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 similar to levels typical for SDR, causing HDR effects to be insufficiently pronounced, and the image may appear 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 manage better with a wide colour gamut. In practice, this can make the image less vibrant and dynamic, and HDR effects will not be as spectacular as one might expect. Additionally, UR781 LG has some issues with accurately reproducing colours in HDR mode, resulting in content that may look less vivid.

When it comes to image dynamics and brightness, the QNED80A firmly stands its ground. It is not a “bright beast” – during our measurements, peak luminance oscillated between 350-400 nits. To put it plainly: these values won't allow HDR formats to fully spread their wings. So, do not expect that the glare of the sun or car headlights in films will blind you. However, this television has a powerful ace up its sleeve that salvages the overall picture impression – and that is the colours. LG's engineers have employed an advanced filtration system (technically most likely based on PFS phosphor, marketed as QNED/NanoCell), which does a fantastic job. Thanks to this, despite average brightness, the screen is capable of generating exceptionally saturated and pure hues. Our instruments showed coverage of the wide DCI-P3 cinema colour palette at a level of 93-94%. This is a result that outclasses most standard LCD televisions. In practice, this means that when watching 4K HDR content, the picture – although not very bright – is very plastic, vivid, and delights the eye with its depth of colours.

The colour reproduction in LG UR781 in Filmmaker Mode, which although is the best mode available from the factory settings, is not without its flaws. Firstly, the issue is white balance, where the graph shows dips in blue colour levels. This phenomenon results in a shift of hues towards yellow tones, causing the image to appear warmer than it should. Such deviation means that the colours on the screen are not naturally reproduced, which can be particularly noticeable in scenes with a white or neutral background. This can be confirmed by the Test Color Checker, which showed that some colours "shift" into other shades, meaning that the LG UR781 television does not display colours in accordance with reality. This distortion can affect the visual experience, making movie scenes seem less realistic, and details might be displayed in inappropriate colours, negatively impacting the overall image quality.

In terms of contrast, the analysis of the gamma graph revealed drops to a level of 2.0, whereas the optimal value should be 2.4. This means that the television may display darker parts of the image brighter in certain scenes, which reduces their depth and dynamics. Additionally, on the EOTF curve, which is responsible for brightness reproduction, an unnatural spike was observed at the beginning. This phenomenon can result in excessive brightness boost in the brightest parts of the image, leading to loss of detail in very bright scenes.

Here, regardless of whether you encounter the VA or IPS version, the situation is identical. LG engineers once again served us their vision of a "gaming look," which unfortunately has little to do with accuracy. When switched to console mode, the white balance automatically drifts towards very cold regions. The image is dominated by the colour blue, which makes it seem artificially sharpened, and the white is so aggressive that it appears burnt out. This creates an effect we associate with vibrant shop modes – everything is meant to shine and scream "I am digital." While some may appreciate this, we must say plainly: the image is not accurate. If you care about naturalness, we suggest you immediately check the settings and change the colour temperature to a warmer one.

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

However, the situation is worse for HDR content. The LG UR781 television does not support a wide colour gamut, which limits the depth and richness of colours that HDR can offer. The EOTF curve deviates from the ideal, resulting in excessive highlighting of details in the bright parts of the image. Unfortunately, this 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 the quality of HDR images, causing dynamic range effects to be not fully realised, and colours to appear washed out.

Despite some shortcomings in HDR mode, the television has improved significantly after calibration, especially in SDR content. The improvement in white balance and gamma has greatly enhanced image quality, providing a more natural and cohesive colour representation. Compared to its state before calibration, the difference is clear, and the LG UR781 television now offers better performance in everyday use, particularly in the standard dynamic range.

After professional calibration, the QNED80A in the IPS version has changed unrecognisably, 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 dropped below the threshold of perception (value < 2). The picture 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 television has a problem with perfectly controlling the brightness (EOTF curve). Due to the limitations of edge lighting and the rather meagre adjustment options provided by LG in this respect, the television'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 picture after calibration is a class better than what you saw out of the box.

