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LG G4 OLED Evo
$2,797 $3,400 Save $603
The G4 is LG’s flagship OLED TV, a 2024 model that boasts incredible contrast and brightness, and comes with AI enhancements and settings that optimize all kinds of content.
Strong Points- Incredible contrast and high brightness
- Intuitive interface
- Suitable for a variety of content
Cons- expensive
- Bulky plastic remote control
- Optimizing your setup requires work
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LG C4 OLED
LG’s OLED C4 offers a more affordable option for those looking for a premium smart TV, boasting LG’s intuitive OS, voice control, and a range of settings designed to optimize all kinds of content.
Strong Points- Great value for money
- Striking contrast and vibrant colors
- Suitable for a variety of content
Cons- Not enough brightness at peak times
- Lacking the latest AI enhancements
- Bulky plastic remote control
Key Takeaways
- High peak brightness and perfect contrast make both the LG G4 and C4 ideal for watching movies.
- The G4 offers great brightness and AI-enhanced features, while the C4 offers great value.
- Both models feature ALLM, VRR, and a 120Hz refresh rate, making them versatile and especially suited for gaming use cases.
LG’s latest OLED TVs offer viewers vibrant colors, sharp contrast, and a picture that’s faithful to the filmmaker’s intent. The high-end G4 and mid-range C4 are 2024 models in their respective categories, and both appear to be significant quality upgrades from the 2023 models. Both TVs are worthy choices for those looking for a quality TV that delivers cinematic fidelity, is capable of high-end gaming, and can handle all of your favorite apps and streaming services. Upon closer inspection, you’ll find many similarities, but there are also some key differences.
There’s a significant price difference between the two models, so it’s worth deciding whether the more expensive G4 is worth the extra cost, or whether the cheaper C4 will suffice. Here’s what you need to know:
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Pricing, Specifications and Availability
The 65-inch C4 retails for about $2,700, while the same-sized G4 can cost up to $3,400. Both TVs are available from Amazon, Best Buy, Walmart, and direct from LG.com. Though they’re relatively new, they do occasionally go on sale.
Both TVs are available in 55-inch, 65-inch, 77-inch, and 83-inch sizes. The G4 also comes in a 97-inch for those looking for a larger TV, while the C4 comes in smaller 48-inch and 42-inch sizes. Features and specs are comparable to top-tier TVs from other manufacturers. Most notable are a 120Hz native refresh rate, four HDMI 2.1 ports, Dolby Vision and HDR support, and virtual assistant integration.
OS, Design and Control Integration
Equipped with LG’s intuitive interface
These two top LG TVs have a lot in common, and that commonality comes in how they’re designed and how you interact with them. With their slim build, the G4 and C4 are designed for wall mounting due to their relatively low profile. The larger model fits flush against the wall, but both can be fitted with a pedestal stand if you prefer a TV stand. Both have four HDMI 2.1 ports and two USB inputs, and they feature incredibly thin bezels for an immersive display.
Being LG TVs, both run on the company’s long-standing operating system, WebOS, and offer a relatively clean, simple, and intuitive interface. The home screen lets you organize your apps, add new ones from the app store, and browse content that interests you. The homepage is by no means cluttered, but it does include some unnecessary extras, such as featured app suggestions. You can also turn off the sponsored banners at the top of the homepage for a more static screen.
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Both TVs use LG’s Magic Remote, a polarizing device with unique features and some unfortunate flaws. It’s bulky and flimsy, the number pad seems unnecessary, the buttons are poorly placed, and the plastic construction is disappointing. Still, it does have a few buttons that give you direct access to popular streaming services like Prime Video and Disney+. It also allows for voice control, allowing you to press the microphone button to search the service for titles, ask about entertainment news, or ask about the weather.
The remote control can also be used as a cursor, but it needs to be pointed at the screen to function effectively, which some may find more trouble than convenience.
