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LG C5 - Review and opinions

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8.2 Overall

Score

Picture quality 9.4/10
Gaming readiness 6.7/10
Smart features and sound 7.8/10
Design and connectivity 7.3/10
Customer reviews 8.7/10

Screen size

65 in Screen size
Top 5 for screen size 18% above average

Is it worth it?

The LG C5 is aimed at the person who wants a proper step up from an ordinary living-room TV into premium OLED territory: richer blacks, stronger contrast, better HDR impact and a cleaner design. Its clearest appeal is film nights and high-refresh gaming on a 65-inch 4K screen, while the real trade-off is familiar for this class: you get superb picture quality and wide viewing flexibility, but not everyone will love the glossy-screen reflections, the built-in sound alone, or the way webOS and the Magic Remote handle day-to-day navigation.

I’d put this straight on the shortlist for anyone building a dark-room cinema setup or pairing one TV with both next-gen gaming and streaming. Skip it if your room is bright all day and glare annoys you more than black depth impresses you, or if you already own a recent LG OLED and expect a dramatic leap. The panel quality is the reason to buy; the software polish and remote are the compromises you accept.

Screen size 65 Inches
Panel type OLED
Resolution 4K
Refresh rate 120 Hz
Smart platform webOS
Dimensions 23D x 144.1W x 88H cm

OLED contrast that changes the room

The defining feature here is the OLED panel with self-lit pixels and effectively infinite contrast. That matters far more than a marketing processor name, because it is what gives films and series their depth in dark scenes.

In practice, this is the sort of screen that flatters high-quality 4K HDR content and makes black bars, night shots and bright highlights look cleaner and more deliberate than on many standard LED sets.

120Hz for gaming and motion

A 120Hz refresh rate is not just a spec-sheet trophy on a TV like this. It is the difference between merely acceptable motion and a screen that feels ready for modern consoles, sports and fast action.

The practical benefit is smoother movement and a more premium feel in gameplay. The caveat is simple: if you only watch broadcast TV and catch-up apps, this advantage matters less than the panel quality itself.

Smart TV and living-room usability

webOS gives you the expected streaming route, voice-assistant support and quick access to day-to-day apps, so this works as a main household TV without needing an external box from day one.

The buyer question is whether the software feels elegant enough. It is easy to set up and broadly intuitive, but if you dislike ad-heavy home screens or pointer remotes, the convenience is real without being flawless.

Slim design with useful connectivity

The ultra-slim body, narrow bezels and premium stand help the TV look expensive even before you switch it on. That matters on a 65-inch set because it will dominate the room visually whether wall-mounted or on furniture.

Connectivity is broad enough for most systems, with HDMI, USB, Bluetooth and Wi-Fi confirmed. For many homes, that means a games console, streaming, headphones and a soundbar can all slot in without making the TV awkward to live with.

Use evaluation

For evening film watching, this is exactly the sort of TV that makes OLED make sense. On a 65-inch 16:9 panel at 4K, you are getting the kind of pixel density that keeps normal sofa-distance viewing crisp without needing to think about the screen structure, and the self-lit pixels give dark scenes the depth people actually notice in use. If you watch thrillers, sci-fi or prestige TV with lots of shadow detail, the big win is not just black levels but the lack of blooming around bright objects. That is the moment this set separates itself from many LED alternatives.

Switch over to gaming and the 120Hz panel becomes the other major reason to choose it. Fast camera pans, racing games and competitive titles benefit from the extra smoothness, and several owners are happy enough to use smaller versions of this range as monitor-style displays, which says a lot about motion clarity and responsiveness in everyday play. The catch is that this is a premium TV first, not a stripped-back gaming monitor, so the interface and remote can feel fussier than the screen itself. If your priority is image quality with gaming as a serious second job, it fits beautifully.

In daytime use, the story is a little more mixed. Brightness is a strength for an OLED and the viewing angles are one of the format’s natural advantages, so family seating and side-on watching are not a problem. The thing to think about is room control. A glossy OLED surface can show reflections, and that matters more in sunlit rooms than another incremental jump in contrast ever will. In a lounge where you can draw curtains for films and evening sport, it works brilliantly; in a glass-heavy room with daylight bouncing everywhere, a bright Mini LED route may suit better.

