LG C5 TV: My Easiest Recommendation of the Year at 50% Off

Finding a television that delivers truly breathtaking picture quality without demanding a king’s ransom can feel like a quest for the holy grail. The LG C5 OLED stands out as a top-tier choice for anyone prioritizing visual excellence, especially when available at a substantial discount. While it carries a premium price for what are essentially incremental updates over last year’s model, its stunning display and sophisticated design make it an incredibly compelling option for the discerning viewer.

The most critical element of any television is, without a doubt, the image it produces. Smart features and high refresh rates matter, but the initial impact is always visual. This is precisely why stores like Costco captivate shoppers with walls of screens showcasing vibrant 4K content. First impressions are forged by what you see.

Judged purely on picture quality, the LG C5 OLED easily ranks among the finest OLED televisions available today. This isn’t an exaggeration. From the moment we powered on our test unit, its performance was immediately and undeniably impressive. The visual experience is so refined that it justifies serious consideration, particularly when you can find it with significant savings.

This year’s model boasts a distinct and futuristic physical design. Its screen is astonishingly slender, measuring a mere quarter of an inch thick. Unboxing it required careful handling, as the edges felt incredibly delicate. A more substantial lower section provides a secure grip for setup, a thoughtful design choice that balances elegance with practicality.

It appears LG’s engineers pursued a “more screen, less bezel” philosophy, and they succeeded brilliantly. The C5’s profile is dramatically thinner than popular alternatives like Samsung’s The Frame, though the ultra-thin construction applies to roughly the top two-thirds of the panel.

The packaging deserves special mention for its user-friendly design. Lifting the box lid reveals the remote control, conveniently placed in its own sleeve with batteries already installed. All stand components are neatly organized in a separate foam container, simplifying the unboxing process, a welcome detail for anyone who has wrestled with large TV packaging.

Other refined touches include a subtle black marble finish on the rear panel and tiny silicone pads on the stand’s base to prevent sliding. As a leader in OLED technology, LG consistently refines its products with each new generation. The C5’s exceptional image quality is a direct result of meaningful hardware improvements.

Powering these enhancements is the new Alpha 9 Gen 8 processor, which drives an extensive suite of AI capabilities. AI Super Upscaling works to improve lower-resolution content, making streamed videos appear closer to native 4K. Another feature, AI-assisted Deep Learning, analyzes your viewing habits to automatically fine-tune picture and sound settings for a personalized experience.

We also tested the AI Concierge, which monitors what you watch to recommend new shows. While these intelligent tools might not be the sole reason to upgrade, they represent a positive step forward in making AI genuinely useful for everyday entertainment.

Connectivity remains robust, with the C5 offering four HDMI 2.1 ports and three USB 2.0 ports, matching its predecessor.

Although the out-of-the-box visuals are captivating, the television includes numerous features for customizing your viewing environment. The initial setup presents two choices: using your smartphone via the LG ThinQ app or the traditional remote. We used the app, which streamlined the process by first asking whether the TV is on a stand or wall-mounted, a setting that can influence performance.

One amusing moment occurred when the TV’s voice assistant responded to commands at a remarkably fast pace, reminiscent of a sped-up legal disclaimer. This quirky trait did, however, make the setup proceed quickly.

The setup then guides you to enable AI functions like AI Picture Pro. A brief demonstration video, featuring a baby and a screen sweep, showcases real-time upscaling. The improvement was so noticeable that we chose to keep the feature active, though it can be disabled at any time.

So, how does it actually perform?

While the C5 sits just below LG’s flagship G5 model, its visual performance placed it very high on our evaluation list. Beyond standard lab calibrations and stress tests, we assess TVs by watching demanding film sequences. Scenes from “Avengers: Endgame,” with their intense battles and complex CGI, served as a perfect test.

From shadowy moments like Tony Stark’s opening monologue to the dramatic finger-snap of Thanos, the LG C5 OLED consistently exceeded expectations. Colors are richly vibrant, contrast is pure and precise, and image details are rendered with startling clarity.

The TV continues to impress even when idle. Its “Always Ready” function uses a motion sensor to display artwork or graphics when it detects movement in the room. This mode highlights the perfect black levels inherent to OLED technology, creating a sense of depth that feels almost three-dimensional, as if you could reach into the screen.

We were less enthusiastic about the AI Sound Pro feature. While it increased volume, it also made music sound tinny and overly sharp in the treble range. We preferred to leave this setting off, as adding a soundbar would be a better solution for audio enhancement.

For the best HDR brightness, we recommend disabling any Energy Saver modes. These settings often save minimal electricity while noticeably hampering performance in well-lit rooms. Across various lighting conditions, we found the ISF Expert Bright Room picture setting to deliver the most satisfying results.

Regarding the remote, LG continues to use its Magic Remote for navigation. The pointer function, reminiscent of a Wii controller, is now optional, activated by a wheel button, which is a welcome change. You can navigate solely with the directional pad if preferred.

A notable omission is a dedicated Mute button. To silence the TV, you must pull down the left rocker switch and hold it for two seconds, a less than intuitive process. Furthermore, the remote lacks backlighting, a feature that should be standard on all modern remotes for ease of use in dim lighting.

In summary, the LG C5 OLED is a spectacular television that impresses with its aesthetics whether powered on or off. At its current sale price, the upgrades from the previous C4 model are expected but not revolutionary. Our lab tests showed only minor improvements, such as a slight increase in peak brightness.

Similarly, the refresh rate remains capped at 144Hz, unlike some competing models that reach 165Hz. Until its price decreases further, you might find that purchasing a C4 model at a much lower cost offers nearly identical performance for most viewers.

(Source: ZDNET)