ALLM is supported, too, though 4K/120Hz and VRR predictably are not. There are also three HDMI inputs for external sources, one of which handles eARC for a soundbar or other sound system. There are few TVs at any price that are smarter than the AU7100, which features a Tizen operating system with more or less every app you could possibly need. Viewing angles are better than average for an LCD TV, too. Motion is good, too, as long as you avoid the default Auto Picture Clarity setting, which is a bit too aggressive. While a TV at this level will always struggle to hit the peak brightness levels for really zingy HDR, the AU7100 is punchy enough to make HDR worthwhile (HLG, HDR10 and HDR10+ are supported), and while some TVs are outright sharper, this budget Samsung balances crispness with naturalism very effectively. In fact, they help to add a lustrous depth and richness to colours. There’s a slight loss of shadow detail when compared to more expensive TVs, but not to an extent that’s a problem, and the blacks don’t feel forced or unnatural. For a TV at this level, the AU7100 produces impressively deep blacks that avoid the flicker common at this end of the market. That makes the Samsung AU7100 a real anomaly.įirst released in 2021, this entry-level LCD TV impressed us during testing with its carefully balanced picture quality and the effectiveness of its processing. There are also 42-inch and 48-inch variants of the C2, but they’re a bit different to the rest so we’ll get to them in a separate entry.Ĭonsidering the annual cycle of new TVs, it’s exceptionally rare for a model to still be available after 12 months, let alone remain the best in class for that time. There are 83-inch and 97-inch versions, too, but they would require more testing before we were prepared to stick our necks out and say they’re just as good. Ultimately, though, while each of those TVs has its merits, the LG’s brilliantly balanced performance, exhaustive feature set and aggressive pricing give it an all-things-to-all-people status that can’t be matched.Īnd if you’re after a smaller or larger TV, you can apply all of these findings to the 55-inch and 77-inch models. There are many other TVs that should also be on your shortlist, with the Sony A80K, Samsung S95B, Panasonic LZ980 and Philips OLED807 being the most similar in terms of technology (they’re all OLEDs) and price. We haven't yet tested the C2's direct replacement, the C3, but we're not expecting it to be a big upgrade and it, too, has a launch price that's much higher than the current price of the C2. However, its high launch price means that the heavily discounted C2 is still the more sensible TV to buy for now. We've already tested the G3 and it's superb, particularly in terms of brightness, which has been boosted by new Micro Lens Array technology. You also need to consider that LG's 2023 TVs are now arriving in shops. The G2 is undeniably a better TV than the C2 until you take pricing into account, at which point the C2 becomes the one that most people should actually buy. In fact, it comes with a wall mount rather than a pedestal stand. It also has a picture frame-style ‘Gallery’ design. In many ways, it’s the same TV, but it goes even brighter thanks to the addition of a heatsink. In terms of alternatives, LG’s own G2 is the most obvious. As with the vast majority of sets, we recommend that you also budget for at least a soundbar if you’re going to buy the LG C2. In picture terms, there’s really nothing not to like at the price, but it has to be said that the sound is decidedly average, even by the fairly low standards of modern flatscreen TVs. On the contrary, this is the same, balanced delivery we’ve come to expect from LG’s OLEDs, but now with more dynamism and shadow detail. The brighter OLED technology makes for a more excitingly punchy viewing experience, but there’s nothing forced about the delivery. In short, there’s no better-specified gaming TV, and it performs brilliantly with the latest consoles.īut it’s a brilliant TV for non-gamers, too. Dolby Vision gaming is supported right up to 4K/120Hz, and there’s an HGiG mode for more accurate tone mapping with the HDR games that support it. HDR is supported in the HLG, HDR10 and Dolby Vision formats (there’s no HDR10+ support but that’s not really a big deal), and all four of the C2’s HDMI sockets are 2.1-certified and support all of the most advanced gaming features – 4K/120Hz, VRR and ALLM. To this, LG added its own algorithms and processing to produce what it refers to as an OLED Evo TV with Brightness Booster. This is an OLED TV that features LG Display’s OLED EX panel, which was introduced in 2022 and is brighter than those that went before it.
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