This week I had the pleasure of being one of the team to help with the testing of the 48-inch LG C5 OLED TV.
Why was it a pleasure? Because after thoroughly comparing it to current generation rivals, including the Samsung S90F and Panasonic Z90B (reviews incoming), I can confirm it is a good TV for its target market.
Like past LG C-series TVs, many of which have won What Hi-Fi? Awards and been a regular presence in our best OLED TV guide, it offers a wealth of benefits.
These include perfect black levels, flawless gaming specifications for console and PC gamers, reliable picture quality and solid app support.
That’s why after more testing than we care to admit, all three of the team testing the set, myself included, agreed that it is a five star TV, concluding: “A brilliant small-ish TV that’s a solid option for anyone yet to make the jump to OLED.”
However, when I got home and powered up the 48-inch LG C2 sitting in my lounge, I had one thought slowly crystallise as I watched the latest episode of First Dates on Channel 4 and another nail-biting episode of Severance on Apple TV+.
Specifically, that I really don’t feel any need to upgrade.
Why? It’s clearly not because the C5 isn't a great TV. It is. It’s just that it’s not a big enough step forward to justify shelling out over a grand when the C2 is still very much more than enough OLED for most people.
Sure, it doesn’t go as bright and colours aren’t quite as vibrant, but generally, since I bought it three years ago, the upgrades LG has made to its C-series sets, the 48-inch ones in particular, have been incremental.
We said as much as a team in our 48-inch LG C5 review where we reported: “The 48-inch LG C5 retains the Korean giant's legacy as one of the top small-ish OLED TV makers, but largely because it sticks very closely to the blueprint that made past C-series sets great, rather than any clever innovation.
“But the lack of progress is beginning to show at this size, and it means that the 48-inch LG C5 isn’t the slam-dunk, no-brainer purchase it used to be – especially with Samsung and Panasonic nipping at its heels.”
In each instance, as I watched a new show or movie, I never once found the C2 wanting, or missed the perks I’d just experienced on the C5 in our test room.
This is also because I’m watching the set in isolation and I’m certain I’d feel differently if we were back in our test rooms, running the two side-by-side, making the upgrades more obvious.
But at home, the C2 still looks excellent, with its Filmmaker Mode offering a punchy picture that is accurate enough to let me simply enjoy what I’m watching, rather than what the TV is doing – which is ultimately its job.
And that’s why, especially in the tough economic climate in which we continue to live, I urge anyone who bought a C-series OLED in recent years to fight any urge to upgrade just yet.
Ultimately, I think it makes sense to save your money – or spend it on a more pressing upgrade elsewhere in your system.
MORE:
These are the best small TVs we’ve tested
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