Samsung QN900D Neo QLED 8K vs LG OLED G6 (G64LW, G66LS)

The Samsung QN900D easily showcases its high capabilities in light production during synthetic tests – 1400 nits is truly an impressive result. It also demonstrated these capabilities in the first scene of the movie "Life of Pi," where we see a brilliant burst of the rising sun. However, due to issues with the dimming algorithm, some problems can be observed here. In the test scenes from "Sicario 2" and the second scene from "Life of Pi," these values are not as high, averaging around 500-600 nits. While this may not be the worst result among Mini LED TVs, more could be expected given the price of the television. Nevertheless, the television deserves praise for covering a wide colour gamut of DCP P3 at 96%. Although there are technologies offering higher values, this result is still satisfactory.

The LG G6 is currently one of the brightest OLEDs on the market. Its peak brightness reaches nearly 2500 nits and, best of all, this translates directly to real movie scenes. The TV flawlessly extracts details in the bright areas of the image. And this is regardless of whether we are talking about very small points in the form of stars in the sky or slightly larger elements on the screen. Naturally, with full-screen, uniformly white scenes, the brightness of the G6 drops due to the panel protection system (ABL). However, in real, varied movie shots, this value still hovers around an impressive 2000 nits, which can be considered a remarkable result. The coverage of the color palette also deserves praise. The new 2nd generation Tandem OLED panel has brought about only a cosmetic change, but still an improvement. The coverage of the DCI-P3 color space reaches nearly 99.5%, while the ultra-wide BT.2020 is around 84%. These are very good results, although it's important to remember one thing: at extremely high brightness levels, the volume of colors will be lower than in QD-OLED panels from Samsung Display due to the use of white sub-pixels (WOLED). However, in everyday content and most films, capturing this difference will be very difficult.

The QN900D television offers a Filmmaker mode that is designed to watch movies in the most natural way possible; however, this mode is not without its flaws. For HD content, the white balance shows a dominance of red and blue, which causes the image to shift towards pink hues. In contrast, for 4K HDR content, the situation is reversed – the reduction of blue and red levels results in warmer scenes and a shift towards yellow tones. This is confirmed by Color Checker tests, which clearly show that the colour samples veer in that direction.

When it comes to brightness and the associated contrast, the gamma is significantly distorted. The biggest issue is a noticeable jump at the beginning of the curve, indicating that dark details are overly brightened, causing the image to lose depth in the darkest areas - this is due to local dimming. For 4K HDR materials, the EOTF curve looks quite good, but it remains below the reference level, impacting the overall dynamics of the image.

We tested the LG G6 in the best factory mode for colour fidelity, which is FILMMAKER MODE. In the case of our test unit, this mode was reasonably well tuned straight out of the box. In SDR content, the only issue we noticed was the white balance, which leaned towards warmer tones. This made the image occasionally appear slightly yellowish, but overall, it wasn't a significant problem. The G6 performed a bit worse in HDR content. There, the white balance showed too much blue component. This caused the image to veer towards cooler shades, resulting in quite noticeable errors. As can be seen on our ColorChecker chart, the colours shifted towards these cooler registers. Nevertheless, considering the factory settings, the television presented a perfectly decent level. However, we know that OLED screens – particularly those from LG – respond exceptionally well to professional calibration, so we immediately proceeded to do just that.

After calibration, the Filmmaker mode can truly be called worthy of its name. The white balance for both HD and 4K HDR content has significantly improved, resulting in colours that are more natural and consistent. The image has gained in realism, with pink hues in HD content effectively eliminated, as well as the yellow haze in 4K HDR content. Thanks to the calibration, the television now offers much better colour reproduction, positively impacting the viewing experience.

When it comes to brightness, the situation with gamma is now the opposite – a clear drop is visible at the beginning of the graph, making the darkest details harder to discern. The EOTF curve for 4K HDR content has remained largely unchanged and is still below the reference level, indicating that the television still struggles to maintain adequate brightness. This is related to the aggressive dimming algorithm that affects the overall brightness of the image. You can see how the television fights to maintain high brightness or perfect black.

Despite the limitations associated with local dimming, the Samsung QN900D has improved in colour reproduction quality, as confirmed by the Color Checker test results – the colour samples are now much closer to the references, making the image more natural and pleasant to the eye.

