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Thinking of buying the new LG C6? This review covers everything you need to know, from its impressive peak HDR brightness and refined shadow detail to its full suite of gaming features and overall value.
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00:04The LG C6 OLED TV has a tough job to replace one of the most popular TVs around, the LG
00:12C5,
00:13so LG has brought out the big guns this year. It is equipped the C6 with the Alpha 11 Gen
00:183
00:18image processor which is the same flagship processor you get in the excellent LG G6 to
00:24bring a significant brightness boost and more refined picture quality overall, making this
00:30a solid upgrade over its predecessor. Colors are punchy yet more natural, shadow detail is more
00:36refined, sound quality is improved and it has an even higher refresh rate for gaming.
00:42There are some small issues around reflectivity plus some quirks in dark tone accuracy that can
00:48thankfully be fixed just for some easy setting tweaks, I'll take you through those later.
00:53But the overall package here is simply as good as TVs get at this price.
00:58The LG C6 is available from 42 inches to 65 inches. The 77 and 83 inch models are a kind
01:06of spin-off
01:06model officially called the C6H and they're separate because they use a new upgraded OLED panel,
01:13the same primary RGB Tandem 2.0 panel that is used in the LG G6. The rest of the C6
01:20lineup,
01:21including the 65 inch model we reviewed, still use a standard W OLED panel. So consider this to be a
01:27review of the smaller sizes only, we plan to review the C6H separately. The C6's price starts from
01:34$1399 or £1299 for the 42 inch, $1599 or £1399 for the 48 inch, $1999 in the UK it costs
01:45£1799
01:47and $2699 to £499 for the 65 inch. That's actually a price reduction compared to the launch price of the
01:55LG C5 in the UK, which we love to see and the prices stayed the same as last year in
02:01the US and Australia.
02:03So let's get into all the details about what makes the LG C6 so impressive
02:08and the settings we found that bring the best out of it.
02:14The LG C6 comes equipped with a new processor, the Alpha 11 AI Gen 3 processor. With this,
02:21the C6 supports an upgraded brightness booster feature, more refined upscaling and picture
02:27enhancements such as 13 bit colour processing, which in this case is 12 bit of pure colour processing
02:33plus 1 bit of brightness processing to decrease colour banding. It also supports 11.1.2 channel audio
02:40upmixing through its AI Sound Pro mode. Dolby Vision and Dolby Atmos are supported but once again
02:47there is no support for HDR10 plus or DTS and no plans to support Dolby Vision 2 on this TV
02:55in the
02:55future. For sound, the C6 comes with its usual 2.2 channel speaker array. In terms of sound profiles,
03:03LG has trimmed back options from 8 to 4 this year, opting for AI-powered sound modes over the
03:09traditional sound modes such as cinema or sports. The C6 is fully equipped for gaming with 4 HDMI 2.1
03:17ports that support 4K at 165Hz, which is a step up over the 4K 144Hz supported in the C5, plus
03:25full
03:25variable refresh rate compatibility including AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync, there's HDHDR, Dolby Vision
03:32gaming and auto-low latency mode. It comes with LG's Game Optimizer dashboard, where gaming settings can
03:39be instantly accessed and altered for optimum performance. The C6 uses WebOS 26 as its Smart TV
03:46platform, which is the latest version of LG's own Smart TV software. While there aren't as many new
03:51headline-grabbing features this time around, AI features such as the AI Search and AI Concierge have
03:57been refined, menus have been streamlined this year, including the rearranging and removal of some
04:03picture and sound modes, while some new Quick Card categories have been added to make it easy to
04:08access different apps and options. Let's start with the brightness measurements of the C6, because
04:17they're more impressive than we expected in Filmmaker mode. We measured 1438 nits of peak HDR brightness in a
04:2510% window in this mode, which is a sizable boost over last year's C5, which clocked in at 1180
04:33nits in the
04:33same test. The standard picture mode has received a milder boost, measuring at 1291 nits of peak HDR in a
04:4110% window, compared to the C5's 1191 nits. Full screen HDR brightness has also received a healthy boost,
04:50with the C6 hitting 245 nits in Filmmaker mode, which is up 25% from the C5, which registered 195
04:58nits
04:58in the same test. In standard mode, the C6 measured 232 nits compared to the C5's 200 nits, so again
05:06a
05:06milder change but still positive. In practice, these improvements not only add a level up in brightness
