LG C5 OLED Review

Tom's Guide

Kate has the LG C5 OLED TV set up in the lab and is ready to break down whether one of the most anticipated 4K OLED TVs of 2025 lives up to the hype. In this review, expect to get the honest truth about HDR performance, upgraded brightness compared to the LG C4 OLED, how it handles gaming. and the latest updates to the Web OS software. Spoiler: the C5 is a serious contender for best OLED TV of the year. If you're shopping for a premium OLED TV right now, this LG C5 review is a must-watch.

Transcript

00:00Hey guys, as promised, I got in the LG C5 OLED TV to review right here in this video.

00:06And spoiler, it might just be the TV to beat in 2025. It's sleek, it's powerful,

00:11and it's filled with features that make movies, games, and shows look better than ever.

00:16But is it worth the $2,700 price tag for this 65-inch OLED? Let's break it down.

00:24So usually I bury performance for a little bit later on in TV videos,

00:28but I'm just going to come right out and say that the picture quality on the LG C5 is really

00:33exceptional. So OLED has always meant deep blacks and rich contrast, but the trade-off used to be

00:39lower brightness. That has completely changed. If you've seen any of our videos lately, we've

00:44talked a lot about this, but the LG C5 is brighter than ever. In fact, it easily beats last year's

00:50C4 in both SDR and HDR brightness. I'll throw those comparisons right here up on the screen

00:55so you can check it out. Likely thanks to upgrades to the brightness booster tech and the new AI-powered

01:00processor, the C5 hits over 1,100 nits in HDR. That means everything from Dune Part 2 to Spider-Man

01:07Across the Spider-Verse pops with vivid color and sharp detail.

01:13Another one of the standout upgrades this year is the anti-reflective screen. LG's new anti-glare

01:19coating on the C5 is drastically cutting down on reflections, making this the ideal TV for bright

01:25living rooms. You guys have seen me talk about glare-free and anti-reflective display treatments

01:30a lot here recently. I think Samsung can still be credited with making it more of a mainstream,

01:37desired, premium TV trait, but you can't really blame the competition for taking notes.

01:42Although we cannot replicate it in the studio, even in the midday sun, expect to get deep contrast

01:48and rich colors without those annoying reflections killing the vibe. It's a massive quality of life

01:53improvement. And although it's never going to surpass LG's G-series OLEDs or flagship level mini LED TVs

02:00in terms of how it looks in ambient lighting, this is easily the best the C-series has ever looked.

02:08LG's smart TV interface has come a long way. And webOS 25 that you see here is the most polished

02:14version yet. It's fast, it's customizable, packed with all of the streaming apps, loaded with features

02:21from LG channels to AirPlay, Google Cast, and even Matter smart home support. You also get a lot of new

02:27AI tools, especially in the personalization department, though some of them arguably feel

02:32more like fluff than game changers. You have AI concierge that suggest new things to watch based on

02:39your viewing habits. Although this is something that most TV operating systems have been doing for

02:44quite a while now. But you also have AI voice recognition that should pick up on who's watching

02:50and change your webOS profile accordingly. And the assistant can now take more action for you,

02:55help you navigate your new OLED TV, help you with settings and getting customer support if you need it.

03:01I do think that this is a lot of things people will skip past. I don't know that we need AI branded

03:15everything. But webOS is still one of the best overall TV software platforms out there right now.

03:22I don't always talk about gaming in my TV reviews, but the LG C5 definitely deserves a little shout out.

03:29This TV is stacked with features for gamers like HDMI 2.1 across all four ports,

03:34a 144Hz variable refresh rate, low input lag, and a game optimizer mode. A few members of my team have

03:41been checking this out across their consoles of choice, and we've all found that the C5 is

03:45delivering buttery smooth gameplay, whether you're on a PS5, Xbox, or PC. Lag clocks in under 10

03:52milliseconds, which is basically instant. Plus, you've got access to a dedicated game bar for

03:57on-the-fly adjustments. In other words, the C5 is a great pick for a gaming monitor,

04:03and even more so since it comes in a lot smaller sizes than this, all the way down to 42 inches.

04:09Though I got to clarify that the 42 and 48 inch sizes of the C5 don't have the anti-glare screen

04:15or the brightness boosters I've mentioned earlier, but that really shouldn't interfere if this is used

04:20in a typical darkroom gaming setup. Before we talk about the downsides of the C5, I want to give a quick

04:26thanks to any returning viewers, but for those of you who are new here, I really appreciate you

04:31checking this review out. Let me know in the comments what you think of the C5 so far.

04:37Now for what I didn't like about the C5, and this is going to be more of a rapid-fire list because I

04:42really did have to nitpick. First up, the redesigned remote. It's smaller, it's flatter, and ditches some

04:48of the classic LG buttons that I've just grown very comfortable with, like the mute and inputs

04:54in favor for these long press shortcuts. That might work for some people, especially if you haven't had

04:59an LG TV before, but anyone who is familiar with the existing Magic remote might find this a little

05:05confusing. Second, this TV does not support HDR10, which may matter if you're into watching specific

05:11content on platforms like Amazon Prime Video. Also, there's no ATSC 3.0 tuner, meaning no over-the-air 4K

05:18broadcasting. And then there's the audio. The 2.2-channel speakers get the job done, but they're really

05:25nothing special. For a set this good, you'll definitely want to pair a proper soundbar with it to match.

05:32So where does that leave us? The LG C5 OLED is a stunner all around. Terrific brightness, incredible color,

05:39approachable software, practically glare-proof, and a dream for gamers, not to mention. Yeah,

05:45the audio is kind of mid and the remote might divide people, but the picture quality alone

05:49makes this one of the best TVs that you can buy this year. If you're shopping for premium performance

05:54without going full flagship, the C5 is your OLED sweet spot in 2025. Even if the C5 isn't objectively

06:01inexpensive, especially in today's economy, it gives you a lot of TV for your money, which makes it a

06:08winner by any measure in my book. Don't forget to like, subscribe, and check out all the latest

06:13deals on the LG C5 OLED in the description below. Thanks for watching. I'll catch you next time.

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