LG QNED80A6A (IPS) vs Dreame Q100

When it comes to image dynamics and brightness, the QNED80A has its feet firmly on the ground. It is not a "light beast" – during our measurements, peak brightness oscillated around 350-400 nits. To put it plainly: these are values that will not allow HDR formats to fully spread their wings. So don’t expect the glare of the sun or car headlights in movies to blind you. However, this TV has a powerful ace up its sleeve that saves the overall view of the image – it is the colors. LG engineers have implemented an advanced filtration system here (technically likely based on a PFS phosphor, marketed as QNED/NanoCell), which does a fantastic job. Thanks to it, despite the average brightness, the screen can generate exceptionally saturated and pure colors. Our instruments showed coverage of the wide DCI-P3 cinema palette at the level of 93-94%. This result outclasses most standard LCD TVs. In practice, this means that when watching 4K HDR content, the image – while not particularly bright – is very plastic, vibrant, and pleases the eye with the depth of colors.

Unfortunately, the Dreame Q100 is too basic and, above all, too dim to be said to deliver a true HDR effect. Our measured brightness reaches a maximum of about 300 nits, which is definitely too low for bright parts of the image to truly pop. In fact, that’s a level we more often associate with SDR material than with HDR. It therefore lacks the brightness headroom offered by more expensive TVs that makes highlights, reflections, or the sun look noticeably more impressive.

HDR Colors

Fortunately the Q100 makes up for it a bit elsewhere. The manufacturer calls it a QLED TV, though in practice color gamut expansion is handled by a PFS filter. Our measurements showed roughly 92% coverage of the DCI-P3 color space and about 67% of BT.2020. These aren’t top-tier numbers, but they are still clearly better than basic LCD TVs without an additional gamut-expanding layer. As a result, HDR content can at least offer more saturated and varied colors, even if the peak brightness itself still doesn’t allow us to speak of a fully fledged HDR effect.

Here, regardless of whether you encounter the VA or IPS version, the situation looks identical. LG engineers once again served us their vision of a "gaming look," which unfortunately has little to do with accuracy. After switching to console, the white balance automatically drifts into very cold areas. The image is dominated by the color blue, making it seem artificially sharpened, and the white is so aggressive that it is almost burned out. This creates an effect that we associate with bright retail modes – everything is supposed to shine and scream "I am digital." While some may like this, we must say it straight: this is not an accurate image. If you care about naturalness, we suggest checking the settings right away and changing the color temperature to a warmer one.

For testing we chose the "Film" mode and in our opinion it is by far the best of the available presets. There are no heavily boosted, unnatural colors you can see in the Vivid/Dynamic mode. The picture already looks quite reasonable out of the box, though it falls a bit short of perfect. In SDR material the most noticeable issue was a slight warming of the image. The white balance had too much red, so whites leaned toward a warmer tone, and a similar tint was visible in shades of gray. In HDR the situation was a bit different. Here blue had a slight edge, making the image a touch cooler. These are not major faults, though. For such an inexpensive TV, the factory settings on our unit were pretty decent and the "Film" mode delivers a relatively natural image without much fiddling with the settings.

After professional calibration, the QNED80A in the IPS version has changed beyond recognition, especially in "regular" content (SDR). We managed to eliminate the greenish tint and calm down the overly bright gamma. In classic television or older games, color errors (DeltaE) fell below the threshold of perceptibility (value < 2). The image is now consistent, natural, and truly pleasing to the eye. The situation is somewhat more complicated in HDR mode. Although the colors are already in place, the television has trouble perfectly controlling the brightness (EOTF curve). Due to the limitations of edge lighting and the rather poor adjustment options provided by LG in this area, the television's software sometimes "does what it wants" just to mask the imperfections of black and contrast. However, this is not a cause for concern – despite these technical limitations, the image after calibration is a class better than what you saw out of the box.

Contrary to appearances, the Dreame Q100 is quite well equipped for image calibration. The menu contains plenty of advanced picture settings that let you adjust its characteristics fairly precisely. In our case most work was needed on the white balance in both SDR and HDR. After calibration, SDR content looked very good. We managed to achieve an almost neutral white balance and natural colors, and the main remaining limitation was the black level itself, caused by the panel design and the lack of local dimming.

