Which do you think is more important, color contrast or brightness? It is one of the main differences between OLED and LED screens that TV manufacturers suffer from. With the C2 and G2, LG hopes to offer the best of both worlds, in the form of an OLED TV that’s also very clear. Can the devices live up to these expectations?

This is an abridged version of a comprehensive review (link) of LG C2 and G2 On a drug addict.

Last year, Korea’s LG Electronics attracted attention with its C Series TVs. Not only because of the quality of the OLED screen, but also because of the four HDMI 2.1 ports, 120Hz refresh rate and VRR support. They made this device suitable for not only movie buffs, but also a solid screen for gaming.

Now the successors of these popular televisions are ready in the form of the C2 series. LG promises improved image and sound processing and higher clarity through the use of new panels and smarter controls, a combination the manufacturer calls “oled evo”. Above the C-Series we also find the G-Series: these “gallery” models are the same inside the C-Series, but are designed to hang very flat on the wall and provide a higher maximum brightness. It also costs an additional 600 euros.

We put the 65-inch variant of the C2 and G2 on the test bench to see if LG can deliver on its promises. The question for us is not only whether these new models are better than their predecessors, but also whether these improvements are worth the much higher prices. Given an introductory price of 3000 and 3,499 euros respectively for the C2 and G2, these are certainly not cheap devices, and certainly not in comparison to their predecessors.

Less heat, clearer picture

When we look at the differences between the C2 and the G2, the first thing that catches your eye is the appearance. C2 is a thin device and is 4.5 cm deep at its thickest point, where most electronic devices are located. The G2 is 2.5 cm deep, so the device fits flat against the wall. But the difference is more than just cosmetic. The G2 has a thin metal layer behind the screen that can dissipate heat from the panel as a heat sink. This makes it possible to control the panel more difficult without overheating it, which leads to higher brightness.

Compared to its predecessor, the G2 is clearly much brighter. It’s safe to say that the device is the brightest OLED TV we’ve reviewed so far. This is not only due to the heatsink, but also due to the newer and more efficient panels, improved software and the new α9 Gen5 AI processor. This could control the panels in a smarter way, so that more power is available locally to light the pixels. The same improvements can be found in C2, but there is a much lower visible higher brightness than in G2. And with the G2, it must be said that this higher brightness is well reflected only in the highlights with HDR turned on. Both devices ultimately remain less bright than TVs with an LCD panel.

In addition to brightness, LG has also made a number of improvements in the field of image processing. The result is a more accurate color reproduction and above all a slightly better reproduction of shadow detail. And because both panels have the same image processing and the same type of OLED panel, there is no difference between C2 and G2 in terms of image quality. Both are among the best TVs we’ve ever tested.

Painful price

If we look purely at the quality of the product, we highly recommend C2 and G2. However, in practice, we can not ignore the price. It may be due to inflation, parts shortages or higher margins, but these devices were marketed at a higher price than their predecessors last year. These cheaper predecessors are still readily available, for the time being at heavily discounted prices. This relates to a price difference of around €1,000, which is an extra cost that is hard to justify if you currently want to buy an LG OLED TV.

The C2 and G2 are excellent OLED TVs, with the G2 having an added advantage due to its higher brightness. But because of this price, their predecessors remain a more reasonable option for the time being.