LG OLED55C14LB 55 inch 4K UHD HDR Smart OLED TV (2021 Model) with Advanced α9 Gen4 AI processor, SELF-LIT OLED, Dolby Vision IQ and Dolby Atmos, built-in Google Assistant and Alexa, Black

Product Information

There are seemingly small, but significant improvements to picture handling too. The set runs the brand’s 4th-gen Alpha 9 image engine, with AI enhanced image processing. It’s astonishingly powerful. And finally, if you're looking for the absolute best-of-best OLED quality then take a look at the LG G2 instead (2022's flagship). It's a step up in the range and in evolution, delivering the brightest OLED image to date. It's not nearly as cheap though! The set ships with a newly downsized Magic Remote control, which sits a little easier in the hand. This features dedicated buttons here for Netflix, Prime Video, Disney+ and Rakuten TV, plus has Google Assistant and Alexa shortcuts.

Standard is the go-to recommendation for most content, and works fine with studio broadcasts and sports coverage, but Vivid, often reviled because of its heavy saturation, is a real crowdpleaser too, particularly with superhero movies that use a denuded colour palette and animations designed to pop. In addition to the new webOS, LG has also revised its menus, making them aesthetically a little more appealing. LG C1: Verdict Having already tested LG’s 65in GX and 48in CX models, we knew what to expect from this 55in CX: a superlative performance that isn’t vastly different from last year’s C9 but does improve upon it in a few important ways.

Performance

Max light output HDR (high dynamic range) while displaying a live scene and white square taking up 60% of the screen (measured in Nits)

Percentage Luminance drop at 35 degree horizontal angle from the centre of the screen with 50% white output There isn’t a Dolby Vision IQ setting in the TV’s menus, but if you’re watching Dolby Vision content and the AI Brightness Control feature is enabled, you’re watching IQ. LG gets around this to a certain extent by using virtualisation. AI Sound Pro enlarges the soundstage and sharpens dialogue for standard content. Dolby Atmos decoding is switched in when it's detected, a virtual height channel offering faux immersion.The stand is quite wide, but the LG CX’s overall footprint is a fair bit narrower than that of sets such as the Sony A8, which has feet at either end of its bottom panel. The CX does sit rather low, though, which could be an issue if you plan to place a soundbar in front of it. The way the set combines excitement and realism is its greatest strength. It’s sharp and detailed without ever giving the sense of over-enhancement, and colours are bright and vivid when they need to be (the contrasting blue and red light strips on the floor and ceiling of the plane’s interior at the start of the film, for example) but also effortlessly balanced and natural. You never question the CX’s interpretation of the source material, and that’s one of the greatest compliments that can be paid to a TV.