Philips PUS8079 vs LG QNED86A / QNED85A / QNED87A

The Philips PUS8079 has a maximum brightness of just 202 nits in content with a wide tonal range, which is very low and makes it unsuitable for streaming movies and series in the highest quality. Additionally, using HDR with dynamic metadata doesn’t improve the situation, as the only HDR format available on this model is HDR10+, which is rare and has limited content support. The TV also uses WLED backlighting, which is not optimal and results in only 80% coverage of the DCI-P3 wide colour gamut. This limits the intensity of colours in HDR content.

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.

The best factory mode for colour reproduction and fidelity to the director's vision on the Philips PUS8079 was the "Film" mode. However, this setting displayed significant discrepancies between the filmmaker's intent and the actual output. In both SDR and HDR materials (with HDR being less affected), the white balance was off, showing a blue tint similar to store displays, rather than pure whites. When it came to SDR materials, gamma was notably lowered, cutting into the already limited contrast and brightening the overall image. The EOTF curve in HDR content also showed a significant drop below the reference line, making HDR materials appear even darker. The colour accuracy in both SDR and HDR modes was poor, with high deltaE values indicating that the colours were far from their intended representation.

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.

Fortunately, Philips incorporates advanced image correction tools across its televisions. SDR content benefited the most from these adjustments, with significant improvements in deltaE errors, white balance, and gamma. While the image still isn’t perfect, it is much more watchable, making it easier on the eyes during movie or series viewing. HDR content, however, was more challenging due to the television’s low luminance. While the EOTF curve and white balance improved, the corrections weren’t as effective as with SDR materials. It’s important to note that each unit may have different errors, some larger and some smaller, but the adjustments made were a step in the right direction.

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.

Let us revisit the topic of tonal transitions, this time in the context of overall image quality enhancement. As shown in the photo on the left, the gradation improvement feature delivers excellent results. It provides multiple settings, each offering noticeable benefits without softening the film grain effect. Once again, it must be emphasised that this feature is the standout advantage of the tested television.

On the other hand, the television’s performance in image scaling leaves much to be desired. Fine details often appear heavily jagged, with a noticeable white halo around figures. Additionally, the significant artificial sharpening detracts from the overall image quality.

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.

This paragraph will be notably brief due to the absence of even basic motion-smoothing functionality, which is unsurprising given the device's budget-oriented nature. The VA panel used here is not known for exceptional sharpness and is instead associated with high contrast and slower response times, as confirmed by the matrix analysis results. Photos captured during fast motion reveal typical motion blur for this type of panel. While not ideal, the television could be conditionally suitable for watching sports, though viewers should expect less-than-optimal motion clarity. Additionally, films may exhibit noticeable stuttering due to the lack of any motion-smoothing features, even basic ones.

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 Philips PUS8079 provides only basic gaming features, including ALLM, VRR, and a Game Bar. The key highlight is the inclusion of dynamic frequency adjustment, which ensures a smooth image with minimal screen tearing—an impressive offering for this price range.

A notable benefit for gamers is the presence of the Game Bar, allowing adjustments to be made "on the fly" without needing to exit the game. Importantly, this feature retains options found in higher-end models, such as shadow enhancement for improved visibility in darker areas and a colour filter designed to assist gamers with visual impairments.

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.