The LG C3 OLED is the mid-range model in LG's 2023 OLED lineup, sitting above the entry-level OLED 'B' series LG B3 OLED and below the 'Gallery Style' LG G3 OLED and the 8k LG Z3 OLED. OLED TVs like the LG OLED C3 are self-emissive; unlike LCD panels found on other TVs, there's no backlight. Instead, an OLED's pixels can change their brightness levels individually and independently of the other pixels, allowing them to display nearly perfect contrast, with deep inky blacks and no distracting blooming or haloing around bright objects.
The 'C' series is usually LG's most popular OLED, as it typically has almost all of the features of the 'G' series but at a more manageable price point. Indeed, aside from the G3's Micro Lens Array (MLA) technology, the C3 comes with everything the G3 does, like the 2023 version of LG's proprietary webOS smart interface and four full HDMI 2.1 bandwidth ports. It also has LG's latest 2023 processor, the α9 AI Processor Gen6, which promises improved image processing through LG's Brightness Booster Max and AI Tech technologies, as well as the ability to up-mix 2-channel audio into virtual 7.1.2 channel sound using AI Sound.
Our Verdict
The LG C3 is an amazing TV, sure to please all but the most demanding buyers. The very good brightness in both SDR and HDR makes it well-suited to watching anything, from SDR content to the latest hit movies in HDR. It has superb reflection handling, and with its good peak brightness, the TV can handle bright rooms or glare without issue. But like almost every OLED on the market, it's better suited for a dark room, where its OLED panel, with its deep inky blacks, truly performs at its best. Its very low input lag makes it a gamer's dream, as your inputs are translated almost instantaneously to the screen, and its superb response time makes it a great choice for any fans of fast-moving content, be it sports or games, as action stays clear and crisp throughout. The TV also supports DTS, making it a fantastic choice for your home entertainment center.
-
Near-infinite contrast ratio for perfect blacks.
-
Fantastic reflection handling.
-
Image remains accurate at a wide angle.
-
Very good peak brightness in HDR and SDR.
-
Aggressive ABL can get distracting with large areas of brightness.
The LG C3 is an excellent TV for watching TV shows. It has fantastic reflection handling, and combined with its very good peak brightness in SDR, it can handle bright rooms or rooms with lots of glare. Its viewing angle is superb, so the image remains consistent even when viewing the TV entirely from the side. If a group is sitting around the TV to watch the latest episode of their favorite show, they'll have a great viewing experience no matter where they're sitting. The TV also has very good sharpness processing, so lower-resolution content is upscaled well, and when combined with the panel's excellent low-quality content smoothing, your shows will still look great.
-
Near-infinite contrast ratio for perfect blacks.
-
Fantastic reflection handling.
-
Image remains accurate at a wide angle.
-
Very good peak brightness in HDR and SDR.
-
Excellent low-quality content smoothing.
The LG C3 is an incredible TV for watching sports. It has exceptional reflection handling, which is great when watching shows in a room with glare, and the TV gets bright in SDR, so it handles bright rooms well. The TV's viewing angle is superb, so the image remains consistent even when viewing the TV from the side, so those sitting off-center will have a pleasant viewing experience. It has an incredible response time, so motion, like fast-moving players, is crisp and sharp, with no blurring. The TV has very good color uniformity, so when watching sports with large areas of uniform color, like hockey, you won't be distracted by annoying smudges or color variations in the image.
-
Near-infinite contrast ratio for perfect blacks.
-
Fantastic reflection handling.
-
Image remains accurate at a wide angle.
-
Very good peak brightness in HDR and SDR.
-
Excellent low-quality content smoothing.
-
Aggressive ABL can get distracting with large areas of brightness.
The LG C3 is a fantastic TV to spend your evenings immersed in your favorite games. Enabling Game Mode doesn't noticeably affect image quality, so your games simultaneously look great and feel super responsive due to the TVs incredibly low input lag; your inputs are translated to the on-screen action almost instantly. The TV has fantastic reflection handling, and combined with its very good peak brightness in SDR, this makes it a fantastic OLED for bright rooms or rooms with glare. The response time is exceptionally low, so no matter how fast the action moves, you won't have any blur or ghosting. As with many OLEDs, this is truly a standout TV for gamers.
-
Near-infinite contrast ratio for perfect blacks.
-
Fantastic reflection handling.
-
Very low input lag.
-
Impressive gaming features.
-
HDMI 2.1 bandwidth on all four ports.
-
Very good peak brightness in HDR and SDR.
-
TV is a bit dimmer in Game Mode.
The LG C3 is an excellent TV for watching the latest hit movies. Like all OLEDs, it has incredible contrast, with deep, inky blacks and no blooming around bright highlights. It has very good HDR peak brightness, so bright highlights look great next to the perfect blacks. It also has excellent low-quality content smoothing and very good low-resolution upscaling, so whether you like to watch movies on legacy formats like DVDs or through streaming services like Netflix, your content is free of macro-blocking, and details are preserved. The TV handles judder perfectly, so your movies are judder-free. The TV's color accuracy is excellent, so you don't need to worry about having it calibrated.
-
Near-infinite contrast ratio for perfect blacks.
-
Automatically removes 24p judder from any source.
-
Wide color gamut for HDR content.
-
Supports DTS audio formats, which is great for DVDs and Blu-rays.
-
Very good peak brightness in HDR and SDR.
-
Excellent low-quality content smoothing.
-
Fast response time results in noticeable stutter.
-
Colors aren't as bright as pure white.
The LG C3 is an outstanding TV to be blown away by the latest hit games in HDR. Enabling Game Mode slightly reduces overall HDR brightness but won't negatively affect your gaming experience. The TV has remarkably low input lag with Game Mode on, so games feel super responsive; your inputs almost instantly translate to the on-screen action. The TV can handle all commonly used resolutions, like 1440p @ 120Hz and 4k @ 120Hz. It has fantastic reflection handling, and when combined with the TV's satisfactory HDR brightness in Game Mode, you'll enjoy gaming on the C3 even during the day. Still, it's certainly better suited to playing in a dark room. The response time is exceptionally low, so no matter how fast the action moves, you won't have any blur or ghosting.
-
Near-infinite contrast ratio for perfect blacks.
-
Wide color gamut for HDR content.
-
Very low input lag.
-
Impressive gaming features.
