LG CX OLED TV review (2020): Clearly the best
"If you have the means, buy this television."
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Excellent picture quality
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Solid HDR performance
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Attractive design
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Four HDMI 2.1 inputs
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Next generation gaming compatible
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Limited burn-in potential
LG's 2019 C9 OLED TV was an incredibly compelling TV. It still is. During this test, it was hard to imagine that I could say more about its successor, the CX. Should I just copy and paste the C9 test here and call him for a day? Of course not. Not only would that be lazy, there are a few differences worth talking about. Plus, the dwindling supplies of the vaunted C9 will run out every day.
I didn't want this review to become a debate about whether or not you should consider buying a C9 OLED versus a CX. But this very discussion continues online in YouTube comment sections and various TV forums, so I'll get into that now. If you can find a C9, that's fine. It needs a firmware update to fix some issues with advanced games, but it has a set of 48Gbps HDMI 2.1 ports and is a bit cheaper. Ultimately, those TVs will be gone, and the CX is a more advanced TV in some ways anyway.
I think the biggest question is whether the CX OLED is the best 2020 TV you can buy. Let's see if we can answer that.
LG CX OLED TV details
While we tested the 65-inch model OLED65CX, our test also applies to the 48-inch, 55-inch, and 77-inch models.
| Screen size | Model no | RRP |
| 48 inches | 48CXPUB | $ 1500 |
| 55 inches | 55CXPUA | $ 1647 |
| 77 inches | 77CXPUA | $ 3697 |
Out of the box
The LG CX OLED TV looks just like the C9, which means it's amazingly thin and sleek.
The CX's brushed metal stand flips off the bottom of the TV to provide a stable base for the stand to place while at the same time acting as an audio amplifier, directing sound from the CX's downward-facing speakers to the listener.
The stand is extremely heavy and a bit of a chore to install, as I bring out in this unboxing and setup video, but it's totally solid, highly functional, and good looking too, so I'll give LG a pass on what was a relatively minor setup -Frustration.
Dan Baker / Digital Trends
Dan Baker / Digital Trends
Dan Baker / Digital Trends
Dan Baker / Digital Trends
The package with the two-piece metal stand and the associated screws contains several package inserts from the product literature, a plastic cover for cable management and a composite video / audio breakout cable for connecting the Nintendo Wii, which you have taken from storage in the age of COVID have a pair of batteries and an LG Magic Motion remote control. Let's talk about this remote control.
I loved the Magic Motion remote control. I used to enjoy playing Nintendo Wii too, but as some relationships get older, the passion fades and I'm now ready for LG to come up with a more modern remote control. I used to find it fun and helpful to use Wii-style hand gestures, especially when entering numerous usernames and passwords on streaming apps. Now I just find the cursor constantly appearing annoying. But maybe I'm just a salty television critic.
Now a quick word about setup.
Picture settings
The good news is that the LG CX OLED has a lot of great picture setting presets. The bad news is that you have a lot of work to do to get the best setting for each HDMI input and streaming apps.
The process begins with the initial setup of the TV. LG's WebOS will guide you through a setup wizard. During this process I would suggest enabling the image and sound options related to A.I. to refuse. You can always play around with it later after you get some good basic setup.
Of the many presets for picture adjustment, I prefer ISF Expert Bright Room. If you're buying the CX OLED for a dedicated home theater area that's constantly dark, consider the ISF Expert Dark Room option, but be sure to switch between the two options to see which one you prefer.
Dan Baker / Digital Trends
It will take some time to apply this image setting everywhere it is needed. I suggest playing a YouTube video without HDR so that ISF Bright Room will be applied to SDR content played by apps. Then start an HDR video in YouTube to select the desired HDR mode. HDR Cinema is the best choice for the most accurate picture quality.
The next step is to load a Dolby Vision title and follow the instructions above.
It's worth checking that Trumotion is either disabled or set to user preference with both sliders reduced to zero. This will help avoid the soap opera effect.
At this point, all HDMI inputs must receive the same treatment. Start with SDR content (cable, DVD, standard Blu-ray disc, or home screen on a game console) and select the picture mode you choose. Do the same with HDR and Dolby Vision content, if applicable. This process must be repeated for each HDMI input used.
Under the hood
What makes LG OLEDs look different from the competition (all of which use LG's OLED panels) is their build quality. In this case, LG is up to their Alpha 9 Gen 3 processor and that processor is very, very good. Sony is LG's only real rival right now when it comes to workmanship. Vizio is now offering an OLED in the US and has promised first-class workmanship – we'll see how that turns out soon.
This television has been optimized for games.
The most notable (and controversial among enthusiasts) LG CX OLED feature is the integration of four HDMI 2.1 ports. LG's OLEDs had these connectors in last year's TVs too, but these allowed for 48Gbps of bandwidth, while the new CX beats 40Gbps.
Is this limited bandwidth a big deal? Not for the vast majority of users. However, some hardcore PC gamers may occasionally find it limiting when trying to get the most out of their new Nvidia RTX 30XX Ampere game cards.
