Is the LG CX Worth It?

LG is a stand-out performer with their top-of-the-class TVs – you know it, we know it. And they haven’t failed to live up to expectations with the LG CX. This smart TV comes with significant and noticeable improvements in features and performance, just enough to win the hearts of TV watchers.

Thanks to its superior quality, the CX will surely appeal to you if you love watching movies; this TV makes every scene beautiful and life-like. And if you’re an avid gamer, you’d be swept off your feet by the powerful gaming features on this gadget.

Of course, it’s not all praises for this TV. The CX has a few flaws that may be a deal-breaker for some TV fans. We will look at these and more in this article. And in the end, we will adequately answer the question, “is LG CX worth it”?

Let’s get started!

LG CX Design and Build

The LG CX screen is extremely thin, as is typical of OLED TV technology; it’s crazily thin for almost two-thirds of its back surface – just a few centimeters deep.

The screen is affixed to one of the centrally positioned metallic sheets stands seen on previous C-series versions. This is excellently crafted, although it appears a bit heavy compared to the remarkable slimness.

The LG remote is a “Magic” remote, which means you can point it at on-screen menu selections instead of using cursor buttons to explore all of the menus. A spinning wheel in the center of the remote allows you to quickly cycle through vertical menu selections.

The point-and-click method can be a little clumsy, and the rigidity of the scrolling wheel can cause you to press it instead of rotating it (for select). However, it’s still a great remote control design. (Continue reading this review for more information about the remote.)

LG CX is available in a variety of sizes. A medium-sized room with viewers eight to nine feet away from the screen is ideal for the 55-inch TV. Wide-angle viewing is also possible with this model, allowing those on the fringe to enjoy the programming without distortion.

This OLED TV’s size provides a lot of value. The next size up, 65 inches, often sees a significant price hike because of the technology.

The OLED65CX has a lot of connections, and they’re all well-defined, especially when it comes to HDMIs. There are four, each capable of 4K at up to 120Hz in 10-bit HDR with 4:4:4 chroma sampling at up to 120Hz. Something that could be significant with the next generation of video game consoles.

One of the HDMIs can additionally offer ARC/eARC (audio return channel), allowing the TV to send Dolby Atmos from streaming services or 4K Blu-rays to soundbars or AV receivers that support it.

One minor but all the same infuriating issue with the LG CX is its stand. For a TV so delicate and expensive, the stand is really flimsy. There’s also no stand assembly instructions so the less handy users might find it infuriating to assemble.

Smart Platform – WebOS and Thinq AI

With a fast, intuitive interface and easy access to the most recent and most popular streaming services and apps, LG’s webOS is one of the most popular smart platforms. The CX TV has built-in Apple AirPlay 2 and works with Alexa and Google Assistant.

LG’s ThinkQ AI, which serves as a smart hub for your connected home, is also included. This makes it super easy to control your smart appliances, check their performance, and fix them if necessary. There’s also support for Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant, so no additional listening device is required.

The Home Hub screen, which gives information and control over other smart devices on your network, has been updated, and the icons that appear when you hit the Settings button may now be customized.

You can also configure how frequently the TV provides you with on-screen prompts to help you discover new features. The Recommendations system for finding new things to watch has been updated and accessible.

Do you enjoy sports? If you are, you will love the webOS Sports integration, which allows you to tell the CX which of your favorite sports teams you support (from a predefined list), and the TV will provide score updates and alert you when broadcasts featuring your team are scheduled to air.

Unless you’re a sports fanatic, it’s not that useful, but it doesn’t take anything away from the whole experience.

In terms of compatible apps, you’ll find newcomers to the streaming world like Disney+ and Apple TV+, as well as old favorites like Hulu, Netflix, and Amazon Prime.

Movie Experience With The LG CX

When you watch something in 4K with High Dynamic Range for the first time, you’ll truly understand the power of LG’s incredible screen technology (HDR). Because the CX supports both HDR10 and Dolby Vision HDR, you’ll get the most out of every show on Netflix, Amazon, and elsewhere, as well as many new films.

However, the CX’s contrast and colors are astounding regardless of which format you view. Super vivid reds, greens, and blues contrast with incredibly realistic shadows to provide some of the most life-like images you’ll ever see at home.

The Filmmaker mode is particularly outstanding; it automatically disables motion smoothing. There are plenty of additional picture modes to experiment with and try—each one looks good—but if you’re more interested in viewing TV and movies than gaming, we recommend Cinema mode or Filmmaker mode.

LG’s upscaling has also improved. HD video has a cleaner, more consistent, and more detailed look once it’s been upgraded to the screen’s actual 4K resolution. This is presumably attributable to LG’s new AI-based upscaling engine launched by the company’s new third-generation Alpha 9 processor.

The increased upscaling is especially noticeable in the most detailed sections of HD images, which appear cleaner and more deeply textured than last year. LG’s upscaling is on par with everything we’ve seen from a 4K TV to date in these areas.

LG CX Ports and Connections

As one might anticipate, the LG CX OLED is well equipped to make the essential connections. There are four HDMI 2.1 ports and three USB 2.0 ports on the back.

