LG UR781 vs LG QNED80A6A (IPS)

In HDR mode, LG UR781 unfortunately does not impress with its brightness. In tests on five screens, the television achieved only around 200 nits, which is quite a low value for HDR standards. This brightness is comparable to levels typical for SDR, which means that HDR effects are not sufficiently vivid, and the picture may look less impressive, especially in dynamic, bright scenes. In HDR mode, it has certain limitations in colour reproduction. This means that colours may not be as intense and rich as in televisions that handle a wider colour gamut better. In practice, this can make the image less vibrant and dynamic, and HDR effects may not be as spectacular as one might expect. Additionally, UR781 LG has some issues with accurate colour representation in HDR mode, which makes content look less lively.

When it comes to image dynamics and brightness, the QNED80A keeps its feet firmly on the ground. It’s not a "light beast" – during our measurements, peak luminance hovered around 350-400 nits. To put it bluntly: these are values that won't fully unleash the potential of HDR formats. So don’t expect the glare of the sun or car headlights in films to blind you. However, this television has a powerful ace up its sleeve that saves the overall image quality – it's the colours. LG engineers have employed an advanced filtration system (technically based on phosphor PFS, marketed as QNED/NanoCell), which does a fantastic job. Thanks to this, despite average brightness, the screen can generate exceptionally saturated and pure colours. Our instruments showed coverage of the wide cinematic DCI-P3 colour gamut at around 93-94%. This is a result that outclasses most standard LCD televisions. In practice, this means that when watching 4K HDR content, the image – although not very bright – is very vivid, lively, and delights the eye with its depth of colours.

Colour reproduction in LG UR781 in Filmmaker Mode, which although it is the best mode available from factory settings, is not without its flaws. First and foremost, the issue is with white balance, where the graph shows dips in the blue colour level. This phenomenon results in a shift towards yellow hues, making the image warmer than it should be. Such deviation means that the colours on the screen are not reproduced naturally, which may be particularly noticeable in scenes with white or neutral backgrounds. This can be confirmed by the Color Checker Test, which showed that some colours "escape" into other shades, indicating that the LG UR781 TV does not display colours accurately. This distortion can affect visual experiences, making film scenes seem less realistic and details may be displayed in incorrect colours, negatively impacting overall picture quality.

In terms of contrast, analysis of the gamma graph revealed drops to a level of 2.0, while the optimal value should be 2.4. This means that the TV may display darker parts of the image brighter in some scenes, reducing their depth and dynamism. Additionally, on the EOTF curve, which is responsible for brightness reproduction, an unnatural spike was noticed at the beginning. This phenomenon may result in excessive brightness boosting in the brightest parts of the image, leading to a loss of details in very bright scenes.

Here, regardless of whether you come across the VA or IPS version, the situation looks identical. LG engineers have once again served us their vision of a "gaming look," which unfortunately has little to do with accuracy. When switching to a console, the white balance automatically shifts to very cold regions. The image is dominated by blue, making it seem artificially sharpened, and the white is so aggressive that it almost burns out. This creates an effect we associate with garish retail modes – everything is meant to shine and scream "I’m digital." While some may like this, we must say it bluntly: it is not an accurate image. If you care about naturalness, we suggest you immediately check the settings and change the colour temperature to a warmer one.

After calibration, colour reproduction in SDR content is quite good. The white balance has been effectively improved, resulting in natural, balanced hues across different scenes. The gamma has also been adjusted, providing a more precise representation of details in the shadows and bright areas of the image. As a result, the LG UR781 TV performs well in everyday use, offering solid colour quality and clear, well-balanced images in SDR mode.

However, the situation is less favourable for HDR content. The LG UR781 TV does not support a wide colour gamut, which limits the depth and richness of colours that HDR can provide. The EOTF curve deviates 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 the Colour Checker. Additionally, the low brightness level of the panel further negatively impacts HDR image quality, causing the effects of dynamic range to not be fully realised and colours to appear washed out.

Despite some shortcomings in HDR mode, the TV has significantly improved after calibration, especially in SDR content. The enhancement of white balance and gamma has notably increased image quality, providing a more natural and cohesive colour reproduction. Compared to its pre-calibration state, the difference is clear, and the LG UR781 TV now offers better performance in everyday use, particularly in standard dynamic range.

After professional calibration, the QNED80A in the IPS version has changed beyond recognition, especially with "ordinary" content (SDR). We managed to eliminate the greenish tint and calm down the overly bright gamma. In classic television or older games, colour errors (DeltaE) have fallen below the threshold of perception (value < 2). The image is now coherent, natural, and truly pleasing to the eye. The situation is somewhat more complicated in HDR mode. Although the colours are now in place, the TV struggles with perfect brightness control (EOTF curve). Due to the limitations of edge lighting and the rather poor adjustment options provided by LG in this area, the TV's software at times "does what it wants" just to mask the imperfections of black and contrast. However, this is not a cause for concern – despite these technical limitations, the image after calibration is a class above what you saw out of the box.

