LG QNED93A / QNED90A vs LG OLED C6 (WOLED)

Although the number of local dimming zones in the LG QNED93A did not directly translate to a noticeably better contrast, one cannot deny that this model is brighter than its predecessor. In synthetic tests, we recorded values around 1400-1500 nits, and more importantly, these results are reflected in real movie scenes. In full-screen sequences flooded with white or bright lights, the screen was able to maintain high luminance, which produced a truly decent incredible HDR effect. Unfortunately, where the television could show its true class, namely in scenes that require precision, all the magic evaporates. The dimming algorithms we mentioned earlier are aggressive enough that small bright objects—such as distant lights, stars, or the moon—can almost completely disappear. Just look at the test scenes from the movie Pan or Sicario 2 (screens 2 and 4) to see how subtle details are dimmed to the brink of visibility. It's a shame, because a greater number of zones could theoretically lead to significantly better results. Fortunately, there are also stronger points. The QNED93A performs well in terms of color gamut coverage, achieving around 96% of the DCI-P3 standard. As a result, colors in movies look vivid and full, and the picture does not lose intensity even in more demanding scenes. So it can be said that the HDR in this model is solid, although the unfinished local dimming algorithms hinder its full potential.

The HDR effect on the LG C6 is really very good. LG Display's new WOLED panel primarily brought a significant increase in brightness. In our unit we measured around 1,500 nits and, importantly, the TV can show similar values in many normal movie scenes. That gives HDR the proper impact. Bright highlights, lamps, or sunlight can be really strong, and most HDR movies simply look very impressive. Of course it's still an OLED, so brightness drops in scenes with a lot of white. The fifth scene of The Meg illustrates this well, where the C6 reached about 600-700 nits. That's still a very good result, but it also shows the new panel hasn't removed all the limitations typical of OLEDs.

Colors

When it comes to color, there is also little to complain about. The C6 covers about 99% of the DCI-P3 gamut and roughly 75% of BT.2020. In practice the colors are very saturated and, importantly, stable regardless of the scene. That's worth emphasizing, because not every TV behaves the same in this respect. In some RGB Mini LED models color saturation can depend more strongly on image brightness. Today a wider color gamut is mainly offered by QD-OLED TVs and new SQD models with a new generation of quantum dots. However, the C6 still performs very strongly here and is able to generate appropriately saturated colors in most movie scenes.

In movie mode (specifically Filmmaker), color reproduction on the QNED93A was relatively accurate, although it wasn't without critiques. In SDR content, white balance leaned towards warmer tones, resulting in a slight yellowing across the entire screen. Gamma, on the other hand, led to a slight brightening of the image, making it look a bit less natural, especially in scenes requiring precise shading (this is evident in the comparison picture). This isn't a problem that immediately stands out to every viewer, but more discerning individuals may feel that the picture deviates from the aesthetic intended by the filmmakers. In HDR materials, the situation looked somewhat different. The white balance presented itself quite well here, ensuring that whites didn't lean towards pink or unwanted shades of green. However, brightness management proved to be an issue. Analysis of the EOTF curve revealed that at certain moments the television can be noticeably too dark where it shouldn't be, losing some detail and reducing the realism of scenes. This detracted from the experience of HDR effects, which were theoretically supposed to be the most impressive. For this reason, we decided to carry out calibration.

Right out of the box the LG C6 is pretty well set up, especially if you choose Filmmaker mode. In SDR material the white balance is decent, although as brightness increases it starts to lack a bit of red. The picture becomes a little cooler as a result, but it’s not such a big difference that it stands out during normal viewing. More happens in the brightness response itself. Gamma is a bit low and instead of holding at 2.4 it sits closer to 2.1–2.2 over much of the range. In practice the C6 slightly brightens midtones. Shadows are therefore more readable, but the image loses some depth compared with how it should look in a dark room. In HDR the situation is a bit more interesting. The start of the grayscale looks very good, but from about 20–30% brightness the white balance starts to drift more and more. As brightness rises there’s more red and a noticeable lack of blue. In the brightest highlights the difference is already significant and also affects reproduction of some colors. The EOTF curve itself is handled fairly well over most of the range. The C6 only has a tendency to slightly brighten the image, which we also saw during our film comparisons. The largest deviation appears around the brightest highlights, where the TV begins to adapt the signal to the panel’s capabilities. So the out-of-the-box Filmmaker mode in HDR isn’t perfect, but overall it performs well. The biggest room for improvement is the white balance, especially at high brightness.

After professional calibration, the Filmmaker mode on the QNED93A gained the most where it matters most in everyday use. It was possible to adjust the white balance and eliminate the yellowish tint in SDR content, which we watch most often – television, streaming services, or standard quality films. This makes colors look natural and pleasant, and the overall experience is much more comfortable. In HDR mode, we also made adjustments, but the biggest problem here turned out to be the EOTF curve. Although LG provides some leeway in the settings, the television still manages brightness on its own terms. It is evident that the local dimming algorithms are not entirely refined and can spoil the viewing experience by dimming parts of the image at inappropriate moments. Nonetheless, it is worth opting for calibration of this model, especially the mode intended for daily viewing.

