Verdict
LG has have all that made its full - sized organic light-emitting diode great and stuffed it into the OLED42C2 with impressive results . Whether you watch TV , enjoy films or flirt games at close quarter , this television does it all with ease .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
There ’s no bigger advocate forOLED TVsthan LG – a brand that ’s always on a soapbox with its megaphone , explain to everyone why OLED is with child .
And any criticism stings the company into proving the naysayers improper . First , the television set were too expensive , then they were just too handsome , and after that , they were n’t burnished enough . I ’ll leave you to think what LG ’s response to those discernment has been .
This brings us to the OLED42C2 , the little OLED video usable . Earmarked for gamers – but a good size for anyone who wants a small OLED TV – it translates everything good about LG ’s large OLEDs and fit it into a delicacy filmdom that ’s 42 inches blanket .
Design
LG ’s C - serial OLEDs sport a scope of stands from wider plinths to low ones , but the OLED42C2 is the only one with groundwork . All you have to do is slot and screw the feet into place on both ends of the screen , and this TV should be up and track down within minute .
The metrical foot do n’t have a premium look , but their build is crocked and strong . I would say the overall aesthetic here is one that ’s habilitate down rather than smart chic . The bezel / alloy casing is elegant in how it frames the screen , ensuring that what ’s on it direct centre stage .
This TV is thickset around the back , with a depth of 41.1 mm , and while you could set up it on a wall with a VESA mount , it feels more at home on a flat surface . Regardless of where it ’s placed , the connections are side - facing , which is helpful for stop up in informant .
The OLED42C2 ’s viewing angles are wide , although that ’s , arguably , less vital for a concealment of this size . There ’s no anti - reflection technology , but I did n’t find manifestation too deflect up - close or from further by .
WebOS Interface
This is the fourth OLED from LG I ’ve tested in 2022 , and there ’s not much Modern to report on the webOS front . It ’s an port that ’s simply lay out and easy enough to navigate , with less of an insistence on creating an LG account than before . What ’s new is the ledge of cloud gaming apps , with Blacknut and Utomik Cloud joining GeForce Now .
If you are come up from an older LG television receiver , you may be disappointed to learn the app pop - up bar has been replaced by a full - screen interface . If you produce the habit of dipping in and out of apps , experience to return to the full - screen port before give another app can slow thing down .
A quicker method is to use the hotkeys on the remote , withNetflix , Prime Video , Disney+and Rakuten TV cater ( as well as Google Assistant and Alexa button ) . The sensitiveness of the Magic Remote seems better gauge than in the premature years ’ versions ( the cursor does n’t flail across the screen with the little jog ) , and it feels as if LG has got the bioengineering and button spacing of the distant just right .
The app library is monumental , arrest everything you could conceivably need or necessitate , with the big hitters provided alongside UK catch - up and on - need apps ( andFreeview Play ) . US buyers get the likes ofHBO Max , Hulu , Sling TVand Xfinity Stream . Scroll down the independent hub and there ’s message curated from the likes of iPlayer , All 4 , My5 , Rakuten TV and a span of others . The LG Channels section has about 200 free - to - observe channel over an internet stream . You ’d be intemperately - pressed to not discover something to follow or do .
The Home Dashboard is an area where you may ascertain sources connect to the video , and if you have any IoT ( net of Things ) devices dotted around the home , they can be controlled from this hub too .
Features
In terms of connections , all four of the OLED42C2 ’s HDMI inputs adhere to theHDMI 2.1 criterion , with support forauto broken latency mode(ALLM ) , varying refresh pace ( VRR ) and 4K/120Hz across all inputs .
HDMI 2 is theeARC portfor passing through lossless audio , such as Dolby Atmos , to a compatible soundbar . There are three USB ports , a CI ( Common Interface ) Plus 1.4 slot , two RF ( radio set frequency ) connecter for pilfer up to an ethereal or satellite transmitter , a LAN port , an IR blaster , and digital optical audio out .
Wireless connexion includeBluetooth 5.0and Wi - Fi , enablingAirPlay 2 , Chromecast and the Bluetooth Surround Ready technology , which allows for the addition of wireless speakers to the TV . There ’s no documentation for the WiSA audio recording monetary standard with this model .
All the VRR selection are included inHDMI VRR , AMD FreeSync Premium Proand Nvidia G - Sync . I measure latency of 12.9ms , which is in line with other 2022 LG OLED , and if you factor in VRR , the latency can be bring down to almost zero . If you ’re an Xbox Series owner , Dolby Vision Gamingoptimises the HDR and high frame pace carrying out for fend for game . HGiG is there to keep a ordered HDR performance with support rubric .
The OLED42C2 also has the Game Optimiser protrude - up menu , where you’re able to view and tweak gambling - related setting . It can be access by press the play / pause button on the remote when the video is in Game mode .
Picture Quality
The OLED42C2 plays legion to LG ’s OLED Evo applied science , but it does n’t descend with the Brightness Booster to eke out extra nit . That ’s down to the screen sizing here , but even without it , it ’s far bright than your average 42 - inch TV .
I measured luminousness at 704 nits in Standard mode on a 5 % HDR windowpane . On a 10 % windowpane , it doles out brightness with some more lustre , but it ’s not as intense with highlight compared with the48 - in OLED807from Philips . As a result , the LG OLED42C2 ’s sense of dividing line is not as all-embracing despite the Philips TV not being brighter .
But the OLED42C2 arguably relent a more lifelike - looking image . colors are depicted with a wide chain of mountains of chromaticity , so its coloration handling is nuanced rather than attention - grabbing . complexion are naturally portrayed and wide-ranging as they ought to be .
