LG C3 vs Sony A80L - Who Is Better ?
The LG C3 OLED is better than the Sony A80L OLED for all but the most hardcore home entertainment enthusiasts. They both use WOLED panels, but the LG is brighter in both HDR and SDR and maintains its brightness better in Game Mode. The LG also has FreeSync support and slightly lower input lag than the Sony, so it’s better for gamers. They both support advanced audio and video formats like DTS and Dolby Vision. The only edge the Sony has is in its processing capabilities; typical of Sony, it’s class-leading when upscaling low-resolution or smoothing low-quality content. While the LG isn’t quite up to the level of the Sony in terms of image processing, it’s certainly no slouch in that department, making it the better TV for most people.
- Resolution 4K
- Refresh Rate 120 Hz
- Display Technology OLED
- Dolby Atmos
- work with Alexa
- ULTIMATE GAMING
- Resolution 4K
- Display Technology OLED
- Dolby Atmos Sound Bar
- Perfect for PlayStation 5
- work with Alexa
Full Comparison between Sony A80l Vs LG C3
Mixed Usage
Our Rating:
LG C3 OLED evo : The LG C3 is an amazing TV, sure to please all but the most demanding buyers. The very good brightness in both SDR and HDR makes it well-suited to watching anything, from SDR content to the latest hit movies in HDR. It has superb reflection handling, and with its good peak brightness, the TV can handle bright rooms or glare without issue. But like almost every OLED on the market, it’s better suited for a dark room, where its OLED panel, with its deep inky blacks, truly performs at its best. Its very low input lag makes it a gamer’s dream, as your inputs are translated almost instantaneously to the screen, and its superb response time makes it a great choice for any fans of fast-moving content, be it sports or games, as action stays clear and crisp throughout. The TV also supports DTS, making it a fantastic choice for your home entertainment center.
- Near-infinite contrast ratio for perfect blacks.
- Fantastic reflection handling.
- Image remains accurate at a wide angle.
- Very good peak brightness in HDR and SDR.
- Aggressive ABL can get distracting with large areas of brightness.
Our Rating:
Sony A80L OLED 4K : Overall, the Sony A80L is an excellent TV for mixed use. Its HDR peak brightness is good, so movies pop when watched in a dark room. Its SDR brightness is slightly less impressive, but the TV makes up for it with fantastic reflection handling, so the TV looks great when watching TV shows and sports in a bright room. As with all OLEDs, the TV stands out for gaming, with extremely low input lag and a nearly instantaneous response time. Unfortunately, the TV’s HDR brightness takes a dip in Game Mode, so play HDR games in a dark room for the best visual impact. The same great gaming features also make it a great choice to use as a PC monitor, although, as with all OLEDs, there’s a risk of burn-in. Overall, it’s an amazing TV for every context.
- Perfect black uniformity.
- Near-infinite contrast ratio for deep blacks.
- No issues upscaling lower-resolution content.
- Incredible reflection handling.
- Fantastic viewing angle.
- Has only two HDMI 2.1 ports, one of which is the eARC port.
- Decent SDR brightness, but still lower than its competition.
TV Shows
Our Rating:
The LG C3 is an excellent TV for watching TV shows. It has fantastic reflection handling, and combined with its very good peak brightness in SDR, it can handle bright rooms or rooms with lots of glare. Its viewing angle is superb, so the image remains consistent even when viewing the TV entirely from the side. If a group is sitting around the TV to watch the latest episode of their favorite show, they’ll have a great viewing experience no matter where they’re sitting. The TV also has very good sharpness processing, so lower-resolution content is upscaled well, and when combined with the panel’s excellent low-quality content smoothing, your shows will still look great.
- Near-infinite contrast ratio for perfect blacks.
- Fantastic reflection handling.
- Image remains accurate at a wide angle.
- Very good peak brightness in HDR and SDR.
- Excellent low-quality content smoothing.
