Samsung Q6F (IPS) vs LG MRGB85B

Unfortunately, the Samsung Q6F is a very dark model. Its peak brightness in HDR does not exceed 250 nits, which is definitely too low to even talk about any "high dynamic range" or HDR effect. In practice, it's better to stick to content in SDR format, which simply looks more predictable on this TV. Another issue is the global dimming technique – in scenes with a lot of black, the TV drastically dims the entire screen to artificially improve the black levels. This results in the image becoming even darker, with brightness sometimes dropping below 100 nits. The only consolation is the QLED technology, but even here it's average. The applied quantum dot layer is not of the highest quality, as the coverage of the DCI-P3 colour gamut does not exceed 90%. Because of this, colours in HDR content may simply appear unsaturated.

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!

We tested the television in Filmmaker mode, which showed us two completely different sides of this model. Looking at SDR content, we were honestly shocked at how good this television looks straight out of the box. It was really hard to pick on anything here. Despite a slight 'messiness' in white balance and some slightly brightened details in the blacks (which directly stems from the IPS panel construction), colour errors hovered around the '2' level. This is not only a surprisingly good result but rather phenomenal, considering the price of the device.

On the other hand, what the Q6F showed in terms of colours when switched to HDR mode was a very unpleasant surprise. The errors in colour reproduction and palette were so massive that our charts literally ran out of scale. Of course, since Samsung even in such a budget model offers very extensive calibration options, we decided to approach the issue professionally and see what could be done during calibration.

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 our calibration, the colours in SDR mode looked even better – the result is truly surprising, as colour errors at a level of "1" are something typically seen in devices costing several thousand dollars. In this respect, the Q6F is really a great screen for everyday television, less demanding series, or movies. Unfortunately, our intervention in HDR mode did not yield a noticeable improvement. The television, due to its weak blacks and low coverage of a wide colour gamut, still has significant issues with proper colour saturation, especially reds. This is an example of a device where HDR primarily exists as a label on the box – for everyday use, we definitely recommend watching content in SDR format.

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.

Q6F handles upscaling lower resolution content to native 4K very well. The scaling is surprisingly good, even for such an inexpensive QLED model. The only downside is when watching very low-resolution materials like 576p (typical for old DVD players) – the image may appear slightly cropped. This is because the TV does not allow the option to turn off the Overscan feature, which is a common issue with Samsung devices.

The situation is completely different when it comes to digital processing, or the attempt to smooth the image of unwanted artifacts. Here, the TV completely fails. Although in the menu we find a feature called "Noise Reduction," it does not produce any noticeable results regardless of the slider setting. The only thing it seems to do is introduce undesirable errors into the image. Despite its presence in the system, we definitely do not recommend using it.

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.

The 60 Hz panel in the Samsung Q6F is standard in this price range, making it a rather average model for dynamic sports or gaming. However, when it comes to movies, the TV performs quite well thanks to its smoothing feature. The "Motion Vibration Reduction" option allows you to adjust the motion smoothness to your own preferences – from preserving a cinematic feel to full smoothness.

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.

We won’t beat around the bush – the Q6F is not a television designed with gamers in mind. While it does include features like ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode) and VRR frame syncing for consoles, that's pretty much where the list of advantages ends. Beyond these basics, the television offers nothing more that could satisfy those who spend a lot of time in front of a console. It's a real shame that a useful tool like Game Bar, which allows for quick control of game parameters in higher-end Samsung models, is missing here. In terms of gaming, this is an absolutely basic model and it will only suit 'casual' gamers.

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.