LG QNED93A / QNED90A vs SHARP JP7765E

Although the number of local dimming zones in the LG QNED93A hasn’t directly translated to noticeably better contrast, it’s hard to deny this model one thing – it’s brighter than its predecessor. In synthetic tests, we recorded values around 1400-1500 nits, and more importantly, these results are reflected in real film scenes. In full-screen sequences flooded with whites or bright lights, the screen was able to maintain high luminance, providing a truly decent amazing HDR effect. Unfortunately, where the TV could show true class, that is in scenes requiring precision, all the magic dissipates. The dimming algorithms we mentioned earlier operate aggressively enough that small, bright objects – like distant lights, stars, or the moon – can almost completely disappear. Just look at the test scenes from the film Pan or Sicario 2 (screens 2 and 4) to see how subtle details are dimmed to the limits of their visibility. It’s a pity because a greater number of zones could theoretically translate to significantly better performance. Fortunately, there are also strong points. The QNED93A performs well in terms of colour gamut coverage, achieving around 96% of the DCI-P3 standard. As a result, colours in films look rich and full, and the image doesn’t lose intensity even in more demanding scenes. So, it can be said that the HDR in this model is solid, although the underdeveloped local dimming algorithms hinder its full potential.

So how does the brightness of the Sharp JP7 perform in the most demanding titles? Honestly, we were quite surprised at first. The TV is able to achieve over 1000 nits of brightness, which is an outstanding and rare result for a device costing just under 2000 zł (for 55 inches). Watching bright, full-screen scenes, you can get the impression that you are dealing with really good equipment. But unfortunately, we have to return to the issue we mentioned earlier, which is local dimming management. When small, bright spots appear on a dark background (like in test scenes from the films Life of Pi or Sicario 2), it’s clear how poorly the JP7 handles these zones. The TV dims them almost to the maximum, crushing the whole HDR effect, which at such moments resembles a flat SDR image (less than 200 nits). This instability means that in demanding, contrast-rich films, the image on the JP7 unfortunately loses its appeal.

As a consolation, it's worth noting that the panel has the potential to display colours well. A PFS (phosphor) filter has been employed here, which allows the coverage of the DCI-P3 colour gamut to reach a solid 94%. The manufacturer calls its product a “QLED,” even though it technologically relies mainly on the aforementioned PFS filter. Considering the recent market battles between manufacturers over what can and cannot be called QLED, we leave the issue of the correctness of this terminology to your judgement. However, it remains a fact that the potential for reproducing saturated colours in this panel is simply good.

In film mode (more specifically Filmmaker), the colour reproduction in the QNED93A was relatively accurate, although there were some reservations. In SDR content, the white balance leaned towards warmer tones, resulting in a slight yellowing across the entire screen. Gamma, on the other hand, led to a slight lightening of the image, making it look a bit less natural, especially in scenes that required precise shading (this is evident in the comparison photo). This isn't a problem that immediately stands out to every viewer, but more discerning individuals may feel that the image deviates from the intended aesthetic of the filmmakers. In HDR materials, the situation looked a bit different. The white balance here was quite good, ensuring that whites did not take on pink or unwanted green hues. However, the brightness management turned out to be an issue. An analysis of the EOTF curve revealed that at certain moments, the television could be distinctly too dark where it shouldn't be, losing some details and lowering the realism of scenes. This detracted from the HDR effects, which were theoretically meant to be the most impressive. For this reason, we decided to conduct a calibration.

When it comes to colours straight out of the box, the Sharp JP7 was tested in the Film mode, which traditionally offers the most cohesive image compared to the yellowed “Eco” mode or the glaring blue of the “Dynamic” mode. Although this is the best choice among the available settings, the results still fall short of ideal. The white balance clearly lacked red and blue components, causing many scenes to take on an unnatural, greenish hue. Another issue was the gamma – in full-screen scenes, the TV produced excessively bright images, completely robbing it of its cinematic character. All of this resulted in colour reproduction errors, especially in shades of grey, which exceeded the Delta E 10 value. To remind you: errors above 2-3 are already noticeable to the human eye, so here we are dealing with a significant distortion of reality.

