Here's why the smallest LG C4 is the OLED TV I'm keeping an eye on this Black Friday

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Small size, big performance, perfect gaming features, already selling with a huge discount. What’s not to love?

42-inch LG C4 homescreen
(Image credit: What Hi-Fi?)

If you’re on the hunt for a 42-inch OLED TV that doesn’t sacrifice picture quality, this Black Friday deals season, I have some simple advice – go for the LG C4.

Why? There are two reasons. First, because it’s already selling with huge, atypically early discount. Jump over to Peter Tyson and you can grab a 42-inch LG C4 for £899, a £500 saving on its launch price.

LG OLED42C4 was £1399, now £899 at Peter Tyson (save £500)

LG OLED42C4 was £1399, now £899 at Peter Tyson (save £500)

The 42-inch LG C4 is the best small OLED TV to arrive this year, and an absolute steal at this price.

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That’s the second best price we’ve ever seen it sell for, with it very briefly dropping to £869 during Prime Day. The price also matches the best price we saw the 42-inch LG C3 sell for during Black Friday 2023, so we’re confident the LG C4 won’t go significantly lower this deals season.

The second reason I recommend the TV is pretty simple – it’s the best 42-inch OLED TV money can buy based on the What Hi-Fi? team’s testing. As one of the reviewers that helped test the TV earlier this year in our controlled viewing rooms I can safely confirm it’s an amazing set that retains nearly all the benefits of its larger C4 siblings.

Powering the TV up regardless of whether it was a moody dark scene from The Batman, a bright desert battle in Dune: Part 2 or fast paced fight scene in John Wick: Chapter 4 the 42-inch LG C4 delivered a dynamic, but accurate picture with stellar motion handling.

You also get the same connectivity, with it featuring four full fat HDMI 2.1 ports, one of which doubles as its eARC. This is great for gamers who want to connect and run multiple current generation consoles and a Dolby Atmos sound system at once without cable swapping. The PS5 and Xbox Series X/S both require HDMI 2.1 connections to run in 4K over 60Hz.

Which is why the 42-inch LG C4 not only secured a perfect five-star rating, it also won the What Hi-Fi? Awards 2024 best 40-43-inch TV and best gaming TV categories. Our 42-inch LG C4 review’s conclusion says as much:

“The 42-inch LG C4 is the best small OLED TV money can buy right now. Though its audio isn't the best, it delivers a wonderfully punchy, immersive viewing experience despite its small form factor, with noticeably higher peak brightness than its older rivals.”

If the 42-inch LG C4 doesn't tick all your boxes make sure to keep tabs on our best OLED TV deals guide, where our experts list the best discounts they've spotted on sets we've tested and recommend.

MORE:

These are the best OLED TVs we’ve reviewed

We rate the best small TVs

Our picks of the best Dolby Atmos soundbars

Alastair Stevenson
Alastair Stevenson
Editor in Chief

Alastair is What Hi-Fi?’s editor in chief. He has well over a decade’s experience as a journalist working in both B2C and B2B press. During this time he’s covered everything from the launch of the first Amazon Echo to government cyber security policy. Prior to joining What Hi-Fi? he served as Trusted Reviews’ editor-in-chief. Outside of tech, he has a Masters from King’s College London in Ethics and the Philosophy of Religion, is an enthusiastic, but untalented, guitar player and runs a webcomic in his spare time.