At this point, most folks know why an OLED TV is better than a standard LED-LCD TV — but figuring out which OLED TV to buy can be an issue.
Just look at LG’s OLED TV lineup: in 2022, there’s five different series of OLED TVs that you can pick from, each of which is different in some pretty key ways that you wouldn't know about by looking at them in a shop.
So how do you know which one is the best OLED TV for you? We’ve got you covered. We’ve been briefed on all the TVs and can highlight the differences between the series. We’ve even put a few of the series through Tom’s Guide’s test suite, and can tell you the difference in real-world performance as well.
Let’s start with the entry-point of the line up — the LG A2 OLED — and work our way up to the eye-wateringly expensive LG Z2 OLED.
LG A2 OLED: Entry-level 4K and the only 60Hz OLED
The reason the LG A2 OLED gets so much attention is because it’s the cheapest model in LG’s OLED TV lineup. With deals as low as $596 for a 48-inch version, you can see the appeal.
Here’s the good news: This is still a full-fledged OLED TV. It has excellent color saturation and black levels, thanks to the pixel-perfect contrast that only OLED is capable of. In terms of features, the A2 OLED uses the same WebOS 22 smart TV platform as the rest of the lineup and supports Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos. For the price, it’s rock-solid.
Where the A2 cuts a few corners compared to the other models in the lineup is that it only has a native 60Hz panel. That means you won’t be able to play games above 60 frames-per-second when you connect a PC or a console, and it won’t be able to deliver sports or fast-paced motion sequences with the same acuity that the B2 or C2 can.
If price is your top priority in a new TV, the A2 Series is the one to go for.
LG B2 OLED: 120Hz panel but a lower-end processor
As you’d expect given its position in the lineup and its name, the B2 Series bridges the gap between the A2 and the C2 OLED. It does this by upping the panel from a native 60Hz panel to a 120Hz panel like the C2 but keeps the same processor as the lower-end A2 OLED.
Where the B2 also pales in comparison to the C2 is that the B2 doesn’t use the new OLED evo panels that offer higher peak brightness. In our tests we saw that the LG B2 OLED topped out at around 600 nits with HDR content whereas the C2 OLED could hit upwards of 800 nits in the same 10% window.
Now, that’s not to say that the B2 is a slouch in performance — it was able to match the C2 OLED in input lag (12.7ms) and color saturation, two key performance aspects. Therefore, while it’s not the TV we’d recommend for serious movie enthusiasts, it’s probably the best OLED TV for the average TV watcher looking for better-than-average picture quality.
LG C2 OLED: The best model for most people
Ah, the LG C2 OLED, Tom’s Guide’s current best TV of 2022. It is, for 99% of us, the best OLED we can buy without splurging for luxury features that we probably don’t need.
What makes the C2 OLED such a strong contender for TV of the year is not only its 120Hz OLED evo panel that offers extra brightness, but its Alpha a9 Gen. 5 Processor that offers superior upscaling of non-4K material to fill the 4K screen.
The only fault, if you can even call it that, is that the C2 is a slight bit thicker than the immaculately thin LG G2 OLED that was designed to sit flush against a wall. The C2 OLED can still be mounted relatively easily and will sit nearly flush, but it isn’t quite designed for it the same way the G2 Series is.
LG G2 OLED: Everything PLUS a flush wall-mount
The G2 is just a slightly improved version of the C2. It’s a little slimmer, it gets slightly brighter despite using the same OLED evo panel and it comes with an ATSC 3.0 tuner that the LG C2 OLED does not. It also comes with a wall-mount and can’t sit on a stand.
For most folks, none of these aspects are going to be deal-breakers — and some might honestly dislike the fact that the G2 OLED has to be wall-mounted.
It’s obviously a gorgeous screen and offers exemplary performance, but we’re really only talking about a few percentage points more in brightness. If you have the deeper pockets for the LG G2 OLED, it’s worth the upgrade — but don’t feel like you’re missing out on much if you can only afford the LG C2 OLED this year.
LG Z2 OLED: the only 8K OLED in the lineup
The lesser-known OLED in the LG lineup is the Z-Series, the only 8K TV in the lineup and the most expensive by far. The Z-Series doesn’t get talked about a lot because of its price and availability — it’s not something you often see on the store shelf.
As you’d expect, the Z2 comes fully stocked with everything found in the C2 but with a few extra perks. Instead of the LG Alpha a9 Gen. 5 Processor, the Z2 uses the a9 Gen5 Processor 8K, which is built to upscale from sub-8K to 8K. It supports all the same standards that the C2 OLED supports (Dolby Vision/Dolby Atmos) but it’s only available in two sizes: 77 and 88 inches that will run you around $10,000 and $25,000, respectively.
You’d need some serious money to buy one, but if you want an OLED panel for deep blacks and incredible contrast but with an 8K resolution, you’re going to need the Z-Series.
