LG C3 Series 42-Inch Class OLED evo 4K Processor Smart TV for Gaming with Magic Remote AI-Powered OLED42C3PUA, 2023 with Alexa Built-in

I shopped around for a good while even going to the big box stores to compare various TVs on offer from the various makers and this model stood out after multiple visits and time spent researching options and price ranges and sizes. The picture quality always jumped out at me as the best out of all the wide options I encountered. After pulling the trigger on this unit I am absolutely glad I choose this model. I wouldn't even say glad, more like thrilled. The quality of the picture is far beyond the best I've seen. We have a very nice high end TV at home already for comparison that's fairly new and at the top end. So I do have a comparison point. We just needed another set for another room in the place and it was time to buy. I took some time in the settings to explore what everything could do, had a run with the 'AI' features of this set and did some manual adjustments to all the various things to get this working and displaying exactly how I want my picture to look and I was able to land exactly where I wanted in the sweet spot with very little stress at all. And the audio? The AI enhanced setting is just phenomenal. I didn't even bother putting in a sound bar even though I had one laying around. It's just so clear and crisp with nice deep lows that don't rattle but do rumble. This TV gets *loud* if you want it. I also game on this now and it puts out a stunning 120hz at 4k that just absolutely sings to the eyes. Using my PS5 to feed the image, it's never looked better and I've been 4k gaming for a long time now. It's just never looked better. I am thoroughly impressed by LG after buying this, it was my first one from them and I'd be hard pressed to go with another make after this as I truly feel that I'm spoiled now by it. Nothing else looks as good to me. Even watching older shows, this brings them to life in new ways and the fidelity is so ramped up by the on board features of this set that it makes watching literally anything a pleasure. I usually have no patience for kid's shows for example, but when the grandkids came to visit shortly after we got this, I was just as glued to watching them as they were. The colors, the fluidity of motion, the crisp detail...just pure eye candy. And for a visual device like this, that's the highest praise I can give it. It's heavy in case you're wondering about that. Even at 48" I only felt secure moving this around the house with two grown people handling it carefully. It's got weight to it. In summary, this TV is not only the best TV I've ever owned, it's literally the best quality I've ever seen. Even among family and friends or display models in store. I feel like it's from the future or something, at least a couple years out compared to everything else. I have no higher praise to give this than what I've said and it was nothing for me to say it. No exaggeration or imagination required this is just stream of thought and these are genuinely the things that came to mind when I felt it was time to review. I can't help but gush about this set, it deserves the praise. I feel my life itself would lose a little bit of color if I had to give this up, and it brings me actual mental comfort knowing I have this and can relax after a long day looking at it. It's one of those things where you're looking at it and often think and even remark things like "This looks better than real life huh?"

