The LG C4 OLED is poised to be the most popular TV in LG’s 2024 lineup. Here are seven things you should know before buying.
KEY Takeaways: LG C4 OLED
- The LG C4 boasts an upgraded, improved processor over the C3, enhancing speed and TV performance.
- Running at 144 Hz, the LG C4 especially pleases PC gamers, offering a smoother desktop experience.
- Expect a brighter and more colorful display, enhanced sound quality, and compatibility with wireless sound bars.
LG has formally launched its 2024 OLED TV portfolio, which includes the LG C4. The C-series TVs have always been a solid balance of features and affordability, making them one of LG’s most popular models in the OLED collection.
We adored the LG C3 when we evaluated it last year, and we expect the C4 to enter the ranks of the greatest smart TVs on the market.
LG announced its new TV lineup at CES earlier this year, promising fresh improvements and advancements, with the LG C4 being one of the most promising. Here’s what you should know before buying it when it’s rumored to be released in March 2024.
It has a stronger processor than its predecessor
The LG C4 doesn’t house the most powerful, but it’s an improvement
The LG C3 came with LG’s Alpha 9 AI Processor Gen6, often written as the a9 Gen6. It’s a perfectly serviceable processor, but the LG C4 will do slightly better. It sports an upgraded version of the Alpha 9 AI Processor, which LG says will improve performance across the TV.
While more testing is needed, the upgraded chipset should allow for faster WebOS interaction, better upscaling, and improved motion handling from the LG C3.
Only the LG G4 and M4 will sport a stronger processor along with a lot of the new AI features that LG brought to the show this year, which house the top-of-the-line Alpha 11 AI Processor, otherwise known as the a11.
The A11 boasts significant speed improvements over the prior generation, according to LG. While the C4 misses out on the highest-end performance, its upgraded A9 processor will undoubtedly make the experience better.
The panel will run at 4K and 144 Hz
This will no doubt make PC gamers happy
The upgraded processor bears another improvement that is important enough to mention in its own right. The LG C4 will run at 144 Hz, which is an upgrade over the LG C3’s 120 Hz.
It’s true that the Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 won’t be able to take advantage of the higher refresh rates. However, enterprising PC users who want to use the OLED TV as their monitor most certainly can, and it’ll be a smoother desktop experience than older LG OLED TVs.
The improvement is solely due to the enhanced processor, as the LG C4 otherwise has the same display as the LG C3.
That suggests that all of the improvements are coming from within rather than outside. In addition, the C4 will include AMD FreeSync and full Nvidia G-Sync VRR certification. The latter is an update from the LG C3.
The LG C4 is brighter and more colorful than its predecessor
LG hasn’t released specifics, but the C4 will be brighter than the C3
During CES 2024, LG’s David Seperson told What HiFi that “all of the C4s will get brighter this year than they were last year.” In addition, the 42-inch and 48-inch models, which are generally less bright than their larger siblings, will get an even larger bump in brightness to make them more equal to the rest of the lineup.
Thus, it doesn’t matter which size you look for; it’ll be brighter than it was last year, which is surprising considering that the MLA display technology that makes the LG G3 so much brighter than the C3 didn’t trickle down to LG’s C-series TVs this year as some pundits originally expected.
The difference isn’t massive, but considering that the C3 is still best used in darker rooms, a boost in brightness might help change that for the C4. Perhaps 2025 will see MLA technology dip down into the middle tier of LG’s OLED lineup.
The LG C4 should sound better than the LG C3
Sound quality was one of our biggest nitpicks of the C3
When we reviewed the LG C3, sound quality was one of the biggest detractors, and we weren’t the only ones who thought so. LG appears to be listening, as the LG C4 is getting some audio upgrades as well. The older C3 has virtual 9.1.2 surround sound and some rather dull-sounding speakers.
Meanwhile, the LG C4 is coming with 11.1.2 sound upmixing along with enhanced voice remastering for better dialog clarity.
Sound demos weren’t available at LG’s booth, but with the improved upmixing capabilities, we’re hoping that translates to better sound coming out of the TV’s default speakers as well.
All of LG’s 2024 OLEDs will be Google Home hubs with Chromecasts built-in
LG partnered with Google for more steamlined streaming
At one point during LG’s presentation, they brought Google out on stage, where they announced Google Chromecast support for LG’s entire 2024 TV lineup, including the LG C4.
It’ll work the same way it does on Google TV and the existing Chromecast. Users will be able to hit the icon, select their LG C4, and cast straight to the TV.
The C4 won’t have the smart home features at launch, but it should roll out later in 2024.
It’s part of a partnership that is bringing more Google features to LG products, including Google Home and Matter support.
LG TVs will soon act as Google Home hubs where you can set up and control smart home devices through LG’s ThinQ app.
The C4 will be among the first to use Dolby Vision Filmmaker Mode
The set joins its 2024 LG OLED siblings as the first TVs with the feature
TVs have had HDR of various types for years, including HDR10, Dolby Vision, and others. LG is taking it a step further in 2024 with the introduction of the Dolby Vision Filmmaker Mode.
For the uninitiated, LG introduced regular Filmmaker Mode a few years ago.
It’s a picture mode created by the UHD Alliance to improve movie quality by enabling or disabling specific TV characteristics while preserving the director’s original vision.
Dolby Vision Filmmaker Mode is essentially the same thing, but for HDR. It’ll disable motion smoothing, keep artificial sharpening to a minimum, and set the TV to a warmer color temperature to recreate the look viewers can see in movie theaters.
If it’s anything like regular Filmmaker Mode, it’ll also subtly reduce the brightness to avoid highlight blowouts in brighter scenes.
The LG C4 will be compatible with LG’s wireless sound bars
The TV will function with LG’s wireless, lossless Dolby Atmos via WOWCAST
All wireless home theater setups are getting closer and closer to reality. The LG C4, G4, and M4 are one step closer to that reality than many other TVs.
All three come with the ability to connect wirelessly to LG’s S95TR and SG10TY and process wireless, lossless Dolby Atmos sound. That means you won’t have to waste your eARC HDMI port to get your soundbar up and running.
Only a few other products on the market can boast wireless Dolby Atmos, including the Samsung HW-Q990C soundbar, which can receive the signal from 2023 Samsung TVs.
With Dolby working on its Dolby Atmos FlexConnect technology, this will become more common eventually, but you can skip the line if you don’t mind buying the LG C4 and a compatible soundbar.
