Club Benefits
The world of TVs moves fast. In my decade-plus career of testing and reviewing these things, I’ve seen some excellent sets retire and take their place in the annals of history. The reason for this is simple: The best TVs you can buy hang around on shelves just long enough to be replaced by newer models.
Every spring, the biggest brands in the industry roll out their latest TVs. When this happens, the clock starts ticking on last-year’s stock. We’re in the middle of this process right now; the LG C5 OLED, one of my favorite TVs ever made, is being replaced by the all-new LG C6.
While the C6 is an excellent TV, the five-star-rated C5 comes with the added benefit of being much, much cheaper than its successor. Right now, the 65-inch C5 is just $1,299 at Amazon. If you’re lucky, you might still be able to track down the C5 later this year. But your window for buying this TV at wildly low price is starting to close.
The C5 is the latest in a long line of mid-range, LG-branded OLED TVs whose value is almost as impressive as its picture quality. It's not LG's best and brightest OLED, but even at its debut asking price, the C5 delivered a ton of value relative to the cost.
Like all OLED TVs, every individual pixel on the C5 is self-illuminating. This is the key to its sensational performance.
For one thing, an OLED TV offers perfect black levels, so you won't be distracted by the hazy, glowing light bloom you’re liable to see around bright objects while watching on a garden-variety LED TV. This also results in an incredible level of depth and clarity.
As mentioned, the C5 isn’t as bright and colorful as higher-end OLED TVs (like the flagship-level LG G6), but it's bright for sports and daytime viewing. And, although the newly released LG C6 is marginally brighter than the C5, most people wouldn't notice outside of an intense, side-by-side comparison.
This is the main reason why I've found myself recommending the C5 over the C6 in recent weeks. It's always nicer to have a brighter picture in your back pocket, but the added brightness of the C6 can't quite justify its much-higher price tag.
The LG C6 is marginally brighter than the C5, most people wouldn't notice outside of an intense, side-by-side comparison.
The discounted C5 also arrives with nearly every feature you’ll find on the newer C6, too. In fact, in most of the ways that matter to the average user, their almost identical TVs.
On the gaming side of things, the LG C5 supports for 4K gaming at 120Hz for current-gen consoles, and up to 144Hz with VRR enabled for PC gamers. Dolby Vision support is included, as well as LG’s nifty Game Optimizer mode. The C6 allows for 4K/165Hz support with a gaming PC attached, but this is a fairly niche upgrade.
There's an intangible quality to the C5, too: mass appeal. While a small number of folks are interested in the flashiest, priciest TVs, most people want something that falls into the Goldilocks Zone between performance and affordability. With its $1,299 sale price attached, the C5 is situated firmly in that space.
While the newer, slightly flashier LG C6 will almost certainly fall to the C5's current price range in the future, it'll likely take months for that to happen. You could wait for the 65-inch C6 to go on sale for $1,299, but you might be waiting until next spring for the privilege.
The C5's stock, meanwhile, will continue to dwindle. If you're in the market for a five-star TV with plenty of upside, now's a pretty good time to spend wisely.
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