55/65 inch Oled TV LG C1 or LG C2: which to choose?

The new LG C2 brings many innovations to the flagship Oled model in the LG television range. This model inherits the Oled Evo panel available from last year’s more high-end models like the LG G1. This panel is brighter, because we measured the peak brightness of 804 cd/m² on the 65C2 against 740 cd/m² on the LG 65C1 and 782 cd/m² on the LG 65G1 (equipped with the same panel). The LG C2 is also distinguished by the integration, directly on the television, of a microphone that allows the use of the ThinQ voice assistant via the “Hi LG” command without having to touch the remote control. The hands-free mode associated with the Always Ready functionality allows the television to display information on the screen, such as the weather forecast for example, before returning to standby.

Another interesting new feature is the management of webOS profiles, which allows you to get personalized home page suggestions. The α9 (Alpha 9) Gen 5 AI processor also replaces the 2021 α9 (Alpha 9) Gen 4 AI, but the differences are unclear. In general, the differences between processor performance from one year to the next are not significant and the gain is gradual.

For others, the LG C1 and LG C2 televisions remain very close. They display perfect image quality in SDR and HDR. The peak brightness, slightly higher than C2, allows it to display a slightly wider dynamic range of HDR content, but never makes a difference. As for the game, it’s a draw between the two models with four HDMI 2.1 inputs that are compatible with all the features of the new HDMI standard, which is 4K streams at 120 Hz, VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) that avoids image rip and jerks, ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode) that allows automatic passage of game mode when a console is detected or eARC for a lossless audio feedback.

LG TVs are also compatible with G -Sync – Nvidia -style VRR – and FreeSync Premium (not Pro, because LG prefers the TV to handle the HDR layer). The anti-reflection filter is the same. As for the audio part, we prefer to go faster with the LG C1, whose sturdy aluminum foot contributes to good audio rendering. On the C2, audio rendering remains very good for a television, but this model opts for a more compact stand with less sound effect. In addition, WiSA compatibility is no longer guaranteed on C2. The latter makes it so with a consumption reduction of only 72.1 W/m², against 92.3 W/m² for the LG C1.

A quality report in favor of the LG C1 until the end of stocks

To date, the LG C1 – whether in the 55 or 65 -inch version – offers one of the best value for money Oled televisions, and even in the television market as a whole. In fact, the LG 55C1 was shown for only 1200 € while the LG 55C2 – released last month – sold for almost 2000 €. As for the 65-inch models, the LG 65C1 is almost 1700 € while the LG 65C2 is priced at 2700 €. The price difference of € 800 for the 55-inch model and € 1000 for the 65-inch model is clearly unreasonable.

Released in May 2021, the LG C1 televisions are at the end of their lives and LG will have to sell the last stocks during the summer sale. We believe we can buy an LG 55C1 for almost 1100 € and the 65 -inch version – the LG 65C1 – for under 1600 € until the end of the sale or stocks. Then, you have to wait until Black Friday in mid-November to take advantage of the attractive promotions of the new LG C2s.