Philips has announced its new range of OLED TVs, and one of the headline sets is the OLED810. Pitched as a mid-range offering, it's a direct rival to LG's all dominating C-series but it packs Ambilight tech for a more immersive (and spectacular) experience.
Wondering how it stacks up against the latest in LG's C-series, the C5? You've come to the right place. While we're yet to fully review either model, we have seen the C5 in action and can use our experience with each model's predecessor, plus a deep dive into the specs and features, to offer some early comparative analysis.
Both are set to go on sale later this year. Read on to find out which you should start saving for.
Philips OLED810 vs LG C5: price
Neither Philips nor LG has announced pricing yet, so we'll have to go on previous models' prices to get an idea of what to expect.
The 65-inch LG C4 launched at £2700 / $2699 / AU$4299, while the same-size Philips OLED809 cost £2099 (it's not sold in the US or Australia). The Philips is cheaper at other sizes too: the 55-incher is £1599, the largest 77-inch option goes for £3499, and both the 42- and 48-incher launched at £1399. You can see how much cheaper these prices are than the C4 in the table below.
| Size | LG C4 | Philips OLED809 |
|---|---|---|
| 42" | £1400 / $1499 / AU$2199 | £1400 / $N/A / AU$N/A |
| 48" | £1500 / $1599 / AU$2499 | £1400 / $N/A / AU$N/A |
| 55" | £1900 / $1999 / AU$3299 | £1600 / $N/A / AU$N/A |
| 65" | £2700 / $2699 / AU$4299 | £2100 / $N/A/ AU$N/A |
| 77" | £3800 / $3699 / AU$5999 | £3500 / $N/A / AU$N/A |
| 83" | £6000 / $5399 / AU$7999 | N/A |
Obviously these are last year's models, so the 2025 prices won't be exactly the same. And these have come down since launch, so if you can wait a while, you should find the C5 and OLED810 significantly discounted even a short time after launch. But we would expect the 2025 launch prices to be broadly in line with last year's.
Philips OLED810 vs LG C5: design
In terms of design, the LG C5 doesn't do much new. In fact, it looks almost identical to the C4, regardless of which angle you inspect it from. It's still a very slim TV, with the main electronics bulge making up a relatively small part of the rear.
The main new addition is a new Magic Remote, which is slimmer and longer than the previous version yet still retains most of the main buttons and the pointer functionality. Unfortunately, this new Magic Remote isn't coming to the UK, so Blighty-based C5 buyers will be stuck with the old version.
We haven't been up close with the OLED810 at the time of writing, but we do know it has an "ultra-thin, black metal bezel" along with a metal 'pill' swivel stand in a satin chrome finish. This should make accessing the sockets at the back of the TV pretty simple. The 77-inch model has metal 'soap bar' arch feet in satin chrome instead. Which is fair enough – we wouldn't fancy swivelling a TV of that size.
Philips OLED810 vs LG C5: features
The LG C4 scored five stars and won What Hi-Fi? Awards at the 42- and 48-inch sizes, so the C5 has big boots to fill. By building on the C4's feature set with some notable improvements, the C5 looks like a mid-ranger to be reckoned with.
Of course, a lot of its feature set is the same as its predecessor's. It again boasts a standard WOLED screen (although it is brighter than the C4's), with no heatsink or MLA technology (which LG has dropped altogether for 2025). The Brightness Booster feature is lacking from the 42- and 48-inch models, and we don't have concrete figures of exactly how much brighter this model is compared to last year's. We'll have to wait for a review unit to find out.
It's equipped for 4K content at refresh rates of up to 144Hz, which will only be of use to hardcore gamers with a suitably hench PC. Those of a PS5 and Xbox Series X bent can use one of the four HDMI 2.1 ports to access 4K/120Hz gaming with VRR and ALLM. You can also play Xbox games without a console using Game Pass.