In HDR mode, the situation is reversed, but not in a better way. Here, the white balance is dominated by blue, giving the image an unnatural, almost “store-like” sharpness, reminiscent of aggressive demonstration modes. Moreover, the measurements of the EOTF curve emphasise the store-like nature of the image. The graph clearly shows that the TV generates images that are significantly brighter than the standards predict, resulting in an artificially boosted and unrealistic final effect. The Sharp JP7 is evidently trying to appear stronger than it actually is, but it does so at the expense of fidelity to the original content.

After professional calibration, the Filmmaker mode in the QNED93A has improved primarily where it matters most in everyday use. We managed to straighten the white balance and eliminate the yellowish tint in SDR content, which is what we watch most often – television, streaming services, or standard quality movies. As a result, the colours look natural and pleasant, making the overall viewing experience significantly more comfortable. In HDR mode, we also made corrections, but here the biggest issue turned out to be the EOTF curve. Although LG provides some leeway in the settings, the television still controls brightness on its own terms. It's clear that the local dimming algorithms are not fully refined and can ruin the viewing experience by dimming parts of the picture at inappropriate moments. Nevertheless, it’s worth opting for calibration of this model, especially the mode intended for everyday viewing.

We subjected the JP7 to our standard calibration procedure and honestly... the television gained a second life thanks to it, especially with SDR content (YouTube, traditional television, series, or older films). With our precise adjustments to the white balance and stabilisation of the gamma, colour errors dropped to a value of below 3. This is a level at which the human eye struggles to perceive discrepancies. In this scenario, the Sharp JP7 delivers an image with truly excellent colour accuracy, which is a significant advantage in this price range. However, the HDR content turned out to be much more problematic. Here, despite our efforts and interventions in the settings, the television simply refused to cooperate. In the JP7 menu, we won’t find any option to effectively control how brightness is managed (EOTF). Although a significant portion of the colour errors has been reduced, the image still remained unnaturally oversaturated. It’s a bit disappointing because the potential of the mini-LED backlit panel is great, but the software presents a clear barrier.

The conclusion is simple: when watching less demanding content (SDR) on the JP7, you can expect an image that is more than satisfactory, but in HDR you will have to accept a certain degree of "artificiality" that cannot be bypassed even with professional equipment.

The LG QNED93A turns out to be a very solid television for everyday use. Its image processor performs excellently with upscaling, making even older films or free-to-air television sharper and more detailed. During the screening of 'The Godfather,' it’s clearly visible how upscaling brings out additional details from the image – the characters’ faces and the texture of their clothing look significantly clearer than in the original material.

The digital image processing also deserves praise. The television is equipped with a function that reduces unwanted colour banding and screen irregularities. It works best in the 'Medium' setting – subtly smoothing tonal transitions without overly interfering with the image. This way, the natural film grain is preserved, and the screen does not appear artificially smooth. Perhaps in some scenes, slight colour banding can still be noticed, but in practice, the effect is more advantageous than with a stronger intervention from the algorithm.

When it comes to lower quality materials and how Sharp JP7 handles them, the situation is ambiguous. Let's start with the upscaling itself – here we have no major objections. The process of scaling the image to a higher resolution is correct; the picture remains readable and clear, without the overscan effect, which means no cropped edges. Of course, it's not at the level of top models and at times you can notice slight tearing on the edges, but in this price range, the effect is fully acceptable.

However, the actual digital image processing performs much worse, as aside from the scaling, it practically doesn’t exist. In the JP7 menu, we won’t find any options that would effectively smooth out unwanted tonal transitions or reduce noise in the image. As a result, the signal hits the panel in a very raw form, which with heavily compressed materials (e.g., from YouTube) results in noticeable posterisation. Either this is a programming error or a very strange design decision, because in earlier Sharp models this function was available and, more importantly, worked with noticeable effect. Here, we are stuck with what the source delivers, without any digital support from the image processor.