This is my first OLED TV and all I can say is WOW! If you’ve only had LCD TVs in the past, the OLED difference is very noticeable with the infinite contrast and 3D look that it gives to the image. My biggest concern with this TV was that it wouldn’t be bright enough but even during the day with 3 windows shining light into the room I’ve found it’s plenty bright enough, and a lot brighter than the budget LCD TV I had before (Vizio M658-G1). LG supports everything you could want in terms of gaming with 4 HDMI 2.1 ports for 4k/120Hz Dolby Vision gaming, VRR, ALLM, etc. I play Xbox Series X on it and it looks amazing! I also play Nintendo Switch and with a few tweaks like upping sharpness to 15 and turning Super Resolution to high it looks almost 4k! Everything I’ve watched on it looks better than ever before and I can’t say enough good things about it. After considering all my options I decided on this TV over the other options: - Compared to the LG G3: A lot cheaper but with the same processor for equal upscaling and clarity. The G3 is noticeably brighter but, like I said, I haven’t felt like the C3 wasn’t bright enough and it was brighter than I expected - Compared to the Samsung S95C: Again, much cheaper and the processor is better than that on the S95C so lower quality content will look cleaner, especially lower bitrate like YouTube TV. The S95C is much brighter and more colorful but Samsung has quality control issues, poor firmware updates, and no Dolby Vision HDR support - Compared to LG C2: The C3 is very similar to the C2 and it’s hard to justify the price increase of the C3. It was worth it to me since I got a good deal and only paid a few hundred dollars more. The C3 has an improved processor with improved dynamic tone mapping with 20,000 zones instead of 5,000 and is a little bit brighter. It also supports DTS passthrough and QMS unlike the C2. A common complaint about LG OLEDs is their aggressive dimming during prolonged high APL scenes. That issue was fixed on the 2023 models. Lastly, the C3 has a new customizable quick access menu that’s nice for changing settings in a snap - Compared to Samsung S90C: This is the C3’s biggest competition this year because they are close in price. The S90C has the better QD-OLED panel and is brighter and more colorful. I went with the C3 because of the Samsung issues I mentioned above with the S95C. I just trust LG more than Samsung as a company to support their products for years to come. Also, QD-OLED appears to have more risk of burn-in and I like to keep my TVs for a long time - Compared to Samsung S95B (2022 model): I wanted a 77” TV and the S95B only comes in 55” and 65”. Also, Samsung issues I mentioned before Conclusion: The C3 is probably the best all around OLED TV for most people. Everything I’ve watched on this looks incredible and LG is a brand you can trust when it comes to OLED. They’ve been making them longer than anyone else and they’ve figured out how to prevent burn-in for the vast majority of users. If all you do is watch news or sports channels all day long then OLED probably isn’t for you but if you watch a variety of content from movies, TV shows, gaming, etc then I think this might be the best TV you can buy. Unless you can afford the LG G3, of course

Two TV's side by side review. Bought these TV's to finish out my man cave in the basement. Best money I've ever spent. Absolutely spectacular picture, very fast interface, MagicRemotes are awesome. Most importantly for me, LG remotes work for each TV independently. Very pleased with the purchase. See below for more detailed description. Side By Side: I did a lot of research and never got very far. I was looking to be able to control the TVs independently as I like to play video games while wife watches something or watching multiple sports at once. I just decided to pull the trigger and buy these based on the other qualities, and told myself that I would just have to purchase a smart remote. I got lucky! Deep in the settings, you can establish each TV as 1 or 2 etc.. (they warn you it's typically for admin use) when I did that, the remotes picked it up immediately and they point and control independently (except the on/off button). So I have controller 1 for TV 1 and controller 2 for TV 2. Picture: Incredible picture. Absolutely blown away. Especially when you have it hooked up to the PS5 or are streaming something 4k. It beats every other TV I've owned. Tip: go in and do the A.I. picture quality - it will tailor picture to your preferences. Pretty slick Functionality: Very fast interface and easy going remotes. Overall very smooth and comfortable. I like the homepage and customizable apps. Marry apps to the numbered buttons by simply holding them, very simple. MagicRemotes are pretty cool. You can point and click or just use button pad. One of the best pieces of advice I got from an IT friend was that when you pay a lot for a TV, you are buying the computer, not just the picture. I've always found a good Friday deal and thought the size for price was the best way to go. I will never purchase TVs the same every again. Spend the money for the better quality product, it's 100% worth it Sound: Sound quality is great. No complaints. Again, there are multiple settings where you can adjust to your preferences. It's a pretty smart TV and will use walls and other nearby surfaces to project sound better and recognize it internally

