The latest generation screens automatically adjust their brightness to what they define to be optimal for viewing in different lights. But this ability isn’t automatically active on every device, and you still might want to adjust the brightness, anyway.

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This might sound strange, but it can actually help prioritize the readability of your screen. A white, or brightly colored top will reflect that much more off your screen, making it harder to see.

A great question and way to end on a high note. The best protection is sitting in some shade, or creating and using a portable cabin like the one we mentioned earlier.

The same way you see a tablet or laptop… by reading our handy tips above! Or you could always put your head under the collar of your shirt and stick your smartphone up it to read. You’ll look like a moron, but you can see the screen at least (I am totally guilty of doing this..).

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At the end of the day, no matter what you do, looking at a screen in direct sunlight is quite difficult and can even be damaging to your health. It all depends on how long you want to use it for and what you’re planning on doing.

I still prefer the simpler look of Roku and Google TV interfaces, but as far as major brands go, LG’s is the best in-house OS that I regularly use. The magic remote makes things so easy to quickly click on, and I find that LG’s apps for Netflix, Max, Apple TV+, and others all work flawlessly, which is something I can’t say about Samsung models (among other brands).

Now we’ve done our job and told you the risks, let’s promptly ignore all that and learn how you can see your screen better in the sun.

LG still includes its Wii-like Magic Remote, which allows you to point at the screen and click on what you want to select, rather than having to use the arrow keys. This makes it particularly easy to log into apps—LG’s tvOS supports all major streaming apps as well as Chromecast and Apple Airplay—when you’re first setting up the TV.

You'll want to upgrade your audio. Down-firing speakers don't sound particularly awesome on any TV, and the C4 is no exception, but the TV can sync up with soundbars (like the pictured LG S95TR) in order to help contribute to a larger soundstage. That's a nice option for folks who like to same-brand their purchases and are doing a whole-theater upgrade. Just remember to buy a soundbar or outboard speaker system for a TV like this, or you're missing out on the real theater-like experience it can provide.

If you are someone who needs to use screens in sunlight it's important you follow some simple rules to protect your eye health both short and long term.

Behind the left side of the screen you’ll find your four HDMI inputs, suited to do 4k resolution at up to 144 Hz. That’s more than enough for the highest-end consoles from Sony and Microsoft, which are capped at 120 Hz, but high-end gaming PCs can pump out 144—I was able to use mine to play racing games at 144 Hz and loved how smooth it looked compared to my usual 60-Hz display.

I’m fine with sounding like a broken record: For the fourth generation in a row, LG’s 65 inch C-series OLED is my favorite high-end TV. You can spend more for 8k resolution or pay for a larger screen (even this model), but you simply won’t find a TV that looks this good and functions this well for the price.

This film absorbs light rays and reduces discomfort without breaking the bank. However, if you’re feeling particularly fancy and want to splash the cash, you can invest in a brand-new device with a matte screen. There’s a nice selection over at Best Buy.

We get it. With a global office and plenty of team members in warm, sunny countries, working outside is a luxury you want to bask in.

Outdoor monitor

Like the black top, you might not want the heat scorching directly at you, but it will do wonders for your screen. At least make sure the screen isn’t directly facing the sun so that you don’t have to deal with the added glare on top of everything else.

It’s better to opt for special anti-blue light sunglasses without polarization, which will protect you without altering your screen’s render.

Most modern screens are reflective, making for unpleasant outdoor viewing. To counter this you can make your screen more matte, you can purchase anti-reflective protective film fairly cheaply online. This will stick directly to your screen and make it less shiny, and therefore easier to see (just careful with those evil air bubbles).

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It used to be that you had to make compromises to color, brightness, or backlighting to get a TV that could play games as well as it could play Spielberg, but that is no longer the case. With the C4, you can plug in and play your gaming PC with equal perfection as you can with a 4K Blu-Ray player and your favorite releases. Soon enough, the differences between gaming monitors and TVs will disappear completely.

Looking at screens outside is not the most pleasant of tasks. Cell phones at least will autocorrect their brightness to try and help fix the issue of glare; but in the case of laptops or other equipment, it can be almost impossible to see the screen.

The C4 supports Dolby Vision and other leading forms of HDR, which means you get excellent color highlights when watching HDR-enabled content. I was particularly wowed by the performance when streaming the latest Dune film, which has exceptional color grading. It also does super well with darker content, like any Game of Thrones or Star Wars episodes that you might find annoying to watch elsewhere.

Speaking of color: This TV is finally bright enough to compete with the LED displays from Samsung and others. It peaks at more than 1,000 nits, which is eye-watering stuff in most instances. You can place it in a well-lit room with no fear. I did find that the panel can get a bit wonky when viewed from extreme side angles—another reviewer called it a bit green from the side, but I see more of a teal blue tint—so I wouldn't pick this if you plan on having a lot of seating at the edges of your space.

