LG C3 OLED: everything you need to know
>
The LG C3 OLED TV made its debut at CES 2023, following a long line of incredible C-series OLED displays that we’ve always recommended over the years.
The LG C3 sits in the middle of LG’s OLED line-up for 2023 – not as affordable as the B3, nor as cutting-edge as the G3, but strikes a good compromise in the middle. Despite other offerings from LG this year, including the wireless M3 OLEDand stiff competition in the form of the Samsung S95C (which we rate as the best TV we’ve seen on the show), C-series screens consistently do well with reviewers and consumers – and the LG C3 OLED is one to watch this year.
But what’s different about the LG C3 OLED compared to other C-series displays, and is it worth buying the older one? LG C2 predecessor? We’ve put together a guide to everything we know about the LG C3 OLED display.
LG C3 OLED: price and release date
The LG C3 OLED doesn’t have a confirmed price yet, although you can expect it to stay close to the C2’s launch price, especially given how similar the hardware is for both sets. Here are last year’s LG C2 RRPs at launch:
- 42-inch: $1,399 / £1,399 (about AU$2,000)
- 48-inch: $1,499 / £1,399 (about AU$2,200)
- 55-inch: $1,799 / £1,999 (about AU$2,600)
- 65-inch: $2,499 / £2,799 (about AU$3,600)
- 77-inch: $3,499 / £3,699 (about AU$5,100)
- 83-inch: $5,499 / £4,799 (about AU$8,000)
We can expect the same range of screen sizes to be available in the C3, as well as a similar March to April release date, although not all sizes may launch at the same time.
LG C3 OLED: Design and Features – What’s New?
The LG C3 OLED is not a significant evolution from previous models. It has the same OLED Evo panel as the C2, with its brightness-enhancing capabilities in sizes 55in and up (brightness is lower in the smaller sizes). But there’s an improved Alpha9 Gen6 chip, LG’s latest and greatest image processor, which should be able to push the panel just that little bit harder.
As always, this is a 4K HDR TV with a 120Hz panel, support for Dolby Vision IQ and Dolby Atmos compatibility – and you can expect sharp resolution and capable upscaling alongside a full range of premium formats. A new composite fiber construction also reduces the weight of this year’s C Series screen.
A new algorithm helps distinguish between the foreground and background of the photo, appearing to boost brightness in key areas. Either way, the deep blacks and incredible contrast in self-emissive OLED displays should be pretty amazing here.
The speaker system has not had a meaningful upgrade; this is still a 3.1.2 channel speaker rated at 40W. Despite LG’s claims that the C3 “virtual 9.1.2 surround sound (opens in new tab)”due to the AI Sound Pro feature, we are somewhat skeptical about this. From the looks of it, you’ll still need one of the best soundbars if you want top quality sound from this TV – but the LG C2 sounded better than expected in AI mode, so we’re sure the C3 will at least being ‘decent’.
Some changes to the smart platform include a streamlined new home page and improved user profiles to allow for greater customization. When you set up the TV it takes you through a custom picture preset to make sure the default settings work to your taste, which is a nice touch.
The C3 features four HDMI 2.1 ports, including one that supports eARC (enhanced audio return channel) and two-way soundbar communication. These high-spec ports are ideal for gaming with next-gen consoles, while the display boasts less than 10ms input lag and negligible response time.
What’s new this time is a feature called Fast Media Switch VRR, heretofore unique to LG OLED TVs (although part of the HDMI specification), which LG says “can eliminate the temporary ‘black screen’ that sometimes occurs when switching between content being played from different source devices that are connected via the HDMI 2.1a-compatible TV ports.” So if you tend to switch between Netflix and your PS5 quite often this should make for a more seamless experience, it will be especially welcome for Apple TV 4K users as this set-top can use the feature to frame rate change.
LG C3 OLED: What we think so far
The LG C3 OLED is likely to become a bestseller, just like the C1 and C2 TVs that preceded it. There’s not much change to this year’s model, though, and older models are likely to see a price cut when the C3 hits the market. With that in mind, there’s not much reason to upgrade – we haven’t seen it each of our predictions for a new C3 model come true. While an improved webOS experience, improved lighting algorithms and fast media switching may be enough to push some to the latest iteration of the C-series OLED, but probably not if you have the C2 or C1.
The C3 is still the obvious, all-round choice from LG’s OLED TV range – neither too expensive nor too compromised by its price. But we’ll think more about this in our review later in the year. With a new QD-OLED screen coming from Samsung, it’s possible that bigger leaps from other TV makers could dim the C3’s spotlight in the coming year – the race to become the best OLED TV of 2023 is on. interesting!