Now let’s address the function of smoothing tonal transitions and its impact on overall image quality. As illustrated in the photo on the left, this function performs exceptionally mediocrely; we selected the "low" level, which does not improve quality but also does not blur the film grain. There is the option to increase the power of this function, which would soften the gradation; however, one must reckon with the fact that the image will be too softened in some scenes.

On the other hand, regarding image scaling, the television does not perform exceptionally, which can be particularly noticeable with lower resolution content. The LG UR781 television applies a slight, artificial sharpness boost, which makes the image appear sharper, but this primarily results from the overlay of artificial contours. For some users, this can be an advantage, as they prefer more vivid, accentuated details. However, this is a subjective matter—such an effect may not appeal to everyone, especially if they desire a more natural look to the image.

It often happens that cheap 4K TVs mercilessly expose the flaws of low-resolution materials. Here, it is different. The QNED80A is great equipment for watching content that is not perfect. The processor does a good job of upscaling the image, making even older recordings look quite decent on a 4K screen – they are consistent and free of digital noise. Interestingly, there is a gradation reduction feature available in the settings. It is very effective in combating the so-called banding in low bitrate materials. Of course, it should be approached with some caution. Due to the lower processing power of the chip (compared to the premium series), turning on this option can sometimes result in unwanted artifacts or blurriness. Despite this risk, we encourage experimentation, as in many cases this feature can save a poor-quality viewing experience.

The LG UR781 television offers quite decent smoothness for films, thanks to the "True Motion" option, which allows users to adjust the level of motion smoothing on a scale from 0 to 10. The user can choose whether they want to preserve a more traditional, cinematic effect with subtle judder (lower settings) or prefer a smoother, theatrical image that, although slightly deviating from the cinematic standard, may appeal to many.

In dynamic sports content and games, the LG UR781 television performs worse. The television has a 60Hz panel, which limits its interpolation capabilities to these values; therefore, it can improve fluidity in films but cannot reduce motion blur. Additionally, the lack of support for 120 Hz and BFI (Black Frame Insertion) technology means that quick movements of objects become blurred, and the response time of the panel is too long, negatively affecting clarity in fast scenes. As a result, the television may not meet the expectations of gamers and sports fans who are looking for a smooth, clear image without motion blur.

In terms of motion reproduction, the QNED80A unfortunately has a tough time. The television is based on a display with a refresh rate of 60Hz, which is quite a disappointment for the QNED series in 2025. If you are looking for perfect sharpness during dynamic football matches, you may feel somewhat unsatisfied. A solution in this situation is the TruMotion system. It allows for artificial frame generation, which smooths out the image in films and series. In the menu, you will 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.

While gaming on the console, the television LG UR781 offers several important features that can affect the gaming experience, but it also has some limitations. A positive aspect is the presence of ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode), which automatically optimises picture settings by switching the television LG UR781 into low latency mode, which is beneficial for gamers. The television also supports proper implementation of HGiG, meaning HDR games look as intended by the developers.

Unfortunately, it lacks support for Variable Refresh Rate (VRR), which may result in poorer fluidity of gameplay, particularly in more dynamic games. It also does not support Dolby Vision mode for games, which limits the HDR picture quality in games using this format. The television has a panel with a frequency of 60hz, which means it does not support higher frequencies at other resolutions, such as 1080p@120Hz, 1440p@120Hz, or 4K@120Hz, which is a significant drawback for gamers expecting smoother gameplay at higher resolutions. It also lacks support for G-Sync technology, which limits image synchronisation in games.

However, a positive aspect is the presence of the Game Bar feature, which allows 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 that must be accepted. However, LG's engineers have done everything possible to maximise the potential of this 60Hz panel, providing gamers with a set of desirable features. First and foremost, the television supports VRR (in the range of 48-60Hz) and ALLM. This means that the image is smooth, not choppy, and the television automatically switches to low-latency mode as soon as we pick up the controller. Accessing these options is incredibly simple 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. Although the screen does not support gaming Dolby Vision, HGiG ensures that the television 'understands' how to display games in HDR. As a result, we avoid the problem of blown-out clouds, which is unfortunately a plague on cheaper LCD televisions.