Excellent image quality, minimal differences
G4 achieves higher peak brightness
Both models offer incredible contrast with perfect blacks on the screen thanks to their OLED screen technology. However, a common concern with such emissive displays is brightness, and both models offer impressive and sometimes overwhelming levels of brightness, especially when viewing in a dark room. However, no matter how good the C4 is, there are differences between the two models. The G4 is brighter due to its built-in Micro Lens Array (MLA) technology that the C4 does not have, and you may need to lower the brightness if you turn off the lights in the room at night. If you regularly watch content in a bright room, the C4 may not be as noticeable as the G4.
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Both the G4 and C4 support most high-end video and audio formats, including Dolby Vision and DTS Audio, but not HDR10+. Both are quality investments for serious entertainment enthusiasts looking for high fidelity at home, with crisp contrast in low-light scenes and vibrant colors and action in superhero movies. The C4 falls flat when it comes to SDR content, with a noticeable lack of brightness and vibrancy, but if you’re primarily watching modern content, this won’t be an issue.
The G4 sounds better than the C4, but neither is particularly good, and both TVs should be optimized with a quality soundbar. If you’re going to invest a lot of money in a TV that produces a great picture, you’ll need an equally worthy sound system.
When it comes to power and support, there are some key differences. The G4 has an Alpha 11 processor, which boosts peak brightness while also providing a set of artificial intelligence features aimed at improving picture quality. The C4 has an updated version of Alpha 9, which is worthy in its own right, but lacking compared to the G4. These AI enhancements tweak everything related to picture and sound, including sharpness, contrast, and clarity.
Compatible with all content
Ideal for multi-purpose use
For those interested in a wide variety of content, from classic TV shows to blockbuster movies, syndicated programming to console games, both TVs offer great value. They’re designed for a variety of uses and include settings that optimize picture quality based on the content you’re watching. One perk for movie buffs is the inclusion of Filmmaker Mode, a collection of presets developed in collaboration with filmmakers, studios, and TV manufacturers that are made to display content the way it was meant to be viewed. This includes preserving frame rate, aspect ratio, and turning off artificial enhancements like motion smoothing.
LG’s motion smoothing software, TruMotion, has also been greatly improved, and the options aren’t just “on” or “off” — you can toggle the strength of this setting, adjust it manually, and even tweak the judder to find the picture that looks best to you. That makes both TVs great for watching fast-paced sports without blurring or shadows, or watching reality TV and live events without jarring or unnatural looking images.
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Gaming in particular is well supported by both models, including ALLM, VRR, Nvidia G-Sync certification, and a 120Hz refresh rate. Short input times and fast response times make both models ideal for solo gaming and online play. Many settings can be adjusted manually, but LG’s optimizer can be set to auto-change. As with some content, the C4 is slightly less bright when gaming compared to the G4.
Both TVs have a lot of settings that can be configured, but the G4 has more, which can be convenient for viewers, but also a little overwhelming. Both TVs are designed for the enthusiastic consumer who is willing to put in a little effort to find the picture quality that suits their space and preferences. Many settings can be set to trigger automatically, but it’s worth trying them out for every content type.
LG OLED G4 vs LG OLED C4: Which is Right for You?
The G4 and C4 have far more similarities than differences. The G4 is a better TV, capable of higher levels of brightness, with a faster, more powerful processor and AI enhancements, but price and use make the choice between the two difficult. The differences may be negligible, especially for consumers who want to install it in a dimly lit room and have control over the lighting. If you have the money, the G4 is certainly the better model, delivering immersive, high-fidelity entertainment with any type of content, and unmatched contrast.
Editor’s Choice
LG G4 OLED Evo
$2,797 $3,400 Save $603
For those who enjoy LG’s interface and want a quality OLED TV without spending too much, the C4 is well worth the money. It has many of the same high-end qualities as the G4, and if you frequently watch in a dark room, you won’t notice much or any major difference. For fans of new movie content and high-end gaming, the C4 will provide a quality experience and a good return on investment for years to come.
Good alternative
LG C4 OLED
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