Direct comparison
MRGB85 / MRGB86 / MRGB87 / MRGB88
Panel type: LCD VA
Resolution: 3840x2160
System: VIDAA
Model year: 2025
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Panel type: LCD VA
Resolution: 3840x2160
System: WebOS
Model year: 2026
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Overall rating
6.0
6.9
Movies and series in UHD quality
5.9
6.2
Classic TV, YouTube
5.8
6.0
Sports broadcasts (TV and apps)
5.0
6.4
Gaming on console
6.9
8.3
TV as a computer monitor
5.6
8.4
Watching in bright light
5.0
6.1
Utility functions
7.8
7.7
Apps
7.7
9.1
Sound quality
6.0
6.4
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Extensive features for gamers
Three full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 ports
Supports 4K at 144 Hz, VRR, G-Sync, and FreeSync
Low input lag
Supports Dolby Vision HDR
Fast and user-friendly webOS
Magic remote with gyroscope
Decent brightness and a wide color gamut
Average black levels
Aggressive local dimming control (edge-lit)
Average HDR picture quality
Poor viewing angles and noticeable smearing on the VA panel
LG MRGB85 is a TV that feels most at home in the hands of gamers and people attached to the webOS ecosystem. In that respect it’s hard to fault. It offers a lot of advantages for gamers thanks to a very high refresh rate panel. On top of that there’s a smooth webOS experience that stands out on the market mainly because of the convenient Magic remote and a full set of features for traditional TV. The problem starts when you look at overall picture quality and compare it to the price the manufacturer asks for this model. The MRGB85 launches at a level that, to put it mildly, is hard to call attractive compared with competing models. For similar money you can find TVs with much more sophisticated backlighting and, above all, better black-level control. The biggest controversy, however, is the naming and the way LG positions this model. MRGB85 does use a three-color backlight, but it’s placed at the edge of the screen. It’s therefore hard to call this a full-fledged RGB Mini-LED in the sense commonly used for TVs that employ a large number of independently controlled zones behind the panel. In practice the local dimming limitations are very noticeable and in dark scenes they significantly impair the viewing experience. That doesn’t mean the MRGB85 is a bad TV. It handles everyday content well, offers decent colors, good brightness and a very broad feature set. SDR material can look really good, and Dolby Vision partly helps hide weaker brightness management in HDR. Still, it’s difficult to shake the impression that the model’s biggest problem isn’t the hardware itself but its price and overly ambitious positioning in the market. If someone is mainly looking for a gaming TV, values the convenience of webOS and finds a big discount, the MRGB85 can make sense. At the current price it takes a back seat, because the competition today simply offers more in terms of picture quality.
5.8/10
5/10
Local dimming function: No
Local dimming function: Yes, number of zones: 6 (1 x 6)
Contrast:
Result
5,150:1
Result
5,550:1
Result
5,300:1
Result
5,800:1
Result
3,750:1
Result
12,100:1
Result
6,200:1
Result
15,900:1
Result
6,000:1
Result
4,600:1
Halo effect and black detail visibility:
Check the visibility of bright lights on a dark background. Mini-LEDs often struggle with this. The photo does not compare black levels – that’s what the video below is for.
The video accurately shows differences in contrast and black levels between TVs, as well as potential issues: halo around bright objects or Mini-LED zone operation visible as brightness jumps.
LG MRGB85 uses a VA panel, so even without extra measures it delivers better black levels than models based on IPS or ADS panels. In simpler scenes the picture has decent depth and can look quite convincing. The biggest limitation, however, appears once local dimming is enabled. The TV uses edge-lit backlighting placed at the bottom of the screen. As a result it cannot precisely control the brightness of small areas of the image. When a single bright element appears on a dark background, an entire vertical strip often lights up. This is accompanied by a noticeable halo, and what stands out even more is the backlight's behavior. During scene changes the brightness can rise and fall abruptly, causing the image to visibly pulse in a dark room. Local dimming can be turned off completely in the TV's menu. Contrast then drops noticeably, but the picture becomes much more stable and the frequent backlight flicker disappears. In practice, some users may therefore consciously give up deeper blacks in favor of a calmer, more predictable image.
4.6/10
5.7/10
Luminance measurements in HDR:
Result
234 nit
Result
245 nit
Result
319 nit
Result
304 nit
Result
311 nit
Result
583 nit
Result
401 nit
Result
569 nit
Result
423 nit
Result
455 nit
Scene from the movie “Pan” (about 2800 nits)
Scene from the movie “Billy Lynn” (about 1100 nits)
The photos show two HDR10 movies. 'Pan' is one of the brightest productions ever made, while 'Billy Lynn' (soldier) has brightness typical of streaming (Netflix, Prime, HBO MAX). Notice the intensity of effects and detail in whites.
Static HDR10
The photos present the visibility of white details in various HDR formats. They do not show brightness differences between TVs (these can be compared in the previous gallery).
Dynamic: Dolby Vision
Dynamic: Dolby Vision
The photos present the visibility of white details in various HDR formats. They do not show brightness differences between TVs (these can be compared in the previous gallery).