LG serves up a frequently endearing - looking HDR image here . When watching Spider - Man : No means nursing home in 4 K Dolby Vision , nothing stands out as egregious or overplayed . Highlights are rendered brightly when Spider - Man comes across one of the multiversal intruder in Electro ’s lightning onslaught , OLED ’s pixel - level ascendence have in mind bloom is not an issue , and in scenes set at night - metre , the image is , quite literally , striking in its light .
The LG excavate plentitude of particular , from the fine textures of Spider - Man ’s various suits to the sandy molecules that make up the Sandman and the scaly skin of the Lizard . It ’s an image that boasts first-class levels of clearness and sharpness beyond the skills of most 42-/43 - in models I ’ve reviewed .
Black level have depth and solidity , although there ’s perhaps not as much contingent to be set up in the darkest sphere of an image , even withDolby Vision IQin gambling . White tones are n’t as intensely portrayed as they are on the Philips OLED807 , which plays into the feeling that the LG OLED42C2 ’s contrast is n’t as aggressive . even so , the OLED42C2 serves up a three - dimensional image with HDR cognitive content , and watching His Dark Materials in HLG HDR on iPlayer , the nighttime scenes in Bolvangar look utterly gorgeous .
Upscaling on this model is honest than expected , and I think it ’s because the projection screen size / pixels - per - inch is relatively kind on lower - quality rootage .
spin up a scene from Game of Thrones , the image is soft in full term of item but still watchable , with satisfying boundary definition around objects and reference ( there are fewer erose edges on the shield of the Unsullied ) . A DVD of There Will Be origin filters through seemly level of point , from the dust on Plainview ’s hands as he builds his first fossil oil rig to the stubble of his whiskers when he addresses a crowd . There ’s visible disturbance and murkiness in some of the darker scenes , but , quite frankly , that ’s not unsurprising .
step up to a Blu - ray of The Revenant , the OLED42C2 yields excellent point of contingent from its wintry preferences , weather wear and dirt on the cheek of trapper . For a Blu - re of Pacific Rim , the high layer of pellucidity and sharpness interlock with the Ne - infused colour to make for an inviting image .
LG ’s TruMotion place setting has found an agreeable stage of carrying out with its 2022 models . When determine a stream of Tomorrowland on Disney+ ( the one take where Casey “ discover ” Tomorrowland ) , there ’s an component of noise with the raw context , but the Cinematic Movement setting is pitched just right , retain the 24fps stammer but reducing the effect of motion fuzz in the panning shots . I found it a stiff , stable and unintrusive performance ( on the correct setting ) .
Sound Quality
The OLED42C2 ’s aim does n’t comfortably reconcile a soundbar , as the feet do n’t get up the CRT screen too far off a control surface . Not even thePolk MagniFi Mini AXcould sit in front of this TV without obscuring the screen .
That said , it would n’t be a crime to settle for the OLED42C2 ’s 2.2 channel , 20W audio system . With Pacific Rim , there ’s a nice sense of scale of measurement to the soundtrack : the fights between Jaegers and the Kaiju have good uncloudedness and definition in making sense of the film ’s dense sound field . voice are n’t lose among the action at law , and this boob tube does a respectable Book of Job of translate some of the power and excitement in the Kaiju clashes with decent zing .
There are several phone modes to play around with , but in general , AI Sound Pro should be reserved for Atmos tracks because , while the audio never sounds big than the TV itself , there ’s some nice specific location of sounds around the screen .
Used with non - Atmos track like The Revenant , the AI musical mode can vocalise sibilant and thin , struggling to focus on what ’s relevant in each scene ( it tends to raise foreground and background knowledge effect at once ) , making for a soundstage that ’s incoherent at times . In instances such as this , the Standard and Cinema modes are a better fit .
Pumping up the volume to 50 , I did n’t hear any torture ( granted that may shift look on what you ’re watch over ) . While there ’s not much freshwater bass , the OLED42C2 interchange weighting for punchiness that ’s good in a film like Crouching Tiger , Hidden Dragon , where the kicks and punch have a snappy , clean quality . In general , this is a adequate sweat for fooling screening , and if you’re able to equip a soundbar , there ’s no dubiousness it can improve upon the TV ’s verbalizer .
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Should you buy it?
With its minor size , excellent picture timbre and fantastical gaming feature , there ’s no good 42 - inch OLED uncommitted than this LG goggle box if you ’re into gambling .
This television is , arguably , bested by both Panasonic and Sony in the kingdom of picture quality . But , at the present moment , both of those sets come at a high cost .
Final Thoughts
LG ’s competition in the 42 - inch OLED market is made up of Panasonicand Sony , and while those models arguably boast better icon timber , the OLED42C2 offers a more rounded and complete experience overall . Its fresh selection are near than either Panasonic or Sony ’s , and for gamers , there ’s just no contest .
The OLED42C2 hits every metric for a high - quality OLED experience at a price that ’s dropped down in the mouth thanthe Panasonicand Sony since I start up survey the LG TV . Unless picture quality is the overriding factor , this LG is presently the smarter leverage .
Trusted Score
How we test
We try out every television set we review good over an extended period of time . We practice industry standard test to liken features properly . We ’ll always state you what we find . We never , ever , accept money to review a merchandise .
Find out more about how we test in ourethics policy .
FAQs
It ’s unremarkably thought that a distance of around 6 ft ( 180 cm ) is the furthest you may sit down , but with the LG 42 OLED gamers will require to posture closer to the covert for full immersion .
Test Data
Full Specs