This is a particularly important review....if you are looking for a fantastic gaming monitor. I built an awesome PC for Call of Duty and wanted something bigger and more bad a$$ then my Asus Predator 27" 240HZ. The Asus has been incredible. If you are looking for a smaller gaming monitor grab that one. My new machine has the GTX4090, I9 processor, Samsung 990 Pro drives...all the best. I wanted a monitor to match this power. My journey began buying the 49" Samsung G9. What a nightmare. Picture was pixelated, and I could NEVER get it to work right. Sold it on Facebook. The next one I purchased was the LG 45" Ultragear OLED curved monitor. I read complimentary reviews and watched a bunch of videos. I received the monitor, set it up, turned it on and all it did was flash. The entire screen would flash fast on and on. I fought with it for hours. I did some research, and this is an issue. Screw that. I boxed it up and back it went. The next Monitor that I was to try was the LG 42" C3 OLED TV. I was very skeptical because of the 120HZ refresh rate. I have always been used to the 240HZ. I received the monitor yesterday...and after watching many YouTube videos BEFORE setting it up I knew that the main thing you must do is calibrate the monitor to your PC before using it or judging it. As soon as I turned the power on...I was blown away. Just the start up screens were better than the others. This unit has an AI calibration that is fantastic. After I was done, I plugged it into my PC and went to youtube and typed in "LG 4G video" and watched a couple videos. Words cannot describe how gorgeous this screen is. I called my wife in to see, and she was blown away. My frustrations have ended. Call of Duty now looks better than I could ever imagine. This monitor is so clear that I was running the PASSMARK 3D benchmark test and a space scene comes on, and the graphics are so clear, and this screen is so immersive it made my stomach a little queezy from the movement...I have NEVER experienced that. I hope this helps somebody if they are on the edge of purchase....do it. I am so glad I did not get the 48"...it would have been too big. This 42" is perfect. When placed in front of you at the proper distance it is just enough for your peripheral vision. It is all screen. WOW.

I bought this set based on online reviews because every store I visited showed garbage on maximal settings. Since Amazon offers returns it was my best option. I just switched the set to Filmmaker mode and I keep enjoying the image. No need for complicated adjustments like when I bought my top of the line plasma set many moons ago. I find the sound pretty acceptable and loud enough. Usually set it at less than 20. I assume at 100 I could share it with my neighbors. This thing weighs about 60 LBs so it’s very easy to position with the help of another person and of course Amazon offers installation during the delivery. What I do not like. The remote is impossible to operate in the dark. The TV does not retain what you watched last so you have to scroll and scroll to find the application you had on. I understand there is a more expensive model costing another $2,000 but I can’t see how it would be significantly more enjoyable. A warning regarding the LG app. Apparently S Korea shares the cultural sensitivities of their northern neighbor and they are both safely anchored in the 1950s. What I mean is that they censor the “bad words “ from movies addressed to adults. For example in Trust a movie that is not for children as it describes sexual abuse all the curse words are silenced, which of course makes me think that they could possibly cut some of the scenes. Let me make clear that in this day and age nobody watches Hollywood movies for the sexual content. But even the airlines are treating us as adults and show movies in their entirety. Hopefully LG can decide to visit the 21st century. It’s not scary.

When a lamp or other lights are reflected by the screen you can see clearly that it is warped. Not smooth, crisp, crystal. As the Bravia. This TV is infuriatingly difficult to manage. The main issue is their softwares (webOS) lack of intuitive design—something you’d expect from modern TVs. The software (webOS) is severely lacking. I had high hopes for LG’s independent operating system, thinking it would be an improvement over Google TV, which I found annoying. I was wrong. Google TV, for all its flaws, is intuitive, feature-packed, and user-friendly. LG’s system, by comparison, is frustrating and clunky. Most modern TVs are plug-and-play—plug in a device like a DVD player via HDMI, and the TV recognizes it, identifies the brand, and even lets you rename the HDMI label immediately. Not this TV. Settings are buried in illogical menus, and unique LG features are practically unusable. Digital audio connection does not work. I may be doing something wrong but who knows. These step by step instructions do not exist. Take the IR Blaster, for example. It comes with 0 instructions. It’s supposed to let you control external devices like DVD players or sound systems using a universal remote. Sounds great, but the on-screen menus and instructions don’t match up, are dramatically lacking and leave one baffled. The documentation offers little help, making it nearly impossible to utilize this feature effectively. The TV also lacks support for many services. For instance, there’s no Spectrum (Time Warner/Comcast) App, and PBS support is limited to PBS Kids. While you can access PBS and Spectrum TV via an external Apple TV device, Spectrum hasn’t figured this one out Frustrating, to say the least. To make matters worse, LG’s customer support is practically nonexistent, compounding the disappointment and frustration. I had to perform a Google search - Dig and Dig and Dig to find their Customer Support Number. Once I got them, it went smoothly. While the picture quality is descent, the overall experience is deeply frustrating. For these reasons, I can only give this TV -4 stars—which feels generous. If I could, I would return it immediately.