Daily operation is mostly straightforward. Setup is regularly described as easy, major streaming apps are onboard, Bluetooth, HDMI, USB and Wi-Fi cover the usual connections, and the slim chassis with narrow bezels gives it the right premium presence once it is on its stand. The friction points are more mundane than dramatic: some people find webOS busier than they want, the pointer-style Magic Remote can be over-sensitive, and a few reliability complaints stop this from feeling like a completely carefree buy.

Pros

  • Excellent OLED contrast and black levels for films and dark scenes
  • 120Hz panel suits gaming and fast motion well
  • Slim premium design with easy initial setup
  • Broad smart-TV and connectivity features for a main living-room set.

Cons

  • Glossy screen can be distracting in bright rooms with reflections
  • webOS and the Magic Remote will not suit everyone
  • Built-in sound is good for a TV but still not a replacement for a strong sound system
  • A small number of reliability complaints take the shine off the premium feel.

Community

User reviews

The pattern is consistent: people buy this LG for the picture first and usually end up pleased with setup, design and overall value, while the softer complaints centre on webOS, the Magic Remote, reflections and the odd reliability wobble. The useful takeaway is that the screen quality is the star, but the ownership experience is not quite as universally polished as the panel.

Roscoe

I moved over from brighter Mini LED sets and the lack of blooming was the thing that sold me straight away. For UHD films and HDR PC gaming, the deep blacks and motion are on another level for me.

Raiutora

I use it for gaming as well and the picture is fantastic, colours really pop and HDR has real punch. Setup was quick, although I could happily upgrade the sound later and I am not sold on the air-mouse style control.

Jason

I found it easy to live with from the start, with a brilliant picture, pleasing sound and a solid feel to both TV and remote. My only annoyance is that the pointer on the Magic Remote can trigger too easily.

Velocity

Coming from an older LG OLED, I did get a better picture and gaming improvements, but not the huge jump I expected. webOS still feels bloated to me and the remote has not worn especially well.

Comparison

Attribute LG C5 Current LG OLED65B56LA Samsung QN90F TCL Q7C 75"
Price £1,379.00 Out of stock Out of stock Out of stock
Screen size 65 Inches 65 Inches 65 Inches 75 Inches
Resolution 4K 4K 4K 4K
Panel type OLED OLED Mini LED Mini LED
Refresh rate 120 Hz 120 Hz 120 Hz 144 Hz
Dimensions 23D x 144.1W x 88H cm - 2.7D x 144.6W x 82.9H cm 36.7D x 166.6W x 99.5H cm
Editorial score 8.2/10 8.0/10 7.5/10 8.1/10

Against a bright Mini LED alternative from Samsung or TCL, this LG takes the more cinematic route. Choose the LG if you care most about black depth, contrast control and that OLED look in dim evening viewing. Choose the Mini LED route instead if your lounge is flooded with daylight and you want brute-force brightness to overcome reflections more than you want perfect blacks.

Against older LG OLED families such as the C2 or C-series sets that many upgraders will know, the argument is more selective. If you are moving from a standard LED TV, this feels like a major upgrade in picture quality and overall polish. If you already own a recent LG OLED, the case is less dramatic, and the smarter buy may be to hold out for a larger generational jump unless you are also chasing the 65-inch size or a particularly good offer.

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Is the LG C5 TV worth it?

The LG C5 is easy to recommend if you want a premium 65-inch TV that makes films, HDR streaming and modern gaming look properly special. Its strongest card is still the one that matters most in this category: OLED picture quality that gives dark scenes weight, highlights contrast and everyday viewing a more expensive feel. If the current offer is sensible, it is a convincing main-TV purchase for a cinema-first household.

I would pass if your room is consistently bright, if you dislike glossy screens and pointer remotes, or if you already have a recent LG OLED and are hoping for a transformational upgrade. This is a very good television, not a magic reinvention of the category, and its software and long-term confidence do not land as cleanly as its picture does.

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FAQ

Is this TV better for films or gaming?

It is strong at both, but the standout reason to buy it is OLED picture quality for films and dark-scene viewing, with 120Hz support making it a very capable gaming TV as well.

Does it need a soundbar straight away?

Not necessarily, because the built-in sound is decent by TV standards, but this class of screen benefits from a better external audio system if you want the full home-cinema effect.

Editorial team

DigitalCritic editorial team

The DigitalCritic editorial team reviews product specs, prices, availability, visible customer feedback, and buying signals to keep reviews useful and up to date.