LG QNED87T6B vs Samsung U8000F (VA)

The QNED87T6B provides a solid HDR performance, delivering an impressive visual experience in many aspects. With a brightness approaching 500 nits, it offers good visibility of fine details in high-dynamic scenes. Support for HDR10 and HLG ensures the content appears well on the screen, though the absence of more advanced formats like Dolby Vision or HDR10+ limits the potential for optimal brightness and detail in certain scenes. Without dynamic metadata, the TV may struggle to reproduce fine details in very bright areas, where these advanced standards would typically make a difference. However, its excellent coverage of the DCI-P3 colour gamut (96.4%) provides vibrant, natural colours, enhancing the overall visual quality of 4K content.

While the U8000F with a VA panel can still be praised for decent blacks, there are no longer any reasons to be impressed regarding brightness – especially in HDR scenes. The television reaches a maximum of just under 250 nits, which is simply too little to talk about any impressive light effects. Bright elements come off as pale, and scenes that should shine look rather flat. An interesting situation was observed during the test of a scene from the movie Sicario 2 – the screen noticeably darkened, as if the television were trying to hide its limitations in displaying blacks. One might get the impression that the device artificially darkens the image to improve contrast, but in practice, the effect doesn't make much of a difference, other than that we see less on the screen. Additionally, there's the issue of colors – the U8000F does not support a wide color gamut, so don't expect vibrant, saturated shades known from better models. The HDR image here resembles slightly brightened SDR and… maybe that’s even a good thing. For this model, it's not worth setting expectations for cinematic experiences – it's better to treat HDR as a modest addition.

The LG QNED87T6B, even in its best factory setting, Filmmaker Mode, exhibits issues with colour reproduction. A significant problem is the white balance, where the blue colour tends to drop on the graph, causing a shift towards yellow. This results in a warmer hue than intended, which affects the naturalness of color reproduction, especially in scenes with white or neutral backgrounds. The Colour Checker test confirmed that certain colours are distorted and do not accurately reflect reality, which can make movie scenes seem less lifelike and distort details.

In terms of contrast, there are notable issues with the gamma graph, showing significant drops where the optimal value should be around 2.4. This results in the TV displaying darker areas brighter in some scenes, which reduces depth and dynamic range. Additionally, the EOTF (Electro-Optical Transfer Function) curve, which corresponds to brightness reproduction, shows an unnatural drop at the start, leading to lower accuracy in dark scenes. This diminishes the TV's ability to convey full black depth, causing details in darker areas to be lost. As a result, more demanding scenes may appear less realistic, with a noticeable loss of detail in shadows and dark areas.

The Samsung U8000F has been tested by us in the best picture mode available out of the box – namely, Filmmaker Mode. This profile is supposed to provide a neutral, cinematic image, free of unnecessary enhancements and artificial beautifications. In the case of SDR content – mainly in HD or SD resolution – the television performed surprisingly well right out of the box. The only noticeable imperfection was brightness management. The gamma chart showed some deviations – slight brightening or dimming of certain tones – but in practice, it did not significantly affect the viewing experience. For a television in this segment, it performs quite well.

However, the situation is considerably weaker in HDR mode. Although white balance was still acceptable, color errors were very pronounced. In the Color Checker test, almost every sample was outside the target point, and the image itself looked unnatural – colors were shifted, sometimes too cool, at other times simply dull and lifeless. The main problem lies in the hardware limitations – the U8000F does not support the wide color gamut of DCI-P3, so it is physically unable to reproduce the colors anticipated by the HDR standard. And unfortunately, this is evident in almost every more demanding scene.

After calibration, the LG QNED87T6B delivers impressive results with SDR content. The white balance has been improved, resulting in natural, harmonious tones across various scenes. The precise gamma tuning allows for accurate reproduction of details in both dark and bright areas, making the TV perform excellently in everyday use. The overall image is vivid and well-balanced, with solid colour quality in HD. The contrast has also improved, with the gamma chart showing fewer significant errors, providing a more refined viewing experience.

In 4K HDR, the white balance continues to perform well, though some errors remain at the end of the chart. These might be linked to the TV's aggressive local dimming, which can affect colour accuracy in certain scenes. While the TV does not fully improve brightness as indicated by the EOTF curve, its inherent construction limitations prevent it from achieving perfection in this area. The Colour Checker test highlights an issue with colour saturation, as the TV, despite offering a wide colour gamut, cannot fully capture what the director intended.

Nevertheless, the overall picture quality after calibration is considerably better than before. The improvements in white balance and gamma tuning result in more vivid and realistic colours, enhancing the viewing experience despite the remaining shortcomings.

Right out of the box, the U8000F offered quite a decent picture in SDR for its price range. However, we managed to slightly enhance it – we reduced a subtle purple tint and improved the gamma characteristics, giving it a more natural curve. Despite these adjustments, the TV still tends to brighten the brightest details a bit too aggressively – the gamma graph shows a clear dip that cannot be fully corrected.