Dan Baker / Digital Trends
That brings me to my next point: This TV was optimized for games in a partnership between LG and Nvidia. I remember meeting representatives from Nvidia when I flew to LA last year to check out LG's 8K OLED. At the time, my reaction to news of the partnership was lukewarm. But today, with the launch of Nvidia's revolutionary new graphics cards and the imminent launch of the next-generation Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5 game consoles, I think that partnership and the resulting evolution of the TV into a competitive game display was a breeze from Genius.
But does it work?
Play
The start of the RTX-30xx Ampere graphics card from Nvidia was anything but smooth. The tickets were sold out in record time. Those who received them (including test outlets like Digital Trends) have been excited to see how they work with LG's HDMI 2.1 enabled TVs. This experience was not without problems either.
Users reported that images go black when trying to get the graphics cards to 4K at 120 Hz with features enabled like HDR or 4: 4: 4 chroma. They also had a flicker when the signal dropped to low frame rates. Indeed, this appeared to be an issue LG had to deal with as it was quickly announced that a firmware update would be on the way to fix the problem. It's not clear how much Nvidia is involved other than to say that the two outfits have been in constant communication for the past year or so up to this point.
Dan Baker / Digital Trends
Regardless of this, the firmware update is now available and we were able to implement it and test the CX-OLED with the existing corrections.
In short, the gaming experience is wonderful. 4K 120Hz in HDR at full RGB color was buttery smooth … that is, if the RTX-3080 could meet the demands of the game. All of the problems we encountered were right on our gaming PC.
Another good news is that the CX did a great job upscaling 1080p and 1440p content up to 4K in real-time gameplay. This means that those with fewer Hot Rod PCs can lower the resolution, keep the frame rate high, and still have a great experience.
Aside from the fact that there was no screen crack or image stuttering, the HDR renders of the games we played (mostly Forza Horizon 4 and Assasin's Creed Odyssey) looked excellent, with intensely sparkling highlights and vivid colors.
My only complaint is that some extremely dark scenes made it difficult to see in the shadows. This won't be a huge problem for most gamers, but competitive gamers can find darker games problematic as it can be difficult to see your enemy lurking in the shadows.
I have to thank LG for ensuring that their firmware fix was implemented quickly and that the CX OLED series offers good gaming performance overall. I am very impressed.
picture quality
LG's OLEDs still offer the best picture quality you can buy. Sony's A8H offers stiff competition, and I expect Vizio's OLED will get LG a run for its money as well, but at the end of the day the difference between these TVs will be small and only visible if several Televisions are displayed side by side page.
That said, you could never walk into a room, look at the LG CX OLED, leave the room, come back five minutes later, look at the Sony or Vizio OLED and expect a notable difference.
The Sony A8H tends to be more conservative when it comes to reproducing bright HDR highlights. So if you look at a sky full of clouds, the Sony OLED will see more detail in the clouds, while the LG CX OLED will have more punchy bright highlights.
You may also see more shadow detail with the Sony A8H OLED than with the LG, but only marginally. There is still a bit of black crushing with the LG CX OLED, which, as mentioned, could affect a small group of gamers who rely heavily on shadow detail in certain games.
In terms of color, again, LG's CX OLED is among the best available in terms of saturation and accuracy. Almost not worth it to have this TV calibrated by a professional because the out-of-box experience in cinema mode is so superb.
Me, every time I look at LG OLED TVs, "Damn it, that looks good."
The LG also handles it very well when moving. I prefer a bit of blurring to a touch of soap opera, so I'll leave out all of the movement-handling settings. Sensitive viewers, however, can set the blur setting to about two and get a smoother time-lapse motion without significant motion artifacts.
With an image bright enough to handle all but the brightest room conditions, superb black levels, superb colors, great movement, and sparkling HDR highlights, the LG CX OLED has it all.
Me, every time I see LG's OLED TV, "Damn it, that looks good."
Our opinion
The LG CX OLED is the whole package. Not only does it offer great picture quality in an attractive package, but it also offers a fantastic gaming experience and more HDMI 2.1 connections than any other competitor on the market. It's a very future-oriented TV with Nvidia G-Sync and AMD FreeSync for gaming and support for any HDR format you want.
I'd love to see LG's WebOS smart TV platform get a makeover and the TV could sound a little better, but these are minor issues compared to the CX's otherwise impressive stature in the competitive TV landscape.
Is there a better alternative?
No. Among the OLED televisions, the LG CX is currently my first choice. The A8H from Sony offers a somewhat more refined, cinematic image, but it can only be easily recognized in a visual head-to-head comparison. Also, as I said, the strength of the CX is to be admired. The Vizio OLED hasn't made it to my test bench yet and could offer stiff competition, but I doubt it can knock LG off the field this year.
If you need a scorching bright TV, I recommend the Hisense H9G, the Quantum X of the P-series from Vizio and the Samsung Q90T as alternatives.
How long it will take?
The CX-OLED should last longer than you need. With HDMI 2.1 on board, it should continue to process demanding game parameters and offer a first-class picture quality experience for almost every source of content.
warranty
LG provides a one-year limited parts and labor warranty if purchased from an authorized dealer. This guarantee does not apply to image storage, also known as burn-in.
Should you buy it?
Yes. When you have the resources, buy this television. The only exception would be for people who watch the same channel all day every day or for people who play certain games for hours and hours every day for months. These conditions can lead to burn-in. An OLED television is not suitable for those with such viewing and gaming practices.
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