There’s no doubt the LG G6 is outstanding in places. Thanks to the new 2nd-generation Tandem OLED panel it does something no other glossy-screen display on the market has managed so far: it suppresses reflections brilliantly while keeping perfect, untouched picture quality. Add record brightness and the panel’s unique characteristics, and the G6 can produce images that at times literally knock you off your feet. The excellent webOS and gamer-oriented features only reinforce the impression that this is a worthy successor to the G5. But that’s only one side of the coin, since expectations for a device in this class are as high as they get. During detailed testing we ran into an issue with digital image processing in near-black scenes. We’re talking about overly aggressive grain (dithering) and slight flickering of details in dark sequences. While during normal couch viewing this flaw isn’t dramatically noticeable and doesn’t negate the overall wow factor of the contrast, a trained eye will readily see that LG’s engineers stumbled at the final stage of panel tuning. When you buy a fairly expensive flagship product right now, you simply expect perfection out of the box.
Despite this obvious slip-up, the LG G6 is still at the absolute forefront of the market and one of the most interesting TVs of the year. It has a solid foundation to become the ultimate display. We firmly believe the manufacturer will quickly diagnose the issue and release an appropriate software update. If that happens, the competition won’t stand a chance. We promise to monitor the situation closely, and as soon as a patch appears we will verify how well it performs.
The idea behind The One series has remained practically unchanged for years, and with the Philips PQS9001 this is both an advantage and its biggest weakness. Once again, we get a versatile mid-range TV whose main distinguishing feature is Ambilight. The lighting that follows what is happening on the screen can completely change the atmosphere of an evening movie session, and for many people it will be the main reason to choose this TV. That is hardly surprising, because once you get used to the effect, it can be difficult to go back to watching without it. The picture quality itself is good, but we have already seen a very similar level from this series in previous years. The VA panel provides decent blacks, colours are nicely saturated, and the brightness is sufficient for comfortable viewing in a typical living room. It is a shame, however, that Philips did not take another step forward and introduce at least basic local dimming. In a dark room, blacks can look noticeably bluish, and HDR, while clearly visible, does not make as strong an impression as it could. After so many years of The One being on the market, we would have expected a little more progress here.
There has, however, been a noticeable improvement in Titan OS. Compared with last year, and especially with the version from two years ago, the system has become much more pleasant to use. There are more apps, many smaller functions have been improved, and a number of irritating bugs we previously complained about have been fixed. Overall, it works reasonably well, although we are once again frustrated by the remote control, which still requires you to point it directly at the TV. Philips continues to rely on infrared for regular navigation, even though voice control uses a wireless connection. That makes it even harder to understand why the same connection was not used for navigating the menus. The One also has quite a lot to offer gamers. Four HDMI 2.1 ports and a broad set of gaming features are one thing, but what impressed us most was the panel’s response time. Our unit showed practically no visible smearing, even on dark backgrounds, which is quite rare for an LCD TV with a VA panel. Philips deserves a lot of credit for that. The ability to play at 4K 144 Hz or Full HD 240 Hz also makes the TV an interesting option for PC users. Unfortunately, there is still one unfinished element: using Dolby Vision in games on Xbox results in very high input lag.
The PQS9000 therefore leaves us with mixed feelings. It can surprise with excellent motion handling and shows that Philips has clearly worked on its operating system, but we do not see a similar step forward in picture quality. This is a TV we can recommend primarily to fans of Ambilight. If that lighting system is the main reason you are considering a Philips, then buying The One makes a lot of sense. It is still worth checking, however, whether you can find a Mini LED model with good local dimming at a similar price. Such a TV may offer deeper blacks and more impressive HDR performance. In the end, the choice comes down to what matters more to you: the atmosphere created by Ambilight or better picture quality itself.