-
HDMI 2.1 bandwidth on all four ports.
-
Very good peak brightness in HDR and SDR.
-
Colors aren't as bright as pure white.
-
TV is a bit dimmer in Game Mode.
The LG C3 is a fantastic TV for PC gaming, but like all OLEDs, using it as a PC monitor has some caveats. It has a nearly-instantaneous response time and incredibly low input lag, so games, or your mouse cursor, are fluid and responsive, with almost no distracting motion blur behind fast-moving objects. Its viewing angle is amazing, so even if you sit in front of the TV, you won't notice any discoloration or dimming at the edges. It gets bright in SDR and has amazing reflection handling, so it'll look great even if your office setup is in a bright room or in front of some windows. Unfortunately, like many TVs, the C3 doesn't use a standard RGB subpixel layout, so text isn't very clear when used as a monitor, and its brightness in SDR is significantly reduced when the TV is set to PC mode, or with the 4:4:4 Passthrough option set to on. Finally, as with all OLEDs, there's a risk of permanent burn-in when exposed to static elements, like the UI elements of a computer desktop.
-
Near-infinite contrast ratio for perfect blacks.
-
Fantastic reflection handling.
-
Image remains accurate at a wide angle.
-
Very low input lag.
-
Impressive gaming features.
-
Very good peak brightness in HDR and SDR.
-
Aggressive ABL can get distracting with large areas of brightness.
-
Risk of permanent burn-in.
-
TV is a bit dimmer in Game Mode.
- 9.0 Mixed Usage
- 8.6 TV Shows
- 8.8 Sports
- 9.4 Video Games
- 9.0 HDR Movies
- 9.1 HDR Gaming
- 9.4 PC Monitor
- Updated May 02, 2024: Mentioned the newly-reviewed LG C4 OLED in the HDR Brightness section of this review.
- Updated Dec 20, 2023: Mentioned the newly reviewed Samsung S89C OLED in the HDR Brightness In Game Mode section of this review.
- Updated Nov 29, 2023: We retested the TV's input lag outside of Game Mode with firmware 03.20.17. It's now higher than it was and more in line with the LG G3 OLED and LG C2 OLED. We updated the TV's input lag results and text box.
- Updated Nov 21, 2023: Mentioned the newly reviewed LG B3 OLED in the Compared To Other TVs section of this review.
- Updated Oct 19, 2023: We've retested the TV's calibration with the Peak Brightness setting set to 'Off' and updated the Pre Calibration and Post Calibration text boxes, as well as the Settings page, with the results. The TV is much more accurate with Peak Brightness set to 'Off'.
- Updated Sep 22, 2023: Retested the TV's HDR brightness and HDR brightness in Game Mode and posted the results in the HDR Brightness and HDR Brightness in Game Mode sections of this review.
- Updated Jul 17, 2023: Verified the results of the Upscaling: Sharpness Processing, HDR Native Gradient, and Low-Quality Content Smoothing tests after a recent firmware update. Updated the Upscaling: Sharpness Processing, HDR Native Gradient, and Low-Quality Content Smoothing text boxes, and refreshed the text for consistency.
- Updated Jun 27, 2023: Verified the TV's Gamma with BOOST mode enabled, as well as with PC Mode input and the 4:4:4 Pass Through option. None of the settings noticeably affected gamma. Results posted under Input Lag.
- Updated Jun 12, 2023: Added mention of new settings for hiding ads on the home screen in Ad-Free.
- Updated Jun 08, 2023: We've added a mention of the newly-reviewed Samsung S90C OLED in the Color Gamut section of this review.
- Updated Jun 01, 2023: Review published.
- Updated May 24, 2023: Early access published.
- Updated May 08, 2023: Our testers have started testing this product.
- Updated Apr 27, 2023: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
- Updated Apr 11, 2023: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We bought and tested the 65-inch LG C3 (OLED65C3), but it's also available in 42, 48, 55, 77, and 83-inch sizes. Note that the last three letters in the model number (PUA in this case) vary between retailers and individual regions, but there's no difference in performance. The Costco/Sam's Club variant carries the suffix 'AUA', supports Wi-Fi 6E (the PUA variant has Wi-fi 5), and comes with store-specific perks, like extended warranties.
| Size | US Model (Wi-Fi 5) | Costco Variant (Wi-Fi 6E) |
|---|---|---|
| 42" | OLED42C3PUA | OLED42C3AUA |
| 48" | OLED48C3PUA | OLED48C3AUA |
| 55" | OLED55C3PUA | OLED55C3AUA |
| 65" | OLED65C3PUA | OLED65C3AUA |
| 77" | OLED77C3PUA | OLED77C3AUA |
| 83" | OLED83C3PUA | OLED83C3AUA |
Our unit was manufactured in March 2023; the label is here.
Compared To Other TVs
The LG C3 is an excellent OLED TV with exceptional picture quality and is an incremental improvement over its predecessor, the LG C2 OLED. It doesn't have the LG G3 OLED's MLA focusing layer, which allows the G3 to get extremely bright, so in theory, there's a big difference between the C3 and G3 this year. However, in actual usage, the difference in brightness between the two TVs isn't very noticeable and isn't worth the price difference for most people. You could also save some money by going with the cheaper LG B3 OLED, which is dimmer overall, is limited to only two HDMI 2.1 bandwidth ports, but otherwise has the same feature set. When compared to OLEDs from other brands, the Sony A95K OLED, Samsung S95B OLED, and Samsung S95C OLED are all marginally better than the C3 when it comes to image quality, as QD-OLED panels are very colorful and can output very bright and saturated colors.
If you're still shopping for the best TV for your needs, check out our recommendations for the best OLED TVs, the best 4k TVs, and the best TVs for watching movies.
The LG C4 OLED is slightly better than the LG C3 OLED. The C4 gets brighter in HDR, so highlights pop a little bit more on it. The C4 also has slightly better PQ EOTF tracking, so it's a bit more accurate when it comes to the content creator's intent, and its better color volume delivers slightly brighter colors. If you're a PC gamer looking to take full advantage of your high-end graphics card, the C4 supports up to 144Hz versus 120Hz on the C3, so it's the better option for that. However, when viewed from an angle, the C4 has a noticeable green tint, so the C3 is the better choice for wide seating arrangements.