LG TVs have been very receptive to calibration for years, and the C6 is no exception. After adjustment the white balance was set almost perfectly, and most color errors dropped to values below 3, often even around 2. In practice this means very accurate color reproduction in both SDR and HDR. An interesting detail appeared only with the HDR brightness characteristic. On a classic EOTF chart everything looks nearly ideal, and at first glance it would be hard to find fault. Only when we measured the TV’s behavior using filters based on actual movie scenes did it become clear that the C6 has a slight tendency to artificially boost image brightness.

It’s not a huge difference and many people may even see it as a positive, because HDR looks a bit more impressive this way. From the standpoint of fidelity to the source material this isn’t ideal — some scenes are simply a touch brighter than the filmmaker intended. Interestingly, this is somewhat unusual for LG. In previous generations, the brand’s TVs typically stuck very closely to the reference tone curve after calibration. With the C6 we’re still very close to the standard, but that subtle boost in brightness is indeed noticeable in films and series.

LG QNED93A proves to be a very solid television for everyday use. Its image processor handles scaling excellently, ensuring that even older movies or terrestrial television gain sharpness and detail. During the screening of "The Godfather," it's clearly visible how upscaling pulls extra details from the image – the characters' faces and the texture of the clothing appear much clearer than in the original material.

The digital image processing also deserves praise. The television is equipped with a function for reducing unwanted color banding and screen irregularities. It works best in the "Medium" setting – subtly smoothing tonal transitions without over-interfering with the image. This way, the natural film grain is preserved, and the screen doesn't appear unnaturally smoothed. Perhaps in some scenes, you can still notice slight color banding, but in practice, the effect is more favorable than with a stronger intervention from the algorithm.

The LG C6 has taken a really big step forward here. The TV uses the same processor found in the flagship G6, and in terms of image processing the two models are very similar. That’s a big plus, because in this area LG’s processor this year performs excellently. The "Smooth Gradation" feature works especially well. With heavily compressed material it can effectively hide ugly tonal transitions and artifacts that often appear, for example, in lower-quality streaming. It’s best to leave it set to "Low." Then the improvement is clear, and the TV doesn’t yet start blurring fine details. Higher levels smooth the image more, but can already remove some of the natural texture of objects on the screen. The upscaling itself also performs very well. Lower-resolution content is sharpened properly, edges look clean, and the processor quite effectively rebuilds fine details. In this regard the C6 is already very close to LG’s best TVs, and the differences compared with the G6 are small.

LG QNED93A is equipped with a 144 Hz panel. This is primarily a nod to gamers, but the fact that higher refresh rates are increasingly making their way into televisions can be seen as a positive development. In everyday viewing, 120 Hz remains key, and in this regard, the QNED93A performs well. The manufacturer also provides the option to adjust the image through the TruMotion system – the De-Judder and De-Blur sliders allow you to choose between a cinematic motion character with visible frames and a fully smoothed theatrical motion.

The LG C6 features a panel with a maximum refresh rate of 165 Hz, which is great news especially for gamers using a powerful PC. For movies, sports, or consoles we'll of course use up to 120 Hz, but even then it's hard to fault the motion clarity. As you'd expect from an OLED, the panel's response time is almost instantaneous. Moving objects therefore don't leave the characteristic smears you still see on LCD TVs. This is particularly noticeable in sports and fast-paced games, where the picture remains very clean even during dynamic motion.

For movies and TV, LG also provides the TruMotion motion-smoothing system. In the user settings you'll find two separate sliders. De-Judder is mainly for low-frame-rate content, that is primarily 24 fps films and series. It can slightly reduce the characteristic judder, or be set higher if you want a much smoother image. De-Blur is useful for higher-frame-rate material, mainly sports broadcasts and 50/60 fps television.

LG QNED93A is a television that has undoubtedly been designed with gamers in mind. Right from the start, we get a complete package – all four HDMI ports operate at standard 2.1, so whether we connect a console, PC, or receiver, we can be sure of full compatibility. This is important because many manufacturers still limit themselves to two ports, and here nothing prevents all equipment from having maximum capabilities. There’s also an automatic game mode (ALLM), which switches the television to the appropriate settings when the console starts up, as well as variable refresh rate (VRR). This ensures that the image does not stutter or tear, even when the frame rate drops – whether in dynamic shooters or during races.

The 144 Hz panel gives an additional advantage in computer games. While 120 Hz is sufficient for consoles, in the case of PCs, the QNED93A allows for even more – every movement, every glance to the side is refreshed faster, which makes a difference especially in e-sports. The manufacturer also considered HDR in games – the television supports the HGiG mode, which provides guidelines to ensure that the lighting effects are exactly as intended by the game developers. For dessert, we get Game Bar – a special informational strip invoked on the screen that shows parameters in real-time. You can check the frame rate, active VRR functions, or input lag levels. This solution is useful not only for settings enthusiasts, but for anyone who wants to quickly verify what mode the television is operating in and whether everything is working as it should.

LG has focused heavily on gamers for years, and the C6 really lacks nothing important. The TV supports 4K at 120 Hz from consoles, and when connected to a PC it can run up to 165 Hz. It also offers VRR from 40 to 165 Hz, ALLM, and properly working HGiG. A big plus is Dolby Vision support for games, so the Xbox Series X can use that format without sacrificing game mode. The package is rounded out by a Game Bar that lets you quickly check key signal parameters and change settings without leaving the game. In terms of features, the C6 is one of those TVs that’s really hard to find fault with. Whether you play on PlayStation, Xbox, or PC, practically everything you could expect from a modern gaming TV is available here.