LG NANO82T6B vs LG MRGB85B

The brightness of NANO82T, to be honest, is quite average, especially when compared to alternatives in a similar price range. With a maximum brightness of around 280 nits, it is not among the highest and may affect the overall viewing experience of HDR content. While many TVs in this price class offer brightness above 400-500 nits, LG NANO82T may seem less impressive. As a result, details in bright areas of the image may be less distinct, and the HDR effect is not as spectacular as one might expect.

LG MRGB85 offers moderate brightness. On test patterns it reaches around 700 nits, which is a decent result in itself. In real movie scenes, however, values are lower and most often fall in the 400 to 600 nits range. Bright, wide shots look best. In scenes with large areas of black the TV noticeably reduces luminance, attempting to keep contrast as high as possible. The HDR effect is therefore visible, but it is far from the level offered by more advanced Mini-LED designs. Particularly in darker parts of films, the limitations of the edge-lit backlight and imprecise local dimming become apparent again.

HDR colours

A much stronger suit of the MRGB85 is its colour. The TV covers around 95% of the DCI-P3 colour space and 74% of BT.2020, so HDR content can look vivid and impressive. Colours are well saturated, and the difference compared with basic LCD TVs is clearly noticeable. It is worth noting, however, that this is not a classic RGB backlight, where each of the three primary colours is generated by a separate diode. Red is produced by a PFS phosphor, which expands the palette and achieves more saturated red tones. This solution performs well for colour reproduction, but it does not change the limitations of the local dimming. The diodes are not driven independently in the way the series name might suggest... so it turns out that Mini RGB is not the same as Mini-LED RGB!

The colour reproduction in LG NANO82T in Filmmaker mode, which is the best mode available from the factory settings, is not without its flaws. The primary issue is the white balance, where the graph shows dips in the blue colour level. This phenomenon results in a shift of colours towards yellow shades, causing the image to appear warmer than it should. Such deviation means that the colours on the screen are not naturally reproduced, which can be particularly noticeable in scenes with white or neutral backgrounds. For example, the image below from the movie "Star Wars," where there are a lot of elements that should be white. The Color Checker test confirms that some colours are "shifting" into other shades, indicating that the TV does not display colours accurately.

In terms of contrast, the gamma graph analysis showed drops to a level of 2.1, while the optimal value should be 2.4. This means that the TV might display darker areas of the image brighter in certain scenes, reducing their depth and dynamism. Additionally, on the EOTF curve, which is responsible for brightness reproduction, a slight spike was noticed at the beginning. This phenomenon may result in excessive boosting of brightness in the brightest parts of the image, leading to a loss of detail in very bright scenes.

We tested the TV in Filmmaker Mode because, of the available presets, it produced the image closest to reference. The out-of-the-box colour reproduction wasn’t perfect, though. The biggest deviations were in the white balance, with too much red and not enough blue in the image, so the overall picture shifted noticeably towards warmer tones. Whites took on a slightly yellowish tint, and skin tones and bright areas didn’t always look natural. It wasn’t a fault that ruined the viewing experience, but in a direct comparison with the same panel after calibration the difference was clearly visible.

After calibration, the colour reproduction in SDR content on LG NANO82T is very good. The white balance has been effectively improved, resulting in natural and balanced hues across various scenes. The gamma has also been adjusted, providing more precise detail representation in both shadow and highlight areas of the image. Thanks to these corrections, the television performs excellently in everyday use, offering solid colour quality and clear, well-balanced images in SDR mode.

However, in the case of HDR content, the situation is not as good. The television does not support a wide colour gamut, limiting the depth and richness of colours that HDR can offer. The EOTF curve diverges from the ideal, leading to excessive highlighting of details in the bright areas of the image. Unfortunately, this approach results in significant colour reproduction errors, as confirmed by tests on Colour Checker. The low brightness level of the panel further negatively impacts HDR image quality, causing the dynamic range effects to not be fully realised, and colours appear washed out.

The television significantly improved after calibration, especially in SDR content. The improvement in white balance and gamma has greatly enhanced image quality, providing a more natural and consistent colour reproduction. Compared to the state before calibration, the difference is clear, and the television now offers better performance in daily use, particularly in standard dynamic range.

Calibration primarily corrected the white balance and removed the previously noticeable warm cast. After the correction, whites no longer had a yellow tint and colours became more neutral and natural. The biggest improvement was seen in SDR material, where the picture looked even and much closer to the reference. A similar effect was achieved in HDR. After calibration the image became more controlled, although not all of the TV’s limitations could be eliminated. The main issue remained intense reds, which were not always reproduced with sufficient precision. In practice the MRGB85 handles everyday SDR content very well, but in more demanding HDR material its limitations are still clearly visible.

