LG QNED86A / QNED85A / QNED87A vs Sony Bravia 3 50' (VA)

Against the backdrop of contrast and black, the brightness of the QNED86A and the overall HDR effect performs much better. This is a television that can reach around 700 nits in the best conditions, so in terms of brightness alone, there is nothing to be ashamed of. As a result, scenes with strong lights, explosions, flashes, or bright parts of the landscape look clear and can make an impression. Interestingly, even in more challenging moments with small, contrasting elements on the screen, the television handles their backlighting well, and the details are quite visible. The problem resurfaces when there are a lot of dark tones. The lack of effective local dimming causes black to virtually disappear, and instead, we get a gray glow spreading across the entire screen. This kills the sense of depth and makes the image look flat, as if it lacks a cinematic quality. In bright animations or colorful family films, this won't be an issue because colors and bright light dominate there. But in horrors or productions set in darkness, these limitations are very palpable. As a consolation, it’s worth mentioning that the QNED86A is actually a QLED television with a PFS LED filter, which gives it very good coverage of wide color gamuts. Both the DCI-P3 palette and the wider BT.2020 perform really solid here. This ensures that colors in HDR films are saturated, vibrant, and have the right depth – even if the black itself disappoints, the colors can save the viewing experience and make the image look attractive.

Interestingly, in the 50-inch version, the Bravia 3 performs slightly better in terms of brightness than its larger variants. In measurements, it achieved around 370 nits, which still aren't values that can compete with top-end televisions, but enough to speak of a semblance of HDR effect. For some users, this level will be acceptable, while others will view it as typical for SDR content, where spectacular bursts or strong contrasts are not expected. It must be clearly stated that the Bravia 3 is not a television for those who want to extract maximum quality from the most challenging film materials.

However, this does not mean that everything is mediocre. Sony equipped this model with an additional PFS filter, which works similarly to solutions used in QLED televisions. As a result, the coverage of the DCI-P3 color palette increased to over 91 percent. In everyday use, this means livelier, more saturated colors and a more pleasing image texture. Even if strong lighting effects are lacking, movies and series can look significantly more attractive than in its predecessor, the X75WL.

We primarily tested the QNED86A in Filmmaker mode, which is designed to provide the most accurate picture. Unfortunately, right out of the box, there were quite a few shortcomings. The most noticeable issue was the poorly adjusted white balance – there was a lack of blue, causing the overall image to lean slightly yellow, and at times, even orange. An even bigger problem turned out to be the way the television manages brightness. Due to its technical limitations – namely, local dimming that only works along the edges of the screen – the QNED86A tends to over-brighten entire scenes. This is where the flattening effect we mentioned earlier comes from. Instead of distinct depth and contrast, we get something akin to "boosted brightness," which can strain the eye over time.

We primarily tested the Sony Bravia 3 in movie mode, which immediately proved to be the best choice among the factory settings. It's not a perfect picture, but compared to eco mode, which the TV suggests right out of the box, the difference is clear and positive. In movie mode, one can notice a certain problem: the picture seems too warm, which results from a lack of blue in the white balance. Despite this, in SDR content, the final effect can still be considered quite decent and satisfactory for everyday viewing. Much more serious errors appear in HDR materials. The Color Checker analysis showed significant deviations, and poor brightness management, combined with limited color gamut coverage, further exposes the shortcomings of the picture in this mode. All this makes HDR on the Bravia 3 look unconvincing and can spoil the impression left by the quite decent SDR content settings. Fortunately, this is not a hopeless situation. All sorts of errors can be somewhat mitigated, and some can even be completely corrected through professional calibration. That’s why we decided to see how the TV would perform after such adjustments.

What was saved in the QNED86A6A is undoubtedly the colors. After calibration, the white balance was set with great precision, resulting in deviations on the Colour Checker palette mostly not exceeding the threshold of visibility for the human eye. In other words – the colors finally looked natural, without strange yellow or orange tones that previously ruined the experience. Unfortunately, even the best calibration cannot bypass design limitations. The already mentioned very modest number of local dimming zones and their unfortunate placement made the analysis of the EOTF curve in films still show clear over-brightening of scenes. The image tended to flatten, lacking cinematic depth. Fortunately, this effect is not as noticeable in older productions or SDR content. There, calibration really does its job and allows taming the QNED in such a way that the image can be pleasing. However, the specifics of this design – especially the contrast issues – cannot be entirely overcome.

The calibration allowed us to extract significantly more from the Bravia 3 than we could have expected at the beginning. Most importantly, we managed to address the deficiency of blue, which previously caused a noticeable warming of the image. After a slight adjustment in the white balance, most of the errors in the Color Checker measurements for SDR content practically disappeared. The shades of white gained naturalness, and the brightness management in gamma stabilized to a level nearly ideal, not exceeding the threshold of human eye perception. One can therefore confidently say that in SDR content, after a few adjustments in settings, the Bravia 3 performs really impressively. Much worse, though still definitely better than before calibration, is its performance with HDR content. The white balance has been brought under control, but the limitations of the IPS panel are insurmountable. The lack of local dimming means that even the smallest elements can be overexposed, which is immediately noticeable. Color-wise, the effect is also improved, although far from perfect – many errors still exceed four, or even five delta E units, meaning they remain visible to the human eye. It was already clear that the Bravia 3 is not a television designed to impress with HDR quality. Nevertheless, it is gratifying that in SDR content, after calibration, the image can look truly great, and in this category, the television surprised us positively.