Let's now address the function of smoothing tonal transitions and its impact on overall picture quality. As illustrated by the photo on the left, this function performs exceptionally mediocre; we chose the "low" level, which does not enhance quality but also does not blur the film grain. There is a possibility to increase the strength of this function, which could soften this gradation, but one must consider that the image will be too softened in certain scenes.

On the other hand, regarding image scaling, the television does not perform outstandingly, which may be particularly noticeable with lower resolution content. The LG UR781 television applies a slight, artificial sharpening boost, making the image appear sharper; however, this mainly results from the application of artificial contours. For some users, this may be an advantage, as they prefer more vivid, pronounced details. However, this is a subjective matter—such an effect may not appeal to everyone, especially if they desire a more natural appearance of the image.

It often happens that cheap 4K TVs mercilessly expose the flaws of low-resolution materials. Here, it's different. The QNED80A is great equipment for watching content that isn’t perfect. The processor does a great job of scaling the image, making even older recordings look quite decent on the 4K screen – they are consistent and free of digital noise. Interestingly, there’s a gradation reduction feature available in the settings. It’s particularly effective in combating what is known as banding in low-bitrate materials. Of course, you need to approach it with some caution. Due to the lower processing power of the chip (in comparison to the premium series), turning on this option can sometimes result in unwanted artifacts or blurring. Despite this risk, we encourage experimentation, as in many cases this feature can save a viewing of low quality.

The LG UR781 TV offers quite decent smoothness for movies, thanks to the "True Motion" option, which allows users to adjust the motion smoothing level on a scale from 0 to 10. Users can choose whether they want to maintain a more traditional, cinematic effect with a slight stutter (lower settings) or prefer a smoother image with a theatrical quality, which, although slightly deviating from the cinematic standard, may appeal to many.

In dynamic sports content and gaming, the LG UR781 TV performs worse. The TV has a 60Hz panel, which limits its interpolation capabilities to these values; therefore, smoothness can be improved in films, but motion blur cannot be reduced. Additionally, the lack of support for 120 Hz and BFI (Black Frame Insertion) technology means that fast-moving objects become blurred, and the panel's response time is too slow, negatively affecting clarity in fast scenes. As a result, the TV may not meet the expectations of gamers and sports fans who are counting on a smooth, clear image without motion blur.

When it comes to motion reproduction, the QNED80 unfortunately has a bit of a disadvantage. The TV is built on a 60Hz refresh rate panel, which is quite disappointing for the QNED series in 2025. If you're looking for perfect sharpness in dynamic football matches, you might feel a bit let down. The solution in this situation is the TruMotion system. It allows for artificially adding frames, which smooths out the picture in movies and TV shows. In the menu, you'll find a De-Judder slider – we recommend setting it to a value of 2, 3, or 4. This is the "golden mean" that improves fluidity without turning the film into a soap opera.

When playing on a console, the LG UR781 TV offers several significant features that can affect the gaming experience, but it also has some limitations. On the plus side, it includes ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode), which automatically optimises the picture settings by switching the LG UR781 TV to low latency mode, which is beneficial for gamers. The TV also supports correct implementation of HGiG, meaning HDR games look as intended by the creators.

Unfortunately, it lacks support for Variable Refresh Rate (VRR), which can result in worse gameplay smoothness, especially in more dynamic games. It also does not support Dolby Vision mode for gaming, which limits HDR picture quality in games using this format. The TV has a 60Hz panel, so it does not support higher frequencies at other resolutions, such as 1080p@120Hz, 1440p@120Hz, or 4K@120Hz, which is a significant downside for gamers expecting smoother gameplay at higher resolutions. There is also no support for G-Sync technology, which limits image synchronisation in games.

On the positive side, the presence of a Game Bar feature allows for quick access to settings for gamers and makes it easier to adjust picture parameters during gameplay.

In the gaming section, we won't be pulling the wool over your eyes – the QNED80A is not e-sports equipment. The lack of 120Hz signal support is a fact to accept. However, LG's engineers have done everything to squeeze the maximum potential out of this 60Hz panel, providing gamers with a desirable set of features. Above all, the TV supports VRR (in the range of 48-60Hz) and ALLM. This means the image is smooth and doesn't stutter, and the TV automatically switches to low latency mode as soon as you grab the controller. Accessing these options is ridiculously easy thanks to the dedicated system overlay – Game Dashboard. It's also worth appreciating the support for the HGiG format. This is a nod to owners of modern consoles. Even though the screen doesn't support gaming Dolby Vision, HGiG ensures that the TV "understands" how to display games in HDR. This helps avoid the effect of blown-out clouds, which is unfortunately a plague on cheaper LCD TVs.