LG is starting to ship the OLED TVs it launched at CES 2022, and it’s mostly good news — though you may have to be patient depending on the model you want. The company is selling multiple B2, C2 (pictured) and G2 Gallery Edition sets though its website this month, with pricing that isn’t too far from what you paid for last year’s models. The B2 variants currently on offer range from a $1,499 55-inch version through to a $3,299 77-inch edition. The C2s you can buy vary from a $1,499 48-inch screen through to a $3,499 77-inch set, while the G2 is available in 65-inch ($2,999) and 77-inch ($3,999) flavors. Third-party dealers will carry the new models starting in April.
Both the most affordable and priciest sets will take longer to reach your living room. The $1,399 42-inch C2 won’t arrive until May, and neither the entry-level A2 nor the gargantuan 97-inch G2 have received prices or release dates. The 83-inch C2 ($5,499), 55-inch G2 ($2,199) and 83-inch G2 ($6,499) ship in April. You’ll also have to wait until April for the Z2 series 8K OLED sets, although the 77- and 88-inch sets’ respective $12,999 and $24,999 prices will rule them out for most viewers.
The 2022 LG OLED TVs are iterative upgrades. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, mind you. C2 models use the brighter “evo” panels that first appeared in 2021. The C2, G2 and Z2 are the first sets to support Dolby Vision IQ with Precision Detail to improve HDR output, and they use a new Alpha 9 Gen 5 chip that promises better luminance, tone mapping and virtual 7.1.2 surround sound. WebOS 22 adds helpful features like user profiles and content mirroring on a second TV. B2 buyers will have to ‘settle’ for an Alpha 7 Gen 5 chip with more limited audiovisual processing and virtual 5.1.2-channel sound.
The launch details come just days after Samsung outlined pricing for 2022 TVs that include a long-awaited OLED set, the $2,200 S95B. LG might not be too worried about short-term competition given the sheer variety of OLED TVs it sells, but Samsung is clearly gunning for some of that audience.
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