
Sound quality
Moving on to the section on sound quality, it should be noted right away that the audio in the LG C3 has improved markedly. And this despite the fact that the model also has 4 speakers with a total power of 40 watts. As noted above, the sound quality has improved thanks to the new Alpha 9 Gen 6 processor. For the same reason, virtual surround sound has been increased to 9.1.2 channels.
In addition, advanced TVs are now compatible with the WOW Orchestra feature, which is very similar to Samsung’s Q-Symphony feature. But for this, it is necessary that the LG soundbar also be equipped with WOW Orchestra technology.
LG’s C3 TV still delivers more authentic sound with improved voice projection. Ultimately, there are quite a few TVs whose sound can be improved with a simple soundbar. However, the C3, despite its already decent sound, is even easier to upgrade than many other TVs.
Image quality
Thanks to the new Alpha 9 Gen 6 processor, there are also improvements in the image. These improvements are most noticeable when playing Dolby Vision content in Dolby Vision Bright mode, which should be used if there is ambient light in the room. The C3 also has an excellent image in Dolby Vision Dark mode.
This mode preserves the authenticity of the image by revealing more shadow detail and brighter highlights. It is very rare to see a tiny fraction of the fine details and subtle shadows blur in the brightest parts of the image. However, this is not a big problem. For some, on the contrary, it creates a more dynamic and attractive image.
Thanks to its new technology, which is able to separate the background from the foreground, many scenes have become brighter not only in Dolby Vision modes, but also in Cinematic and Filmmaker modes . It’s not just about brightness, it’s also about contrast. Characters and objects stand out better from the background, which helps you see the action better and provides more three-dimensionality.
The C3 TV is even better at scaling both 1080p and standard definition content with more control and picture clarity. Of course, the LG OLED C3 is not as good at reproducing images as the G3, whose panel is equipped with MLA technology . But essentially, the G3 delivers the same image quality, only with even more brightness.
On the other hand, the C3 OLED is significantly affordable than Sony’s flagship A95L QD-OLED and LG G3 OLED TVs. In other words, its price perfectly compensates for the performance, which is slightly lower than the flagship models.
Connections
The patch panel of the LG C3 OLED TV has four full HDMI 2.1 ports, three USB 2.0 ports, a CI + 2.0 slot for connecting pay TV channels, an optical digital audio input, an RJ45 Ethernet line connection for connecting to the Internet and inputs for connecting antennas. Wireless connections include Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.
Pros
- Bright and natural picture.
- Unrivaled gaming performance.
- Attractive sound.
Cons
- Flagship OLED displays are even brighter.
