LG C1 Series 65-Inch Class OLED Smart TV OLED65C1PUB, 2021 - 4K TV, Alexa Built-in

The LG C1 is a fantastic premium television that provides a wonderful picture, with deep, rich, precise colors and incredible gaming features. Honestly, you can look at any number of reviews for it online and they'll all largely say the same thing. I don't want to go down that well-travelled road.My review will instead focus on the EVO panel lottery, which is going on behind the scenes at LG's assembly plants. What this means is that some C1s will have the new EVO panels, which are supposed to be brighter and last longer. In all actuality, you might not really notice it, especially since LG closed the loophole to "change" the C1 into an G1 via the service menu, meaning that the much ballyhooed "hack" is no longer viable.So here are the facts:1. LG C1s are being manufactured with WBC and WBE (EVO) panels. There's no way around it.2. Just because you got a WBC panel does not mean your panel is bad, but it theoretically means it will not last as long as the WBE, which has more durability and can be driven harder by the SOC, which really is a moot point, since the C1 firmware loophole was closed. So that just leaves durability.3. Given how "all over the place" brightness can be from panel to panel when it comes to the C1 series, you might actually get a WBC panel that is "brighter" than a WBE panel. It's called the panel lottery for a reason, and I've even seen CXs that are brighter than C1s and G1 (the latter of which has the EVO panel advertised).4. Just because you have a recently manufactured LG C1 doesn't mean you have an EVO panel, so please ignore people on the internet telling you otherwise. They are wrong, wrong, wrong. There's a way you can tell if a unit has an EVO panel, and it involves looking at the box, or going into the service menu, which I don't recommend. I'm intentionally not going into detail, because the whole situation is just a bit ridiculous.5. Please do not lose your mind and start returning and exchanging units in hopes of getting a WBE panel. It's silly and pointless, and you might wind up with panels that are inferior to the one you initially received.If you want a guaranteed EVO panel that will run brighter, then buy a G1 or wait for the C2...it's that simple. Do I think it's worth it? No, I don't. But you do you.If you're concerned about panel durability, therefore making the search for WBE worth it...my advice is to just buy an extended warranty.The goal is to enjoy a new TV, not run around like a madman inspecting boxes and being annoying to Amazon employees.

I previously ordered a 55” version of the previous model, the LG OLED55CXPUA, and was incredibly satisfied. Shortly after purchasing that, the TV in my living room died and I was forced to look for a larger display to replace the 70” Samsung that had been there for a few years. I ultimately settled between the LG OLED65CXPUA and the LG OLED65C1PUB as I had enjoyed great picture quality, response times, and smart functionality with the 55” model of the CX, and the CX 65 was significantly cheaper than the 65 C1. I ultimately opted for the C1 and I’m very happy that I did.Starting with the picture, the C1 seems to manage a much higher brightness, which is great for helping offset some of the reflections from the windows in my living room. Reflection handling in general is better; I don’t know if the coating changed or not, but even off the display seems to do a better job at handling lighting. As a result, you can enjoy similar longevity at a higher brightness, or you can dial the brightness back, still enjoy great contrast, and prolong the life of the display.Moving on to smart functionality, I originally intended on using an Xbox to handle streaming services, but LG’s baked-in apps do a pretty solid job on their own. I mainly stick to Hulu, Spotify, and YouTube, so your mileage may vary if you use other apps, but they have been solid and performed well, so well in fact that the ever-so-slightly slower CX 55 I now have in the office seems much slower than it actually is. My favorite functionality has been the ability to mirror my PC and Apple devices to the display wirelessly; being able to throw a stream, website, or photos up quickly has been something I previously had to use my Xbox to accomplish and is now much more simple.My one complaint is that the remote changed between previous generations and this one, and not for the better. It is a glossy plastic almost all the way around, except for the button housing, and collects fingerprints and subtle surface scratches immediately. I use a universal remote, so mine has not been used much, yet it is still perpetually dirty and has somehow acquired in the limited use that it has seen.As for gaming, this TV SLAPS. The high refresh rate (for a TV), coupled with ultra-low response times and high resolution make this one of the best, if not the best, gaming display I’ve ever used. I wouldn’t (and don’t) use this for PC gaming, instead relying on an Xbox Series X, and it is the perfect pairing for it.Overall this TV is rather expensive for its size, but it is 100% worth it. If the next generation comes and has LG’s 2nd Gen OLED panel, I would opt for that, but until that panel makes its way to the C-series, this is THE 65” TV to buy.

Great OLED picture. Once you get the hang of the LG smart TV operating system, it has tons of features. The picture is bright enough that I can watch during daylight hours despite having a wall of windows in my viewing room. Because of the high gloss screen, reflections can be an issue on dark scenes.