HDR luminance chart:
LG MRGB85B
Hisense A6Q
LG MRGB85 offers moderate brightness. On test patterns it reaches about 700 nits, which by itself is a decent result. In actual movie scenes the values are lower and most often fall between 400 and 600 nits. Bright, expansive shots perform best. In scenes with a lot of black the TV noticeably limits luminance, trying to maintain the highest possible contrast. The HDR effect is therefore visible, but it is far from the level offered by more advanced Mini-LED designs. Especially in darker parts of films the limitations of edge-lit backlighting and imprecise local dimming become noticeable again.
A much stronger suit of the MRGB85 is its colors. The TV covers about 95% of the DCI-P3 color space and 74% of BT.2020, allowing HDR material to look vivid and striking. Colors are well saturated, and the difference compared with basic LCD TVs is clearly visible. It is worth noting, however, that this is not a classic RGB backlight, where each of the three primary colors is generated by a separate diode. Red is produced by a PFS phosphor, which expands the palette and yields more saturated red shades. This solution works well for color reproduction, but it does not change the limitations of dimming itself. The LEDs are not driven independently in the way the series name might suggest... so it turns out that Mini RGB is not the same as Mini-LED RGB!
4.3/10
5.6/10
This gallery shows how colors change after professional TV calibration. If you notice the difference, we recommend ordering this service at SkalibrujTV.com.
Factory Mode
After calibration
This gallery shows how colors change after professional TV calibration. If you notice the difference, we recommend ordering this service at SkalibrujTV.com.
Factory Mode
After calibration
We tested the TV in Filmmaker Mode, because among the available settings it produced the image closest to the reference. Factory color reproduction was not perfect. The biggest deviations were in the white balance, with too much red and not enough blue, which pushed the picture noticeably toward warmer tones. Whites took on a slightly yellowish cast, and skin tones and bright areas did not always look natural. It wasn’t a flaw that completely ruined the viewing experience, but in a direct comparison with the same screen after calibration the difference was clearly visible.
7.5/10
7/10
The photos show how movies look on the TV. Pay attention to black detail visibility, colors, and shadow tint.
The photos show how movies look on the TV. Pay attention to black detail visibility, colors, and shadow tint.
Calibration primarily corrected the white balance and removed the previously visible warm tint. After the adjustment, whites no longer had a yellow cast and colors became more neutral and natural. The biggest improvement was seen in SDR content, where the picture looked even and much closer to the reference. A similar effect was achieved in HDR. After calibration the picture became more controlled, although not all of the TV's limitations could be eliminated. The biggest issue remained the intense reds, which were not always reproduced with the necessary precision. In practice the MRGB85 handles everyday SDR content very well, but in more demanding HDR material its limitations remain clearly visible.
7.6/10
8.9/10
These are selected scenes that show smooth tonal transitions from one color to another. If you see distinct banding, it’s the TV panel’s fault.
These are selected scenes that show smooth tonal transitions from one color to another. If you see distinct banding, it’s the TV panel’s fault.
These are selected scenes that show smooth tonal transitions from one color to another. If you see distinct banding, it’s the TV panel’s fault.
These are selected scenes that show smooth tonal transitions from one color to another. If you see distinct banding, it’s the TV panel’s fault.
LG MRGB85 handles tonal transitions quite well. In bright scenes posterization is least noticeable, and the TV has no problem separating individual shades. Tonal transitions are somewhat worse in dark scenes, where posterization in the most demanding moments that shift into dark gray shades can be more noticeable. That said, this is fairly typical for most TVs. It's worth noting that similar behavior can be seen in Dolby Vision mode, where posterization on the MRGB85 is slightly worse than usual.
5/10
7.8/10
Smooth transition function
The match photo shows how the TV smooths weak tonal transitions in low-quality video.
Image scaling SD (576i)
The model photo shows how it handles upscaling of SD material.
Upscaling and digital image processing perform quite well on the LG MRGB85. The Alpha 8 AI 4K Gen7 processor efficiently upscales lower-resolution content, and you can easily disable overscan regardless of the source. The TV also handles compression artifacts fairly well. The "Smooth Gradation" feature can effectively reduce visible banding and tonal unevenness, but it doesn't always work precisely. At higher settings it can smooth over fine details, for example material textures. On the plus side, it doesn't remove film grain. It's safest to use the "Low" or "Medium" setting, which provides the best compromise between artifact reduction and detail retention.
4.3/10
7.3/10
Blur (native resolution, maximum refresh rate):
Blur (BFI function enabled):
Blur (1080p@120Hz):
Blur (4K@144Hz):
The LG MRGB85 is equipped with a VA panel with a native 144 Hz refresh rate, so it performs very well in terms of motion smoothness. The TV easily handles 120 Hz content from consoles and higher refresh rates when connected to a PC. That matters not only for gaming but also when watching sports, where camera movement is noticeably smoother than on basic 60 Hz models. There's also the TruMotion system, which lets you set the level of motion smoothing yourself. You can keep a more cinematic motion or increase smoothness, which works well for sports broadcasts and TV shows. The range of adjustment is wide, so you can easily tailor the motion smoothing to your preferences.
