The 42-inch LG C3 OLED TV just hit its lowest-ever price – but you still shouldn’t buy it

OLED TV: LG OLED42C3
(Image credit: What Hi-Fi? / Netflix, Animal)

Every year, as Amazon Prime Day approaches, avid movie lovers and gamers looking for a new TV start eyeing up prices of the latest C-series OLED from LG. They do so for very good reason: LG's OLEDs are the most feature-packed out there, and its C-series models are usually the perfect intersection of performance, features and price.

The 42-inch model tends to be particularly popular, partly because 42 inches is still considered by many people to be the perfect size for a living room TV, and partly because it's a great size for gamers who are looking to take advantage of LG's legendary gaming specs.

All of which is to say there's a huge amount of excitement around the 42-inch LG C3, which has just hit its lowest-ever price of £1299 at Sevenoaks. That's a saving of £200 against its original price of £1499.

Sounds great, doesn't it? But there's a catch. Its predecessor, the 42-inch LG C2, is almost as good and it's much, much cheaper – just £999 at Amazon.

And if you've got a bit more space, this is an even better deal: the 48-inch LG C2 is just £879 at Hughes Electrical. You'll need to be quick for that one, though, as there are apparently just three examples left.

LG OLED42C3 2023 OLED TV £1499 £1299 at Sevenoaks (save £200)

LG OLED42C3 2023 OLED TV £1499 £1299 at Sevenoaks (save £200)
The C3 isn't much of an upgrade on the C2 it replaces but it's priced much higher, even with this discount. Still, if you must have the latest model, this is the deal for you.

LG OLED42C2 2022 OLED TV £1399 £999 at Amazon (save £400)

LG OLED42C2 2022 OLED TV £1399 £999 at Amazon (save £400)
LG's first 42-inch OLED TV is still available (for now), is almost as good as the newer C3, and is much, much cheaper thanks to some heavy discounting. Get it while you still can.

LG OLED48C2 2022 OLED TV £1399 £879 at Hughes (save £520)

LG OLED48C2 2022 OLED TV £1399 £879 at Hughes (save £520)
If you can go a bit bigger than 42 inches, this 48-inch version of the C2 is even cheaper. It's got the same great specs and performance, plus a more stylish stand.

Just how good are the LG C2 and C3? The 65-inch C2 won our coveted Best TV Award last year. And it wasn't a one-off – the 42-inch version also won the Best TV in its size category as well as Best Gaming TV gongs. Impressive.

The 65-inch and 42-inch versions of the new C3 are just as good – a little bit better even – but the upgrade is fairly slight, essentially involving more advanced processing that improves the punch of the picture, and a refined operating system that makes the user experience more intuitive and responsive.

Whether you go for the C2 or C3, all four HDMI ports are certified 2.1 with a 48Gbps data rate. Each input supports the 4K 120HzALLM and VRR found on the latest premium PC graphics cards, the PS5 and the Xbox Series X. So you won't have to faff around making sure your console is plugged into the 'correct' HDMI port. HGiG also comes as standard and, uniquely, Dolby Vision gaming is supported right up to 4K/120Hz.

Neither the old or new C-series TVs sound particularly good, so make sure you budget for a soundbar if you can. Amazon Prime Day is a great time to buy one, as you'll see on our soundbar deals page.

MORE:

Here's our full LG C3 vs C2 comparison

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Tom Parsons

Tom Parsons has been writing about TV, AV and hi-fi products (not to mention plenty of other 'gadgets' and even cars) for over 15 years. He began his career as What Hi-Fi?'s Staff Writer and is now the TV and AV Editor. In between, he worked as Reviews Editor and then Deputy Editor at Stuff, and over the years has had his work featured in publications such as T3, The Telegraph and Louder. He's also appeared on BBC News, BBC World Service, BBC Radio 4 and Sky Swipe. In his spare time Tom is a runner and gamer.