The LG C3 OLED and Samsung S90C OLED are similar TVs occupying the same market position. Of the two, the Samsung is the better gaming TV and slightly better overall TV, while the LG is the better TV for movie fans. The Samsung has a wider color gamut and gets brighter than the LG, especially in HDR; not only that, but it also maintains its HDR brightness better in Game Mode. It also supports 4k @ 144Hz (120Hz on the 83-inch model), while the LG is limited to 4k @ 120Hz. However, the LG supports DTS audio formats and Dolby Vision, making it great for Blu-ray fans. It also has better low-quality content smoothing than the Samsung TV, making it better for watching streaming content, especially in low-bitrate situations.
The LG G3 OLED is better than the LG C3 OLED. They're both nearly identical, except that the G3 doesn't come with a stand, instead having a slim wall mount included in the box and a fully flat profile that allows the TV to be completely flat on the wall when wall mounted. In theory, the G3 can also get much brighter than the C3; however, in practice, you won't see much difference except in certain contexts, such as when bright white clouds are displayed. They both offer DTS audio support this year, a clear improvement over both preceding models.
The LG C3 OLED and LG B3 OLED are similar TVs with nearly identical feature sets, but the C3 is better overall. The C3 gets much brighter in HDR and SDR, has better image processing due to its better 4k processor, and has four full HDMI 2.1 bandwidth ports. Inversely, the B3 has two HDMI 2.1 bandwidth ports, one of which also doubles as the eARC port, so you'll need to buy an HDMI 2.1 switch if you have multiple HDMI 2.1 devices.
The LG C3 OLED and LG C2 OLED are very similar TVs, with the C3 being a marginal improvement over its predecessor. The C3 is a bit brighter, but this isn't noticeable in practice. The C3 also has better low-resolution sharpness processing, making legacy content on DVDs or low-resolution online streaming look better than on the C2. The C3's biggest improvement over the C2 is its support of DTS audio formats; this makes it a much more interesting TV for home entertainment fans, as Blu-rays and DVDs tend to use DTS for their audio tracks.
The LG C3 OLED is better than the Sony A80L OLED for all but the most hardcore home entertainment enthusiasts. They both use WOLED panels, but the LG is brighter in both HDR and SDR and maintains its brightness better in Game Mode. The LG also has FreeSync support and slightly lower input lag than the Sony, so it's better for gamers. They both support advanced audio and video formats like DTS and Dolby Vision. The only edge the Sony has is in its processing capabilities; typical of Sony, it's class-leading when upscaling low-resolution or smoothing low-quality content. While the LG isn't quite up to the level of the Sony in terms of image processing, it's certainly no slouch in that department, making it the better TV for most people.
The LG C3 OLED is essentially just a brighter version of the LG C1 OLED. The extra brightness of the C3 in SDR makes it a much better choice for use in a bright room, as it can overcome more glare than the C1. Highlights in HDR content also pop much more on the C3 due to its much better HDR brightness, so HDR content is more impactful. The smallest sized C1 is a 48-inch model, but the C3 also comes in a smaller 43-inch model, which is great if you plan to use the TV as a PC monitor.
The LG G2 OLED and LG C3 OLED are comparable TVs, each with their particularities. The G2 doesn't come with a stand, but a slim wall mount is included in the box. It also has a fully flat profile that lets the TV completely flush with the wall when wall-mounted. The G2 can also get a bit brighter than the C3; however, you won't see much difference in actual usage. The C3 supports DTS audio formats while the G2 doesn't, so the newer model is a better fit for a home entertainment setup.
The LG C3 OLED is better than the LG CX OLED. The C3 gets brighter in both HDR and SDR, so highlights pop more in HDR content, and it can overcome more glare in a bright room when watching SDR content. The C3 also has better color volume, so it can display brighter and more saturated colors. On top of that, the C3 is better for gamers due to its lower input lag.
The Samsung S95C OLED is better than the LG C3 OLED. The Samsung is brighter than the LG and can hold onto its brightness much better than the LG in Game Mode. The Samsung has a much wider color gamut than the LG; it can output bright, vibrant colors, making the TV pop. It also has much better HDR gradient handling than the LG, so you won't notice annoying banding in scenes with color gradients. The LG does have better low-resolution upscaling, so it will do a better job with low-resolution content or streaming content at low bitrates. The LG also supports every audio format, including DTS, so it's the better overall TV for a home entertainment setup.
The LG C3 OLED is better than the Sony X90L/X90CL. The LG has inky blacks thanks to its nearly infinite contrast ratio and perfect black uniformity, and it has more lifelike colors thanks to its wider color gamut. The image on the LG barely degrades from the sides due to its wider viewing angle, so it's the better option for watching TV with friends. When it comes to gaming, the LG is also better due to its faster response time, lower input lag, and HDMI 2.1 bandwidth on all four ports.
The Sony X93L is a brighter TV than the LG C3 OLED, so it can overcome more glare in a very bright room. However, the LG is better in most other situations. The LG's wider viewing angle is better suited for watching TV in a group setting. It has better contrast and perfect black uniformity, so it delivers inky blacks with no blooming around bright objects. Fast motion has less blur on the LG due to its faster response time, and it's the better gaming TV due to its lower input lag and HDMI 2.1 bandwidth on all four ports.
The LG C3 OLED is better than the LG A2 OLED. The C3 has a 120Hz panel and HDMI 2.1 bandwidth for gaming up to 4k @ 120Hz, and it supports VRR, so it's a much better option if you want to take advantage of modern gaming consoles. The C3 can overcome more glare due to its better SDR brightness, and highlights in HDR content stand out more due to its much better HDR brightness. On top of that, the C3 has less banding, upscales low-resolution content better, and removes more compression artifacts from low-quality content.
The LG C3 OLED and Samsung S89C OLED are similar TVs occupying the same market position. The Samsung is better for gaming and a slightly better overall TV, while the LG is better for movie fans. The Samsung has a wider color gamut and gets brighter than the LG, especially in HDR; not only that, but it also maintains its HDR brightness better in Game Mode. It also supports 4k @ 144Hz, while the LG is limited to 4k @ 120Hz. However, the LG supports DTS audio formats and Dolby Vision, making it great for Blu-ray fans. It also has better low-quality content smoothing than the Samsung TV, making it better for watching streaming content, especially in low-bitrate situations.
