LG UT8100 (IPS) vs LG QNED86A / QNED85A / QNED87A

The LG UT8100 television unfortunately does not meet expectations in the HDR effect category. A peak brightness of only 300 nits on the luminance chart is well below the required value to fully enjoy HDR effects. In practice, the image resembles SDR quality more than true HDR, which is particularly evident in demanding high-contrast scenes. The coverage of the DCI-P3 colour palette is only 82%, which further limits the ability to present vibrant and rich colours. Instead of impressive visual experiences, we receive a muted and washed-out image. For those looking for a television to fully utilise HDR content, the LG UT8100 model turns out to be quite disappointing.

Against the backdrop of contrast and black, the brightness of the QNED86A and the overall HDR effect fare much better. It's a television that can achieve around 700 nits under the best conditions, so in terms of luminance alone, there’s nothing to be ashamed of. As a result, scenes with strong lights, explosions, flashes, or bright parts of the landscape – look clear and can make an impression. Interestingly, even in tougher moments with small, contrasting elements on the screen, the television does well with backlighting and details are quite visible. The problem arises when there are many dark tones. The lack of effective local dimming means that black virtually disappears, and instead, we get a grey glow spreading across the entire screen. This kills the depth effect and causes the image to appear flat, as if it lacks cinematic character. In bright animations or family films with vibrant colours, this won't be an issue, as the colours and bright light dominate. But in horror films or productions set in darkness, these limitations are strongly felt. As a consolation, it’s worth noting that the QNED86A is essentially a QLED television with an LED PFS filter, which gives it very good coverage of wide colour gamuts. Both the DCI-P3 palette and the wider BT.2020 perform solidly here. This means that colours in HDR films are saturated, juicy, and have the right depth – even if the black itself is disappointing, the colours can save the viewing experience and make the image look appealing.

The Filmmaker Mode on LG UT8100, while theoretically the best for watching movies, has significant issues. The biggest problem is the white balance – drops in blue cause a noticeable yellowing of the image, visible in both HD and 4K content. These issues are confirmed by measurement results in the Colour Checker test, which indicate significant deviations in colour reproduction.

In terms of brightness characteristics, both HD and 4K content exhibit a large tonal boost. The gamma curve in both cases remains well below the reference value of 2.4, which leads to excessive brightening of darker elements of the image. A similar problem is evident in the EOTF curve – in the case of 4K content, the TV struggles to manage brightness correctly, resulting in issues with screen brightness. This means the factory settings of this model require significant adjustment to achieve better picture quality.

We primarily tested the QNED86A in Filmmaker mode, which is designed to provide the most faithful picture. Unfortunately, right out of the box, there were quite a few shortcomings. The most glaring issue was the poorly calibrated white balance – there was a lack of blue, which caused the overall image to take on a slightly yellowish, and sometimes even an orange hue. An even bigger problem was the way the television manages brightness. Due to its technical limitations – that is, local dimming functioning only along the edges of the screen – the QNED86A has a tendency to oversaturate entire scenes. This is where the flattening of the image that we mentioned earlier comes from. Instead of clear depth and contrast, we get something akin to "boosted brightness," which, in the long run, can strain the eyes.

After calibrating the Filmmaker Mode, the gamma has been aligned to practically perfect, reference values, which has significantly improved the overall tonal characteristics in HD content. 4K HDR content also looks better, although some issues are still visible at the extreme ends of the graph, where the curve deviates from the ideal. The EOTF curve performs worse since the TV struggles to maintain the correct brightness values. As a result, the image in some scenes may be too bright or slightly dim, which stems from the device’s design. Nevertheless, the calibration brought significant improvement, particularly for HD content, where the tonal balance and colour reproduction are now at a much higher level.

