You’re standing in a Best Buy or scrolling through Amazon, and the wall of glowing rectangles is starting to look exactly the same. It’s frustrating. You see the prices jump from $600 to $3,000, and honestly, the sales tags don't explain why. But then you see the LG OLED TV C4. It’s the "middle child" of the LG lineup, sitting right between the budget-friendly B4 and the "I have too much money" G4 series.
Most people think they need the brightest screen possible. They’re usually wrong.
The C4 is a weirdly perfect piece of tech because it doesn't try to be a show-off. It just works. LG has been dominant in the OLED space for a decade, and with the C4, they’ve basically reached a point where the incremental gains are getting smaller, but the polish is getting mirror-slick. It uses the self-lit pixels that made OLED famous—meaning when a pixel is black, it’s actually off. No light. Total darkness. That’s the secret sauce that makes the colors pop in a way your old LED TV never could.
The Refresh Rate Obsession: 144Hz is a Big Deal (Sorta)
If you aren't a gamer, ignore the 144Hz marketing. Just skip it. But if you have a high-end PC or you’re planning on getting the next wave of consoles, this is the biggest change from last year’s C3.
The LG OLED TV C4 officially jumped from 120Hz to 144Hz.
For the average person watching The Bear on Hulu, this does absolutely nothing. Your movies are still 24 frames per second. Your sports are 60. But for PC gamers, that extra headroom makes movement feel like liquid. It’s snappy. It reduces that tiny bit of input lag that makes the difference between winning a match in Call of Duty or getting frustrated and turning the TV off. LG also kept the support for NVIDIA G-Sync and AMD FreeSync Premium, which basically ensures your screen won't "tear" or stutter when the action gets heavy.
Let’s Talk About the Alpha 9 Processor
Inside this thin slab of glass is the Alpha 9 AI Processor 4K Gen7. It’s a mouthful. Basically, it’s the brain.
While the G4 gets the fancy "Alpha 11" chip, the Alpha 9 in the C4 is no slouch. It handles something called "AI Super Upscaling." If you're watching an old episode of The Office or a 1080p YouTube video, the TV uses a database of images to guess what the missing pixels should look like. It cleans up the grain. It makes skin tones look like skin, not orange plastic. Honestly, the upscaling is where LG usually beats brands like Hisense or TCL. It’s about the subtlety.
Brightness: The Great "MLA" Debate
Here is the thing nobody tells you in the store: The LG OLED TV C4 does not have Micro Lens Array (MLA) technology.
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If you want the screen that gets bright enough to rival the sun, you have to pay the "G4 tax." The C4 uses the standard OLED Evo panel. Is it bright? Yes. It’s significantly brighter than the OLEDs from five years ago. But if your living room has giant floor-to-ceiling windows and you refuse to buy curtains, you might struggle with reflections during a sunny afternoon.
However, in a room with controlled lighting? The C4 is stunning. It hits those highlights—like a flashlight in a dark hallway or a sunset—with enough punch to make you squint, without washing out the deep blacks that make OLED worth the price tag.
The webOS 24 Experience
LG’s software is... polarizing.
Some people love the "Magic Remote" where you point it at the screen like a Wii controller. Others find it incredibly annoying. With the LG OLED TV C4, you’re getting webOS 24. The big promise here is the "Re:New" program. LG is now promising five years of software updates. That’s huge. Usually, smart TVs become "dumb" after two years because the apps stop updating.
The home screen is still a bit cluttered with "Recommended" content (which is just code for ads), but you can customize it now. You can make user profiles so your kid’s Bluey obsession doesn't ruin your Netflix recommendations. It’s a small win, but a win nonetheless.
What Most People Get Wrong About Size
Size matters, but not the way you think. The C4 comes in everything from 42 inches to 83 inches.
The 42-inch and 48-inch models are secretly the best gaming monitors on the planet. They have the same 4K resolution as the 83-inch version, which means the pixel density is insane. Everything looks incredibly sharp. On the flip side, the 83-inch model is a beast, but it’s heavy. Really heavy. If you’re mounting this, don’t cheap out on the wall bracket.
One weird quirk: the 42 and 48-inch models don't get quite as bright as the 55, 65, 77, and 83-inch versions. It’s a physical limitation of how many pixels they can cram into a small space without melting the panel. If you want the true "Evo" brightness experience, 55 inches is the "floor."
