Philips PUS7009 (IPS) vs LG OLED B6

In terms of HDR quality, PUS7009 (IPS) performs very poorly. A brightness level of 250 nits does not allow for enjoyment of HDR effects, and the image resembles more of a standard SDR. There is no talk of dynamic effects or vivid bursts of light. The coverage of the DCI-P3 color palette is only 75%, which is definitely insufficient. The lack of full color coverage means that the colors are not as vibrant as they should be, resulting in a flat and unconvincing image. There are no aspects for which this model can be praised in the context of HDR.

The LG B6 is a moderately bright OLED. After calibration it reaches about 800 nits, roughly 200 nits more than last year’s B5. That’s thanks to the new budget OLED SE panel from LG Display. In practice it simply gives a bit more headroom and makes HDR in many scenes look fuller than on last year’s lower-tier OLEDs. That doesn’t mean the B6 has no limits. In very bright shots, when a large part of the screen is strongly lit, brightness can drop below 400 nits. This behavior is typical for OLED TVs (especially those from this segment) and that’s when you see the biggest difference versus more expensive models. All things considered, we rate the B6’s results as really solid. It’s still not a TV for breaking brightness records, but the HDR effect is strong enough that you can really feel the step up from ordinary SDR in films.

Color gamut

Using the OLED SE panel has slightly affected wide color gamut coverage. Compared with last year’s model, results fell by a few percentage points. DCI-P3 reaches about 96%, and BT.2020 around 71%. That doesn’t mean the colors on the LG B6 are weak. In most movies and series they look lively, well saturated and simply pleasing to the eye. You only notice a difference in very bright, highly colorful scenes. Then colors lose some intensity compared with QD-OLED panels. This comes from the WOLED panel construction. Besides red, green and blue subpixels it also uses a white subpixel that helps boost brightness. It comes at a cost: at very high luminance some color is effectively “diluted” by the white light, so saturation of some colors can be slightly lower. In everyday use this isn’t a big issue, but you can notice it in the most demanding scenes.

The television was tested in movie mode, which – despite its name – does not provide correct image display. The white balance in both 4K HDR and HD/SDR content is characterized by drops in red, causing the image to appear cooler and the colors to lose their natural warmth. The gamma brightness characteristic and EOTF curve confirm that the television has issues maintaining adequate brightness – it strongly boosts it, resulting in an unnaturally washed-out image. This effect can be seen in the comparisons below, where the overall look appears as if a milky filter has been applied. Additionally, limited coverage of a wide color gamut also does not favor quality – color checker tests indicate significant color fluctuations, making it difficult to achieve faithful image reproduction.

We tested the LG B6 in Filmmaker Mode, which is the best picture setting available right out of the box. ISF modes deliver very similar results, but in our tests we always stick to Filmmaker Mode for better comparison with other TVs. Each of those modes is, after all, a much better starting point than Vivid or Eco mode, where the picture is heavily boosted and noticeably less natural. With SDR content, the factory settings perform really well. Color errors are small, gamma behaves properly, and the image looks natural during ordinary viewing and does not seem overly "pumped up." It's a bit worse with HDR. When you play that kind of content you can quickly see that the white balance hasn't been set perfectly. Too much blue and red causes the image to shift toward a slightly pink tint. This is also confirmed by measurements of the color gamut and the ColorChecker, where samples clearly drift in that direction. It's not a flaw that completely ruins the picture, but you can notice it in HDR films. So people who care about the most faithful image should consider the calibration we describe later in the review.

After calibration, the image has significantly improved, especially in terms of white balance, which is now more stable, and the hues have acquired a natural quality, eliminating the previous impression of being too cool. The calibration has brought noticeable benefits in terms of tonality – shadows and midtones are now more realistic, and the overall image appears more harmonious. Unfortunately, hardware limitations still affect image quality. The brightness characteristics remain problematic, despite our efforts, and due to poor coverage of the DCI-P3 and BT.2020 color palettes, delta E errors are still at a high level. Although calibration improved some aspects, the television still does not allow for complete satisfaction.

