LG NANO82T6B vs Samsung Q8F

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.

In terms of brightness, the Samsung Q8F performs surprisingly well for a TV without local dimming. It measures up to 500 nits, which in practice means that most movie and series scenes look pleasant, and it cannot be faulted for lacking the "HDR effect." In films like Life of Pi or The Meg, the screen can burst with bright light, delivering a level of lighting effect that is satisfying. It struggles more in challenging moments—such as dark scenes with single bright points. The global dimming used causes the TV to darken the image to maintain deep blacks, but at the expense of detail brightness. This is clearly visible in the scene from Sicario 2, where the brightness of the helicopter lights dropped to around 200 nits. This is a deliberate design choice that gives the impression of deeper blacks but takes some shine away from individual elements, and one should simply keep that in mind. Regarding colour reproduction, the Q8F uses quantum dot technology, which expands the colour gamut. A coverage of the DCI-P3 palette at 91% can be considered a decent result, although it is not a record-breaking figure compared to other QLEDs.

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 decided to check out the Filmmaker mode because right out of the box it gave us the best picture. However, that doesn't mean it was perfect. The white balance had too much of a blue and red tint, causing the whites to lean towards a slight purple-pink hue. Such imbalance affected the visibility of virtually all colours, which is clearly seen in the comparison photo below. The brightness characteristics in SDR content were quite well calibrated, although in HDR materials we noticed that the TV didn't always handle its global dimming well — at times the screen was too dim, while at other times it could suddenly brighten up. Fortunately, issues related to colours can be effectively corrected with calibration tools, so we decided to get to work.

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.

After calibration, we managed to correct the white balance to almost perfection. Older SDR content looks fantastic — most errors are within a value of 2, which is definitely below the threshold of human perceptibility. In HDR, we also brought the white balance to an acceptable level, but a different problem arises here. So why are there still relatively large errors in colour reproduction? This is mainly due to the limited colour palette and the way the television manages brightness. The global dimming technique used does not give the user control in the settings, so analysing the EOTF curve in HDR films, it's clear that the Q8F can modify luminance on its own. This can be seen as a limitation, but still, the image after calibration is much more enjoyable to watch than in the factory version.

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.

Let's see how the Q8F handles older content, which often has poor quality. Starting with the positives: the upscaling works really well. The TV performs nicely with both classic television and materials from YouTube, not giving the impression that we're dealing with something completely unattractive. It struggles more with content in very low resolutions, such as 576p — the image can be cropped, and unfortunately, the overscan phenomenon cannot be disabled. Moreover, the digital processing does not look great either. The noise reduction feature, instead of removing unwanted artefacts, smooths out almost everything: film grain (which many viewers desire) disappears along with the texture of the image, and actors' faces start to resemble characters from cheap Turkish soap operas. It's hard to consider this option useful — it's best left completely off. Perhaps Samsung will refine the function’s performance in updates, but for now, it’s difficult to view it as anything other than an unnecessary addition.

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.

Due to the applied 60 Hz panel, it's hard to call the Q8F a television made for gaming or watching sports. The panel isn't particularly fast, making motion blur clearly visible. If you were expecting a spectacular, almost 'stadium-like' experience during broadcasts, you might feel a bit disappointed. Fortunately, for movies and series, Samsung hasn't given up on the motion smoothing function. It's nothing more than a smoother that allows for improved fluidity of productions recorded at 24 or 30 frames per second. This way, you can decide for yourself whether you prefer a more fluid, 'television-like' image or to retain the cinematic character. It all depends on the viewer's preferences, and the ability to adjust this parameter is undoubtedly a plus.

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.

It's not entirely clear what Samsung has messed up this year with its TVs, but the Q8F isn't free from all the confusion with updates and shortcomings. While its older cousin, the Q67D, could still be recommended with a clear conscience to casual gamers, it's hard to find a reason to do so here. Aside from the automatic game mode and the attractively designed Game Bar, we get practically nothing that could appeal to gamers. The lack of proper HGiG implementation is a major issue, especially since the feature simply disappeared after the 1126 update. The situation with VRR is even worse. Even though it appears in the manufacturer's brochures and shows up in the Game Bar, we couldn't get it to work. The Xbox Series X console wouldn't allow it to be activated at all, and the option remained greyed out and inactive. It's difficult to praise such a TV even to casual gamers, which is a shame because Samsung has had a strong selling point in the gaming segment for years.