What was saved in the QNED86A6A is undoubtedly the colours. After calibration, the white balance was set with great precision, ensuring that deviations on the Colour Checker palette mostly did not exceed the visibility threshold for the human eye. In other words – the colours finally looked natural, without strange yellow or orange tones that had previously marred the perception. Unfortunately, even the best calibration cannot overcome structural limitations. The already mentioned very modest number of local dimming zones and their unfortunate placement meant that the analysis of the EOTF curve in films still showed noticeable scene over-exposures. The image tended to flatten, lacking cinematic depth. Fortunately, this effect is not as visible in older productions or in SDR content. There, calibration really does its job and allows the QNED to be tamed so the image can be pleasing. However, the specifics of this construction – especially the contrast issues – cannot be completely bypassed.

The fluidity of tonal transitions is also correct, although the effect depends on the settings. The update improved the operation of the smooth gradation function, smoothing transitions better than before, but introduced minor issues with detail loss, e.g. on textures.

Image scaling on LG UT8100 performs very well. The image presents itself decently, with no major issues regarding edge aliasing. Details are preserved at a satisfactory level, making materials of lower resolution look really solid on this television. As a result, users can enjoy watching older content without any noticeable defects in quality.

If someone is worried about potential "steps" when blending colours, the QNED86A has a simple solution for that. Just turn on the feature called Smooth Gradation and set it to the medium level. Then the TV really smooths out all those unwanted transitions – especially in older productions – and it does so in a way that the film grain doesn’t disappear, nor do any strange artefacts appear. In other words, you can use it without any worries.

The upscaling itself also turns out quite well. Of course, there are no miracles here – with poorer quality sources, you can notice characteristic jagged edges. Fortunately, there is a sharpness slider in the menu, and if someone prefers a more "soft" image, it can be quickly adjusted to their own taste.

LG UT8100, equipped with a 60 Hz panel, is particularly suited for those watching movies. The television offers the TruMotion system with a de-judder effect adjustment, which allows users to tailor the smoothness of the picture – from more choppy to exceptionally smooth, resembling a soap opera effect, depending on user preferences.

QNED86A has been equipped with a 120 Hz refresh rate panel, so right from the start, it can be said to be suitable for both sports and gaming. And indeed it is – the picture looks smooth, and motion blur isn’t too much of an issue. IPS panels have always had a bit of a problem with this, and here too you can sometimes notice slight blurring, especially in very dynamic scenes, but it’s not something that ruins watching a match or a fast-paced game. For cinema and sports fans, LG has included the traditional TruMotion smoothing feature. In the menu, we have two sliders – one for movies (De-Judder), and the other for sports (De-Blur). The first adds missing frames and allows you to adjust the character of motion – from raw, cinematic to a more fluid, “theatrical” feel. The second improves sharpness during dynamic actions, so it’s worth turning it up a bit if you watch a lot of sports.

LG UT8100 offers basic features for gamers, such as ALLM and Game Bar, which makes it easier to access settings. The TV also supports HGiG, improving picture quality in HDR games. Unfortunately, the lack of support for Dolby Vision and VRR limits the device's capabilities, as does the 60 Hz panel, which excludes support for 120 Hz resolution. This model is more suited for less demanding gaming applications.

When it comes to gaming, the LG QNED86A6A is a complete tool. It features four HDMI 2.1 ports with a full bandwidth of 48 Gb/s, which means that whether you connect a PlayStation 5, an Xbox Series X, or a powerful PC – everything will work in full 4K at 120 Hz with support for all functions. This is a significant advantage, as some competitors still only feature two such ports, which can be troublesome when dealing with multiple devices. It also includes VRR, or variable refresh rate, which eliminates screen tearing, and ALLM, which automatically activates game mode when the console powers on. Dolby Vision Gaming is included as well, alongside proper implementation of the HGiG format, so titles that support these formats look livelier and more detailed. Additionally, there's the Game Optimizer – a kind of control centre for gamers. From this interface, you can view image parameters in real time, quickly switch modes, activate additional features, or adjust picture settings to your own preferences. The LG QNED86A6A has basically everything you would expect from a modern gaming television.