If someone is worried about possible "steps" when connecting colors, there is a simple way in the QNED86A. Just turn on the feature called Smooth Gradation and set it to medium level. Then the TV really smooths out all those unwanted transitions – especially in older productions – and does it in such a way that the film grain doesn't disappear, nor do strange artifacts appear. In other words, you can use it without worry.

The upscaling itself also turns out quite well. Of course, there are no miracles here – with lower quality sources, you can observe characteristic jaggedness. Fortunately, there is a sharpness slider in the menu, and if someone prefers a more "softer" image, it can be quickly adjusted to their taste.

Bravia 3 brings something more to the Sony TV family than just a common name. It stands out primarily for its ability to enhance the quality of weaker materials thanks to the processor used. Of course, we won't find the advanced XR chip known from more expensive models here, but still, it must be admitted that the image at lower resolutions looked surprisingly good. The upscaling worked effectively, and most parts of the screen were free from the typical excessive edge jaggedness found in budget constructions. The feature that improves the fluidity of tonal transitions is also noteworthy. In the high setting, it works really well, effectively masking gradation imperfections without significant loss of detail. It does happen that the algorithm overly smooths elements that should remain sharp - for example, faces - however, in general, the effect is beneficial. The best results were achieved precisely at the highest setting, and this option could be recommended to people watching lower quality content.

The QNED86A is equipped with a 120 Hz refresh rate panel, so right from the start, it's safe to say that it's suitable for both sports and gaming. And indeed, this is true – the image looks smooth, and motion blur is not very noticeable. IPS panels have always had some issues with this, and you can sometimes notice slight blurring here as well, especially in very dynamic scenes, but it's not something that ruins watching a match or a fast-paced game. For movie and sports fans, LG has added the traditional TruMotion smoother. In the menu, we have two sliders – one for movies (De-Judder), the other for sports (De-Blur). The first adds missing frames and allows you to adjust the character of motion – from raw, cinematic to more fluid, "theatrical." The second enhances sharpness during dynamic actions, so it's worth turning it up a bit if you're watching a lot of sports.

The fluidity of motion has never been a strong point of televisions equipped with 60 Hz panels, and the Bravia 3 is no exception. Nevertheless, Sony has added something that may appeal to those who are more sensitive to the way images are displayed. We are talking about the proprietary motion smoother, Motion Flow, which gives users a lot of adjustment options. Thanks to it, the image can become smoother, almost theatrical, or you can stick with a more cinematic style characterized by the jaggedness that many people simply associate with the filmic atmosphere. These features work for content with lower frame rates, such as movies and series recorded at 24 or 30 frames per second, which are the materials we encounter every day. This is where the motion smoother proves to be one of the most important features in everyday use of the television, and here the Bravia 3 performs really well.

In terms of gaming, the LG QNED86A6A is a complete tool. It features four HDMI 2.1 ports with full bandwidth of 48 Gb/s, which means that whether you connect a PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, or a powerful PC – everything will work at full 4K 120 Hz with support for all features. This is a big plus, as some competitors still have only two such ports, which can be problematic with a larger number of devices. It also has VRR, or variable refresh rate, which eliminates screen tearing, and ALLM, which automatically activates game mode when the console is turned on. There’s also Dolby Vision Gaming and a proper implementation of the HGiG format, so titles supporting these formats look more vivid and detailed. Added to all of this is the Game Optimizer – a kind of control center for the gamer. From this level, you can view image parameters in real-time, quickly change modes, activate additional features, or adjust image settings to your preferences. The LG QNED86A6A essentially has everything one can expect from a modern gaming television.

Bravia 3 is not equipment for e-sports players or fans of late-night marathons with a controller in hand. The lack of 120 Hz refresh rate and HDMI 2.1 ports closes the topic before it even gets a chance to develop. This is a television for a casual gamer who will play FIFA or racing games after work, not for someone who measures every frame in a spreadsheet. Nevertheless, Sony has added a few nice extras to make it feel less bare. ALLM works as it should, automatically switching the television to game mode (low latency). There's even a simple Game Bar that is clear. However, the biggest curiosity here is the PlayStation Portal app. Thanks to it, you can launch games from PS5 wirelessly and see them immediately on the television screen. It sounds great, but it only takes a few minutes to feel significant lag. In our opinion, it's more of a showcase of capabilities than something you can reliably use every day. If someone really wants to play, it's better to connect the console with an HDMI cable and forget about wireless issues.