Outside, the brighter your screen, the easier it is to see it. You can also adjust the contrast for optimal viewing pleasure.

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The latest Tik Tok or Instagram video will be fine, but in comparison, your eyes are going to hurt after 6 hours on a beach staring at a laptop screen. No matter how nice it sounds to work from the seaside.

A legit question! But in the end the answer is pretty much the same. You can put on a cap to shield your eyes from the glare. Or alternatively, you could go back to the old days of photography and attach a white sheet to the camera to put over your head when taking the picture.

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A familiar pedestal mount and thin bezel surround what can otherwise be described as a pretty average-looking modern TV. It’s thin at the top and around the upper edges, but a blocky plastic box sits in back of the C4 to house all its techy bits, which means the upper section sort of floats when you wall mount it.

Newhaven display

Whether you’re on a beach, sat outside on a nice café patio, or just working outdoors in your garden, at some point you want to look at something with a screen. It could just be your phone to check the time. Or it could be that you’re fed up of your office space and want a change of scenery, so go to work outdoors.

You don’t need to turn into a Doctor Who villain, but creating shadows will definitely help reduce the glare on your screen.

Plus, if the sunnies are optimized for filtering powerful blue light, then they make it way easier to see your screen outdoors, improving your readability and safety all in.

Two important things here. You need sunglasses and sun cream to watch a screen outdoors. Otherwise, the screen will know and won’t let you. They’re JARVIS levels of clever.

Editor note: You might also be tricked into thinking polarized sunglasses do this job better so you can just wear those. You can’t. They’re useful for reducing glare in certain situations, like water sports or in the snow, but they don’t filter UV rays better AND in many cases, polarization can actually block light from screens, making them useless in this regard.

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Perfect black levels, eye-watering brightness and color highlights, and some of the best gaming performance I’ve ever experienced on a TV cement this year’s model as distinctly better, in my opinion, than Samsung’s competitor, the S90D. In fact, the C4 model can finally keep up with Samsung in brighter rooms and also supports Dolby Vision, which makes this an all-around choice with no asterisks for the first time.

When I think about just how good this TV looks, whether I'm in gaming mode, sport mode, or filmmaker mode, I am astonished that the price starts well below the $2,000 mark. This TV would have easily been tens of thousands of dollars just a few years ago, not that the technology it uses even existed.

Ambient lighting indoors will always be more comfortable, and outdoors you’ll be even more susceptible to digital eye strain. But don’t despair, with the information above you’ve at least got some preventative measures to help make your outdoor use less damaging for your eyes; and easier.

The downside, of course is that you’re already outside and probably quite hot, which the black t-shirt isn’t going to help. So, it’s a trade-off. You’ll see better, but might be sweating faster than Forrest Gump.

Whether you’re a first-time OLED buyer or someone who has been in on the tech from the first generation and is looking for an upgrade, if you are a film or TV enthusiast, this is very likely the model for you.

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Interface-wise, it’s very easy to find everything you need to adjust settings on the TV. A button on the remote pops up a simple adjustment screen on the left side of the screen, allowing you to adjust options for picture, sound, and more while whatever you have on the screen keeps playing. You can easily see what each setting is doing to the picture while you’re making changes.

You actually don't even need the Magic Remote to change volume or turn it on or off: The TV can be spoken to (it has Alexa built-in), but I never found it particularly useful (it also works with Apple Home, Hey Google), though that's a nice feature for those who prefer voice commands.

Environment: a % of sales are donated to associations for the protection of the environment, in particular Terre et Humanisme.

This is essential because UV rays are more present outside than in and you’re risking your eyes and skin by not protecting them.

The easiest way to fix this is to clean your screen using a microfiber cloth. It’s effective and won’t scratch your screen.

The biggest difference between this TV and the last generation, as exemplified by the increase in frame rate, is the processing power. LG has included its latest a9 processor (Gen 7) in these models, and there is notably better color and interface speed when compared to last year’s C3. This isn’t night-and-day stuff, but it does mean that there is actually a reason to choose the newer TV over the older one. AI upscaling, where it takes lower-res content and scales it up to 4K resolution, is particularly excellent.

How dirty is your screen right now? Be honest. Most of us have enough marks and smudges across our screens to shame our mothers. And to miss the pivotal moments of Stranger Things.

All products featured on WIRED are independently selected by our editors. However, when you buy something through our retail links, we may earn an affiliate commission.

All products featured on WIRED are independently selected by our editors. However, we may receive compensation from retailers and/or from purchases of products through these links.

For now, if you're looking for an excellent viewing experience and are willing to spend more than a thousand bucks for a TV—lest we forget, you can get also-great models for well under that—you really won't find many models, at any price, that look better than the LG C4. Given how things have gone, I expect to have similar thoughts about the C5 next year.