The world of high-end televisions has always included a battle between the two giants, LG and Sony. With the advent of OLED technology, this battle has only gotten more intense. But with so many options on the market, it cannot be easy to choose the right one.
The LG C3 and Sony Bravia both offer fantastic picture quality whether you’re a home theater enthusiast, gamer, or just someone looking for the best possible picture quality, but they each have their own unique strengths (and, of course, weaknesses).
Let’s look closely at the LG C3 and Sony Bravia to determine the ultimate OLED winner. We’ll compare their design, picture quality, features, and overall performance to help you decide when choosing your next television.
LG C3 vs. Sony Bravia: Side-by-Side Comparison
| LG C3 | Sony Bravia | |
|---|---|---|
| Display Technology | OLED | OLED |
| Resolution | 4K (3840 x 2160p) | 4K (3840 x 2160p) |
| HDR Formats Supported | Dolby Vision, HDR10, HLG | Dolby Vision, HDR10, HLG |
| Processors | α9 Gen 4 AI Processor 4K | Cognitive Processor XR & X1 Ultimate processor |
| Gaming Features | G-Sync, FreeSync, VRR, ALLM | Game Mode, VRR |
| HDMI Ports | 4 | 4 |
| Audio Output | 40W (20W+20W) with Dolby Atmos | 30W (10W+10W+10W) with Dolby Atmos |
| Operating System | WebOS | Android |
| Voice Control | LG ThinQ, Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit | Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, Apple HomeKit |
- Features XR Cognitive Processor developed by Sony
- Triluminos Pro enhances the already outstanding picture
- Dolby Vision HDR and Auto HDR tone mapping for PS5
- 8.5ms input lag
- 4K at 120Hz
LG C3 vs. Sony Bravia: What’s the Difference?
You may be wondering, what is OLED technology, and why has it become so popular?
OLED stands for Organic Light-Emitting Diode, a game-changer in television displays. Unlike traditional LED displays that use a backlight, each pixel in an OLED display creates its own light, allowing for perfect black levels, infinite contrast, and stunning picture quality.
This technology has been developing for decades, with the first OLED display being created in 1987. Fast forward to today, and OLED has become the go-to display technology for high-end televisions.
Despite OLED technology being consistent among both the LG C3 and Sony Bravia, these two TVs certainly have their fair share of differences. Still with us? Let’s break it all down below.
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Design
The design of LG C3 and Sony Bravia televisions can vary depending on the specific model, but both brands generally offer sleek and modern designs with thin bezels. LG C3 TVs are typically slightly thinner than Sony Bravia TVs.
Picture Quality
LG supplies OLED displays used in Sony TVs, which translates to an almost similar picture quality output from the two TV brands. The differentiator in the battle between the LG C3 and Sony Bravia will be how the two companies innovate on their displays. Sony focuses on enhancing TV brightness, making the output more vivid, which makes it best for movie-watching, while LG C3 offers deeper contrasts and detailed resolutions, making it best suited for gaming.
Audio Quality
The LG C3 and Sony Bravia both offer good audio quality and sound for casual watching with 9.1.2 channel surround sound and acoustic surface audio+ features from their inbuilt speakers.
Neither addresses the biggest OLED TV challenge: how to fit in good speakers in the tiny TV space. This challenge ensures that the TVs offer a quality sound for casual watching, but if you are looking for an immersive, theater-like sound, you will need to invest in quality external speakers or sound bars.
Smart Features
The LG C3 and Sony Bravia TVs combine built-in Wi-Fi connectivity and innovative TV smart features like casting and WebOS to provide access to popular streaming services such as Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Hulu. They also provide support for voice control through virtual assistants such as Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant to simplify how you operate them.
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CES 2023 LG vs. Sony OLED TV Lineup
The LG Z3, G3, and C3 OLED evo TVs as well as Sony’s Bravia XR and Class A95 series made it to the CES 2023 showcase shortlist. Both brands proved that their TVs were premium OLED offerings. Let’s break down what we know.
Picture Quality
Both TVs have excellent picture quality, rich colors, deep blacks, and good viewing angles. The LG C3 and Sony Class A95 are considered the top models in each brand’s lineup, offering excellent picture quality and performance.
