LG’s C3 and G3 OLED TVs are now available to buy – here’s what we think of them
The latest batch of LG OLED TVs for 2023 are finally available to buy in the US and UK – and it might finally be time to upgrade your home theatre setup.
The star of the show for those of you who want a balance between price and performance is the new LG C3 OLED. We might have only given the TV a four-and-a-half-star rating in our LG C3 OLED review – a hair behind the five stars we gave its predecessor in our LG C2 OLED review – but it’s nevertheless a fantastic TV that comes in a range of sizes from 42 to 83-inches.
Starting at $1,399 / £1,499 for the smallest 42-inch model (the 55-inch model will set you back $1,899 / £2,099) the LG C3 boasts new HDR-improving features that enhance the image quality, and an upgraded webOS TV interface, with aesthetic and functional improvements that make it best version of LG’s OS yet. While the audio hasn’t gotten much of an upgrade, the C3 OLED is a solid contender for the best TV of 2023, so if you’re in the market for a new display this could be just what you need.
Alternatively, if you have a larger budget you might prefer the high-end LG G3 OLED . We haven’t spent enough time with this screen to properly judge it with a scored review, but our first impression of the LG TV was that it “crushes every high-end TV so far.“
Alongside the HDR-enhancing features found in the C3 OLED, the G3 boasts Brightness Booster Max, a trio of improvements that allow it to deliver 70% higher peak brightness compared with regular OLEDs – and the effect of these upgrades is a sight to behold. The picture quality is so impressive that our Home Entertainment editor Amelia Schwanke declared that watching a movie on the G3 OLED was almost as immersive as wearing a VR headset – Amelia found herself physically recoiling from the screen because the close-ups in the new Netflix film Hunger looked and felt so real.
That said, the LG G3 will cost you a pretty penny, with the cheapest 55-inch option coming in at $2,499 / £2,599, while the largest 83-inch model will set you back $6,499 / £7,499.
LG B3: a more affordable option
If the LG C3 and LG G3 OLED TVs are a little out of your price range you could instead snap up the LG B3 OLED TV, which is also now available to buy in the US and UK.
This downgraded TV won’t be quite as mind-blowing as the other screens LG is launching, but it is still a solid option. Its chipset is slightly less advanced – it’s the a7 Gen 6 processor rather than the LG C3’s a9 Gen 6 chipset – but it still boasts many premium features.
These include a 120Hz 4K display that’s perfect for gaming, and it comes with the same handy Quick Media Switching feature that let’s you jump between different HDMI-connected sources faster than on other TVs – it’s by no means game-changing, but it’s a nice quality-of-life upgrade. You will, however, miss out on the hands-free voice controls found in the C3 and G3, as well as the OLED evo screen tech that improves image brightness; although at a relatively affordable $1,599 / £1,799 for its 55-inch model, you would expect it to perform slightly less impressively than LG’s more expensive offerings.
If you’re looking to upgrade your home theatre but aren’t a fan of any of LG’s 2023 TVs, why not check out our picks for the best 4K TVs you can buy today?