Our Rating:
The Sony A80L is a great TV for watching TV shows. Its SDR brightness is satisfactory but not spectacular, but in turn, its reflection handling is exceptional, so it handles bright rooms well. It has a fantastic viewing angle, so even when watching a TV show with your family all sitting around the TV, everyone watching will see a consistent image. As with most Sony TVs, the A80L has Sony’s class-leading processing capabilities, so low-resolution shows on cable look great, as well as low-bitrate streaming content from your favorite streaming services.
- Fantastic viewing angle.
- Incredible reflection handling.
- No issues upscaling lower-resolution content.
- Decent SDR brightness, but still lower than its competition.
HDR Movies
Our Rating:
The LG C3 is an excellent TV for watching the latest hit movies. Like all OLEDs, it has incredible contrast, with deep, inky blacks and no blooming around bright highlights. It has very good HDR peak brightness, so bright highlights look great next to the perfect blacks. It also has excellent low-quality content smoothing and very good low-resolution upscaling, so whether you like to watch movies on legacy formats like DVDs or through streaming services like Netflix, your content is free of macro-blocking, and details are preserved. The TV handles judder perfectly, so your movies are judder-free. The TV’s color accuracy is excellent, so you don’t need to worry about having it calibrated.
- Excellent low-quality content smoothing.
- Very good peak brightness in HDR and SDR.
- Supports DTS audio formats, which is great for DVDs and Blu-rays.
- Wide color gamut for HDR content.
- Automatically removes 24p judder from any source.
- Near-infinite contrast ratio for perfect blacks.
- Colors aren't as bright as pure white.
- Fast response time results in noticeable stutter.
Our Rating:
The Sony A80L is excellent for watching HDR movies. Its near-infinite contrast ratio gives it perfect blacks, and the TV’s good HDR brightness makes for an amazing viewing experience in a dark room. Of course, being a Sony TV, it has amazing processing features; it upscales low-resolution content extremely well, and low-bitrate content, which includes content from well-known streaming services, looks its best on this TV due to its amazing low-quality content smoothing. It’s also configured well out of the box, giving you a great viewing experience without spending time or money on calibration. As typical of Sony, it’s a standout TV for movies.
- Perfect black uniformity.
- Near-infinite contrast ratio for deep blacks.
- Removes 24p judder from any source.
- Displays a wide range of colors.
- Supports advanced audio and video formats, like DTS and Dolby Vision.
- Stutter due to near-instantaneous response time.
Video Games
Our Rating:
The LG C3 is a fantastic TV to spend your evenings immersed in your favorite games. Enabling Game Mode doesn’t noticeably affect image quality, so your games simultaneously look great and feel super responsive due to the TVs incredibly low input lag; your inputs are translated to the on-screen action almost instantly. The TV has fantastic reflection handling, and combined with its very good peak brightness in SDR, this makes it a fantastic OLED for bright rooms or rooms with glare. The response time is exceptionally low, so no matter how fast the action moves, you won’t have any blur or ghosting. As with many OLEDs, this is truly a standout TV for gamers.
- Very good peak brightness in HDR and SDR.
- HDMI 2.1 bandwidth on all four ports.
- Impressive gaming features.
- Very low input lag.
- Fantastic reflection handling.
- Near-infinite contrast ratio for perfect blacks.
- TV is a bit dimmer in Game Mode.
Our Rating:
The Sony A80L is a fantastic gaming TV. It has exceptionally low input lag, so your inputs are super responsive. Its contrast and dark details are preserved very well in Game Mode, so you can simultaneously have great image quality and the lowest input lag possible. As with all OLEDs, its response time is almost instantaneous, so games are free of blur or black smearing, and the action looks sharp. It has HDMI 2.1 bandwidth on two of its HDMI ports for up to 4k @ 120Hz gaming and G-SYNC and HDMI Forum VRR variable refresh rate support for nearly tear-free gaming, so it’s a fully featured gaming TV.