After completing a professional calibration, we gained complete control over the panel, and we managed to align all parameters to nearly zero. We were able to tune the white balance perfectly, which removed the factory's cool and warm tints from the screen. The effects are visibly clear in the ColorChecker test – the average colour reproduction errors dropped below the critical value of 1-2. And what does this mean? PERFECT colours, without any distortion! However, as a reviewer’s duty, we must point out how the LG G6 arbitrarily manipulates brightness, which is due to the EOTF curve's behavior. When we look at the standard synthetic graph, it might seem that the line is quite straight. However, the situation changes when we turn on the measurement filter, which shows how the television interprets brightness in actual, moving film scenes (EOTF in MOVIES). Then, it is clear as day that some of the smallest fragments on the screen are slightly overly brightened by the algorithm. Of course, for the average viewer, such a deviation will practically go unnoticed, but in the test of such an expensive screen, it’s worth noting – especially since we are talking about a model that has huge aspirations for the title of the best television of the year.

The fluidity of tonal transitions in lower-quality materials looks fantastic – the Noise Reduction feature very effectively smooths out tonal transitions while getting rid of film grain. Although the removal of grain isn't always desirable, the overall final effect is very aesthetically pleasing, especially for those who prefer a cleaner image.

When it comes to upscaling, or image scaling, QN900D shows the tremendous capabilities of the new processor with AI technology. Photos and materials in lower resolution are scaled while retaining many details – for example, a photo with a model looks amazing, free of unnecessary jagged edges, and the branches in the background are not overly serrated.

No matter what one might say about the G6's issues with near-black signal, it must be fairly acknowledged that it handles heavily compressed material and lower resolution content extremely well. All unwanted, ugly tonal transitions are effectively reduced here by the "Smooth Gradation" feature. At the "Low" setting, the algorithm works flawlessly – effectively masking the artifacts resulting from strong compression without destroying the sharpness and details in the frame. Higher levels of this feature do further smooth the image, but they start to blur the real texture elements of the objects, so we recommend keeping this slider at a low level. As for the actual upscaling to 4K, the processor does an excellent job – edge sharpness and detail reconstruction are at the highest level, and in this respect, the G6 is on par with the global leaders.

Samsung QN900D is currently the fastest television in the world – literally. A refresh rate of 240 Hz in 4K resolution is an amazing value that PC gamers will surely appreciate. As for movie fans, they won't be disappointed either – Samsung offers a 10-level scale in the picture clarity settings, allowing users to adjust the image. We can choose whether the television should provide a smoother, theatrical effect at the highest settings, or a more cinematic one, with a visible frame, at the lowest settings.

The LG G6 is an OLED television, so in the category of motion fluidity, it traditionally deserves the highest marks. The TV supports very high refresh rates of up to 165 Hz in 4K resolution, but most importantly – there are absolutely no signs of blurring on the screen. The response time of the matrix is virtually instant, ensuring that dynamic images remain perfectly sharp.

Samsung QN900D is a television that offers excellent compatibility with consoles and a range of features that gamers will appreciate. It has 4 HDMI 2.1 ports, although unfortunately without the full bandwidth of 48 Gb/s. Nonetheless, for the average user, this is more than sufficient. Additionally, the television supports Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) and Variable Refresh Rate (VRR), which means smoother images and no screen tearing during dynamic gameplay. The G-Sync and FreeSync technologies are also noteworthy, providing optimal compatibility with consoles and computers equipped with the appropriate graphics cards, minimising stuttering effects and ensuring a smooth picture.

One of the unique features available only in Samsung televisions is the Xbox Game Pass app, which allows for game streaming without the need for a console. This is a very convenient solution that lets you enjoy your favourite games without having to purchase additional hardware. Furthermore, the QN900D has Game Bar – a special panel that enables quick access to gaming-related settings, making game mode setup quick and intuitive.

Another interesting feature is the Auto Motion Plus Game function, which is a special motion smoothing mode that can increase the frame rate (works up to a maximum of 4K@60Hz). Importantly, this does not cause a significant increase in input lag, allowing players to enjoy both greater image fluidity. All these features make the Samsung QN900D an excellent choice for those looking for a gaming television with the highest possible parameters.

The LG G6 is a true beast for gamers and one of the best-equipped TVs on the market in this regard. The manufacturer didn't compromise and equipped this model with four full HDMI 2.1 ports with a maximum bandwidth of 48 Gbps. This means that no matter which port you plug in your PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, or powerful PC, you'll get the absolute maximum performance out of them.

The TV supports a full suite of gaming technologies: from VRR (Variable Refresh Rate), to AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, and Nvidia G-Sync Compatible. Let's add to that a remarkably low, almost imperceptible input lag and an excellently functioning game panel (Game Optimizer), which allows you to constantly monitor signal parameters. Gaming on this screen, with the perfect black of OLED and powerful refresh rates, is pure pleasure.