LG B6 vs C6: Is the Cheaper OLED TV Actually Worth It?

What if I told you that you could get an OLED TV that gives you almost the exact same premium flex but for a massive chunk of change less? Welcome back to the channel and today I'm combining my LG B6 OLED review in our Buy or Skip style with a new franchise for the Tom's Guide Saving Squad. We call it Flex for Less. Because here's the question when shopping for a new LG OLED, do you actually need to shell out for the top tier G6 or C6 or is the B6 right here more than good enough for your living room? Let's break it down. Let's start with the literal less part of the equation because your wallet is where the B6 makes its first massive impression. I'll throw the prices and sizes up on the screen but basically you're under two grand for a 65 inch B6 OLED and that's before any discounts. Now the C6 does have more variety when it comes to sizes but for the same 65 inch size we're jumping up to $2,700. That means choosing the B6 saves you a whopping $700 right out of the gate and you even still get four HDMI 2.1 ports. That's one of the reasons the B series has become pretty much the most accessible entryway into the world of OLED and again because it's a mid-range model it's only going to get cheaper as sales roll in. Generally speaking I don't think anyone should be paying full price for LG OLED TVs ever so make sure that you check the deals in the description down below. But does paying less mean a lesser performance? I mean guys obviously yes but context is important here. When we put both the B6 and the C6 through our lab testing the biggest difference boils down to one thing, brightness. The C6 can crank out over 1,200 nits of brightness in the same 10% HDR window we use as our baseline for all TV reviews. The B6 it tops out at 700 nits so yeah if you put them side by side in a room flooded with sunlight you will notice that the C6 picture looks better but here is the saving squad secret. To the average eye in a standard dark room viewing condition you aren't going to notice a massive drop-off and if you are watching during a bright day just switch the picture mode to standard or vivid to give the brightness a little extra kick. Plus the B6 actually beats the C6 when it comes to standard dynamic range color accuracy and they're pretty much neck and neck in SDR and HDR color gamut coverage. You guys know the drill we also measure input lag as it relates to the gaming experience. The B6 clocked an insanely fast 8.9 milliseconds which is actually a hair faster than the premium C6 when both were set to LG's game optimizer mode. No screen tearing, zero stuttering, really the only downsize I suppose is that you don't have a smaller option than 65 inches for the B6. Great flex for the gamers looking for an all-in-one screen but if you are looking to scale down that's when the C6 in the 42 or 48 inch sizes might make more sense. You actually do have another option though if you want more size flexibility. You can still find the LG B5 on sale at sites like Amazon. I actually spotted the 55 inch version for under $1,000 before sitting down to film this. It's not as bright as the B6 but just barely and in fact some people online have said that they find the default color profiles of the B5 actually better than the B6. Pair that with the fact that LG is one of the better manufacturers when it comes to consistent software updates for existing TVs and honestly I really think the B5 is the best value here of them all. Going back to the B6 there are a few other corners LG had to cut to hit that lower price point than the C6. For example, the design. It still has that beautifully thin OLED profile but instead of that premium metal central pedestal that we saw on the C6 we get dual plastic legs. It's a little flimsy. I'd personally plan to mount this on the wall. Second, the audio. It's a little thin, a little bit tinny and while the AI speech enhancement mode helps for dialogue clarity it also tends to wash out any background music. Put some of the money that you're saving towards investing in a decent soundbar. It doesn't need to be anything that fancy. In fact, I'll link my favorite budget pick down below. Lastly, webOS. Specifically how AI-ified it's become. It's still one of the better more responsive TV interfaces out there but it is starting to get a little bit bogged down with AI features but isn't that the case for everything these days? So let me bring you on home for my final verdict. Should you buy or skip the LG B6 OLED? If you have a brutally bright living room with floor-to-ceiling windows you might want to stretch your budget for the C6 peak brightness but for probably 90% of people watching this, this is an absolute undeniable buy. The LG B6 gives you elite OLED black levels, world-class gaming performance and is the absolute definition of a flex for less. But I've got to know what you guys think. Are you gonna save the cash and go with the B6 or save even more cash and go with the B5 or none of the above? C6? G6? Just let me know in the comments below and don't forget to like, subscribe to Tom's Guide and check out the Saving Squad homepage for more of our top value picks. Thanks for watching, I'll catch you next time.