The LG C3 OLED is better than the Samsung QN90C/QN90CD QLED in most ways. The LG's wider viewing angle makes it better for watching TV with friends, its wider color gamut delivers more lifelike colors, and its nearly infinite contrast ratio and perfect black uniformity means it displays deeper blacks with no blooming around bright objects. There is also less blur behind fast motion on the LG due to its quicker response time. However, if you mostly watch TV in a very bright room, the Samsung gets brighter in SDR, so it can overcome more glare.
The LG C3 OLED is mostly better than the TCL QM8/QM850G QLED. The LG has a much wider viewing angle, so it's more suited for watching TV as a group. The LG also has a faster response time, so there is less blur behind quick motion, and its nearly infinite contrast ratio delivers inky blacks when viewed in a dark room. However, the TCL is a much brighter TV, so highlights stand out more in HDR, and this TV can overcome more glare in a very bright room. The TCL is also an interesting option for PC gamers with high-end graphics cards due to its 4k @ 144Hz support.
The LG C3 OLED is a better version of the LG C9 OLED. The C3 is brighter in both SDR and HDR, so it overcomes more glare in a well-lit room while watching SDR content, and highlights in HDR content stand out more. The C3 is also capable of up to 4k @ 120Hz, so it's the better option to pair with modern gaming consoles.
The LG C3 OLED is better than the Sony A90K OLED. The LG is more versatile for gamers because it has HDMI 2.1 bandwidth on all four ports and provides a more responsive gaming experience due to its lower input lag. HDR content has more impact on the LG because of its better HDR brightness, and it can overcome more glare in a bright room due to its better SDR brightness.
The Sony A95L OLED is a bit better than the LG C3 OLED. The Sony has much better image processing, resulting in smoother gradients in HDR and better upscaling. The Sony is also brighter, especially when displaying bright saturated colors, resulting in much better color volume overall. The LG is a bit more versatile, especially for gamers, as it has four high-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 ports, whereas the Sony only has two.
The Hisense U8/U8K and LG C3 OLED are different TVs, each with their own strengths, although the LG is better overall. The Hisense gets much brighter than the LG and is a bit more colorful, so it's much better suited for bright rooms. The LG, however, has a nearly infinite contrast ratio due to its OLED panel, leading to much better dark room performance. The LG also has better image processing overall, a vastly wider viewing angle, and a near-instantaneous response time with no quirky VRR performance.
The LG B2 OLED and LG C3 OLED are similar, but the C3 is slightly better in all areas. The C3 is noticeably brighter in HDR, although not by a wide margin. The C3 also has better image processing, and unlike the B3, it can passthrough advanced DTS audio formats, a great feature for those who prefer to watch content from physical media. The newer C3 is also better if you have a lot of HDMI 2.1 devices, as it has four HDMI 2.1 bandwidth ports, while the B2 only has two.
The LG C3 OLED is better than the Hisense U7K. The Hisense is a bit brighter than the LG in HDR Game Mode but not in HDR outside of Game Mode. The Hisense is also a bit brighter in SDR, but otherwise, the LG C3 is better in every other facet; its contrast is far superior, so it looks superior when watching movies in a dark room, and it is the most accurate TV of the two in HDR and SDR. It also has four full HDMI 2.1 ports with 4k @ 120Hz support, while the Hisense is limited to two HDMI 2.1 ports, although they're both capable of up to 4k @ 144Hz. The LG also has a much wider viewing angle, so it's better when your friends are watching the TV in a wide seating arrangement. Finally, the LG has better image processing and is better for gamers due to its near-instant response time.
The Samsung S95B OLED is better than the LG C3 OLED. The Samsung TV is brighter than the LG in most usage. However, it can hold onto its brightness much better than the LG in Game Mode. The Samsung has a much wider color gamut than the LG; it can output vibrant, saturated colors, making the TV really pop. It also has much better HDR gradient handling than the LG, so you won't notice annoying banding in scenes with color gradients. The LG does have better low-resolution upscaling, so it will do a better job with low-resolution content or streaming content at low bitrates. The LG also supports every audio format, including DTS, so it's the better overall TV for a home entertainment setup.
The LG C3 OLED is a bit better than the Sony X95L, but they use different display technologies. While the Sony X95L has fantastic contrast, the LG C3's OLED panel gives it an even better, nearly infinite contrast for deep blacks when watched in dark rooms. However, the Sony model is a far brighter TV in HDR and SDR, so it's the better option if you prefer to watch content in brighter rooms. This is even truer in Game Mode, as the Sony doesn't lose any of its HDR brightness in that mode, while the LG is noticeably dimmer. Otherwise, the LG is the better gaming TV because it has lower input lag, a nearly instantaneous response time, and four 4k @ 120Hz HDMI 2.1 ports versus two on the Sony; just make sure to dim the lights when gaming on the LG.
The LG C3 OLED is better than the Sony A80J OLED in almost every way. They both use WOLED panels, but the LG is brighter in both HDR and SDR and maintains its brightness better in Game Mode. The LG also supports FreeSync and has lower input lag than the Sony, so it's better for gamers. Sony's only advantage is its processing capabilities with low-resolution and low-quality content.
The LG C3 OLED is much better than the Samsung QN85C/QN85CD QLED. The Samsung is slightly but noticeably brighter than the LG, but the OLED has vastly superior reflection handling, so they look about equally as good in bright rooms. In dark rooms, however, the LG looks much better than the Samsung due to its nearly infinite contrast ratio. Plus, the LG is the more accurate of the two TVs and has slightly better image processing, a wider viewing angle, Dolby Vision, and advanced DTS audio format support. It's also better for gaming due to its nearly instantaneous response time.
The Sony A95K OLED and LG C3 OLED are comparable TVs, each with its strengths, with the Sony being marginally better overall. The Sony is a bit brighter than the LG in HDR; however, the LG is brighter in SDR. The Sony has a much wider color gamut than the LG; its QD-OLED panel outputs vibrant, saturated colors, which makes the TV pop. It also has much better HDR gradient handling than the LG, so you won't notice annoying banding in scenes with color gradients. While both TVs have good image processing, the Sony has the edge in upscaling, so low-resolution content will look sharp and clear on the Sony. While both TVs are gaming beasts, the Sony TV's input lag is a bit higher than the LG's, so the LG is better if you play competitive games at high skill levels.