- VRR support and HDMI 2.1 bandwidth for up to 4k @ 120Hz gaming.
- Very low input lag.
- Superbly low response time so fast-moving objects look smooth.
- Superbly low response time so fast-moving objects look smooth.
- No issues upscaling lower-resolution content.
- No FreeSync VRR support.
- Decent SDR brightness, but still lower than its competition.
- Has only two HDMI 2.1 ports, one of which is the eARC port.
HDR Gaming
Our Rating:
The LG C3 is an outstanding TV to be blown away by the latest hit games in HDR. Enabling Game Mode slightly reduces overall HDR brightness but won’t negatively affect your gaming experience. The TV has remarkably low input lag with Game Mode on, so games feel super responsive; your inputs almost instantly translate to the on-screen action. The TV can handle all commonly used resolutions, like 1440p @ 120Hz and 4k @ 120Hz. It has fantastic reflection handling, and when combined with the TV’s satisfactory HDR brightness in Game Mode, you’ll enjoy gaming on the C3 even during the day. Still, it’s certainly better suited to playing in a dark room. The response time is exceptionally low, so no matter how fast the action moves, you won’t have any blur or ghosting.
- Very good peak brightness in HDR and SDR.
- HDMI 2.1 bandwidth on all four ports.
- Impressive gaming features.
- Very low input lag.
- Wide color gamut for HDR content.
- Near-infinite contrast ratio for perfect blacks.
- Colors aren't as bright as pure white.
- TV is a bit dimmer in Game Mode.
Our Rating:
The Sony A80L is an amazing TV for HDR gaming. Its HDR brightness in Game Mode is reasonable; certainly not the greatest, but it does the trick. The TV makes up for it with a suite of excellent gaming features. It has superbly low input lag for super response gaming, and you can have both the lowest input lag and the best image quality simultaneously due to the TV’s incredible contrast and dark details when in Game Mode. It has a nearly instantaneous response time, so the latest HDR-enabled titles look sharp and blur-free in even the most heated scenes. Finally, it has HDMI 2.1 bandwidth support on two of its HDMI ports for up to 4k @ 120Hz gaming and support for both G-SYNC and HDMI Forum VRR for nearly tear-free gaming.
- Displays a wide range of colors.
- Very low input lag.
- VRR support and HDMI 2.1 bandwidth for up to 4k @ 120Hz gaming.
- Superbly low response time so fast-moving objects look smooth.
- Near-infinite contrast ratio for deep blacks.
- Perfect black uniformity.
- Has only two HDMI 2.1 ports, one of which is the eARC port.
- Limited HDR peak brightness in Game Mode.
- No FreeSync VRR support.
Sports
Our Rating:
The LG C3 is an incredible TV for watching sports. It has exceptional reflection handling, which is great when watching shows in a room with glare, and the TV gets bright in SDR, so it handles bright rooms well. The TV’s viewing angle is superb, so the image remains consistent even when viewing the TV from the side, so those sitting off-center will have a pleasant viewing experience. It has an incredible response time, so motion, like fast-moving players, is crisp and sharp, with no blurring. The TV has very good color uniformity, so when watching sports with large areas of uniform color, like hockey, you won’t be distracted by annoying smudges or color variations in the image.
- Excellent low-quality content smoothing.
- Very good peak brightness in HDR and SDR.
- Image remains accurate at a wide angle.
- Fantastic reflection handling.
- Near-infinite contrast ratio for perfect blacks.
- Aggressive ABL can get distracting with large areas of brightness.
Our Rating:
The Sony A80L is excellent for watching sports. Its SDR brightness is satisfactory, but when combined with the TV’s exceptional reflection handling, it makes sports look great even in a bright room. The TV has excellent gray uniformity, so you won’t notice weird smudges on a white rink when watching hockey, for example. The TV’s viewing angle is fantastic, so the entire gang can sit around the TV to watch the game and still experience a consistent image. Finally, it has a nearly instantaneous response time, so there’s almost no blur behind fast-moving objects like a puck or ball.
