Why I recommend this LG OLED model over competing TVs - especially at $900 off

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ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

The LG C5 OLED boosts dazzling brightness and color.
It features an ultra-slim body, with worldly choices that evoke premium.
It's priced comparatively precocious for the nominal upgrades implicit past year's model.

Major retailers person discounted LG's latest C5 OLED TV as overmuch arsenic $900 off.

I would reason that the astir important facet of immoderate tv acceptable is its representation quality. Never caput its astute capabilities, marque prestige, oregon super-high refresh rate. For quality beings, astatine archetypal glimpse anyway, the ocular stimulus overrides each else.

This is wherefore erstwhile you locomotion into Costco, you are arrested by the exquisite images flashing connected a clump of big-screen TVs acceptable to "Retail Mode," peacocking their 4K beauty. First impressions are ever based connected appearance.

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By that criterion unsocial -- representation prime -- LG's 2025 C5 OLED ranks among the best OLED TVs you tin bargain today. That sounds similar a matter-of-fact statement, but I basal down it due to the fact that arsenic soon arsenic I fired up our reappraisal portion for testing, I knew it was a win. It's that bully this year.

The C5 has a unsocial operation and a futuristic aesthetic. For 1 thing, it has 1 of the thinnest screens I've ever seen -- astatine a specified 0.25 inches thick. When lifting it retired of the box, my workfellow and I were wary of handling the edges of the surface due to the fact that they seemed truthful delicate. The little conception of the sheet is much substantial, thing to drawback onto portion mounting it up.

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It's arsenic if LG's engineers were shooting for "more screen, little panel" successful this year's design, an space they pulled disconnected successfully. It's astir 4 times thinner than the trendy Frame TVs connected the market, but that lone accounts for astir two-thirds of the screen's aboveground area.

I'd similar to springiness a shout-out to whoever designed the packaging for this model. When you unfastened the cardboard container top, you instantly find the distant power successful its ain small sleeve, with batteries preinstalled. The basal sheet (stand) and each its components are successful different styrofoam box, which makes it casual to propulsion retired and get going. (These are things you announcement erstwhile you unbox a fewer excessively galore 65-inch TVs.)

Other good details separate the C5, specified arsenic the achromatic marble signifier connected the backmost of the screen, and tiny quadrate silicone pads connected the bottommost of the basal sheet that forestall the TV from scooting.

LG is simply a pioneer successful OLED technology, truthful we tin expect each iteration it produces to amended connected the last. While the C5's representation prime unsocial is simply a testament to LG's continuing pursuit of perfection, a fig of hardware upgrades relationship for this year's progress.

Also: The LG G4 OLED is 1 of my favourite TVs for representation prime - particularly for $1,400 off

There's the Alpha 9 Gen 8 processor, liable for a heavy database of AI features. Everything from AI Super Upscaling -- which enhances the prime of lower-resolution contented to look much similar 4K for streaming services -- to AI-assisted Deep Learning, which analyzes and learns your viewing preferences to optimize representation and dependable settings conscionable for you.

I besides tested AI Concierge, which pays attraction to your viewing preferences and contented to supply suggestions for your adjacent binge-worthy show. These features aren't reasons to upgrade to the latest models per se, but they're a measurement successful the close absorption successful presumption of AI tools astir consumers tin marque usage of.

While I'm admittedly enamored with the C5's default visuals, it besides comes with a big of features that marque calibrating your viewing acquisition ideal. Right away, it offers 2 options for mounting up: utilizing your telephone oregon the remote. Opting for your telephone requires downloading the LG ThinQ app. I did this, and it made beingness easier, initially asking if your TV is resting connected a basal oregon wall-mounted, which might(?) impact performance.

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Humorously, successful effect to my ThinQ commands, the TV responded with a pistillate dependable that was speaking ace fast, arsenic if speechmaking the disclaimer astatine the extremity of a Micro Machines commercial. That's okay, though, due to the fact that it made the process spell by quicker.

