LG C4 OLED review: Brighter with added AI

Best Prices Today: LG C4 OLED

The C Series has long been the backbone of LG’s OLED range, despite the G being the flagship model, offering a sweet spot when it comes to high end performance and features. That remains the tale of the tape when it comes to 2024’s C4 OLED.

It may not have the leading-edge specification of its G4 stablemate, but then it’s more affordable, and significantly LG has still managed to upgrade the package over last year’s already fantastic C3 OLED. 

The LG C4 on test is a 65-incher. It’s also available in  42-, 48-, 55-, 77- and 83-inch screen sizes with prices starting at £1,399.99/$1,499 RRP.

The C4 offers higher peak HDR brightness, benefits from an improved processor, and is generally easier to live with, thanks to AI sound and vision management. So is the LG C4 your next TV? I wouldn’t wager against it…

Design & Build

• Stylish and well-made
• Four HDMI inputs
• Slimline Magic Remote controller

LG has upped its design game with the C4, adding a cool slate design to the back of the TV. It’s also smoothed off the electronic bump, giving it a rather more stylish profile.

The familiar LG Magic Remote has also been slimmed down, so it sits a little easier in the hand. Control remains the same, with a cursor and thumbwheel. There are also dedicated buttons for Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+, Rakuten TV, Amazon Alexa and LG Channels.

All four HDMI inputs support 4K 120Hz playback, which is good news if you own both a PS5 and Xbox Series X/S. There’s also eARC/ARC on HDMI input 2.

The set is compatible with both Nvida G-Sync and AMD Freesync. The TV can also accommodate a 144Hz signal if you’re using it with a suitably equipped gaming PC.

Additional ports include a trio of  USBs, an optical digital audio legacy output and Ethernet. Wireless connectivity covers Wi-Fi and Bluetooth. Tuner options comprise Freeview Play and satellite.

Specs & Features

• LG webOS smart platform
• Wi-Fi
• Game Optimizer and Game Dashboard

Smarts come via an upgraded webOS 24 platform. You can now create up to ten individual accounts, ostensibly to improve personalise content recommendations.

the set uses AI to manage sound and picture settings to maximise performance

I think webOS, for all its power, is now one of the more complicated smart platforms to use, and while many tech-savvy types will feel at home, I suspect others may not find it so intuitive. To help navigate the platform, LG uses Quick Cards, which group together related services. 

There’s a fully stocked cupboard of streaming services, including Netflix, Disney+ and Apple TV+, as well as all mainstream catch-up TV, plus Apple AirPlay.

On the plus side, the set uses AI to manage sound and picture settings to maximise performance. Given that most watchers rarely delve into settings, this can only be a good thing. 

Running the show is an Alpha 9 AI processor Gen7 chip, which sits one rung down from the Alpha 11 AI processor found reserved for the more expensive G4 OLED and M4 OLED models.

Pictures exhibit sparkle and depth, with bright highlights and a deep, nuanced black level.

Picture & Sound Quality

• Dolby Vision, HDR10, HLG and HGiG support
• High Brightness OLED EX panel
• Wow Orchestra compatible

The LG C4’s pictures are remarkably dynamic. Not in an exaggerated, showy way, but in their overall believability. Pictures exhibit sparkle and depth, with bright highlights and a deep, nuanced black level.

Even regular SDR content benefits from an uplift in overall, balanced brightness.

The Brightness Booster technology behind all this doesn’t rely on additional hardware; it’s more a combination of updated OLED EX panel technology and Alpha 9 AI processor Gen7 processor. 

The latter features a raft of light boosting algorithms allied to Deep Learning Neural Network, AI powered modes, including AI Brightness, AI Picture Pro, and AI Genre Selection.

Colour fidelity is also exceptional. You get vibrancy without over saturation, deep reds and inviting blues. The set runs the full gamut of Gelato hues.   

more than capable of portraying the specular highlights of the majority of TV shows and movies

Picture presets include Standard, Vivid, Standard, Cinema, Cinema Home, Sports, Game, as well as Filmmaker Mode and two ISF Expert modes (Bright Room/Dark Room). 

HDR performance is extremely good. I measure peak HDR brightness at 1150 nits, using a 10% window, in Vivid image mode. Measured in Standard mode, HDR peaks remain above 1100 nits. Remarkable for this class of OLED, and making it more than capable of portraying the specular highlights of the majority of TV shows and movies.

But such metrics are just part of the story. There’s a lustre and lushness to the C4’s images, whether you’re viewing in 4K HDR or SDR HD, that’s mesmerising. Colours are bold and beautiful.

Obviously, the C4 delivers traditional OLED inky blacks, but the TV also does an artful job of presenting near shadow detail, so that dimly lit interiors appear to have depth, rather than emulate a flat grey hole.

Latency for gaming is good. I measured input lag at 13ms (1080p/60fps) in Game mode.

Sonically, the LG C4 doesn’t disgrace itself, but it’s clear that LG hopes buyers will opt to partner the set with a companion soundbar, routing Dolby Atmos bitstreams out over eARC.

While the set’s onboard processor has the smart to virtualise a 9.1.2 soundstage, the TV really doesn’t have the hardware onboard to make this at all convincing. 

Connect to a compatible LG bar and you can also benefit from Wow Orchestra, which enables the TV audio system and soundbar to work together to create a wall of sound.

Price & Availability

Available now, the LG C4 OLED comes in 42-, 48-, 55-, 65-, 77- and 83-inch models (OLED42C46LA, OLED48C46LA, OLED55C46LA, OLED65C46LA, OLED77C46LA and OLED88C46LA respectively), priced at £1,399, £1,499, £1,899, £2,699, £2,899, £3,799, and £5,999 respectively (cheaper than the LG C3 at launch).

In the US, the same set of sizes and model numbers sell for $1,499, $1,599, $1,999, $2,699,  $3,699 and $5,399.

You can buy it from LG as well as retailers such as Amazon, Currys, John Lewis and more. Head to the likes of Amazon, BestBuy and Walmart in the US.

Those are the RRPs and at the time of writing you can find the TV with discounts making it much more affordable. You can get it starting at £1,079/$1,196.

Check out our chart of the best TVs to see more options. 

Should you buy the LG C4 OLED?

The LG C4 is a superb 4K OLED. Any concerns that it might pale in comparison to the range-topping G4 model, which has an MLA (Micro Lens Array) panel, prove unfounded.

Thanks in no small part to the Alpha 9 AI processor Gen7 and LG’s latest suite of brightness Booster algorithms, it’s bright enough to maintain dynamics and colour during daytime viewing and is gorgeously punchy when the lights dim.

The latest tweaks to webOS also save it from sinking under the weight of its own functionality, and gaming credentials are high. Only audio warrants an average mark, and that’s because LG is determined to make you spring for a matching soundbar.

Specs

• OLED-EX display technology
• Resolution: 3840 x 2160 4k
• Dimensions:1441(w) x 826(h) x 45(d)mm     
• Weight: 16.6kg
• HDMI: x4
• HDR support: Dolby Vision, HDR10, HLG, HGiG
• webOS smart platform
• Freeview Play tuner

Best Prices Today: LG C4 OLED