In HDR we were also able to improve white balance and color reproduction, but here the TV's electronic limitations become apparent sooner. Even after very precise EOTF curve adjustments, the Q100 doesn't always follow it correctly during real scenes. In some content it can also brighten the image, making certain parts look lighter than they should, and in bright areas some detail can be lost in the process.

It often happens that cheap 4K TVs mercilessly expose the flaws of low-resolution materials. Here, it's different. The QNED80A is great equipment for watching content that isn't perfect. The processor does a great job of upscaling the image, making even older recordings look quite decent on a 4K screen – they are consistent and free of digital noise. An interesting feature is the gradation reduction available in the settings. It is quite effective in combating so-called banding (color banding) in low-bitrate materials. Of course, one should approach it with some caution. Due to the lower computing power of the chip (compared to the premium series), enabling this option can sometimes result in unwanted artifacts or blurriness. Despite this risk, we encourage experimentation, as in many cases this feature can save a poor-quality viewing experience.

The weakest point of the Dreame Q100 is its digital image processing capabilities. The processor used does a rather mediocre job of improving weaker sources, and the menu doesn't include any function that effectively smooths unattractive tonal transitions or reduces visible posterization. Upscaling itself also fails to impress. With low-resolution content the image is fairly soft and lacks strong detail reproduction. Additionally, the Q100 tends to overscan, meaning it slightly crops the edges of the image with very poor sources, such as 480p content. In everyday viewing of HD or 4K content this won't be a major issue, but with older recordings the processor's limitations are already clearly visible.

In terms of motion reproduction, the QNED80A unfortunately has a tough time. The television is based on a 60Hz refresh rate panel, which in 2025 in the QNED series is quite a disappointment. If you are looking for perfect sharpness in dynamic soccer matches, you might feel a bit unsatisfied. A solution in this situation is the TruMotion system. It allows for artificially adding frames, which smooths out the image in movies and series. In the menu, you will find the De-Judder slider – we recommend setting it to a value of 2, 3, or 4. This is the "golden mean" that improves fluidity without turning the film into a soap opera.

The VA panel used in the Dreame Q100 has a native 60 Hz refresh rate, so from the outset this isn’t a TV aimed at the most demanding sports fans or gamers. The manufacturer does note the possibility of running at 120 Hz, and that option is indeed available, but it mainly applies to a mode intended for gamers. In everyday use the Q100 should therefore be treated as a standard 60 Hz TV. During fast-paced sports broadcasts or quick gameplay this means less smoothness than models with 120 Hz panels or higher. On the plus side, the panel’s response time is decent. The VA panel doesn’t produce excessive smearing, so motion remains fairly clear and doesn’t leave heavy, blurred trails behind objects. For movies you can also use a simple motion‑smoothing system; the manufacturer has prepared several presets that help reduce the characteristic judder in material shot at 24 frames per second.

In the gaming section, we won't sugarcoat it for you – the QNED80A is not e-sports equipment. The lack of support for 120Hz signal is a fact that must be accepted. However, LG engineers have done everything to squeeze the maximum potential out of this 60 Hz panel, providing gamers with a set of desired features. First and foremost, the television supports VRR (in the range of 48-60Hz) and ALLM. This means that the image is smooth, does not stutter, and the television automatically switches to low latency mode as soon as we pick up the controller. Accessing these options is incredibly simple thanks to the dedicated system overlay – Game Dashboard. It is also worth appreciating the support for the HGiG format. This is a nod to owners of modern consoles. Although the screen does not support gaming Dolby Vision, HGiG ensures that the television "understands" how to display games in HDR. This helps us avoid the issue of blown-out clouds, which is unfortunately a plague on cheaper LCD televisions.

Dreame Q100 is not a strictly gaming device, but it delivers a pretty reasonable package for console use. You get VRR to eliminate screen tearing and ALLM, which automatically switches the TV to a low-latency mode when it detects a console signal. An interesting compromise is support for a 120 Hz mode. The panel won’t reach that refresh rate at 4K, but if you drop to 1080p you can play at 120 frames per second. If a given title prioritizes smoothness over high resolution (and the game itself offers such a mode), it’s worth using. There’s also a handy Game Bar on board that lets you quickly change screen settings, switch the refresh mode, or add a virtual crosshair. The HGiG implementation is admittedly weak, but credit is due for support of Dolby Vision Gaming on the Xbox Series X and S. This isn’t a panel for tech purists, but for casual console gaming, especially with the option to trade 4K for smoother Full HD, it performs flawlessly.