My LG C3 Series 55-Inch Class OLED evo 4K Processor Smart Flat Screen TV was offered at a significant discount, I think because it was near the end of the model year and nearly identical replacement models would be offered soon, and this price swayed my decision. I'm replacing a non-OLED Sony Bravia which suddenly died after about 5 years of superb performance and value, and the obvious choices in my price range were this LG along with the compareable Samsung and Sony models; I might have chosen this one anyway but the price reduction was the final factor. The picture is amazing and I can't imagine being happier with its performance, quality, and value. However I'm backing off from a full 5-star review for two reasons; the first hesitation regards the LG's antiquated, convoluted menu system (everything works but it is inconvenient to navigate and use), but more so because of the second disappointment; LG simply has to redesign this genuinely bad handheld remote control. An example of a vexing problem, among others, with the remote is that, based on how one holds a TV remote control, the volume buttons here do not fall easily to hand. In the dark I have to hunt to locate the center multidirctional control and then feel with my thumb up to a corner control button, then up one button to find the volume down and the next one up is volume up. It's amazing to me that LG has not long ago developed a practical, easy to use remote, and it should be backlit as well. That said, I'm overjoyed with this exceptional TV system, it's value, picture quality and extensive adjustability once one has learned and mastered how to accomplish the many functions within the clumsy, non-intuitive menu system. At the price I paid I could not have done better. Next time I might spring for the Sony because the Andriod TV operating system is superior and easier to use, and because of Sony's superior and unmatched picture processing power; the LG is near perfect but no question that, with a nod to the also very good Samsung, had the prices been closer I would have opted for the Sony, not least because I've been a Sony owner since the Trinitron days when I, in my youth, used to sell them at a well known major retail chain, and their televisions as well as most of their other electronics are brilliantly engineered. LG builds great stuff but in this case has some work to do, starting with the menu system and this bloodly cantankerous failure of a remote.

I'm upgrading to this from an old, 65 inch, early-gen 4K set from Hisense. The difference in quality control and just plain picture quality is shocking to behold. This TV makes me want to rewatch every favorite film I have, after making sure to procure the 4K edition of each one. The main draw for me choosing an OLED screen was a desire for those perfect, deep shadows. And wow are they ever nice. But it's also a very clear image. What amazes me most of all, however, is the brightness. I see the newer versions of the set are capable of a brighter image; more NITS etc. I suppose in some situations that might be nice but to be honest with you...I cannot imagine a brighter TV than this, at least not in your standard living room setting. We don't watch TV in direct sunlight so I can't imagine needing more brightness than this set provides. I often find myself turning the OLED brightness down to around 80 because the pixels are just so darned bright. Best picture on any TV I've ever owned. Now if only they made a "dumb TV" version I'd be thrilled. But it seems everybody wants apps on their TVs now and I don't get why. That's what streaming boxes are for. The apps that are built in to these sets are rarely equipped with a nice UI and as such I avoid using them. But I suppose the fact that they're there is more a plus than a minus. I also detest motion smoothing and managed to get all that garbage turned off ASAP as well, which was a relief. I was worried I'd be stuck with interpolated frames when watching films and that would've been a borderline deal-breaker for me. It certainly seems like all of that is off now so I'm happy. I do like the menu design for settings, and the Wii-style pointer remote works surprisingly well. I also appreciate being able to save often-used settings in the quick menu. If you can get a good deal on this and you're not watching TV on a beach with the screen directly facing the sun, you'll be happy with this one. 😉