The LG B4 OLED and the LG C3 OLED are very similar overall. The C3 has better low-quality content smoothing, and its viewing angle is a bit better, with less color shift as you move off-center. The C3 also gets brighter overall, so it overcomes a bit more glare while watching SDR content in a bright room, and highlights stand out a bit more in HDR content. However, the C3 is noticeably dimmer while using the Game Optimizer, whereas the B4 maintains its brightness in that mode, which makes it a bit brighter overall while using Game Optimizer.
The LG G4 OLED is better than the LG C3 OLED. The G4 gets brighter overall, so it overcomes more glare in a bright room while watching SDR content, and highlights pop more in HDR content. The G4 also maintains its HDR brightness much better in Game Mode, so you don't have to trade in brightness for performance when gaming. The G4 has better color volume, so it can display colors brighter, and there is less banding in colors. Finally, the G4 supports up to 4k @ 144Hz, so it's the better option for PC gamers with high-end graphics cards.
The Samsung S90D/S90DD OLED is mostly better than the LG C3 OLED. The Samsung has a wider color gamut, so colors are more accurate and lifelike, and it can display colors brighter due to its better color volume. The Samsung also has better HDR brightness, so bright highlights stand out more in HDR content. However, the LG is brighter in SDR, so it overcomes more glare in a bright room. The LG also has better low-quality content smoothing, so it's the better option if you regularly watch DVDs or lower-quality streams, and if you collect Blu-rays, the LG is the better choice due to its Dolby Vision and DTS audio support.
The Samsung S95D OLED is mostly better than the LG C3 OLED. The Samsung gets brighter in HDR, so highlights in HDR content stand out more, and it has a wider color gamut and better color volume, so colors are more vibrant, lifelike, and can be displayed brighter. The Samsung supports up to 4k @ 144Hz, so it's the better option for PC gamers with high-end graphics cards. However, the LG supports Dolby Vision and DTS audio formats, so it's the better option for those who want to take full advantage of their 4k Blu-rays.
The LG C3 OLED is better than the Sony BRAVIA 7 QLED, but they excel in different room conditions. The LG's OLED panel gives it far superior contrast to the already fantastic contrast of the Sony, giving the LG the edge when watching movies in dark rooms. The Sony is, however, noticeably brighter in HDR and SDR. Unfortunately, its reflection handling is noticeably worse than that of the LG, so even though the Sony pops more in bright rooms, it's closer than expected due to the LG's fantastic screen coating. The LG does have a much wider viewing angle, so it's better for wide seating arrangements.
The LG C3 OLED is better than the Samsung QN85D/QN85DD QLED, but they use different panel technologies. The LG is an OLED, so it has perfect contrast, making it far superior to the Samsung when viewed in a dark room. Alternatively, the Samsung's QLED panel is slightly brighter than the C3, so it's a slightly better option if you only watch content in bright rooms.
The LG C3 OLED is better than the Samsung S85D OLED. The LG is the brighter TV overall, so it overcomes more glare in a bright room while watching SDR content, and highlights stand out more in HDR content. The LG is more accurate in SDR due to its better pre-calibration accuracy, and it does a better job smoothing out low-quality content. If you collect physical media, the LG is the better option due to its DTS audio support, and it supports the Dolby Vision HDR format used by many streaming services and 4k Blu-rays.
The LG C3 OLED is better than the Samsung Q60D QLED in every way. The LG has HDMI 2.1 bandwidth for up to 4k @ 120Hz gaming with VRR, so it's better for gaming. The LG also has more vibrant colors due to its wider color gamut and better color volume, and HDR is more impactful due to the TV's better HDR brightness and near-infinite contrast ratio. The LG also has a much wider viewing angle, so it's more suitable for use in a group setting.
The LG C3 OLED is better than the Samsung CU7000/CU7000D in every way. The C3 has a much better picture quality due to its perfect contrast and the ability to display much deeper blacks, so it’s the better choice for a dark room. The C3 is significantly better for gaming due to its much faster response time, HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, and 4k @ 120Hz support. The C3 is also better for watching shows or sports as a group because of its much wider viewing angle. Finally, HDR looks significantly better on the C3 thanks to its wider color gamut, better color volume, and higher HDR peak brightness, so colors are more vibrant and lifelike, and highlights pop a lot more than on the CU7000.
The LG C3 OLED is better than the Sony A75L OLED for most users. The LG gets brighter, so bright highlights in HDR stand out better and it can overcome more glare in a bright room. The LG is also a bit more versatile, with four HDMI 2.1-bandwidth ports, so you can use it with multiple consoles or gaming PCs. On the other hand, if you care more about creative intent, the Sony is slightly better, as it offers better picture processing and a more accurate image overall.
The LG C3 OLED and the Samsung QN900C 8k QLED are better for different uses. The LG is better in a dark room due to its nearly infinite contrast ratio, better black uniformity, no blooming, and perfect zone transitions, so you get perfect blacks with no distractions. The LG also has better HDR gradient handling for less banding, and its wider viewing angle makes it a better choice for watching TV with other people, as no one will have to watch a washed-out image. The Samsung is better for a bright room due to its higher SDR peak brightness, so it overcomes glare better. The Samsung is also capable of 4k @ 144Hz, so it's a better option for a gaming PC capable of 144 fps.
The LG C3 OLED is better than the LG QNED80 2022 in every way. The C3 has significantly better black performance, so it's much better suited for a dark room. The C3 also has better color volume, a wider color gamut, and gets brighter in HDR. This leads to HDR content having more vibrant and realistic colors and gives bright highlights more pop. Both TVs support modern gaming features like VRR and 4k @ 120Hz, but the C3 has a much faster response time, so it's also a better option for gaming. On top of that, the C3 is better at handling reflections and has a wider viewing angle.
The LG C3 OLED is better than the Samsung AU8000 in every way. The C3 has a much better picture quality due to its perfect contrast and the ability to display much deeper blacks, so it’s the better choice for a dark room. The C3 is significantly better for gaming due to its much faster response time, HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, 4k @ 120Hz, and VRR support. The C3 is also better for watching shows or sports as a group because of its much wider viewing angle. Finally, HDR looks significantly better on the C3 thanks to its wider color gamut, better color volume, and higher HDR peak brightness, so colors are more vibrant and lifelike, and highlights pop a lot more than on the AU8000.
