QN80F is a representative of the Neo QLED series, meaning it is a television with Mini LED backlighting. Unlike its cheaper cousin, the QN70F model, the diodes here are placed directly behind the panel (rather than at the edges), which gives it a solid advantage right from the start when it comes to contrast control. In the 65-inch variant we tested, we counted 88 dimming zones – a result that may not be particularly impressive, but as it turned out, sufficient to achieve quite decent results.
In tests based on scenes from films such as Oblivion and The Meg, the QN80F performed well – blacks were deep, and the overall image consistency was visually appealing. However, in more demanding moments (e.g., scenes with a large number of bright details on a dark background), a halo effect appeared. This is where the limitation of the number of zones becomes evident – bright elements could bleed into one another, and some details in the dark areas lost visibility. In one scene featuring a helicopter (The Meg), we even noticed slight brightness flickering, as if the television was trying its best to maintain detail visibility at the expense of black depth.
However, these issues are not exclusive to this model – halo effects or drops in contrast during very complex scenes are challenges faced by most Mini LED televisions, even the more expensive ones. In its class, the QN80F performs positively and offers significantly better contrast than the QN70F model with edge backlighting. For most users, this will be a level more than sufficient – although not perfect.
The model we tested, with a 55-inch diagonal, is equipped with a VA panel. And here we have great news: this is a huge advantage over the IPS version if you care about deep blacks and a vivid picture. Our measurements showed that in typical movie scenes, the native contrast is really solid, exceeding values around 6000:1. In practice, this means that black is truly black, not grey, which works very well for occasional evening viewing and is not annoying. Interestingly, there were moments when our measurement devices indicated contrast levels of over 20,000:1. Where does such a jump come from? The LG QNED80A is equipped with a Local Dimming system. However, this is an edge-lit setup. This means that the television can dim vertical backlight strips where the image is supposed to be dark. In theory, this sounds great and indeed allows for better numbers in graphs than with a classic LCD screen. Unfortunately, practice can be brutal. The use of edge dimming is a double-edged sword that can spoil the film viewing experience in challenging scenes. An ideal example is the helicopter scene in the film Sicario 2. When there is a lot of black on the screen and small, bright points, the dimming system starts to work very aggressively and... not very precisely. You can clearly see how entire vertical strips of the screen brighten and dim, trying to keep up with the object. Instead of deep blacks, we then see a glow (blooming), which simply looks bad and detracts significant attention from the plot. Although the dimming system improves measurable contrast, in everyday use – especially with the lights off – its aggressive operation can be irritating. Often, a better solution may turn out to be... turning off this feature or setting it to minimum, to enjoy a stable, natural black of the VA panel itself.