05:12where shows or movies ask for it, but also create a stronger range between dark and light tones in high
05:18contrast scenes. White tones in particular, such as scenes of snow or white clouds, and any scenes
05:24with high peak brightness with the sun as a central feature for example, get a really solid boost to
05:29make the C6's picture more impactful over last year's C5. The C6 does a great job with lower
05:37resolution and SDR sources as well. HD streaming benefits from upscale textures and refined contrast,
05:43with darker scenes in particular looking great. DVDs don't quite look like they've had the full 4k
05:49treatment, but textures are very neatly cleaned up and there's an injection of brightness to make
05:55the picture much more appealing overall. We tried out the Precision Master HDR Pro setting, which is
06:02aimed at upscaling SDR to HDR quality. While it did add more brightness and sharpened up textures at the same
06:08time, we found it to be too aggressive. It created harsh edges around people and objects, so we would
06:14recommend keeping that off. Color reproduction is superb on the LG C6, especially with Dolby Vision
06:20sources. Vibrant tones and things like animation come across as rich and punchy, with the extra brightness
06:26adding even more shine to the picture. Real world hues also appear more natural when compared to last
06:31year's C5 while still looking lush. Colours actually look a little less saturated in areas compared to
06:37the C5, and this is largely to the benefit of image accuracy. The C6 measured 99.7% coverage of
06:45the DCI-P3
06:46colour gamut used for HDR in filmmaker mode, which basically matches what flagship OLED TVs get.
06:52It also registered a colour accuracy Delta E score of 1.2 out of the box, which again is absolutely
06:58fantastic given there was no calibration involved, and means it is effectively impossible to tell it
07:04apart from perfect colour reproduction. Contrast is also excellent on C6. In high contrast scenes,
07:10bright highlights and near black areas all have their own nuance, creating a really strong sense
07:17of range with tons of depth. The C6's shadow detail is generally excellent, maintaining accuracy in the
07:23darkness while still being able to pick out all the subtle elements you should be able to see.
07:28That said, watching dark scenes in a pitch black room, we did notice black tones could look slightly
07:34raised in places. By changing a few simple settings though, we were able to fix this without any like
07:39super in-depth calibration or anything. We dropped the near black detail option to minus 1, we dropped
07:45adjust contrast from 100 to 95, and finally we dropped black level from 50 to 49. This didn't dim the
07:53picture
07:53much at all or anything negative like that, but clearly improved the black levels and contrast overall.
07:59When watching black and white movies, the C6 also delivers truer white tones than the LG C5,
08:05which had a slight green tint relative to the new model. The colour temperature here is truer.
08:10The C6 also delivers refined detail throughout whatever you're viewing, with crisp textures that
08:16look 3D like, but also natural and true to life. Motion handling can be excellent too, but we think
08:22you should tweak the settings for the best results. We found that in standard mode with the natural motion
08:28setting on, that's perfect for sports, and we used the cinematic movement motion setting for movies,
08:34including in filmmaker mode. This option has been our go-to for LG for the last couple of years.
08:39Without any processing on, there can be some judder noticeable in slow moving movie shots,
08:44but cinematic motion stops all the judder while staying completely natural looking.
08:49The potential pitfall of the LG C6 in some rooms is that its reflection handling is merely average,
08:56and there are strong mirror-like reflections when watching darker scenes in brightly lit rooms.
09:01While this is expected, we were so impressed by the step-up LG G6's anti-glare panel when we tested
09:08that,
09:09well, we know that LG's glossy OLEDs can crush reflections when given the tools.
09:14It's such a shame that the C6 doesn't receive the same treatment as the G6.
09:21The C6 has a built-in 2.2 channel speaker array that supports Dolby Atmos decoding,
09:27but like last year's LG C5, there is no support for DTS. LG has removed some of the traditional
09:34sound modes, such as cinema and sports, in favour of AI-powered sound modes, such as the returning
09:40AI Sound Pro and the new Precision Sound Master Pro. Using the AI Sound Pro mode for Dolby Atmos
09:47scenes, the C6 delivered great accuracy and detail, with a strong link between the action on screen and
09:53the sound. The AI Sound Pro profile focuses more on the mid-range this year, which we personally prefer.
