The LG C1 OLED is the 2021 replacement for the LG CX OLED. As expected, it's an amazing TV, but aside from a few minor tweaks and upgrades—like the new 'Game Optimizer' settings, a redesigned Magic Remote, and a new version of webOS—it performs about the same as its predecessor. Like all OLED TVs, it has self-lit pixels that can be turned off individually to produce an almost infinite contrast ratio, with dark inky blacks and no distracting blooming around bright objects. Unfortunately, the unit we tested has exceptionally poor out-of-the-box color accuracy, but that can vary between units, so we may have just gotten one with a bad panel. Our testing also confirmed that, unlike the higher-end LG G1 OLED, it doesn't have LG's new evo panel. Despite these quibbles, the C1 still has a lot to offer, including a new setting for lower input lag, as well as a near-instantaneous response time and variable refresh rate (VRR) support.
Our Verdict
The LG C1 OLED is an amazing all-around TV. It has stunning picture quality thanks to its near-infinite contrast ratio, which is great for watching movies or gaming in the dark. The near-instantaneous response time makes motion look exceptionally clear in fast-moving games and sports, and its low input lag is great for gaming or use as a PC monitor. While it doesn't get very bright for HDR, its high contrast helps it deliver an impressive HDR experience.
- Near-infinite contrast ratio.
- Near-instantaneous response time.
- Wide viewing angles.
- Perfect blacks with no visible blooming.
- Risk of permanent burn-in.
- May not be bright enough for very bright or sunny rooms.
- Low frame rate content may appear to stutter.
The LG C1 OLED is great for watching TV shows in a bright room. It has incredibly wide viewing angles, so the image is accurate, even if you have a wide seating arrangement or if you like to move around while watching TV. Unfortunately, it's not bright enough to overcome direct sunlight, but most people won't have any issues with it. On the upside, it has incredible reflection handling.
- Near-infinite contrast ratio.
- Wide viewing angles.
- Risk of permanent burn-in.
- May not be bright enough for very bright or sunny rooms.
- Low frame rate content may appear to stutter.
The LG C1 is an excellent TV for watching sports. Thanks to its near-instantaneous response time, motion looks exceptionally clear. If you like to watch games with friends, its wide viewing angles provide an accurate image even from the side. That said, its brightness is limited, so it's not great if you have a room with lots of direct sunlight.
- Near-infinite contrast ratio.
- Near-instantaneous response time.
- Wide viewing angles.
- Risk of permanent burn-in.
- May not be bright enough for very bright or sunny rooms.
- Low frame rate content may appear to stutter.
The LG C1 OLED is incredible for playing video games. It has very little input lag and a near-instantaneous response time for smooth motion. It supports FreeSync, G-SYNC, and HDMI Forum VRR, and its near-infinite contrast makes games look stunning when playing in a dark room. Unfortunately, the risk for burn-in goes up with extended exposure to static elements like a game HUD, but we don't expect it to be an issue if you watch and play varied content.
- Near-infinite contrast ratio.
- Near-instantaneous response time.
- Very low input lag.
- Perfect blacks with no visible blooming.
- Risk of permanent burn-in.
- Low frame rate content may appear to stutter.
The LG C1 is amazing for watching movies in HDR. It supports HDR10 and Dolby Vision but not HDR10+. It's unfortunately not very bright, so it may not bring out the brightest highlights, but its near-infinite contrast ratio still allows it to deliver an impressive HDR experience. It also has a wide color gamut but doesn't map every color well, which most people won't notice, but some colors may appear inaccurate.
- Near-infinite contrast ratio.
- Perfect blacks with no visible blooming.
- Wide color gamut.
- Limited brightness for HDR content.
- Color mapping is slightly off.
- Low frame rate content may appear to stutter.
The LG C1 OLED is a superb TV for HDR gaming. Motion looks exceptionally clear thanks to the near-instantaneous response time, and input lag is very low. Unfortunately, its HDR brightness is just okay, so the brightest highlights don't stand out as well as they should, but the near-infinite contrast ratio still helps deliver an impressive HDR experience. There's a risk of permanent burn-in, but we don't expect this to be an issue if you watch and play varied content.
- Near-infinite contrast ratio.
- Very low input lag.
- Perfect blacks with no visible blooming.
- Wide color gamut.
- Risk of permanent burn-in.
- Limited brightness for HDR content.
- Color mapping is slightly off.
- Low frame rate content may appear to stutter.
The LG C1 TV is excellent for use as a PC monitor. It has wide viewing angles, so the image doesn't look washed out at the edges when sitting up close. It also has a very low input lag and exceptionally fast response time. Finally, it can display proper chroma 4:4:4, which is important for clear text, and it supports FreeSync and G-SYNC VRR. Unfortunately, static elements like a desktop interface increase the risk of permanent burn-in, but there are options to reduce the likelihood of this issue.
