With the launch of Currys' Black Friday deals, we're officially into sale season. There's a huge range of stuff in the sale, and that includes lots of TV models – we've got a whole post rounding up the Currys Black Friday TV deals if want to see a smörgåsbord of slick TV buys… but if you just want to hear what the best-value deal overall is, it's on the 48-inch LG C1 OLED TV.
• LG C1 48-inch OLED TV: was £1,199, now £999 at Currys
That's the offer I'd put my own money on. I don't think you'll see any lower price on that TV even as more of the best Black Friday deals are revealed in the coming weeks.
You can read our full LG C1 review if you want the super in-depth verdict on why it's such a good buy, and has been riding high in our list of the best OLED TVs, but I'll quickly break down here why this offer really stands out.
The easy one is the price: this is the first time the LG C1 has fallen under the £1,000 mark. In fact, I think it may be the first year that any LG C-series TV has dropped its price this low. The C1's price has been dropping steadily since its launch earlier in the year, but this is still a major deal, and for this model is £500 cheaper than its original price.
But that's still a lot of money for a TV. And when you're shopping around, you might notice that the LG A1 OLED 48-inch TV is available for just £799 – that price difference could be going towards one of the best soundbars to complete your setup!
• LG A1 48-inch OLED TV: was £799, now £999 at Currys
I certainly wouldn't blame anyone for going that route. But the reason I'd go for the LG C1 is future-proofing. For one, it has a more advanced image processor than the A1 (and better than most TVs, really), which means that it handles things like cleaning up lower-res video or dubious bandwidth streamed video better than most, which means I'm more likely to be happy with it for longer.
And secondly, all four of its HDMI ports are HDMI 2.1, which is the current highest-end connection, capable of transmitting even higher video quality. But more importantly, it means they also support all the latest gaming features of the PS5 and Xbox Series X, including 4K 120fps and Variable Refresh Rates.
This is the cheapest TV to have all four inputs support HDMI 2.1, so it's the most flexible in the future. You might be thinking that you don't need four HDMI 2.1 ports, and right now, most people don't. But as time goes on, more HDMI 2.1 products will appear – in fact, if you had the PS5 and Xbox Series X (as many people might want to do), plus the new Apple TV 4K, and a soundbar using HDMI eARC… that would be all four ports filled, and all would make use of HDMI 2.1 functionality.
On a TV with fewer HDMI 2.1 ports, I'd have to work out where to compromise. On the LG C1, I don't have to worry about it. Future-proof!
This is a quite a nerdy thing to think about, but that's what they pay me for – and I think it makes the LG C1 the best investment buy TV right now.
Of course, the LG C1 comes in more sizes than 48 inches, and they're a great price too – I just think 48 inches also happens to be a great size that can fit in most livings rooms or even bedrooms, but still gives a big-screen experience. Here are the prices for the C1 at other sizes.
