Written by Jorn
Edited on
13 October 2025
·
14:26
Expert review of the LG C1 OLED TV
The most popular OLED television by LG will get a successor in 2021, the LG C1. This television has the latest version of the powerful a9 processor. In addition, the TV has a lot of innovations for user-friendliness. I visited LG to test the new LG C1. In this review, you can read what I think of it and I highlight the most important properties of this TV.
The LG OLED65C1 was replaced by the LG OLED65C46LA
The television from this review isn't available anymore. There's a successor to this TV, the LG OLED65C46LA. This television has an OLED display that consists of millions of pixels that dim and light up individually. This makes black truly black and makes the TV display colors very accurately.
First impression of the LG C1
At first glance, the C1 looks very much like its predecessor in terms of design. When I take a look at the back of the television, something catches my eye. The thin TV has a white back, instead of a black one. In addition, I also notice the 4 HDMI 2.1 inputs on the C1. That way, you can view 4K images with a 100Hz refresh rate of with a PlayStation 5, for example. This also makes the TV suitable for audio formats like Dolby Atmos if you connect a soundbar or audio system to the HDMI inputs.
Deep black levels and high contrast
With an OLED television, millions of pixels light up the screen and there's no backlight. In addition, these pixels turn off individually with dark parts of the screen. Black is really black this way, and images have a high contrast. The LG C1 benefits from the OLED image quality too. Dark images look realistic and I don't see a halo around bright objects. Thanks to this, each light detail with a dark background is displayed with much detail.
Realistic color representation
Thanks to the 10-bit screen and the OLED technology, the LG C1 displays colors very accurately. That way, bright colors are displayed clearly, but you also see much color detail in shadows. The subtle color tones are especially visible with HDR images, for example with a Dolby Vision movie on Netflix. The new a9 Gen4 processor improves the color representation and motion sharpness of the image. I notice that fast-moving images look sharp, for example with sports. The image of a racing car flying over the track is clearly diaplayed at any time.
Wide viewing angle, reflections every now and then
Because the illuminating pixels of the OLED screen are close to the screen surface, the viewing angle of an OLED TV is always exceptionally good. When I sit in front of the TV at an angle, I can see that the colors and contrast of the LG C1 are barely affected. This is useful when you watch a soccer game with many people at the same time, for example. Do you have bright lights in your room or like to watch television during the day? You'll be bothered by reflections now and then, especially with dark images.
Stylish luxurious design
Except for the white back, the design of the C1 is pretty much the same as with its predecessors. The screen stands firmly on the wide steel stand. Because the stand is very low, a soundbar might block part of the screen. OLED screens are often exceptionally thin, which is also the case for the screen of the C1. This screen is only a few millimeters thick. The plastic casing at the bottom makes the TV slightly ticker. The LG C1 looks minimalistic, stylish, and luxurious.
The screen of the LG C1 stands on a sturdy steel stand.
Thanks to the OLED technique, the screen of the LG C1 is exceptionally thin.
Decent sound for standard use
The LG C1 has 2 speakers and 2 subwoofers, with a total power output of 40W. These speakers direct sound downwards and the wide steel stand reflects the sound to your listening position. Thanks to the subwoofers, I can listen to a clear bass. Dialogues sound especially clear. Do you like to watch movies and series with a realistic and powerful sound? I definitely recommend using a soundbar. That way, you can benefit from a richer sound and the Dolby Atmos support of the C1.
New user-friendly smart menu
With WebOS 6.0, LG televisions face a big change this year. The menu is no longer a row of tiles at the bottom of the screen, but a full-screen menu. Here, you can find all connected appliances and streaming apps like Netflix, Disney+, and Amazon Prime Video. What I find especially useful, is the row with personalized suggestions for movies and series at the top of the menu. Here, you can quickly access content that's selected based on what you've been watching.
Pleasant versatile remote
The Magic Remote also has a useful new function. Despite the subtle changes in the design compared to previous versions, the remote now has an NFC chip as well. Thanks to this, you can connect your smartphone to the TV by simply placing it on the Magic Remote. This allows you to easily display content from your smartphone on your television. You can still control this remote with a cursor on the screen. Point the Magic Remote at the TV and move the remote to navigate through the menus. This provides a comfortable user experience.
Conclusion
The LG C1 is an exceptionally suitable television for the real movie lover. Thanks to the OLED screen, you can look at realistic and high-contrast images. Colors are displayed lifelike on the 10-bit screen. For the real movie theater experience, you need a soundbar. The sound of the TV is sufficient for normal use, but isn't very powerful and spacious. Thanks to the smart platform and the Magic Remote, you can have a smooth and pleasant user experience.
