Samsung QN90F / QN92F vs LG OLED G6 (G64LW, G66LS)

The Samsung QN90F can truly shine with brightness. In our measurements, it achieved over 2200 nits, which directly translates to the viewing experience. In practice, this means that when a film features a very bright scene – for example, a sunrise in The Meg – the screen looks as if it is actually lit by natural light. This is not just a number from a chart, but a real sense of image intensity! However, the television may not always deliver this full power. With smaller details like reflections or lamps, brightness drops to 500–700 nits. This is a deliberate decision by the algorithms – it allows for better control of the contrast between large and small elements, preventing the image from losing balance. Importantly, this is still a huge improvement compared to last year's QN90D, where similar details were often almost invisible, shining at just 200 nits. Here, the HDR effect is much more consistent and credible. The only downside is the colours. The DCI-P3 coverage has stalled at 91%, which in this price bracket can be considered a rather average result.

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.

The colour reproduction of the QN90F was tested in Filmmaker mode and, as is often the case with Samsung televisions, this mode proves to be the best starting point straight out of the box. However, this does not mean that the image is free from flaws. The white balance in both SDR and HDR content was surprisingly good – the colours did not drift in any direction and even in its factory settings, it looked solid. A problem arose with the gamma curves and EOTF, which dictate how the television manages brightness. Here, the QN90F significantly brightened the entire image, causing blacks and colours to lose their intensity, and the overall effect resembled that of an applied milky filter. Fortunately, Samsung, unlike many competitors in the miniLED world, provides the user with plenty of tools to control the settings that we do not find with other manufacturers, such as Chinese producers. Therefore, we decided to see if we could squeeze the full potential out of the QN90F because we know that such a high-end series is capable of much more.

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 adjustment of the settings, the QN90F displayed what it is truly capable of – and it must be admitted that this is one of the best images we have seen on a miniLED screen this year. As we mentioned earlier, the white balance was not a major issue even in its factory state, but only after gamma calibration did it manage to get close to reference values. The same is true for HDR content, where the EOTF curve post-adjustment presents mature and cohesive results. Indeed, in some films, it is noticeable that the smallest elements of the image are slightly brightened, and with a limited number of dimming zones, there is still a risk of halo effect. However, it should be remembered that such phenomena are characteristic of all miniLED televisions, and it is difficult to expect miracles even from the QN90F. The most important thing is that after calibration, the television delivers an image that, in terms of representing the director's vision, confidently competes with many OLED screens available on the market.

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.

QN90F handles upscaling very well. Materials in lower resolutions, even SD, are enhanced to a clear and sharp image, in which a lot of detail in the background can be seen. This is a significant advantage, as the television makes older content or everyday television look considerably better than on most budget screens. However, the issue of overscan remains, which is the trimming of the screen edges, and this cannot be turned off in Samsung TVs. This can cause some subtitles on the screen to disappear or Auntie's face from the wedding on the VHS tape to be slightly cut off. 😉

Digital image processing also works well. In the menu, we find a function called "noise reduction," which can smooth tonal transitions and improve the reception of lower quality materials, e.g. from YouTube. At the medium setting, the effect is most beneficial – it does not heavily interfere with details, while eliminating the problem of "stepping" in colours. However, it is worth remembering that the function can be quite aggressive and removes natural grain from older films, so it is best to use it in moderation.

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 QN90F is equipped with a panel that has a maximum refresh rate of 165 Hz, and although this advantage will primarily be appreciated by PC gamers, it is still worth highlighting. In films or sports broadcasts, we are limited to the classic 120 Hz, but this is not a cause for concern. In practice, the additional motion smoother is of greater importance here. With the "Motion Clarity" setting, we can adjust the picture to our own preferences. The blur reduction option is responsible for fluidity and ghosting in sports. Meanwhile, the "judder reduction" function improves motion smoothness in productions shot at 24 frames, such as films and series. If we set it high, the film appears smoother and more fluid than it was actually shot. Lower values, on the other hand, preserve its cinematic "rawness" with a visible film frame.

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.

QN90F has almost everything to be the perfect television for gamers. There’s no need to remind anyone of features like four HDMI ports, VRR, ALLM, or refresh rates reaching even 165 Hz. The Game Motion Plus mode deserves great praise, as it is a unique motion smoother for games. Thanks to this, it adds a few “artificial” frames and makes the image generated from the console look smoother than it should. This is a very unique solution in the world of televisions – rival systems usually do not offer this – and that is why Samsung has had a strong selling point among gamers for years, even despite the lack of support for the still niche Dolby Vision in games.

[UPDATE] We have updated our tests of Samsung televisions from the 2025 lineup due to the release of software version 1131, which restored the crucial feature for gamers, HGiG.

So why do we say "almost" the perfect screen? Unfortunately, like in recent Samsung models, we noticed an issue with the lack of the HGiG feature. This solution allows the television to leave the control of tone mapping up to the console, so that games look exactly as intended by the creators. What's worse, this feature was previously present and disappeared after software updates. Instead of minor improvements, we got a step back. It’s a shame, because without this absence, the QN90F could truly be the ideal choice for gamers in the miniLED category.

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.