LG C5 OLED review: A beautiful TV, in the right setting

The LG C5 OLED combines an elegant design with excellent image quality, especially for cinema content or darkroom viewing. It’s available at cheaper prices than some other OLED options on the market and features a streamlined design with integrated inputs.

It’s not as bright or as affordable as MiniLED displays that are increasingly dominating the market, but the C5 stands on its own in a competitive year for TVs.

LG C5 specifications

LG C5 design: Ultra-thin, high-quality workmanship

Short version: This is one of the more stylish models I’ve seen this year

The LG C5 impresses straight out of the box. Its ultra-thin frame may be a little daunting when unpacking, but it immediately conveys first-class craftsmanship and a well-thought-out design.

I also appreciate that LG recognizes that you can have a beautiful, thin display while still having the inputs hardwired to the back of the TV. I’m looking at you, Samsung.

The back of the C5 features a sort of faux black marble finish, which, even though most users will never see it after mounting or setting up their TV, is still a nice touch.

This TV is heavy and feels as good as it looks. Therefore, make sure you have extra hands to help you set it up and attach it to the stand.

The C5’s stand features a brushed metal plate on the more visible front half, while the back half is made of hard plastic.

It’s not as heavy as some pure metal stands I’ve seen this year, but those aren’t really necessary since this one is just as sturdy.

My biggest criticism of the LG C5’s design has nothing to do with the TV, but rather its completely subpar remote control. The remote control is light, thin and has no backlight.

An LG OLED is undoubtedly looking for a premium market segment and I see no reason to save money here.

My Roku streamer has a backlit remote and TCL offers backlit remotes for the QM8K and QM9K, both of which cost less than the LG C5 for the same size. Surely LG had the budget for it, but for some reason decided to pass it up.

Design score: 8/10

LG C5 UI: Slow, unintuitive and seems outdated

Short version: webOS is perhaps my least favorite TV interface, but it doesn’t have much of an impact.

I found the LG C5’s webOS interface to be an absolute eye-catcher. Navigating the menus is slow, the TV starts slowly and nothing is intuitive. It is visually unappealing and confusing.

However, when I talk about a TV’s user interface, I quickly realize that I don’t think it’s that important anymore. First, most of these apps are set up so that you simply forget about them. Once you’ve made the effort and logged in, you’ll probably be hitting the keyboard shortcuts on the remote anyway.

Or, like me, you’re one of millions of users with streaming devices that you connect via HDMI. I actually only need webOS for one thing and that is switching to HDMI 1. Even that was a pain, by the way.

Interface evaluation: 5/10

LG C5 SDR image: Fantastic color, a bit dark

Short version: The color accuracy of the LG C5 is almost at reference level.

The LG C5’s color accuracy in SDR is almost perfect right out of the box. I measured in Filmmaker mode at 100 nits brightness with all additional image processing features turned off and measured a Delta E average of 0.32, with a high of 0.78. This is excellent considering the TV has not yet been calibrated.

The C5 offers a sharp image with excellent color volume, covering approximately 97% of DCI-P3. What I was missing was the brightness. The image always seemed too dark to me, especially in a well-lit room. The measured peak brightness is around 600 nits. For comparison, the TCL QM9K is approximately twice as high as in real-world scenarios.

This is a near-constant battle with OLED and not an indictment of this particular model. OLED panels are best viewed in dark rooms. If I could afford a 120-inch OLED to put in a cinema room with blackout curtains, I would. But for daily viewing in the living room near sunlit windows it is difficult. Luckily, the C5’s reflection processing is pretty good, so a brighter room is less of a factor.

SDR image rating: 8/10

LG C5 HDR image: OLED is the undisputed king of contrasts

Short version: Dolby Vision looks great on the LG C5.

What can I say about HDR image quality on a high-end OLED display that hasn’t already been said? It’s stunning, way too dark for bright rooms but absolutely stunning.

Again, colors are extremely accurate right out of the box and the silky blacks of OLED’s infinite contrast add depth and a film-like quality to cinematic content.

But as always, it’s so dark. Some scenes I measured didn’t even reach brightness above 300 nits, and even a window with a maximum brightness of 10% only measured around 1,000 nits, a far cry from the 3,000+ nits of a MiniLED display.

The compromises are always the same and most potential buyers know this by now.

HDR image rating: 9/10

LG C5 Audio: Decent bass for integrated audio

Short version: The C5’s audio performance won’t blow anyone away, but it’s not bad.

A TV’s built-in sound is almost never something to praise. Half the time I expect it to be terrible and am pleasantly surprised when it’s even halfway decent. After all, there’s such a robust market for soundbars and speaker systems that it sometimes seems like TV manufacturers just don’t see the point in spending money on audio.

At least the LG C5 was used. The 2.2-channel setup has bass that offers a real rumble, albeit quiet, and clarity at lower volumes that sounds crisp. Still, there are limitations and dialogue can be a little difficult to understand in louder moments.

The audio quality here is mediocre. That said, while it doesn’t exactly punch above its weight, it’s at least as good as I’d expect in this price range, if not a touch better.

Audio score: 8/10

Should you buy the LG C5?

If you like the look of an OLED display and are looking for an ultra-thin TV, you should consider purchasing the LG C5. There are easily deals available that bring the price down to almost half the RRP, including directly from LG.

If you’re a gamer who primarily uses your main TV, you should also consider the C5 as it has 4 HDMI inputs and supports Nvidia G-Sync up to 144Hz.

Why not try?

• TCL QM8K: Even cheaper with excellent image quality
• Sony Bravia 9: Great contrast, brightness and Dolby Vision. Also has color accuracy close to reference quality after calibration.
• Samsung QN900D: If you find this year-old model on sale and like Samsung TVs, you’ll be pleased with a fairly color-accurate panel with great black uniformity and excellent contrast.

How we tested

The LG C5 served as my daily TV for weeks. During this time, I watched films, TV shows, football games and streamed a lot of YouTube. I tested the television with cinema content as well as sports and cable television.

I used both the native webOS and my Roku Ultra at times. The testing was done using Calibrite Display Pro HL and DisplayCal software on Windows 11, as well as my own observations from watching many, many different TVs over the years.