The LG C3 OLED is better than the Hisense U7H in almost every way. The C3 has a much better picture quality due to its perfect contrast and the ability to display much deeper blacks, so it’s the better choice for a dark room. The C3 is also better for gaming due to its much faster response time and lower input lag, and it’s better for watching shows or sports as a group because of its much wider viewing angle. The U7H gets a lot brighter in SDR, so if you regularly use your TV in a bright room, it’s a better option for that.
The LG C3 OLED is better than the TCL 6 Series/R635 2020 QLED. The C3 has a much better picture quality due to its perfect contrast and the ability to display much deeper blacks, so it’s the better choice for a dark room. The C3 is significantly better for gaming due to its much faster response time, HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, and 4k @ 120Hz support. The C3 is also better for watching shows or sports as a group because of its much wider viewing angle.
The LG C3 OLED and the Sharp AQUOS FS1 OLED are similar TVs, but the LG is better. The LG has much better SDR brightness, so it can overcome more glare in a room with lights on. The LG also has better HDR brightness, so highlights in HDR content pop much more than on the Sharp, and it has a wider viewing angle, so the image stays more consistent from the sides than on the Sharp. On top of that, the LG has much better image processing, better pre-calibration accuracy, a BFI feature, and HDMI 2.1 bandwidth on all four ports.
The LG C3 OLED is better than the TCL 5 Series/S555 2022 QLED in every way. The LG has significantly better black performance, so it's much better suited for a dark room. The LG also has better color volume, a wider color gamut, and gets brighter in HDR. This leads to HDR content having more vibrant and realistic colors and gives bright highlights more pop. Both TVs support VRR, but the LG has even more modern gaming features like HDMI 2.1 bandwidth and 4k @ 120Hz support. The LG also has a much faster response time, so it's a much better option for gaming. On top of that, the LG is better at handling reflections and has a wider viewing angle.
The LG C3 OLED is better than the LG UQ8000 in every way. The C3 has a much better picture quality due to its perfect contrast and the ability to display much deeper blacks, so it’s the better choice for a dark room. The C3 is significantly better for gaming due to its much faster response time, HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, and 4k @ 120Hz support. The C3 is also better for watching shows or sports as a group because of its much wider viewing angle. Finally, HDR looks significantly better on the C3 thanks to its wider color gamut, better color volume, and higher HDR peak brightness, so colors are more vibrant and lifelike, and highlights pop a lot more than on the UQ8000.
The LG C3 OLED is better than the Sharp AQUOS XLED FV1. The LG has a quicker response time for less blur behind quick motion, and its lower input lag provides a more responsive gaming or desktop experience. The LG is also better suited for watching TV as a group due to its much wider viewing angle, and it's also better suited for a dark room due to its higher contrast ratio and better black uniformity.
Video
Test Results
The LG OLED C3 has the same design as 2022's LG C2 OLED. It has a thin silver border, with bezels so thin you can barely notice them when sitting from a normal viewing distance. It looks sleek and modern.
The stand on the 65-inch LG C3 is identical to the stand found on the 65-inch LG C2 OLED, and it has the same issues: it's a bit small, and the TV wobbles on it. However, it doesn't take the TV long to settle after it starts wobbling, so it isn't an issue in practice. The stand lifts the bottom of the screen 2.7" above the table, so most soundbars will fit without blocking the screen. The 83-inch uses a bigger stand, the same as on the 83 and 48-inch LG C2 OLED or the LG C1 OLED. The 42-inch model of the C3 uses two feet on each side of the screen instead of a central stand.
Footprint of the 65" stand: 18.5" x 9.0"
The back of the TV feels quite nice; it's made of a textured, brushed metal. It almost feels like fabric to the touch. A large plastic panel is on the back, with the inputs on its right-hand side. The TV comes with cable management clips through which you can funnel cables towards a small plastic cover, and exiting through a another clip on the back of the stand. Check out the full cable management photo here, but take note that you can route cables through the small plastic cover.
The LG C3 is incredibly well-built. It feels premium, the fabric-like texture on the back feels unique and nice to the touch, and the TV itself doesn't flex much. The stand is small and doesn't take much space, but unfortunately, the TV wobbles quite a bit on it; again, it does settle in quickly, and it's not a problem in practice. Overall, very solidly built.
The LG C3 has a nearly infinite contrast ratio like every other OLED. As each pixel can individually control its own brightness due to OLED's self-emissive technology, you can have super bright highlights next to pixels that are completely off, leading to perfect blacks with no blooming or haloing. It's very impressive in a dark room.
Since pixels can be completely turned off next to pixels that are lit up to their maximum brightness, the blacks surrounding bright elements are perfect and don't have any blooming.
As with other OLED TVs, this TV doesn't have a backlight, but its self-emissive pixels give it the equivalent of a perfect local dimming feature with no zone transitions. We still film the zone transition video on the TV so you can see how the screen performs and compare it with a TV that has local dimming.
There's no difference in dark scene behavior between the calibrated picture modes and Game Mode. It looks fantastic.
The LG C3 has very good HDR peak brightness. In certain scenes, it's a noticeable improvement from last year's LG C2 OLED. Like other OLEDs, large bright scenes are significantly dimmer than smaller highlights due to the Automatic Brightness Limiter (ABL). It's not very noticeable during normal viewing, as the brightness transitions are typically smooth and seamless. However, the TV is much dimmer when watching very bright HDR content for extended periods, and the ABL is distracting when using the TV as a PC monitor.
Setting Peak Brightness to 'Off' reduces the ABL feature's aggressiveness but also reduces the panel's peak brightness in all scenes, which makes the TV look dimmer all the time.
These measurements are after calibrating the HDR white point with the following settings:
- HDR Picture Mode: Cinema (User Settings)
- OLED Pixel Brightness: 100
- Adjust Contrast: 100
- Auto Dynamic Contrast: Off
- Dynamic Tone Mapping: Off
- Expression Enhancer: Detail
- Peak Brightness: High
Check out the newer LG C4 OLED if you want a very similar TV with better HDR brightness.
The LG C3 is dimmer in Game Mode than in other picture modes, and it's noticeable if you swap between Game Mode and other modes. Still, it's bright enough for a pleasant HDR gaming experience, and it's an improvement over the LG C2 OLED. For a much better Game Mode performance, see the Samsung S89C OLED.
