LG's 42-inch C-series OLED TVs are practically our go-to recommendation for gamers, with each yearly update thrashing the admittedly scarce competition. While Philips, Sony, and Panasonic all have 42-inch OLED TVs in their respective ranges, none of those brands can hold a candle to LG's spectacular gaming specifications, and the C3 proved to be no exception when we reviewed it last year.
The only issue is that, at launch, these TVs tend to be fairly pricey; however, good things come to those who wait, as evidenced by this absolutely killer deal on the LG OLED42C3. We reviewed it at £1499, however Curry's has it down to just £700 – that's better than half price, or £799 off the asking price to be exact.
This is the lowest price we've ever seen this TV drop to, with the previous record being £749 according to our logs. While there is a 42-inch C4 on the market now (expect a review of that TV soon), it appears to be a very similar TV to the C3 on paper, and it's much more expensive at £1199 – so, we'd recommend saving your cash and pairing it with a Sonos Beam (Gen 2) and a PlayStation 5 or Xbox Series X (depending on your console allegiance) for an epic gaming setup.
While it may not be the latest model on the market, the 42-inch C3 still holds first place on our best 43-inch, 42-inch and 40-inch TVs list. We awarded it five stars and two What Hi-Fi? Awards and that was at its launch price, but now that it has dropped to well under half price, it is an absolute no-brainer for gamers or those working with limited space for their TV setup.
Connectivity options are one of the C3’s biggest strengths, this model of TV features four HDMI 2.1 sockets rated to the full bandwidth of 48Gbps. One socket supports eARC/ARC while all four sockets can handle 4K/120Hz, VRR, and ALLM signals output by the PS5 and Xbox Series X. There are many models of TV that can handle these gaming features, however, most only do so via two sockets, rather than all four available.
The LG C3 features 4K HDR, Dolby Atmos, and Dolby Vision capabilities, to name a few, making it a great choice for anyone looking to enjoy their favourite movies or games at a high quality.
The C3, like other LG TVs available, offers Dolby Vision gaming right up to 4K/120Hz. There’s also an HGiG mode that makes it easier to achieve a better HDR tone mapping experience in modern games.
This model also has a new and improved processor over the former C2 – the Alpha 9 Gen 6. Some of the key improvements made from the older chip include AI Upscaling Pro, which is designed to reduce noise in upscaled sub-4K content without sacrificing any intentional film grain.
It also adds OLED Dynamic Tone Mapping Pro, which independently optimises the HDR delivery of 20,000 individual zones in each image (up from 5000 zones).
As a final set of perks, the new chipset adds Object Enhancer, which sharpens elements in the foreground for extra image depth, and HDR Expression Enhancer, which applies specific tone mapping to those foreground elements for extra three-dimensionality.
MORE:
Read our LG C3 (OLED42C3) review
LG C4 vs C3: which LG OLED TV should you buy?
I love QD-OLED and MLA, but ‘standard’ OLED TVs still have a lot to offer