More of the same, for better and for worse
65in OLED TV | £2699 | whf.cm/LG_C3
There was a time, not that long ago, when LG’s C-series and G-series models differed only in appearance and speaker systems. That changed in 2021 when that year’s G1 got a brighter panel than its C1 sibling. That brighter panel was added to the C-series with last year’s C2, but the G2 got a new heatsink, essentially preserving the performance gap between the two ranges.
For 2023, though, that performance gap has grown bigger than ever before, because while the new G3 boasts brand-new MLA technology, which takes OLED to significantly brighter heights, the C3 is strikingly similar to the C2 it replaces.
Still, last year’s C2 was a multi Awardwinner and more of the same doesn’t have to be a bad thing. Even the increase in price over last year’s model wouldn’t in isolation be a big problem for the C3.
What is a problem is that a lack of significant upgrades and increase in price, when combined, have left the door open to LG’s rivals. So while the C3 is, like its predecessor, a very good TV, you can now buy better for roughly the same money. For example the 65in version of the excellent, recently reviewed Sony A80L (£2999) is available for very similar money.
Elegant design
LG is sticking with the design it introduced with the C2, and we have genuinely no complaints about that. The narrow stand is elegant and gives the set a small footprint that makes it easy to find a home for, and while it’s thicker at its thickest point than the uniformly thin G3 (4.7cm vs 2.4cm), that thick area – which houses the set’s connection, processing hardware and speakers – covers only a portion of the set’s rear, leaving the rest to be almost miraculously slim. The picture frame-like design of the G3 will still be preferable to some, particularly wall-mounters, but to these eyes, the C3 is actually the more stylish and striking TV.
The C3, like the C2, is also incredibly light compared with the best 65in TVs, weighing just 16.6kg. That’s much lighter than the G3 (23.9kg) and Sony A80L (23.3kg), yet the C3 still feels like a very well-made product. The C3’s general display hardware is unchanged from last year. It has the same panel, to which no new heat sink or MLA tech has been added. In LG Electronics parlance, it’s an OLED Evo with Brightness Booster, whereas the G3 has Brightness Booster Max.
However, the performance of a TV is dictated by far more than its panel, which is