These measurements are after calibrating the HDR white point with the following settings:
- HDR Picture Mode: Game Optimizer (User Settings)
- OLED Pixel Brightness: 100
- Dynamic Tone Mapping: HGiG
- Expression Enhancer: Off
- Peak Brightness: High
The LG C3 has fantastic PQ EOTF tracking. As it's an OLED, it has perfect blacks and follows the PQ EOTF curve very well. The TV is over-brightened at lower luminance levels. When the TV gets near its peak brightness, its tracking acts differently based on the content it's displaying; for content mastered at 600 and 1000 nits, which is the majority of content, the TV clips everything above its max brightness, resulting in a loss of fine detail in very bright scenes. For content mastered at 4000 nits, the TV does tone mapping; however, its roll-off is pretty quick, so it won't preserve as many fine details here as the LG C2 did.
Note that this particular PQ EOTF tracking curve was done with the new Expression Enhancer setting set to 'Detail', as with the setting set to 'Off', the TV was over-brightening most of the EOTF. You can see how the different Expression Enhancer settings impact the EOTF curve here
The LG C3 OLED has very good peak brightness in SDR. It's a bit brighter than the LG C2 OLED, especially noticeable when bright elements take up most or all of the screen. Its Automatic Brightness Limiter (ABL) is a bit less aggressive than on the C2, but it still dims large bright scenes significantly compared to smaller highlights.
Setting Peak Brightness to 'Off', which bypasses the ABL, reduces the peak brightness to about 200 cd/m², which is a much more radical reduction than what we saw on the LG C2. Note that setting the input to Game Mode or PC Mode, or setting the 4:4:4 Pass Through option to 'On' also locks the Peak Brightness option to 'Off'.
These measurements are after calibration with the following settings:
- Picture Mode: Expert (Dark Space, Night)
- OLED Pixel Light: 100
- Peak Brightness: High
- Color Temp: Warm 50
The TV has an amazing color gamut. Like most TVs in this market range, the LG C3 has nearly perfect coverage of the DCI-P3 color space, which most current HDR content uses. However, when displaying very bright images, its color accuracy is off; it struggles with displaying accurate greens, and all colors are generally undersaturated. Its tone mapping is also off, like on the LG C2 OLED, struggling with accurately tone mapping desaturated colors. Note that these results are done with the TV receiving a near 1000 nits stimulus signal; in actual usage the TV's color accuracy and tone mapping is much better, as our results here amount to a stress test.
The TV also has good coverage of the Rec. 2020 color space used by some content. Still, it can't display the full range of green or cyan; colors are again generally undersaturated, and its tone mapping still struggles with desaturated colors. Overall it isn't the best TV for viewers who are really into HDR color accuracy, but otherwise, it looks great. If you're looking for a more color-accurate OLED, take a look at the Samsung S90C OLED.
The color volume is basically identical to last year's LG C2 OLED, and it's still very good. The LG C3 can push its white luminance a bit further, yet it's still far from pure white. It also displays dark saturated colors well.
The LG C3 has truly excellent pre-calibration accuracy in SDR. Its gamma is slightly above the 2.2 target for a moderately lit room, so it's on the darker side overall, except in very bright scenes where it's a tad too bright. Its color temperature is fantastic, albeit a bit warm. Its color accuracy is also fantastic, and its white balance is amazing, with both having very minor accuracy errors throughout.
The results above were with the Peak Brightness setting set to 'Off'. The TV is less accurate with it set to 'High'. Here are charts with Peak Brightness set to 'High':
And measurements with Peak Brightness set to 'High':
- White Balance dE: 1.33
- Color dE: 4.48
- Gamma: 2.22
- Color Temperature: 6,341 K
After calibrating to a D65 white point, the LG C3 has truly fantastic accuracy. The grayscale was easy to configure, and all white balance issues are gone. The colors, which were already fantastic, are even better. The TV's gamma and color temperature are now exactly on target.
You can see our full calibration settings here.
The results above were with the Peak Brightness setting set to 'Off'. The colors are much more difficult to calibrate with Peak Brightness set to 'High', and the resulting calibration is less accurate overall. Here are charts with Peak Brightness set to 'High':
And measurements with Peak Brightness set to 'High':
- White Balance dE: 0.62
- Color dE: 4.17
- Gamma: 2.21
- Color Temperature: 6,545 K
The LG C3 has excellent gray uniformity, but much like the LG C2 OLED and the LG G3 OLED, there are faint vertical lines in very dark scenes and faint pinkish vertical bands on the screen when uniform colors are shown. It's a common issue with the panel technology used in LG's OLEDs, but they're subtle, and you won't notice them in practice. There are no signs of the grid pattern that affected some 2021 units and no signs of the "Venetian blind effect" either.
Black uniformity on OLEDs is perfect due to their self-emissive pixels; there's no blooming or halo effect around bright objects.
The TV has an outstanding viewing angle. It's not the basically perfect viewing angle of the LG G3 OLED, but it's not far; like on the LG C2 OLED, the colors shift slightly when you watch the screen at an angle, but it's a bit less pronounced than it was on that TV, and it's nit-picking as you really won't notice this in practice.
The LG C3 OLED has fantastic reflection handling and avoids much of the purple hue of the LG G3 OLED's anti-reflective coating, which is good. Overall, glare isn't an issue for this TV.
The TV's HDR native gradient handling is very good, although a static image stress test shows some noticeable banding in dark grays and bright greens. In real content, the TV fares even better.
The TV has excellent low-quality content smoothing. There's no noticeable macro-blocking in dark areas, and details are preserved well.
The LG C3 has very good sharpness processing with low-resolution or low-bitrate content. Some small details are lost, but the image is upscaled well overall.
Sharpness processing was calibrated for low-resolution or low-bitrate content, with no over-sharpening, with the following settings:
- Adjust Sharpness: 16
- Super Resolution: Off
The LG C3 uses the same panel as last year's LG C2 OLED, namely the 2022 WBE panels dubbed 'Ex'. The manufacturer advertises these panels to be brighter, have better heat dissipation, and be less prone to burn-in than those found on the 2021 LG C1 OLED. Like all LG OLED TVs, all four subpixels are never lit simultaneously. Also, note that this TV uses an RWBG subpixel layout, so it has issues with text display on Windows, as ClearType isn't well-adjusted to non-RGB subpixel layouts.