A single socket comes with a composite video adaptor dongle for older video equipment. Professional installations will most likely use the Ethernet connector on the set, while cord-cutters may appreciate the presence of an RF coaxial plug for an antenna. You will find an optical digital audio output and a small port for wired headphones for sound.

The LG CX supports basic Wi-Fi (802.11 a/b/g/n/ac); Wi-Fi 6 is still too recent to be found in most televisions today. Bluetooth is also incorporated, which can be used with headphones or wireless satellite speakers for private listening. For increased wireless fidelity, the LG set also supports the aptX format. Yes, both Apple Airplay 2 and Apple Homekit are supported by the set.

LG CX for Gaming

LG has included several gaming-specific features. There’s an auto low latency mode (reduced latency game mode) that works nicely with Xbox One 4K titles. For those wishing to connect one of the finest gaming laptops and achieve the smoothest visuals possible, LG also supports Nvidia’s G-Sync and the open FreeSync standards. LG also supports hGiG for HDR gaming.

Because of their exceptionally low latency, OLED TVs are ideal for high-end PC gamers. As a result, the CX OLED is an excellent choice for gamers looking for a TV that can also serve as a computer monitor.

OLED gaming provides many advantages. Additionally, OLED allows players to fully immerse themselves in the game by eliminating stuttering and tearing, letting them fully focus on their game and perform at their best.

The LG CX TV is suitable for a wide range of entertainment, but with a native 120Hz refresh rate and customized settings for huge virtual worlds, it’s especially useful for gaming. It works with NVIDIA G-SYNC and uses Auto Low Latency Mode to eliminate motion blur and lag. The eArc HDMI input enables the most efficient data transport.

LG CX Performance and UI

There are various preset picture settings featuring modes for sports, movies, gaming, vivid pictures, and HDR effects, just like other sets of their kind.

It also contains the new Filmmaker Mode, which restores the original movie’s aspect ratio, colors, and frame rates while eliminating video processing enhancements like motion smoothing. It can appear darker than other settings, similar to Cinema mode, but it produces the most realistic view.

Overall, the LG CX’s color fidelity is excellent, with substantially better reds. The viewing angles are fantastic. No matter how bad your viewing position is on the edge of the couch, there is no loss of brightness or color saturation. 

LG adds a pixel refresher operation to clear out any picture retention (such as the station bugs on news broadcasts) and a screen shift tool to prevent burn-in by moving static images over a few undetectable pixels.

But the UI takes away from the performance. As with most smart TVs, the LG CX can be difficult to maneuver. Asides from making it difficult to add apps not available in the LG content store, there’s no home screen on the TV so finding the apps you need might take a little bit of time.

Audio

The ability of large flat screens to produce sound is traditionally considered one of their flaws, and they don’t have enough room for traditional speakers because of their slim form. On the other hand, LG has largely solved the problem by including a number of technologies into their CX OLED models.

To begin, the set has an AI Acoustic Tuning feature that uses the microphone on the remote control to calibrate the sound and customize it to your specific room. The calibration takes only a few seconds, after which you can compare the before and after audio.

The LG CX OLED also supports Dolby Atmos. There are also some preset sound options, with the Cinema mode providing some of the most pleasant sounds. If none of the presets please you, there’s a five-band equalizer in Standard Mode that covers frequencies from 100 Hz – 10,000 Hz so that you can fine-tune the sound. Owners should evaluate the audio modes based on the content they are watching.

Even though LG has done an excellent job with the CX’s audio, you might be better off using a soundbar or external speaker. We prefer this alternative since high-end flat smart TVs can only do so much in terms of audio quality due to their design limitations.

The Remote Control

LG’s controller is dubbed the Magic Remote, which may be a bit of an exaggeration. It contains the typical number, volume, channel buttons, and a scrolling/clickable wheel in the center for moving a cursor across the screen like a wireless mouse.

Unlike the more expensive LG OLED models, the CX OLED has built-in far-field microphones, so you’re stuck using the remote’s microphone input. That’s a drawback, but it does make the CX OLED a little more private, and it enables the CX OLED’s unique audio calibration feature, which considerably improves sound quality.

Google Assistant is activated by pressing and holding a microphone button on the remote, which works well in this situation. For example, in the YouTube app, search for Wizkid’s Essence, and it’ll direct you to the appropriate video. You can also get the correct response by telling the set to “switch to live TV channel 10.”

Is the LG CX Worth It? Our Verdict

There isn’t much to dislike about LG’s CX lineup. On multiple levels, the television screams perfection. Except for the minor flaws we mentioned in the review, the CX is well worth the money.

LG CX Worth

The LG CX 4K OLED TV is an excellent choice if the size is perfect for your area. It can be a gadget for binge-viewing TV series, watching the latest blockbusters, watching live sports, and playing games. Install it on the wall and supplement the speakers for a theater-like experience.

Yes, don’t forget to grab the speakers. As much as the CX excels in many areas, the speaker may not be one of them, And it’s not peculiar to the CX.

Overall, the LG CX is fantastic television, especially if you’re a movie buff or a gamer.