09:59The changes also mean the bass feels more solid, and while it doesn't beat the likes of Sony and
10:04Panasonic's TVs for dynamic range, it was still meaty in places.
10:08Now, trying out the Precision Sound Master Pro setting, the soundstage did feel wider,
10:14and there was more overall volume to the sound, but it was personally too bright for our tastes.
10:20Still, despite the C6's solid sound in its best mode, you will want to hook up a soundbar or speakers
10:26if you want the sound quality to match the picture, because even at its best, it's still a relatively
10:33narrow soundstage with limited dynamic range. The LG C6's design feels broadly premium.
10:43It's far more lightweight than the hefty LG G6, but the silver metallic trim and bass makes the TV
10:49feel its value. The screen has a near bezel-less design with no real meaningful border, giving the
10:55picture the full real estate of the front. The rear panel has a nice marbled look like last year that
11:02adds a really nice design touch, and the ports of the TV are easily accessible on the rear side panel,
11:08with all four HDMI ports in plain view there.
11:14The LG C6 uses WebOS 26 as its Smart TV platform, and it's still one of the best options on
11:21the market.
11:21The quick menu continues to be one of the most useful tools for adjusting common settings such as picture
11:27mode with no fuss or hassle. You just hit a button and it pops up at the side of the
11:31screen with instant
11:32access to the most used settings without totally interrupting what you're watching. The quick cards
11:37feature within the WebOS home screen gives you instant access to collections of apps and tools that
11:43cover certain themes such as sports and gaming. LG has streamlined some of the settings menus,
11:49moving options such as network and energy saving higher up in their respective categories for easier
11:54access. Couple this with the new faster alpha 11 processor and navigation just feels easier overall.
12:00There's better visibility with snappier performance. AI features such as AI Concierge are more refined
12:07this year with better recommendations coming from them. And there are new AI features such as the
12:12generative AI tools that can be used to plan activities or even create images. WebOS 26 does
12:18still have large banner ads at the top of the screen that take up just over a third of the
12:23home page at
12:23first look. And we also noted that whenever the C6 went into screensaver mode, it wouldn't take long before
12:28sponsored ads started appearing there as well. Still these are the only negatives we really had with what
12:34has consistently been one of the top smart TV platforms. And these things are increasingly common
12:40across all TV platforms sadly.
12:45The C6 continues the LG C series lineage of best in class gaming performance and features. It supports 4k at
12:55165hz, variable refresh rate over HDMI spec, FreeSync and G-Sync, auto low latency mode and Dolby Vision
13:03Gaming across all 4 of its HDMI 2.1 ports. Activating its boost mode in the game optimizer menu to
13:10reduce input lag
13:11yields a measured latency of 9.2ms at 60hz and 4.6ms at 120hz, which is basically as good as
13:21TVs get.
13:22In games performance not only feels incredibly smooth but looks excellent as well. There's not
13:27much extra to specifically note here, it just delivers everywhere it needs to for gaming.
13:35The LG C6 is great value for the performance and features it delivers. It carries across all the
13:43elements that made the LG C5 one of last year's best TVs, but it offers higher brightness, more refined
13:49contrast and colour and has an upgraded processor for snappier performance. However, if you are
13:55looking to buy at the time we are publishing this, right at the start of 2026, the LG C5 is
14:01better bang
14:02for your buck. You can find a 65 inch C5 for nearly half the price of the C6's price at
14:08launch. And even
14:09though we think the C6 is a clear step up over the last model, that kind of saving is really
14:14hard to argue
14:15with. In the UK we'd also recommend the Philips OLED 910 as an especially strong competitor to the C6.
14:22It's available now and it has a flagship level primary RGB tandem OLED panel, plus a best-in-class
14:30Bows & Wilkins built-in speaker array and is available for less than the LG C6 at launch.
14:36But that has limited HDMI 2.1 ports, so it won't be the first choice for gamers.
14:40As the LG C6's prices drop over the rest of the year, it will become fantastic value for money though.
14:48As far as new 2026 release TVs go, we don't expect much to match this on the combination of features
14:55and image quality for the price. So, that is our run-through of the LG C6 OLED TV.
15:02If you have any questions about it, please ask them in the comments below.