Like all OLEDs, this TV has an incredibly fast pixel response time. There's very little blur behind fast-moving objects, but due to the sample-and-hold nature of OLED technology, there's still some noticeable persistence blur. There's some overshoot in nearly-black scenes, but it only happens when coming out of a fully-off state and then quickly settles, so you won't notice it.
The TV isn't quite flicker-free, as a small decrease in brightness corresponds with the display's refresh cycle. It's very different from pulse width modulation flicker (PWM) on TVs with LED backlights and isn't noticeable.
The LG C3 has an optional black frame insertion feature (BFI) that reduces the appearance of persistence blur caused by the TV's nearly instantaneous pixel response time. Like the LG C2 OLED, it can only flicker at 60Hz. BFI also reduces the TV's perceived brightness, which is noticeable in practice.
Like all of LG's high-end OLEDs, the optional motion interpolation feature works well. However, it also introduces what is commonly known as the 'soap opera effect', which will annoy some people. Motion appears significantly smoother, with less persistence blur, thanks to the higher frame rate, but again, there are some noticeable artifacts in busy scenes.
Like all OLEDs, there's noticeable stutter with low frame rate content due to their incredibly fast pixel response time. It's very noticeable in slow panning shots in movies, although some people are more sensitive to it than others. The black frame insertion feature and the motion interpolation feature can help reduce the appearance of stutter, but they both have their drawbacks.
The LG C3 can remove judder when watching 24p movies or TV shows, even from sources that can only send a 60Hz signal, like a cable box. Like the LG G3 OLED, the Real Cinema setting has to be enabled to remove judder. Sadly, movies aren't judder-free when BFI is enabled because the black frame insertion (BFI) feature can only flicker at 60Hz on the C3.
The TV supports FreeSync and HDMI Forum VRR and is G-SYNC Compatible certified, ensuring a nearly tear-free gaming experience from any VRR-enabled source. It works well across a wide refresh rate range, even when it drops very low, as the TV supports Low Framerate Compensation (LFC). There's some flickering when VRR is enabled, much as was reported on the LG C2 OLED in 2022, and it's noticeable in low and fluctuating frame rate situations on a near-black screen. See a video of this flickering in action here.
The TV has low input lag, resulting in a very responsive gaming experience. Although it's still not as good as high-end gaming monitors, it's better than most TVs and good enough for most gamers. These results are with the Boost Mode setting set to 'on' in the 'Game Optimizer' menu, which reduces input lag by 2-3 ms. Like most TVs, the input lag is too high outside of 'Game Mode' for competitive reaction-based games. The input lag is higher when forcing a 4:3 aspect ratio versus setting it to 'original'. Here are some measurements, all done at 120Hz:
-
When set to 'Original' aspect ratio:
- 1920x1440: 10.1 ms
- 640x480: 27.3 ms
- 320x240: 28 ms
-
When set to '4:3' aspect ratio:
- 1920x1440: 26.8 ms
- 640x480: 27.4 ms
- 320x240: 28 ms
Note that to get the lowest input lag with Chroma 4:4:4 support, you need to set the input to PC with Game Mode enabled. Like on the G3, the C3 can enable 4:4:4 Pass Through in the 'Game Optimizer' settings, resulting in Chroma 4:4:4 support with the lowest input lag. Enabling 4:4:4 Pass Through disables motion interpolation settings and a few picture processing settings and is identical to setting the input to PC.
Enabling BOOST in the 'Game Optimizer' settings, or setting the input to PC Mode, does not noticeably affect gamma when compared to having BOOST disabled. Similarly, gamma is not noticeably affected when comparing PC Mode to HDMI input or the 4:4:4 Pass Through option enabled. You can check out a few examples here:
This LG C3 OLED supports all common formats, and it displays chroma 4:4:4 properly, which is important for clear text from a PC.
This TV is fully compatible with everything the PS5 supports, like 1440p @ 120Hz and 4K @ 120Hz, as well as HDMI Forum VRR. It also has four ports supporting HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, which is great if you have multiple HDMI 2.1 consoles or want to connect a PC.
This TV is fully compatible with everything the Xbox Series X|S offers, including 1440p @ 120Hz, 4k @ 120Hz, HDMI Forum VRR, and FreeSync. All four HDMI ports support the full bandwidth of HDMI 2.1, which is great if you have both consoles or a PC you plan on using with the TV.
As with LG's 2022 OLEDs, all four HDMI ports on the LG C3 support 48Gbps bandwidth. It allows you to send 4k @ 120Hz signals with 12-bit color and full chroma 4:4:4, which is great for PC users.
This LG C3 supports many audio formats, making it a movie lover's dream. In particular, both this TV and the LG G3 OLED now support DTS audio formats, which is great if you like to watch DVDs or Blu-rays, as they tend to use DTS for their main audio tracks.
The TV's speakers have a decent frequency response. They have an okay low-frequency extension, but like most TVs, they can't produce much bass. The LG C3 doesn't get very loud; even then, it can't avoid compression and pumping artifacts at max volume. The TV does have a well-balanced sound profile at moderate listening levels, resulting in clear dialogue.
The LG C3 has fair distortion performance. The speakers struggle to handle distortion when being fed multiple simultaneous frequencies, as seen in their high levels of intermodulation distortion. The TV performs better when dealing with distortion from individual fundamental frequencies (THD).
The TV runs the 2023 version of LG's proprietary smart interface, webOS. The interface is fast and easy to use, and it supports user profiles, so you can customize the home page for different users.
Unfortunately, like almost all smart TVs, there are ads throughout the smart interface, and you can't fully disable them. There are two settings in the 'Home Settings' menu, namely the 'Home Promotion' and 'Content Recommendation' settings, which remove the top banner ads and suggested content from the home screen, but there's no way to remove ads from the apps page.
Like other webOS-equipped TVs, the LG C3 OLED has a great selection of apps, and you're sure to find your favorite content.
The TV uses the same Magic Remote as the LG C1 OLED and LG C2 OLED. You can use it as a pointer if you prefer to navigate menus that way instead of using the buttons. There are also microphones on the TV, allowing for hands-free voice control. Voice control on the LG C3 isn't as good as on the LG C2 OLED; you can't ask it to change the backlight, change inputs, or ask basic questions like the weather in your current area. Luckily you can still ask to open apps and search within apps.
A single button is on the bottom of the TV in the middle. You can turn the TV on or off with it, change inputs or channels, or control the volume.
