I have one word for you….. OLED! If you haven't tried OLED yet then I strongly recommend you do so. And if you're opting for an OLED TV you'll find none better than the 2022 LG range. The C2 is essentially a beefed up version of the renowned LG C1. Which just so happens to be my personal favourite, and arguably the best gaming TV on the market, until now. This is in large part down to OLED technology, but the array of gaming specific enhancements and features play a very important role too.
Here's an overview of the LG C2 According to LG:
Out of the box, the first thing you'll notice is that LG has opted for a larger screen thickness compared to the C1. Some may dislike this, but in all honesty, aside from the novelty factor, the screen thickness on the C1 was in my opinion way too thin. This new brushed steel bezel not only gives me much more comfort in the knowledge a slight breeze won't shatter my TV, but it looks really sleek and modern. The base is a similar design to the previous model however is not as wide and sits the TV just a few millimeters higher than its predecessor. This increase in height still isn't enough to allow most sound bars to fit underneath without blocking a small section of the screen. This isn't a big deal if, like me, you sit on a PC chair to play games or watch movies. But I can imagine that if you sit on a rather low set sofa it might be quite annoying. Overall, they look quite similar but the C2 edges it for me just for that sexy bezel.
The TV I am using is the 55” model, and just like the LG C1 it has 4 HDMI 2.1 inputs which is perfect for gaming. However this time round all 4 HDMI ports support full 48Gbps which is an upgrade over the previous model which only supported 40. This won't really make any difference to current performance but it essentially “future proofs” the C2 in a way. These HDMI 2.1 ports make the LGC2, (just like the C1) fully compatible with everything either the PS5 or Xbox Series X have to offer.
So let's talk about performance, and specifically, gaming performance. As mentioned above, the C2 is fully compatible with everything the PS5 and Series X have to offer thanks to those 4x HDMI 2.1 ports. However what sets the LG C2 apart from most TVs, in my opinion at least, is the OLED technology. If you're new to OLED then let me explain the technology a little. OLED stands for Organic Light Emitting Diode. What this means is that every pixel in an OLED display creates its only light independently and depending on how much current you send to it, the brighter that light will be. This individual emitting of light allows whatever pixels aren't being used to be switched off completely leading to perfect blacks with bright and vivid detail in the active part of the screen. All of this makes a huge difference to the overall image quality of a TV. Without being technical it's very difficult to explain how much of a difference it makes, just trust me when I say it is a whole different ball park. OLED technology will blow your mind seeing it for the first time.
I put the C2 next to my C1 and played a bunch of different content side by side and honestly, there's not a whole lot of difference, but that's because the C1 was already a market leading display and lets be honest technology hasn’t evolved that much in the last few years. The main differences however come in the form of processing power and software. The C2 has around 20% higher peak brightness than the C1 but to the naked eye that's about it with just a few little improvements here and there. However, it's in the processor that the C2 pulls away from the C1 a little. Thanks to the α9 Gen 5 AI 4K processor, this has just smoothed everything over and really sped the C2 up in comparison to the C1. The best way to explain this is to say, imagine the difference between 60FPS and 120FPS. That's what it now feels like using the WebOS on the C2. It feels much quicker and more responsive. Loading up things like Netflix takes roughly 30% longer on the C1 which isn't a big deal for some, but shows the gap in performance between the 2 TV’s. The only real issue I have with the C2 however also comes in the software and is a really small detail. The font in game optimiser mode has gone from a very clean and professional looking font to something undeniably “gamery”. It's a tiny detail, however, I can't not notice it every time I pull up the game optimiser menu.
WebOS itself is one of the best TV OS's that I have used. The menus are clean and the dashboard houses everything you can need at the touch of a button. The only thing I don't love about it is the ads for shows and movies on services you are not subscribed to.
There are however drawbacks to OLED technology. While they look outstanding, they do run the risk of permanent burn in where static objects on the screen can, if present for long enough leave a lasting mark on your TV screen. I have owned an LG C1 for over 2 years now and have never suffered from burn in, in fact most people never will and normal use will never cause burn in. However, if you're using the LG C2 as a monitor, the risk is significantly increased due to the number of static images involved in computer usage. This risk can be helped however by tweaking a few windows settings such as making it so that the taskbar disappears etc. If you do this, you too should never experience any issues.
LG have designed the C2 for gaming, and it is in fact targeted towards gamers. One of the ways they have done this is by adding Nvidia GeForce Now built in to the C2 model. Nvidia GeForce Now is NVIDIA’s cloud-based game streaming service, delivering real-time gameplay straight from the cloud to your laptop, desktop, Mac, SHIELD TV, iPhone, iPad, and Android devices. Connect to your store accounts and stream your own library of games, or play your favourite free-to-play games. With cloud saves for supported games, you can pick up your game where you left off, on any supported device, wherever you are. This is a game changer and allows you to play your PC games on your TV without needing to have it connected.
Other gaming features the LG C2 has include:
G-Sync
VRR
AND Freesync
Low latency mode
HGiG
ALLM
and much more...
Another feature I think is worth mentioning and only because it seems a lot of people don't realise the LG TV’s can do it. But that is integration with your consoles. Whenever I discuss which is the best TV for the PS5 for instance, I am always told that it's the Sony flagship because of the integration with the PS5 and the way in which you can control the PS5 with the TV etc. Well the LG C1 and C2 do the same thing. I have my TV set up to automatically turn on when I turn the PS5 on, it automatically switches to whatever HDMI the PS5 is in and I am able to navigate the PS5 menu using my LG TV remote. Which is extremely handy.
I struggle to see a situation in which the LG C2 wont excel. Whether it be as a TV for gaming, movies or even a PC monitor the C2 is as good as you are going to get. With 20% extra peak brightness over the LGC1 it's also much more suitable for watching movies and playing games in a more brightly lit room and just like the C1 model, it is packed full of gaming features and enhancements to really give you the most out of your gaming experience.
Overall if you want the best TV on the market for gaming, then the LG C2 or G2 is currently it. Of course different people will have different opinions, but having experienced LG’s OLED for myself I can absolutely tell you that it is the absolute best there is on the market for gaming. Do yourself a favour and invest in an LG OLED. You'll never look back. However my personal recommendation at this point in time would be to get an LG C1 as they are currently vastly reduced in price and the difference in performance is minimal.
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