LG's Alpha 9 AI Processor Gen8 lets you switch profiles using voice recognition, with each user's personalised settings loading straight away. And an AI chatbot can help troubleshoot issues with your TV (because who keeps the manual, eh?).
As is standard for LG TVs, the C5 supports HDR10, Dolby Vision and HLG, but not Samsung's HDR10+ format. Dolby Atmos is also supported via the HDMI eARC connection when paired with a capable soundbar or home cinema receiver.
The jewel in Philips' crown is Ambilight tech, which no other TV maker offers. The OLED810's three-sided Ambilight will match the colours on the screen, spilling light onto the wall behind and making the picture more immersive. It's a divisive technology, but one of which we are fans.
The OLED810 comes in all the same sizes as the C5 bar 83 inches – Philips' step-down OLED maxes out at 77 inches. Its new "higher output OLED_EX panel" promises a peak brightness of 1500 nits at the 55- to 77-inch models.
We can expect plenty of AI skills courtesy of the 9th Gen P5 AI processing. Adaptive Intelligence (which classifies content into different categories using AI) can now learn from additional data like trained in-frame analyses, META data, source info, full frame analysis and environment sensing, to optimise the final picture to match the content more seamlessly.
Colour reproduction is also optimised more accurately, using the new AI Adaptive Gamut Enhancer feature. This extends colours to make them more vibrant but without affecting skin tones. It can also be set to different tastes, such as natural, balanced and vibrant.
The game bar has been updated, and now has an auto-detection ability for the most popular titles. Gamers can tweak custom settings under their dedicated profile so they can be loaded automatically the next time you play. The game bar also has an enhanced colour helper mode to select colours from a wider palette for more accurate results.
Lastly, you can share phone photos to the big screen more easily using the new Moments App.
Philips OLED810 vs LG C5: picture
We haven't tested either TV yet, so can't give our definitive verdict on picture quality. But we have had a hands-on session with the LG C5, and so can share our first impressions.
We watched both the 48- and 77-inch versions of C5 and came away impressed. It's definitely brighter than the C4, as LG has said, and it retains a lot of what made the C4 so great: punchy colours, precision detail and superb contrast. We look forward to putting it through its paces in our test room.
Philips' AI improvements sound very interesting, and if they can help the OLED810 improve on the OLED809, it should be a delight to the eyeballs.
The OLED809 prioritised wow over authenticity, but if you were willing to spend a bit of time tinkering with the settings, it also delivered a very natural picture. As we said in our review: "during bright scenes the levels of detail, colour accuracy and range the OLED809 offers match if not beat the best OLEDs we’ve tested at this price." Come on OLED810, don't let us down.
Philips OLED810 vs LG C5: sound
LG's TVs generally don't sound great. Neither do most TVs, but given their stunning picture quality, the disparity seems even worse on LG's sets.
The C5 in our demo was connected to a soundbar, giving no hint of the TV's audio quality. But the C4 was a big improvement on the C3, earning four stars for sound. Here's hoping LG can keep moving in the right direction.
The Philips OLED810 features an integrated 70W 2.1 sound system (though this is reduced to 50W for the 42-incher). A digital crossover controls the distribution to the two-way left and right speakers, plus a dedicated triple-ring, rear-facing bass driver – all supported by four passive radiators. It's a similar arrangement to its predecessor, which we described as "a capable performer".
We look forward to experiencing the OLED810's audio for ourselves.
Philips OLED810 vs LG C5: early verdict
The usual caveats apply: we haven't tested either model, so we're going purely from the spec sheets and first impressions at the moment.
Both TVs add extra brightness and a healthy dollop of AI to make them more appealing than last year's models. The other changes are mostly minimal, but given the calibre of these ranges, that's to be expected.
We'll update this once we've tested both TVs. Stay tuned!
MORE:
Philips unveils its 2025 Ambilight OLED TVs with substantial brightness upgrades and AI aplenty
LG G5 vs C5: what's new with these 2025 OLED TVs?
Check out the best TVs you can buy