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Sound Quality: Don't Believe the Hype
The marketing will tell you about "9.1.2 virtual surround sound."
It’s fake. Well, it’s digital processing. The speakers in the LG OLED TV C4 are fine for the news or a podcast, but they are physically too thin to produce real bass. The TV is about as thick as a few credit cards at the top. You can't fit a subwoofer in there. If you’re spending $1,500+ on a TV, please, just buy a soundbar. Even a cheap one will outperform the built-in speakers.
Connectivity and the Green Factor
LG is pretty good about ports. You get four HDMI 2.1 ports.
Why does that matter? Because on many other TVs (looking at you, Sony), only two of the ports are high-speed. If you have a PS5, an Xbox Series X, and a soundbar, you run out of "fast" ports instantly on those other brands. On the C4, every single HDMI port supports 4K at 144Hz. You don't have to play musical chairs with your cables.
There's also a move toward sustainability that often gets buried in the spec sheets. The C4 uses a composite fiber material for the back of the TV instead of heavy metals and plastics. It makes the TV lighter and easier to ship, which technically lowers the carbon footprint. Is it going to save the planet? Probably not. Does it make the TV easier to lift onto a stand? Absolutely.
The Competition: C4 vs. The World
You’re probably looking at the Samsung S90D or the Sony A80L (or A80M depending on the year).
The Samsung is brighter because it uses QD-OLED. It’s vibrant. It’s flashy. But Samsung refuses to support Dolby Vision. They use HDR10+ instead. Since almost every major streaming service (Netflix, Disney+, Max) uses Dolby Vision, the LG OLED TV C4 actually gives you a more accurate picture for movies.
Sony has better "motion handling." If you watch a lot of fast-paced sports, Sony’s processing is legendary. But Sony is also significantly more expensive for almost the exact same panel. LG is the "Goldilocks" choice. It gives you 95% of the performance of the most expensive TVs for about 60% of the price.
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Real-World Limitations
It isn't perfect. OLEDs still have a risk of "burn-in," although it’s mostly a ghost story at this point. Unless you leave CNN or a stock ticker on for 20 hours a day at max brightness, you won't see it. LG has dozens of "screen move" and "pixel cleaning" features running in the background to prevent it.
Also, the stand design. Depending on the size you get, the stand might be a bit "wobble-prone." It’s a center-pedestal design for the mid-range sizes, which is great because it fits on small TV stands, but it doesn't feel as sturdy as the "feet" you find on other models.
How to Get the Most Out of Your LG OLED TV C4
If you pull this thing out of the box and just start watching, you’re doing it wrong. Here is the move:
- Turn off "Store Mode": It’s designed to look good under fluorescent lights, not in your house.
- Switch to "Filmmaker Mode": This is the holy grail. It turns off all the "motion smoothing" (the soap opera effect) and shows you the movie exactly how the director intended. No weird fake sharpness.
- Disable Energy Saving: LG is aggressive with this. It will dim the screen to save a few pennies a year on electricity, but it ruins the HDR experience. Turn it off.
- Use eARC for Audio: If you have a soundbar, plug it into HDMI port 2. That’s the eARC port that sends high-quality audio back to your speakers.
The LG OLED TV C4 is a workhorse disguised as a luxury item. It’s not a radical departure from the C3, but it’s a refinement of a formula that was already winning. If you're coming from an older LED TV, the jump in quality will literally make your jaw drop during the first night scene of a 4K movie.
Actionable Steps for the Buyer
If you are ready to pull the trigger, don't just buy it at MSRP. These TVs go on sale like clockwork.
Check the price history on sites like CamelCamelCamel. Usually, the biggest discounts happen during Super Bowl season (February), Prime Day (July), and Black Friday (November). If you see a 65-inch C4 for under $1,600, you’re in the "buy" zone.
Lastly, check your room lighting. If you have a dark or moderately lit room, the C4 is the king. If you’re basically watching TV in a greenhouse, consider the LG G4 or a Mini-LED TV like the Sony Bravia 9 instead. But for 90% of us? The C4 is the sweet spot where technology meets a price tag that doesn't feel like a mortgage payment.
Get it, set it to Filmmaker Mode, and stop worrying about the specs. The picture is exactly as good as people say it is.