There was a lot to test, measure and consider when reviewing the 42C2 OLED and the main question we were trying to answer here is whether this makes a good desktop monitor or not? Short summary, yes, we think it does – with some caveats.
The main issue we had with the older CX and C1 generations was the size of the models available. Even the smallest 48″ models were just too large for a desk in my opinion. It’s just too big, cumbersome, difficult, and sometimes painful to use something that big on your desk as a monitor. The text size also wasn’t great as 4K on a 48″ screen is a fairly low pixel density. LG’s new 42″ size is definitely a much better option, and having used the screen for many hours over the last couple of weeks we have found it usable and comfortable on the whole. You will need to consider if you’ve got the space for it, whether your desk is large enough and whether you can sit a sensible distance from it, but if you can then we don’t think that 42″ is too large nowadays. It gives you a very usable screen size for 4K resolution at 100% scaling, with a nice boost in desktop space as a result compared with 4K monitors where you lose a lot of that space due to the need to use scaling on a smaller screen. The text size and pixel density was more akin to modern monitors and that was definitely welcome.
For general everyday usage there were some drawbacks though. Text sharpness and clarity wasn’t perfect because of the unusual pixel structure, the TPC OLED protection feature (aka ABL) feature was sometimes annoying when dimming the screen, and the lack of any ergonomic adjustments without even a small tilt range made it a bit uncomfortable to use. The glossy coating was also sometimes a bit of a challenge with reflections, although it is still preferable to use this coating option for optimal picture quality and when considering other uses like HDR and gaming. The lack of some monitor-type features like DisplayPort, USB type-C, USB ports, KVM switches etc are also a shame, but on this screen they’ve been replaced instead with more TV-like features like smart TV apps, decent speakers etc – after all, this is still an LG TV range product. The default setup is really poor, but easily adjusted and improved thankfully to a decent standard, and there’s a proper sRGB emulation mode too which is great news. Of course in the back of your mind you still have that concern around image retention and burn in that could be an issue to some users when using the screen for lots of static content. So for general monitor usage, while it’s definitely better than the older generations thanks to the smaller size, you have to live with a few shortcomings still.
If we think about gaming, HDR and multimedia then the C2 really shines and in many ways sets itself apart from normal desktop monitors. The instant response times, true blacks and infinite contrast ratios of OLED technology are superior to nearly all desktop monitors, which are still reliant on LCD technology. You won’t get anywhere near this performance from the LCD market. Thankfully you also still get excellent gaming features like 4K @ 120Hz refresh rate, decent VRR support and G-sync/FreeSync certifications too. The refresh rate won’t keep up with the latest gaming monitors, and motion clarity and frame rate support won’t be quite as good as a result. The lag is low, but not as low as modern gaming screens so if you’re focus is on competitive gaming, FPS or achieving absolute optimal gaming performance then you will still find better in the monitor market. But then that’s not really the gaming niche this screen is going after, it’s more for people who want to play a variety of games, including PC and console games, and in various genres. We would love to see refresh rate increased for future LG OLED generations as 120Hz feels a bit limited for PC gaming nowadays – can we have a 240Hz OLED please LG?
One gaming area that was a bit disappointing was the BFI blur reduction mode. If you like pure 60Hz strobing then the performance for that is very good, and OLED is very well suited to handling this kind of feature. We found the obvious flickering too distracting. We have no idea why the 120Hz BFI mode doesn’t currently work, but we hope LG haven’t removed it and will update via a firmware later on, as that’s likely to be a far more usable mode. For now, it’s a missing feature that the older CX and C1 models had. Not everyone likes these modes, but keep this in mind if you do.
The screen is well equipped to handle games consoles with 4x proper HDMI 2.1 ports, full bandwidth and all the HDMI 2.1 related features you could want. It really is a great screen for modern consoles from all aspects. The lack of DisplayPort connectivity does make the screen a bit less accessible for PC gamers, and you will need to keep in mind you’ll likely need to fork out for a top of the range graphics card with HDMI 2.1 to realise the full potential of this screen and to power it.
HDR performance is excellent as you’d expect from an OLED panel. The multi-format support, per pixel dimming, true blacks and infinite contrast ratio come in to play again here to create an amazing experience. Sadly the 42″ and 48″ models of the C2 range lack the 20% brightness boost of the new C2 range, so the peak brightness capabilities is still similar to the older models. Still, HDR is something this screen does very well for gaming and video.
All in all the 42C2 feels a lot more like a monitor/TV crossover than the CX and C1 generations thanks to the new 42″ size. The performance is largely similar to the older models when it comes to gaming, HDR and general usage so if you already have an older model it’s probably not worth upgrading to a C2. But, if you were holding off because the old models were too big, or have been on the fence considering an OLED TV as a monitor then this could be a great time to look at the C2. It’s pretty reasonably priced when you consider the features, specs and capabilities and line that up with a high end gaming monitor.