If it comes to gradation in very low-quality materials, LG NANO82T gives us the option of a feature called "Smooth Gradation". In the "Low" setting, this feature slightly improves the most problematic tonal transitions, which is noticeable and useful for such content. In the "High" setting, it works even more effectively, enhancing tonal transitions, but at the cost of smoothing out details that shouldn't be smoothed. This is a compromise that not all users will appreciate.

When it comes to image scaling, NANO82T is not without certain limitations, particularly when playing content at lower resolutions. The television applies a gentle, artificial sharpness boost, making the image appear sharper. This effect mainly results from the overlay of artificial contours. For some users, this may be beneficial, as they prefer more pronounced and highlighted details. However, for those who value the naturalness of the image, this effect may be less attractive and too artificial. It’s a subjective issue that can impact viewers differently, depending on their visual preferences.

Upscaling and digital image processing perform quite well in the LG MRGB85. The Alpha 8 AI 4K Gen7 processor efficiently upscales lower-resolution material, and you can easily turn off overscan regardless of the source. The TV also handles compression artefacts well. The "Smooth Gradation" function can effectively reduce visible banding and tonal unevenness, but it isn't always precise. At higher settings it can also smooth out fine details, such as the texture of materials. A plus is that it doesn't remove film grain. The safest option is the "Low" or "Medium" setting, which offers the best compromise between artefact reduction and preserving detail.

LG televisions, including the NANO82T, offer an interesting motion smoothing feature called TruMotion, which will satisfy most users who value control over the quality of the films they watch. The TruMotion function allows users to adjust the smoothness of the displayed films according to their preferences on a 10-point scale, enabling a personalised visual experience.

However, in the case of more dynamic scenes, such as games or action films, the television performs worse. The 60Hz panel and relatively slow pixel response times mean that motion clarity isn't ideal. The result is noticeable blurring and less smooth playback of fast scenes.

Overall, the LG NANO82T should satisfy those who primarily watch films and prefer more subdued content. However, for those who value dynamic, fast motion, we recommend looking for an alternative.

The LG MRGB85 is fitted with a VA panel with a native 144 Hz refresh rate, so its motion handling is very good. The TV easily handles 120 Hz content from consoles and higher refresh rates when connected to a PC. That matters not only for gaming but also when watching sport, where camera motion is noticeably smoother than on basic 60 Hz panels. There’s also the TruMotion system, which lets you set the level of motion smoothing yourself. You can keep a more cinematic motion or increase smoothness, which works well for live sports and TV programmes. The adjustment range is wide, so you can easily tailor the motion smoothing to your own preferences.

While gaming on the console, LG NANO82T offers a range of features that can significantly impact the gaming experience, though it also has some limitations. Among the advantages, it is worth mentioning the ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode) feature, which automatically adjusts picture settings by switching the TV to low latency mode. This is particularly beneficial for gamers who need a quick response to their actions. Another plus is the support for HGiG (HDR Gaming Interest Group), as HDR games are displayed according to the creators' intentions, providing realistic and vivid visual effects. These features make the LG NANO82T offer a good gaming experience, although some aspects could be better, especially in dynamic scenes. Unfortunately, LG NANO82T has its limitations when it comes to gaming features. It lacks support for variable refresh rate (VRR), which can affect the smoothness of gameplay, especially in more dynamic games. The TV has a 60Hz panel, preventing the use of higher refresh rates. This is a significant drawback for gamers who expect smoother gameplay at higher resolutions. Additionally, the lack of G-Sync support limits image synchronization capabilities, which can lead to tearing and stuttering in games.

These shortcomings may mean that the LG NANO82T does not meet the expectations of the most demanding gamers who are looking for advanced features and the highest image smoothness.

When it comes to gaming, the LG MRGB85 performs by far the best. The manufacturer hasn’t skimped on the kit and has essentially carried over the full suite of features from pricier TVs into this model. You get three HDMI 2.1 ports with full 48 Gb/s bandwidth. Each supports 4K 120 Hz from a console, and when connected to a PC also 4K 144 Hz. So you don’t need to worry which port to plug your console or PC into, as they all offer the same set of capabilities.

On board you’ll also find VRR, AMD FreeSync Premium, NVIDIA G-Sync Compatible, ALLM and HGiG. Dolby Vision Gaming is included too, allowing supported games to use high refresh rates and dynamic HDR simultaneously on Xbox. Rounding it off is Game Optimizer, a handy in-game menu. Without leaving the game you can change the picture profile, brighten shadow detail or check the current frame rate. In terms of gaming features, the MRGB85 therefore offers almost the same as significantly more expensive LG models.