During calibration we focused primarily on HDR content, because that's where the factory settings required the biggest corrections. We didn't neglect SDR mode, though, which after adjustment was brought almost to perfection. Colors are very accurate and brightness is handled as it should be. The biggest improvement in HDR came from correcting the white balance. After removing the excess red and blue, the pinkish tint disappeared and the image became much more natural. Skin tones, whites and all colors that had been shifting toward magenta improved. After calibration most errors fell below a Delta E of 2–3, the threshold at which the average viewer stops noticing differences with the naked eye. The LG B6 can therefore deliver a very accurate image, especially for the manufacturer's entry-level OLED model.

When it comes to tonal transitions in low-quality material, the function called "Distortion Reduction" (setting "minimum") effectively improves grading, eliminating ugly tonal transitions. However, this setting on Philips televisions is quite aggressive – while it does not blur grain or high-quality material, it can introduce unwanted effects and blur elements that should remain sharp with a poorer signal.

In terms of image scaling, Philips PUS7009 performs decently. A significant advantage is the lack of cropped image edges, meaning no overscan, which allows for displaying the full frame without loss. The image is noticeably improved, making characters and backgrounds, such as the model or branches in the background, look quite detailed and natural, even with lower quality signals. Although scaling is not perfect, as it can remove desired details in the distance, the results are good enough for most users to be satisfied.

The LG B6 handles lower-quality sources very well. Much of the credit goes to effective digital image processing, which can mask some source imperfections without overly smoothing the whole scene. The feature "Smooth Gradation" proves particularly useful. It can significantly reduce posterization, which we mentioned earlier, especially in darker areas of the image. The safest choice remains Low or Medium. The function still effectively smooths harsh tonal transitions, but does not yet interfere too much with fine details. The most dedicated purists can, of course, leave it off. Upscaling to 4K also performs very well. Full HD and 720p content retain a good amount of detail, and the image is neither overly sharpened nor excessively blurred. Some limitations become noticeable only with very poor sources below 720p, where the smallest subtitles and fine elements are not always perfectly sharp, but this is true for almost every other TV on the market.

Philips PUS7009 does not have any motion smoothing feature for movies, which means we cannot choose whether the picture should be more stuttery or more cinematic. These features could improve more dynamic scenes. As for motion blur, despite using a 60Hz IPS panel, the situation looks quite good. The response time between pixels is better than in VA panel versions, which means that motion blur remains at an acceptable level and does not significantly affect the viewing comfort of dynamic scenes.

One of the biggest advantages of OLED panels is their very fast pixel response time. This keeps the image sharp and prevents the visible smearing that often appears on LCD TVs. However, there is a downside. During slow camera pans, motion can look more choppy than on LCD screens, where the slower panel naturally masks some of that effect. Fortunately, on the LG B6 you can easily soften this with TruMotion. With the motion smoothing properly adjusted, you can achieve smoother motion without giving the picture an excessive soap-opera effect.

In terms of compatibility with consoles, Philips PUS7009 is suitable for casual gamers. Despite using HDMI 2.0, the TV offers access to features such as ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode), VRR (Variable Refresh Rate), and Game Bar. ALLM automatically switches the TV to low latency mode, allowing for faster response during gameplay, while VRR dynamically adjusts the refresh rate to reduce screen tearing. Game Bar is a tool that provides quick access to game settings and real-time monitoring of parameters - though we believe it appears weaker compared to competing Game Bars.

Unfortunately, more demanding gamers may be disappointed. Philips PUS7009 does not support advanced HDR formats in games or high refresh rates, due to the use of a 60 Hz panel. The lack of support for these features limits the TV's ability to deliver smooth and fully detailed experiences during fast-paced gameplay.

LG OLED B6 offers a powerful set of advantages for gamers; it's simply a complete platform for PS5, Xbox Series X/S, or a solid PC. It has four full-size HDMI 2.1 ports with 48 Gbps bandwidth, so you can skip the annoying cable swapping when you want to connect several newer devices at once. We get the full suite of sync technologies – from classic VRR to G-Sync and FreeSync. The screen seamlessly matches the refresh rate to the frame output produced by the console or graphics card. Of course ALLM is included: the B6 automatically detects a running game and immediately cuts input lag to a minimum. HDR handling is also excellent. The TV supports Dolby Vision, and a properly implemented HGiG standard means that after an initial calibration in the console settings the picture won’t suffer from blown-out highlights or lost detail in bright areas. The cherry on top is the Game Bar. Instead of digging through the full menu during gameplay, one click lets you adjust shadow visibility, tweak selected settings, or simply check the display’s current operating mode. All of this makes the LG B6 a great choice for gamers.