Processing Technology
One significant difference between the two brands is in processing engines.
LG uses the Alpha 9 Gen 4 AI processor, which provides excellent upscaling, noise reduction, and smooth motion. In contrast, Sony’s OLEDs use the X1 Ultimate processor, providing slightly better upscaling performance than the Alpha 9.
Smart Features
Both brands offer a variety of features for the enhanced viewing experience, such as HDR support, variable refresh rate, and built-in intelligent platforms. Sony’s TVs featured acoustic surface audio+, Google Duo, smart remote, and voice zoom.
LG TVs featured quick cards, WebOS, AI sound pro, and quick media switching-QMS. The SONY and LG TV brands also showcased their voice control features and options for Alexa and Google.
LG C3 vs. Sony Bravia: 5 Must-Know Facts
- The LG C3 will be known for its excellent picture quality, deep blacks, and rich colors. At the same time, Sony Bravia TVs offer good overall picture quality with bright and vivid images.
- Both the LG C3 and Sony Bravia TVs offer support for a range of HDR formats, including HDR10, Dolby Vision, and HLG.
- Both the LG C3 and Sony Bravia TVs offer built-in innovative TV platforms with access to popular streaming services, support for voice control, and Wi-Fi connectivity.
- Both brands offer advanced technology to enhance the picture and sound quality, including HDR support, advanced processors, and smart TV platforms.
- Both brands offer sleek and modern designs with thin bezels, but LG C3 TVs are typically slightly thinner than Sony Bravia TVs.
- Features XR Cognitive Processor developed by Sony
- Triluminos Pro enhances the already outstanding picture
- Dolby Vision HDR and Auto HDR tone mapping for PS5
- 8.5ms input lag
- 4K at 120Hz
LG C3 vs. Sony Bravia: Which One is Better for You?
Whether or not LG C3 or Sony Bravia is better depends on your specific needs and preferences. Both brands offer good performance and features, and choosing between them will come down to your use case.
The LG C3 OLED TVs may be better if you prioritize gaming picture quality. At the same time, the Sony Bravia TVs may be a better option if you prioritize brightness and vividness for casual watching.
If you have a large room or want a bigger screen, you will be spoiled for choice as both offer sizes up to 83 inches.
If you value intelligent features and connectivity, both the LG C3 and Sony Bravia offer built-in smart TV platforms with access to popular streaming services and support for voice control through virtual assistants.
The choice between the LG C3 and Sony Bravia comes down to your tastes and preferences. Both brands offer good performance and features, so it’s recommended to consider factors such as picture quality, screen size, and smart features when making your decision.
Recent Technology Updates for the LG C3 and Sony Bravia
Since February 2023, there have been technological advances for the LG C3 and Sony Bravia, including:
- Acoustic Surface Audio+: One recent update is the addition of Acoustic Surface Audio+. This new technology uses the TV screen itself as a speaker, resulting in a more immersive sound experience.
- Brightness: Both the LG C3 and Sony Bravia saw brightness improvements which helps display HDR content.
- Color accuracy: The LG C3 and Sony Bravia both saw improvements with color accuracy which ensures that colors are displayed correctly on the screen.
Possible Technology Advances for the LG C3 and Sony Bravia Y
While planned technology advancements have not been announced for the LG C3 and the Sony Bravia, it is likely that you may see some of following in the next six to 18 months:
- Micro Lens Array (MLA) technology: MLA technology is a new OLED panel that offers improved brightness and contrast. It is possible that we can see MLA OLED TVs from LG and Sony.
- 8K resolution: As 8K resolution becomes more available, it is possible that we may see 8K OLED TVs from LG and Sony.
- Dolby Vision IQ: Dolby Vision IQ is a new technology that adjusts picture quality based on the ambient lighting in a room. We can expect to see this support on LG and Sony OLED TVs.
- HDMI 2.1: It is possible we will see HDMI 2.1 support on LG and Sony OLED TVs. HDMI 2.1 offers support for higher resolutions and faster refresh rates.
The image featured at the top of this post is ©Grzegorz Czapski/Shutterstock.com.