On the other hand, in HDR mode, it is noticeably weaker. It's hard to talk about any significant improvement here – despite attempts to tweak the settings, the picture still presents considerable color errors. A Delta E exceeding 7 means noticeable deviations that couldn't be effectively reduced. Unfortunately, this is a limitation of the design itself – the U8000F was simply not designed for serious HDR. In everyday SDR viewing, it performs quite well, but when it comes to HDR content... it's best not to have too high expectations.

When it comes to lower-quality content, the LG QNED87T6B performs admirably, with smooth gradation effectively addressing problematic areas in the image without negatively impacting the film grain. For optimal results, setting the "Smooth Gradation" feature to a low level delivers the best effect, significantly enhancing the viewing experience of lower-resolution materials by making them smoother and more visually appealing.

The TV handles digital processing well, ensuring the image is displayed without overscan or clipping. While slight jaggedness may be noticeable on certain fine details, such as branches against a background, the overall presentation remains impressive. Users will be satisfied with the quality of the image when watching lower-quality content, such as standard television, as the TV does an excellent job of enhancing the visual experience.

When it comes to how the Samsung U8000F handles lower quality materials, we must admit that Samsung has made progress compared to its predecessor from last year – the DU7192 model, which theoretically occupies the same position in the lineup. This year's model is equipped with a feature for improving the fluidity of tonal transitions, which has been implemented much better than last year. Yes, the TV still uses quite strong algorithms that can distort details or remove film grain, but despite that – it can be confidently said that it works effectively. However, not everything went perfectly. The U8000F has noticeable issues with slight image stuttering when watching very old content in very low resolution. If someone plans to play their old VHS tape, they should be prepared for the image to appear slightly "choppy."

The LG QNED87T6B delivers decent motion smoothness, particularly with the "TruMotion" feature, which allows users to adjust motion smoothing on a scale from 0 to 10. The "De-Judder" setting helps regulate the smoothness of motion, while the "De-Blur" option enhances motion sharpness. This provides flexibility for users to choose between a more traditional cinematic effect with slight judder (lower settings) and a smoother, more theatrical image, which, while slightly deviating from the cinematic standard, can be appealing to many viewers.

For gamers and sports fans, the 120Hz panel ensures an immersive experience, while the IPS technology offers better response times compared to comparable VA panels at a similar price. This results in smoother gameplay and more dynamic viewing of fast-paced sports events, making the QNED87T6B an excellent choice for those seeking high-quality motion performance.

The Samsung U8000F is equipped with a 60 Hz panel, so right from the start, it's clear that we shouldn't expect miracles. This is simply standard in this class – sufficient for everyday viewing but without any frills. The TV offers one motion enhancement slider – a feature called "Motion Blur Reduction," which allows us to adjust the smoothness of the image in movies. Higher settings give a more "theatrical" and smoothed effect, while lower settings help maintain the original character of the film with a slight 24p effect. An interesting feature is "Clear Motion LED," which is a BFI mode – inserting black frames between image frames to improve motion sharpness. However, in practice, the screen flickers heavily when it's activated, and it should be treated more as an experiment than something that genuinely improves gaming comfort.

The LG QNED87T6B is a top-tier choice for gamers seeking high-performance features. It is equipped with four HDMI 2.1 ports, allowing seamless connection to the latest consoles like the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X. This ensures full functionality, including support for Variable Refresh Rate (VRR) and Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM), which provide a smoother and more responsive gaming experience. The Game Bar feature enables easy management of gaming settings, allowing users to adjust VRR, ALLM, Multi View, and monitor the frame rate without navigating complex menus.

Additionally, the TV supports G-Sync and FreeSync, which are crucial for gamers using Nvidia and AMD graphics cards. These technologies synchronize the TV's refresh rate with the graphics card, reducing screen tearing and stuttering. With a 120Hz panel, the LG QNED87 delivers exceptional motion smoothness and image clarity, while the Black Frame Insertion (BFI) feature, available at 60Hz and 120Hz, further enhances visual fluidity. Overall, the LG QNED87T6B meets the demands of even the most discerning gamers, offering a comprehensive range of features that elevate the gaming experience.

[UPDATE] We have updated our 2025 Samsung TV reviews following the release of firmware version 1131, which officially restores the essential HGiG (HDR Gaming Interest Group) support.

Samsung U8000F offers a basic set of features for gamers, which nonetheless may be sufficient for less demanding users. It has an automatic game mode – when a game is launched on the console, the TV automatically switches to low latency mode, significantly improving response time. It also includes a VRR feature, or variable refresh rate, which operates in the range of 48 to 60 Hz. This means that both Xbox and PS5 will not produce a "tearing" effect on the screen – as long as we stay within this range.

And unfortunately, that's about it when it comes to advantages. Additions like Game Bar or higher refresh rates are reserved for higher models of Samsung from the 2025 line. In theory, the TV also supports the HGiG function, which should adjust the HDR image to the intentions of game developers. Unfortunately – even though this feature appears in brochures and marketing materials – its configuration on the Xbox console turned out to be... impossible in practice.