6.3/10
9.8/10
When it comes to gaming, the LG MRGB85 performs best by far. The manufacturer didn’t skimp on the feature set and essentially brought the full suite of functions from higher-end TVs to this model. You get three HDMI 2.1 ports with full 48 Gbps bandwidth. Each of them supports 4K 120 Hz from consoles, and when connected to a PC also 4K 144 Hz. So you don’t have to worry about which port to plug your console or PC into, since they all offer the same capabilities.
It also includes VRR, AMD FreeSync Premium, NVIDIA G-Sync Compatible, ALLM, and HGiG. Dolby Vision Gaming is present as well, allowing supported games to use high refresh rates and dynamic HDR simultaneously on Xbox. Rounding it out is Game Optimizer, a handy in-game menu for gamers. Without leaving the game you can change the picture profile, brighten shadow details, or check the current frame rate. In terms of gaming features, the MRGB85 therefore offers almost the same as much more expensive LG models.
9.7/10
9.7/10
SDR
HDR
Dolby Vision
Input lag in the LG MRGB85 is really low. Our measurements showed about 10 ms with a 120 Hz signal and about 20 ms at 60 Hz. Importantly, we saw similar results in Dolby Vision mode. These may not be the absolute best figures on the market, but in practice they are more than enough for comfortable, smooth gameplay. The delay isn’t noticeable and shouldn’t interfere even in fast action or online multiplayer games.
5.6/10
8.4/10
The photo shows the legibility of small fonts. Ideally, lines should be the same thickness on both light and dark text, with minimal pixel gaps.
The MRGB85 works very well with PCs. Support for 4K at 144 Hz plus G-Sync Compatible and FreeSync Premium make it not just a gaming screen but also a quite capable monitor for work. In terms of text readability, it's simply good. The TV properly handles 4:4:4 chroma, so small fonts and system UI elements stay sharp. Only when viewing the screen from very close can you spot minor artifacts on the edges of letters, but at a normal viewing distance from a 55" or larger screen, it makes no difference.
3.1/10
3.4/10
The viewing angles on the LG MRGB85 are average. Because it uses a VA panel, the image loses color saturation fairly quickly, even at a slight angle. This is a typical trait of this kind of panel — in exchange for high contrast you get poorer viewing angles. IPS panels work the other way: they offer lower contrast but hold on to colors better when you look at the screen from the side. Theoretically the MRGB85 belongs to the family of RGB TVs, where viewing angles can be better than in models that use additional QLED filters. Here, however, that doesn't provide much of an advantage. The modest number of zones placed along the edge of the screen and the way they operate mean that, at an angle, the image quickly loses quality, much like on ordinary LCD screens.
5/10
6.1/10
Panel brightness
LG MRGB85B: 515 cd/m2
Hisense A6Q: 341 cd/m2
The LG MRGB85 performs quite well in a bright room. Its average brightness reaches about 500 nits, noticeably above average. That means the picture remains readable in a moderately sunlit living room and doesn't appear dimmed. The screen's anti-reflective coating fares worse, however, only doing an average job of reducing reflections. Direct reflections from windows or lamps can be clearly visible, so it's best not to place the TV directly opposite large windows or strong light sources.
Subpixel Structure:
Panel uniformity and thermal imaging:
Hisense A6Q
LG MRGB85B
7.8/10
7.7/10
The LG MRGB85 runs on webOS, which is fast, clear, and gives access to all the major streaming apps. The menu is smooth and easy to navigate. The TV also handles regular live TV well. Among other features, it includes Time Shift, HbbTV, and a convenient channel guide. So the MRGB85 is suitable for Netflix, YouTube, and everyday TV viewing.
Control is handled by a newer version of the Magic Remote. Compared with older models, it’s noticeably slimmer and no longer includes a traditional numeric keypad, but it fits the hand better and is more comfortable for everyday use. It still retains the familiar gyroscope, which lets you control the on-screen cursor with hand movements. Combined with webOS, this works very well.
7.7/10
9.1/10
8.3/10
9/10
Supported photo formats:
Maximum photo resolution:
The built-in media player handles most popular video, music, and photo formats, so for everyday use you shouldn't be missing anything. The only unusual glitch appeared with HEIC files. The TV displayed their thumbnails correctly, but when opened it couldn't show the photo at full resolution. Aside from that, the player worked without any significant issues.
6/10
6.4/10
The sound on the LG MRGB85 is simply adequate and there's not much more to say about it. The 2.0 system with a total output of 20 W performs like most TVs on the market. It lacks pronounced bass and a wider soundstage, although it can get fairly loud. For everyday TV viewing that setup is sufficient. However, anyone seeking fuller, more impressive sound should consider adding a soundbar or a home theater system.
86dBC (Max)
75dBC
86dBC (Max)
75dBC
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