Samsung Q6F (IPS) vs LG OLED G6 (G64LW, G66LS)

The Samsung Q6F is, unfortunately, a very dark model. Its peak brightness in HDR does not exceed 250 nits, which is a value that is decidedly too low to even talk about any effect of “high dynamic range,” or HDR. In practice, it’s better to stick to content in SDR format, which simply looks more predictable on this television. Another problem is the global dimming technique – in scenes with a lot of black, the television drastically dims the entire panel to artificially improve the black levels. This causes the image to become even darker, and the brightness can drop below 100 nits. The only consolation is supposed to be the QLED technology, but even here it is average. The layer of quantum dots used is not of the highest quality, as the coverage of the DCI-P3 colour palette does not exceed 90%. As a result, the colours in HDR content may simply appear under-saturated.

The LG G6 is currently one of the brightest OLEDs on the market. Its peak brightness reaches nearly 2500 nits, and what’s best – this has a direct impact on real film scenes. The television flawlessly extracts details in the bright areas of the image. And this is regardless of whether we are talking about very small points like stars in the sky or slightly larger elements on the screen. Naturally, with full-screen, uniformly white scenes, the brightness of the G6 decreases due to the panel protection system (ABL). However, in real, varied cinematic shots, this value still hovers around 2000 nits, which can be considered an outstanding result. The coverage of the colour palette also deserves praise. The new second-generation Tandem OLED panel only brought a cosmetic change but still an improvement. The coverage of the DCI-P3 palette reaches nearly 99.5%, whereas for the ultra-wide BT.2020, it is around 84%. These are very good results, although it’s worth remembering one thing: at extremely high brightness levels, the colour volume will be lower than in Samsung Display’s QD-OLED panels due to the use of a white sub-pixel (WOLED). However, in everyday content and most films, catching this difference will be very difficult.

We tested the television in Filmmaker mode, which showed us two completely different facets of this model. Looking at SDR content, we were genuinely shocked at how good this television looks straight out of the box. It was really difficult to find fault with anything here. Despite a slight 'muddiness' in the white balance or somewhat brightened details in the blacks (which directly stem from the design of the IPS panel), the colour errors hovered around a level of '2'. This result is not only surprisingly good but downright amazing, considering the price of this device.

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

We tested the LG G6 in the best factory mode in terms of colour fidelity, namely FILMMAKER MODE. In the case of our test unit, this mode was quite well tuned straight out of the box. In SDR content, the only issue we could point out was the white balance, which tended to drift towards warmer tones. Consequently, the image could occasionally appear slightly yellowed; however, overall, this was not an bothersome problem. The G6 performed a bit worse with HDR content. There, we noted too much blue component in the white balance, which caused the image to take on cooler hues, resulting in fairly noticeable errors. As can be seen in our ColorChecker chart, the colours indeed drifted towards these cooler registers. Nevertheless, considering the factory settings, the television displayed a perfectly decent level. We do know, however, that OLED screens – particularly those from LG – respond excellently to professional calibration, which is why we immediately went ahead with it.

After our calibration, the colours in SDR mode looked even better – the result is truly surprising, as colour errors at the '1' level are something generally seen in devices costing several thousand pounds. In this regard, the Q6F is really an excellent screen for everyday television, less demanding series or films. Unfortunately, our intervention in the HDR mode did not bring a noticeable improvement. The television, due to its poor 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 exists mainly as a label on the box – for everyday use, we definitely recommend watching content in SDR format.

After professional calibration, we gained complete control over the panel, and we managed to align all parameters to nearly zero. We successfully calibrated the white balance perfectly, which eliminated the factory cool and warm tints from the screen. The effects are clear as day in the ColorChecker test – the average colour reproduction errors dropped below the critical value of 1-2. And what does that mean? PERFECT colours, without any distortion! However, as reviewers, we must point out here how the LG G6 arbitrarily manipulates brightness, for which the EOTF curve is responsible. When looking at the standard synthetic chart, 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 real, moving film scenes (EOTF in MOVIES). Then it becomes evident that some of the tiniest parts on the screen are slightly over-brightened by the algorithm. Of course, for the average viewer, such a deviation will be practically unnoticeable, but in the test of such an expensive screen, it is worth noting – especially since we are talking about a model that has huge aspirations to be named the best television of the year.

Q6F performs very well in upscaling lower-resolution content to native 4K. The scaling here is surprisingly good, even for such an inexpensive television from the QLED series. The only downside is the situation where we are watching very low-resolution materials, such as 576p (typical for old DVD players) – in which case the image may be slightly cropped. This is due to the fact that the television does not allow the Overscan function to be turned off, which is a typical issue with Samsung devices.

The situation is completely different when it comes to digital processing, specifically the attempt to smooth the image of unwanted artifacts. Here the television completely fails. Although there is a function in the menu called "Noise Reduction," it yields no visible results regardless of the slider setting. The only thing it manages to do is introduce undesired errors in the image. Despite its presence in the system, we definitely do not recommend using it.

Whatever one may say about the G6’s problems with near-black signal, it must be fairly acknowledged that it handles heavily compressed material and lower resolution content exceptionally well. All unwanted, unsightly tonal transitions are effectively reduced here by the "Smooth Gradation" feature. At the "Low" setting, the algorithm works flawlessly – effectively masking the artefacts resulting from strong compression without destroying the sharpness and details in the frame. Higher levels of this function do indeed smooth the image further, but they start to blur the real elements of object texture, which is why we recommend keeping this slider at a low setting. As for the upscaling to 4K, the processor does an excellent job – edge sharpness and detail reconstruction are at the highest level, and in this regard, the G6 does not fall behind the world leaders at all.

The 60 Hz panel in the Samsung Q6F is standard for this price range, making it rather average for dynamic sports or gaming. However, when it comes to films, the television performs quite well thanks to the motion smoothing feature. The "Motion Reduction" option allows you to adjust the smoothness of movement to your own preferences – from maintaining a cinematic character to complete fluidity.

LG G6 is an OLED television, so in the category of motion fluidity, it traditionally deserves the highest marks. The television supports very high refresh rates reaching up to 165 Hz in 4K resolution, but most importantly – on the screen, you will not notice any signs of blurring. The response time of the panel is almost instantaneous, ensuring that dynamic images remain perfectly sharp.

We're not going to beat around the bush – the Q6F is not a television designed for gamers. Although it features additions like ALLM (automatic low latency mode) and VRR frame synchronisation for consoles, the list of advantages basically ends there. Aside from these basics, the television offers nothing more that would satisfy those who spend a lot of time in front of a console. It’s a great shame that such a useful tool as Game Bar, which allows for quick control of game parameters in Samsung's higher models, is missing here. In terms of gaming, this model is absolutely basic and is only suitable for "casual" gamers.

The LG G6 is a true monster for gamers and one of the best-equipped televisions on the market in this regard. The manufacturer has not skimped on features, equipping this model with as many as 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 will get the absolute maximum performance from them.

The television supports a full set of gaming technologies: from VRR (Variable Refresh Rate) to AMD FreeSync Premium Pro, and even Nvidia G-Sync Compatible. On top of that, it offers remarkably low, nearly imperceptible input lag and an exceptionally well-functioning Game Optimizer panel, which allows you to monitor signal parameters in real time. Gaming on this screen, with the perfect black of OLED and impressive refresh rates, is pure pleasure.