LG C4 OLED review

Why this is the television most people should buy, and the one room where it is the wrong choice.

The verdict: The C4 is the television to buy if you want the best picture most people can reasonably afford, because OLED's per-pixel light control produces blacks no backlit panel can match and its gaming features are complete. Buy it for a room with any light control at all. Buy a Mini LED set instead if the television faces a window with no curtains, because that is the one situation where OLED loses.

Best television for most rooms

LG 65 Inch Class OLED evo C4 Series Smart TV

~$1,200

A 65 inch OLED evo television with per-pixel illumination, four HDMI 2.1 ports and a full set of high frame rate gaming features.

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Specifications

Spec	Detail
Panel	OLED evo, per-pixel illumination
Screen size	65 inch class
Gaming	HDMI 2.1, 4K high refresh rate support, VRR and ALLM
HDR	Dolby Vision and HDR10
Processor	LG 4K processor

Specifications above come from LG's published specifications. Treat pricing as approximate, since Amazon pricing moves.

What it does well

Perfect blacks, because each pixel switches off completely rather than being dimmed behind a backlight. This is the single largest contributor to a picture looking like a picture rather than a screen.
No blooming or haloing around bright objects on dark backgrounds, which is the artefact that gives backlit televisions away.
A complete gaming feature set across all four HDMI ports, so a console and a PC do not have to compete for the good input.
Excellent off-angle viewing, so seats to the side of centre are not second class.

Where it falls short

Peak brightness cannot match a good Mini LED set. In a bright, sun-facing room, HDR highlights lose impact and reflections become the thing you notice.
Static image retention remains a consideration. Modern OLEDs manage it well, but a television used as a computer monitor with fixed taskbars all day is not the ideal use.
It is a 65 inch television at a price where a projector gives a 100 inch image, which is a real trade for film watchers.
The glossy panel reflects lamps and windows placed behind the seating.

What owners report

Owner reports are unusually consistent for a product this widely bought. The blacks are what people mention first, and almost always in terms of dark films and night scenes finally being watchable. Gaming performance is the second theme, generally from people who report not having to think about settings.

Complaints cluster on brightness in daytime rooms and on reflections. Neither is a defect; both are the known trade of choosing an emissive panel. Owners who moved a lamp or added a blind describe the problem as solved.

Who it suits

Anyone whose room has curtains, blinds, or simply is not in direct sun during viewing hours.
Film watchers who care about shadow detail and black level above all else.
Console and PC gamers who want high frame rate support on every input.

Who should skip it

Bright, sun-facing rooms with no light control, where a Mini LED television holds up better.
People who leave a static image on screen for many hours a day.
Anyone who would rather have a 100 inch image, who should be looking at projectors.

Alternatives worth considering

Bright Room Alternative

Samsung 75 Inch Class Neo QLED 4K QN90D Mini LED

~$1,600

Much higher peak brightness and a larger screen, which is the right answer for a sunlit room. You accept some blooming around bright objects and blacks that are very good rather than perfect.

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Anti-Glare Alternative

Samsung 65 Inch Class OLED 4K S95D Series

~$1,800

An OLED with a matte anti-glare treatment that handles reflections far better than a glossy panel, which addresses the C4's main weakness without giving up perfect blacks. It costs more.

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Much Bigger Image

Hisense PX3-PRO Ultra Short Throw Triple Laser Projector

~$2,800

If the size of the image matters more than its absolute quality, a 100 inch or larger picture costs less than a television that size. In a lit room with an ALR screen it holds up; in a dark room the C4 still wins on contrast.

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Common questions

Should I worry about OLED burn-in?

For normal mixed viewing, no. Modern panels include pixel shifting and refresh routines that handle the risk well, and reports of burn-in from ordinary television and film use are rare. The genuine risk case is many hours a day of a static element, such as a desktop taskbar or a permanent broadcast logo at high brightness.

LG C4 or Samsung QN90D: which should I buy?

Room light decides it. In a controlled or moderately lit room the C4's perfect blacks give a better picture. In a bright, sun-facing room the QN90D's much higher brightness wins clearly. This is a room question rather than a television question.

Is 65 inches big enough?

That depends on how far away you sit. Most people undersize their television rather than oversize it. Run your seating distance through our screen size calculator before deciding, and note that if the answer comes back much larger than 75 inches, a projector becomes the cheaper way to get there.

Is the C4 good for gaming?

Yes, and it is one of the strongest arguments for it. All four HDMI 2.1 ports support high refresh rate 4K with variable refresh rate and auto low latency mode, so consoles and a gaming PC can all be connected without compromise.

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This review draws on published specifications, manufacturer figures and the consensus of verified owner reviews. We have not tested this product ourselves, and we say so rather than implying otherwise. As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases.