LG’s CX OLED 4K TV offers all the visual prowess of LG’s 2020 flagship GX OLED 4K TV, but with some internal audio features removed to make the model more affordable to consumers.
The CX, in fact, looks almost exactly like the previous two generations of C-series OLED 4K TV panels, with an OLED panel that is incredibly slender when viewed from the side, with the main electronics, power regulation, speakers and connectivity ports located in a thicker band around the bottom half of the back of the set. One of the only changes we’ve noticed this year is that LG has again changed the design of the stand for the CX, and this time it’s a new two-piece base unit that took a little finesse to assemble onto the TV, with the second piece acting as a curved reflector to channel sound from the TV’s downward-firing speakers forward.
The big differentiator between the CX and GX models is in audio performance, with the GX gaining a 60W 4.2 channel speaker system while the CX has a 40W 2.2 channel system. While this is good enough for your everyday programmings like news programs and variety shows, there’s no bass punch, so the critical rocket launch on the first episode of Space Force on Netflix didn’t sound exceptional. Most people will, of course, have their own soundbars or home entertainment system, and for 2020 LG has added another audio tweak, with all its OLED TV models capable of dual-channel Bluetooth, so can simultaneously connect to two external LG BT speakers to form a 4.2 channel surround sound system.
Delivering a supreme OLED viewing experience is the main forte of LG’s OLED panels, and in this, the CX OLED 4K TV doesn’t disappoint. LG’s third-generation Alpha 9 processor powers all of the brand’s 2020 OLED 4K TV panels, and we find it excellent at upscaling your everyday HD TV programs to 4K with no noticeable pixelation, especially when enhancing human faces, while the ambient light sensor ensures that pictures have excellent contrast even in a bright room. Streaming Full-HD and 4K content is excellent, with Dolby Vision IQ automatically adjusting to match the content genre, say from watching an animated cartoon or a sports event, while Filmmaker mode will adjust the screen to create an authentic motion picture experience, including disabling artificial smoothing or post-processing so that the movie you see on the CX is what the producers and directors of that specific movie intended it to be seen.
With next-generation 4K gaming consoles on their way, one of the new features of the CX is in gaming performance, with the panels now equipped with HDMI 2.1 support for compatibility, while NVIDIA G-Sync compatibility means that you can actually sync the TV to you gaming PC and use it as a gaming monitor without worrying about stutter or tear, while 1ms response time matches dedicated gaming monitors.
We also really like how refined the LG Magic Remote system and on-screen WebOS navigation has become over the years, and on the CX, initial set-up is fast, though now a little laborious if you want to activate your Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Apple TV+, Disney+, meWatch (Mediacorp), Viu, YouTube, Spotify and other accounts, not to mention the local free-to-air digital TV channels. LG now has about 500 TV Apps available, including Arirang TV, Twitch, UFC TV, and WWE.
We say:
The LG OLED CX doesn’t just show a great 4K image experience, it has massive connectivity with a host of WebOS apps, ties into your Google Home or Apple Airplay and lets you PC game with NVIDIA G-Sync.
4.5 stars
S$4,099 (55-inch)
www.lg.com/sg
First published in NXT Magazine July 2020, which can be downloaded at https://www.magzter.com/SG/Kingsman-Media-Pte-Ltd/NXT-/Lifestyle/
