Now is the worst time to buy an LG C5 OLED — here's why

Earlier today, LG announced the pricing of the new LG C5 and G5 OLED TVs — and their prices are…well, a lot.

The more affordable of the two, the LG C5 OLED, starts at $1,499 for a measly 42-inch screen and reaches upwards of $3,000 if you want a 65-inch TV.

The LG G5 OLED starts at $2,499 for a 55-inch screen size while the 65-inch and 77-inch models will run you $3,399 and $4,499, respectively.

Undoubtedly, these are going to be some of the best OLED TVs of the year, but that doesn’t make this steep sticker price sting any less.

So, that begs the question: how can you save some money on the C5 OLEd? When is the best time to buy an OLED TV if you want to get it for cheap?

The best time to buy an older OLED TV

The best time to buy an older OLED TV is right now.

The LG C5 OLED is just hitting store shelves now, but that means both physical and digital retailers need to make room on their shelves and in their warehouses by clearing out old stock. It makes sense, then, that the 65-inch LG C4 OLED, last year’s model, is down to $1,496 on Amazon, its second-lowest price according to CamelCamelCamel.

Buying last year’s models as soon or shortly after the latest models drop is a great way to save money, though, the obvious downside here is that you’re buying a TV that’s a year old.

For most, that’s not a deal-breaker, but if you like to be on the cutting-edge of technology the best window for buying a new OLED TV is slightly different.

The best time for buying a new OLED TV

Any TV reviewer worth their salt will tell you the best time to buy a TV is during Black Friday or Cyber Monday in November. And that’s true. But there’s a small time frame around July and August that you’ll first see a significant decrease in price.

Look closely at that chart above — see that drop in between July and August? That’s when the LG C4 went from $2,300 to $1,800. Three months before that it was listed for $2,800.

If you do the math there, waiting just four months from the TV’s release date in April to the middle of July will save you about $1,000 on the latest OLED TV from LG.

What makes the summertime so special for TV sales? It's a confluence of a few factors.

TVs have been sitting on store shelves for a few months by then, so the early adopters have come and gone by then. That's also about the time we see Amazon's Prime Day event that goads lots of manufacturers into lowering prices.

Although I'm only showing you the data from 2024, it's been exactly the same for the last five years. This year won't be any different.

The silver lining to buying early? Free installation

As mentioned, you're going to overpay by around $1,000 if you decide to be an early adopter of the LG C5 OLED instead of waiting four more months.

There is one upside, however: You can get free wall-mounting and installation of any 2025 LG OLED TV by buying it directly from LG's website. It's not $1,000 of extra value, but it's a nice little bonus for folks who were already in the market for the latest and greatest display technology.

Alongside the free installation service, LG is also offering up to $200 off some select LG soundbars. This is going to be slightly less appealing as some of those soundbars will add a couple hundred dollars to the final total after the discount, but again it's a small perk for anyone looking to upgrade their sound system.

So why don't these 'perks' make now a good time to buy? Unfortunately, the amount you save on installation fees won't surpass the $1,000 in savings you'll get by just waiting a few months.

Places like Best Buy often charge $250 for wall-mounting services. So even if you needed that, you're better off saving big on the TV and splurging on the setup sometime in July.

Last reason: Reviews will be here before you know it

The last reason is slightly self-serving, but I recommend waiting for reviews before buying a new TV. Yes, I'm sure the LG C5 OLED is going to be just as good as its predecessor, but waiting for reviews to come out gives you time to shop around and make the best possible decision.

Our tests are more in-depth than most — which is why you're unlikely to see one the minute the LG C5 OLED becomes available on Best Buy and Amazon — but that extra time allows us to actually live with the TV the same way you will when you buy it.

Not only will reviews give you in-depth information on the TV you're thinking about buying, but it will also give you information about the competition, too.

For the LG C5 OLED, the biggest competition is the Samsung S95F OLED that's also shaping up to be one of the best TVs in the world in 2025.

Samsung has yet to unveil the official prices of the S95F, but the S95 series is almost always the same price as LG's C-Series OLED TVs. Holding off for a few months will give you the chance to see how the competition shakes out between these two top TVs.

In the meantime, do some research on the award-winning LG C4 OLED. Whether you decide to buy that at its penultimate sale price is your decision to make, but the extra research will go a long way in deciding whether the C5 will be right for you.

We'll have reviews as soon as we can, so stop back soon to see how the LG C5 OLED shapes up and whether it can claim the crown as the best TV of 2025.