- Near-infinite contrast ratio.
- Wide viewing angles.
- Displays proper chroma 4:4:4.
- Very low input lag.
- Risk of permanent burn-in.
- May not be bright enough for very bright or sunny rooms.
- Low frame rate content may appear to stutter.
Changelog
- Updated Sep 26, 2025: We uploaded the latest brightness measurements and uniformity photos for the Accelerated Longevity Test.
- Updated Jul 08, 2025: We uploaded the latest brightness measurements and uniformity photos for the Accelerated Longevity Test.
- Updated Apr 17, 2025: We uploaded the latest brightness measurements and uniformity photos for the Accelerated Longevity Test.
- Updated Feb 11, 2025: We uploaded the latest brightness measurements and uniformity photos for the Accelerated Longevity Test.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the LG 55 inch C1 (OLED55C1PUB), which also comes in 48 inch, 65 inch, 77 inch, and 83 inch sizes. For the most part, we expect our results to be valid for those models as well. We tested the 48 inch model as a monitor, but note that our methodology isn't quite the same, so most of our results aren't directly comparable. There are many variants of these TVs, all of which have the same model code, but the last three letters may vary. We expect our results to be valid for those variants as well, but there may be some slight cosmetic differences.
We've received reports that some C1 owners have confirmed their units have the new evo panel, but LG has only officially confirmed it for the LG G1 OLED, and our C1 doesn't appear to have the new panel.
| Size | North America Model | Short Model Code |
|---|---|---|
| 48" | OLED48C1PUB | OLED48C1 |
| 55" | OLED55C1PUB | OLED55C1 |
| 65" | OLED65C1PUB | OLED65C1 |
| 77" | OLED77C1PUB | OLED77C1 |
| 83" | OLED83C1PUA | OLED83C1 |
If you come across a different type of panel or your LG C1 doesn't correspond to our review, let us know and we'll update the review. Note that some tests like gray uniformity may vary between individual units.
Our unit was manufactured in March 2021, and you can see the label here.
Popular TV Comparisons
Like its predecessor, the LG C1 is one of the best consumer OLEDs on the market, with incredible picture quality and lots of extra features. That said, it's not a huge upgrade over the LG CX OLED, and depending on your needs, may not be worth the price difference.
For more options, check out our recommendations for the best OLED TVs, the best 4k gaming TVs, and the best TVs on the market.
The LG C5 OLED is a big improvement over the older LG C1 OLED. The C5 is far brighter in HDR content, and can get almost twice as bright in SDR. This helps the C5 to be far more colorful, and on top of that, it's also more accurate in SDR out of the box. The C5 also has better image processing and is the better gaming TV due to having 4k @ 144Hz support on all four HDMI ports; the C1 is limited to 120Hz. Overall, the C5 is a noticeable upgrade in picture quality.
The LG B5 OLED is a slight upgrade over the older LG C1 OLED. The B5 gets a bit brighter in HDR, so everything from small specular highlights to large, bright scenes stands out a bit better, and HDR is a bit more vibrant overall. Other than that, there's not much difference between the two.
The LG G5 OLED is a considerable upgrade over the older LG C1 OLED. The G5 uses a much more advanced OLED panel, which delivers brighter highlights and a more vibrant, lifelike experience when viewing HDR content. The G5 also gets a lot brighter in SDR, so it can overcome more glare in a bright room. The G5 also features a more advanced processor that performs better in cleaning up low-quality and low-resolution content.
The LG C4 OLED is better than the LG C1 OLED. It gets brighter overall, so it overcomes more glare in a bright room while watching SDR content, and highlights pop way more while watching HDR content. The C4 has significantly better pre-calibration accuracy, so colors are displayed much more accurately, and it displays colors brighter in HDR due to its better color volume. The C4 also has a sharper and cleaner image when watching low-resolution or low-quality content due to its better image processing and has less banding due to its better HDR gradient handling. On top of that, the C4 supports 144Hz, which is great for PC gamers with high-end rigs.
We buy and test dozens of TVs yearly, taking an objective, data-driven approach to deliver results you can trust. Our testing process is complex, with hundreds of individual tests that take over a week to complete. Most of our tests use specially designed test patterns that mimic real content, but we also use the same sources you have at home to ensure our results match the real-world experience. We use two main tools for our testing: a Colorimetry Research CR-100 colorimeter and a CR-250 spectroradiometer.
Test Results
Older Test Bench: This product has been tested using an older TV test methodology, before a major update. Some of the test results below aren't directly comparable with other TVs. Learn more
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