LG’s C2 42-inch evo OLED TV will be available for purchase very soon, but those of you who plan to make it your next gaming monitor may be forced to play the panel lottery, as it’s being reported that only some of the displays are being shipped with the latest and greatest panels.
As initially discovered by HDTVTest’s Vincent Teoh, who shared some measurements of his C2 42-inch OLED for an unboxing video, some of the TVs use a WBC rather than WBE (evo) panel. This is pretty sad, since LG’s own marketing materials indicate that the TV is supposed to come with an evo panel.
Is a class-action lawsuit on the way? Possibly, since the WBE panels are definitely better for all sorts of reasons that include longer life span, greater color gamut, and, for models with the proper size and cooling, higher peak brightness levels of over 20%.
LG has since confirmed with Korea Benchmark that there’s a panel lottery going on with its C2 42-inch OLED TVs, with WBC and WBE panels being mixed during manufacturing. All of these TVs should ship with the newer evo panels after Q2, however.
WBC on 42-inch LG OLED TV EVO? WBE will be applied sequentially after Q2 (Korea Benchmark)
LG Display, which supplies OLED panels, has also announced that it will convert all production lines to WBE panels from the second quarter, so the controversy is expected to subside at least after summer.
In response, LG Electronics explained that it is true that WBC and WBE are mixed in the 42-inch OLED TV EVO, and that it is an unavoidable situation depending on LG Display’s panel supply situation. WBE panels will be applied sequentially after 2Q.
For reference, WBC and WBE refer to a set of materials used for OLED panels, and LG Electronics has been applying WBE panels to the EVO series since last year. LG Display has branded the WBE panel as OLED.EX from this year, and emphasized a 30% improvement in brightness and improved image quality.