Then the C5 invites you to crook connected definite AI functions similar AI Picture Pro. This conception shows a little video clip of a babe (doing babe things) with a left-to-right surface sweep. This real-time upscaling objection impressed maine truthful overmuch that I enabled the diagnostic (which tin beryllium turned disconnected anytime).

How's the ocular performance?

The LG C5, though a measurement down from the company's real flagship, the G5, tested for a ocular acquisition that was precocious up connected our show list.
Besides putting TVs done various systematized calibrations and accent tests astatine the ZDNET lab, I trial TV show by scrutinizing definite movie scenes with demanding visuals, similar "Avengers: Endgame," with its explosive conflict scenes and CGI spectacle.

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From the darkest moments (like Tony Stark's soliloquy astatine the beginning) to the infinitesimal Thanos snaps his fingers, the LG C5 OLED delivers an representation prime surpassing my expectations. Colors are stunningly vibrant, the opposition is axenic and precise, and the representation details are spookily definite.

Even erstwhile the C5 is astatine rest, it manages to impress. With its "Always Ready" function, the TV's question sensor displays wallpaper oregon question graphics successful effect to enactment successful the room. That's wherever I noticed the true-black quality of this OLED, which adds an constituent of extent that approaches 3D, arsenic if you tin scope down the silent, glittering fireworks exploding on-screen waiting for your interaction.

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I wasn't arsenic keen connected LG's AI Sound Pro tuning, truthful I kept that turned disconnected contempt it making the TV louder. The diagnostic took the illustration euphony from inheritance to foreground, perchance doubling successful decibels but not quality. It was overmuch much tinny and precocious connected treble, though adding a soundbar could easy remedy this.

I stress turning immoderate Energy Saver modes disconnected to bask the champion imaginable HDR brightness. Energy-saving modes connected AI astute TVs are gimmicky and impractical due to the fact that they "save" lone a modicum of energy usage, impacting the C5's show successful a agleam room. In assorted lighting conditions, I recovered the ISF Expert Bright Room mounting to beryllium best.

About the Magic Remote

LG inactive uses its Magic Remote diagnostic to navigate the UX, which I've ne'er been a large instrumentality of; I don't bask feeling similar I'm utilizing a Wii controller to alteration settings. Thankfully, the cursor portion of navigating with the Magic Remote is present an optional diagnostic (invoked and commanded by the instrumentality button) alternatively than the sole means for selecting items. You tin besides usage the directional pad for navigation.

Notably, the distant lacks a precise important fastener connected immoderate distant -- the Mute button. Streamlined to the Nth degree, the near rocker power doubles arsenic Mute erstwhile you propulsion it downward, and you indispensable clasp down the measurement rocker for virtually 2 seconds for the TV to spell silent. Further -- and this mightiness beryllium peevish of maine -- I find it disappointing whenever a caller TV's distant is not backlit. All remotes should person illuminated buttons for accessibility's sake. (And a immense Mute button.)

ZDNET's buying advice

The LG C5 OLED is an exemplary TV that is rather the looker -- whether the surface is turned connected oregon off. At astir $1,797 (on merchantability astatine the clip of writing), the 65-inch C5 features upgrades from its predecessor that are par for the course, but not needfully game-changing. For instance, trial measurements of the C5 lone somewhat transcend the 2024 C4 bid portion (such arsenic a marginal summation of nits for brightness).

Similarly, the C5 doesn't measurement up implicit the C4 regarding its refresh rate, which continues to max retired astatine 144Hz alternatively of 165Hz similar we're seeing connected immoderate higher-end (and competing) models. Until that terms tag drops, you'll beryllium conscionable arsenic good disconnected picking up a C4 series portion for fractional the terms of the C5.

This nonfiction was primitively published connected April 29, 2025, and was updated connected July 1, 2025.

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