LG QNED93A has been equipped with a 144 Hz panel. This is primarily a nod to gamers, but the fact that higher refresh rates are increasingly appearing in televisions can be viewed positively. In everyday viewing, 120 Hz remains key, and in this regard, the QNED93A performs well. The manufacturer also provides the option to adjust the picture thanks to the TruMotion system – the De-Judder and De-Blur sliders allow you to choose between a cinematic motion feel with visible frames and full smoothing with theatrical motion.

The motion fluidity on the Sharp JP7 is quite average, and the reason is simple: the TV uses a 60Hz panel. This immediately makes it hard to recommend for watching sports or serious gaming, where higher refresh rates are already the standard. The only real plus is the presence of a motion smoother, which we can control in films with a slider called De-judder. Lower settings give a more raw, “cinematic” (framey) image, while higher ones add artificial fluidity. We suggest setting it somewhere in the middle of the scale, around 3-5 – this is the best compromise to avoid the soap opera effect while also getting rid of the annoying image skipping. Interestingly, in the menu, we also find a slider for "motion blur reduction," which usually indicates the presence of a 120Hz panel. However, in the case of the JP7, it doesn’t actually enhance the image and serves more as a dummy – it looks good in the settings, but technically it shouldn’t work on this panel.

LG QNED93A is a television that has undoubtedly been designed with gamers in mind. Right from the start, we get a complete package – all four HDMI ports operate in 2.1 standard, so whether we connect a console, a PC, or a receiver, we have full compatibility. This is important because many manufacturers still limit themselves to two ports, and here nothing stands in the way of having maximum capabilities for all the equipment. There’s also an automatic game mode (ALLM), which automatically switches the television to the appropriate settings when the console is turned on, as well as variable refresh rate (VRR). This means the image doesn’t stutter or glitch, even when the frame rate drops – whether in dynamic shooters or during races.

The 144 Hz panel gives an additional advantage in computer games. While 120 Hz is enough for consoles, the QNED93A allows PCs to push even more – every movement, every glance to the side is refreshed faster, which makes a difference especially in e-sports. The manufacturer also considered HDR in games – the television supports HGiG mode, which are guidelines intended to ensure that the lighting effects are exactly as the game developers intended. To top it off, we get Game Bar – a special information bar called up on the screen that shows parameters in real time. You can check the frame rate, active VRR functions, or input lag levels. This solution is useful not only for settings enthusiasts but for anyone who wants to quickly check what mode the television is operating in and whether everything is working as it should.

As we mentioned earlier, the 60Hz panel is not a feature that will attract gamers to the Sharp JP7. Perhaps for the casual gamer, whose console still generates most titles at 60 frames per second, there might be something interesting? When it comes to specific additions, we find here:

• ALLM mode: Automatically switches the TV to low latency game mode (input lag).

• Player menu: Which is hard to call a fully-fledged “Game Bar,” as the functionality is minimal. Aside from enabling ALLM, there’s only a dedicator for gaming which we advise against as it introduces very noticeable artifacts and spoils responsiveness.

• Dolby Vision Gaming: For Microsoft's consoles.

Unfortunately, the list of shortcomings is much longer and more painful than the positives. The biggest disappointment is the lack of support for 120Hz, even when reducing the resolution to Full HD. The presence of 120Hz would allow for performance modes to be activated in many games on the PS5 or Xbox Series X. Another shortcoming is the VRR, which means that during frame drops, we are susceptible to screen tearing. Very problematic is also the lack of proper implementation of the HGiG standard. This results in the fact that during HDR calibration in the console menu, it is very easy to "overshoot" the brightness settings. As a result, instead of clear details in the highlights, we end up with an unnaturally oversaturated image with cut-off details. The Sharp JP7 is a proposal only for those who game very occasionally.