- Superbly low response time so fast-moving objects look smooth.
- Fantastic viewing angle.
- Incredible reflection handling.
- No issues upscaling lower-resolution content.
- Decent SDR brightness, but still lower than its competition.
PC Monitor
Our Rating:
The LG C3 is a fantastic TV for PC gaming, but like all OLEDs, using it as a PC monitor has some caveats. It has a nearly-instantaneous response time and incredibly low input lag, so games, or your mouse cursor, are fluid and responsive, with almost no distracting motion blur behind fast-moving objects. Its viewing angle is amazing, so even if you sit in front of the TV, you won’t notice any discoloration or dimming at the edges. It gets bright in SDR and has amazing reflection handling, so it’ll look great even if your office setup is in a bright room or in front of some windows. Unfortunately, like many TVs, the C3 doesn’t use a standard RGB subpixel layout, so text isn’t very clear when used as a monitor, and its brightness in SDR is significantly reduced when the TV is set to PC mode, or with the 4:4:4 Passthrough option set to on. Finally, as with all OLEDs, there’s a risk of permanent burn-in when exposed to static elements, like the UI elements of a computer desktop.
- Very good peak brightness in HDR and SDR.
- Impressive gaming features.
- Very low input lag.
- Image remains accurate at a wide angle.
- Fantastic reflection handling.
- Near-infinite contrast ratio for perfect blacks.
- Aggressive ABL can get distracting with large areas of brightness.
- TV is a bit dimmer in Game Mode.
Our Rating:
The Sony A80L is a remarkable TV to use as a PC monitor. Its SDR and HDR peak brightness levels are satisfactory overall but nothing special. However, the TV’s incredible reflection handling makes up for it in a big way; it can certainly handle a bright office. Still, the TV is packed with features making it great for PC usage; superbly low input lag for super responsive mouse inputs, remarkably low response time for no annoying trails behind your mouse cursor or when moving windows, and an outstanding viewing angle so the sides of the screen stay consistent even when you’re sitting extremely close it. As with all OLEDs, there’s a risk of burn-in when exposed to the same static elements for a length of time, like if you leave icons or the taskbar visible on screen, and its non-RGB subpixel layout negatively impacts text clarity.
- Displays a wide range of colors.
- Very low input lag.
- VRR support and HDMI 2.1 bandwidth for up to 4k @ 120Hz gaming.
- Superbly low response time so fast-moving objects look smooth.
- Fantastic viewing angle.
- Incredible reflection handling.
- Has only two HDMI 2.1 ports, one of which is the eARC port.
- Decent SDR brightness, but still lower than its competition.
- Limited HDR peak brightness in Game Mode.
Check Price LG C3 sizes
Frequent Asked Questions
Is Sony OLED better than LG OLED?
While both TVs have good image processing, the Sony has the edge in upscaling, so low-resolution content will look sharp and clear on the Sony. While both TVs are gaming beasts, the Sony TV’s input lag is a bit higher than the LG’s, so the LG is better if you play competitive games at high skill levels.
Why is LG OLED so expensive?
For the most part, OLED screens are so expensive because of the rare earth minerals found in internal components. The actual process to manufacture them is low-cost and easy, but the materials aren’t.
Is there a better TV than LG OLED?
QLEDs can usually produce a much brighter picture than an OLED, which is important if you’re watching in a sunny room. OLEDs have closed the brightness gap in recent years, but in general, if you need a very bright picture, you want a QLED.
What is the Sony equivalent to the A80L?
The Sony A80L is the company’s mid-range OLED and a competitor to the LG C3 (though it’s slightly cheaper than that TV in some countries) that delivers all the OLED picture quality essentials: deep and detailed blacks, rich color, and 4K 120Hz support for gaming.
