PHILIPS PUS9010 (IPS) vs LG OLED C6H (TANDEM OLED)

In the Philips PUS9010 version with an IPS panel, HDR brightness unfortunately falls short compared to the previously tested 55-inch variant with a VA panel. The difference is about 100 nits, which is clearly noticeable given the relatively low values. While the VA version could exceed 500 nits, here the maximum brightness reaches around 400 nits. This level still allows for watching movies and series in HDR, especially on streaming platforms, but the effects are clearly more subdued. Bright elements do not have as much impact, and scenes requiring high luminance appear less impressive. On the positive side, the coverage of the DCI-P3 color palette is commendable. The IPS version offers about 91%, which is roughly 5% more than the variant with the VA panel. This translates to slightly better color saturation in HDR content, despite the lower brightness. Colors can appear more vivid and consistent, particularly in colorful scenes.

And it's with HDR that the Tandem OLED panel shows its biggest advantage. The C6H's brightness is simply very high and in our measurements it hovered around 1900–2300 nits in most movie scenes. That's already a level at which bright highlights, the sun, or small light sources can look truly spectacular. The biggest impression on us, however, was the fifth scene from the film The Meg. It is exceptionally demanding for OLEDs because practically the entire screen is very bright. Even so, the C6H reached about 1650 nits there. For comparison, the regular C6 with a classic WOLED panel delivered around 600–700 nits in the same spot. So we're talking about more than double the brightness, and in places the difference approaches threefold. That is probably the best example of what Tandem OLED brings. It's not just a higher result on a small test patch. The C6H can sustain very high brightness even when much more of the screen is lit. Thanks to that, HDR has a significantly greater dynamic range and in this respect the C6H is much closer to flagship OLEDs than to typical mid-range models.

Colors

Tandem OLED also brings improvements in color. DCI-P3 coverage remains practically full at about 99%, while in the much wider BT.2020 gamut we measured roughly 82–83%. That's about 7 percentage points more than the regular C6. In everyday use this won't be a visible difference in every scene, since most films don't use such a wide gamut. However, when very heavily saturated colors appear, the C6H already has noticeably greater capabilities, especially in reds. Reds benefit the most, becoming deeper and more saturated. It's still not at the level of the best QD-OLED panels or SQD TVs, but for a WOLED panel the result is really very good.

We assessed color reproduction, as always, using factory settings, focusing on movie mode, which in the case of Philips usually offers the best starting point. This is also a good moment to show how much the same TV model can vary depending on the panel used. Looking at white balance, the overall trend remains similar to the variant with a VA panel. There is still excessive red in the whites, but in the tested unit with an IPS panel, there are also deficiencies in the blue channel. As a result, the image has a slightly different color character, which can be clearly seen in the comparative materials. This is a very good example showing why ready-made settings downloaded from the internet may not always work even within the same model.

However, returning to the assessment itself, this unit performs quite well, especially in SDR content. Color tests show correct saturation and color consistency, without glaring errors that could interfere with everyday viewing. In HDR materials, slight deficiencies in reds are already noticeable, but these are not flaws that completely ruin the perception of the image. The biggest limitations do not stem directly from the colors but rather from whites and blacks. The use of an IPS panel and slightly lowered gamma results in the image being slightly boosted in brightness, while the weak black further affects perceived contrast. This makes the overall look brighter, but at the same time, it loses depth, especially during evening viewing.

Right out of the box the LG C6 is pretty well calibrated, especially if you select Filmmaker mode. In SDR content the white balance is quite good, although as brightness increases it starts to show a slight lack of red. The picture becomes a bit cooler as a result, but not enough to be very noticeable during normal viewing. More is happening in the luminance response. Gamma is a bit low and, instead of holding at 2.4, it sits closer to 2.1–2.2 across much of the range. In practice the C6 slightly brightens the midtones. Shadows are therefore more readable, but the image loses some depth compared with how it should look in a dark room.

The situation is a bit more interesting in HDR. The start of the grayscale looks very good, but from roughly 20–30% brightness the white balance begins to drift increasingly. As brightness rises, red increases and blue becomes noticeably lacking. In the brightest areas the difference is already substantial and also affects the reproduction of some colors. The EOTF curve itself is, however, fairly well followed over most of the range. The C6 only tends to slightly brighten the image, which we also saw during our film comparisons. The largest deviation appears around the brightest sections, where the TV begins to map the signal to the panel’s capabilities.

The out-of-the-box Filmmaker mode in HDR is therefore not perfect, but overall it performs well. The biggest room for improvement is the white balance, especially at high brightness.

After calibration, the image was brought to a really reasonable level. Everything looks coherent and natural, and when it comes to color reproduction, it's hard to definitively state whether we have a VA or IPS panel. This is a good sign, showing that the TV has a solid foundation for further adjustments. It's worth noting the larger color gamut coverage in this variant, which can slightly improve the reception of colorful scenes, especially in HDR content. However, this advantage is largely counterbalanced by the elevated blacks, resulting from the use of an IPS panel. Limited black depth affects perceived contrast, especially when watching in a dark room. As a result, despite the noticeable improvement after calibration, the final assessment remains the same as in the variant with a VA panel. Better colors are not able to fully compensate for the weaker blacks.

LG TVs have been very receptive to calibration for years, and the C6 is no exception. After correction we were able to set the white balance almost perfectly, and most color errors (Delta E) fell below 3, often even around 2. In practice this means very accurate color reproduction in both SDR and HDR. The only curiosity showed up with the HDR luminance response. On the standard EOTF chart everything looks nearly perfect and at first glance it would be hard to fault anything. Only when we measured the TV’s behavior using filters based on actual movie scenes did it become apparent that the C6 has a slight tendency to artificially boost image brightness.

It’s not a huge difference and many people may even take it as a positive, since HDR looks a bit more striking because of it. From the perspective of fidelity to the source material, however, this isn’t ideal — some scenes are simply a bit brighter than the filmmaker intended. Interestingly, this is rather atypical for LG. In previous generations LG TVs usually adhered closely to the reference picture curve after calibration. With the C6 we’re still very close to the standard, but that subtle brightness "boost" can indeed be noticed in movies and TV shows.

In the Philips PUS9010, we find another iteration of the P5 Perfect Picture image processor, which aims to improve the quality of weaker materials. One of the components of this system is the distortion reduction function, responsible for smoothing tonal transitions. It works effectively and actually reduces visible color gradation. Unfortunately, it does so rather aggressively. In practice, it can dull details such as material textures or film grain. This is a clear compromise, so we wouldn't recommend it for movie screenings. It performs much better with looser content, like YouTube or regular television. The P5 processor also handles lower resolution materials quite well. The image is soft, sometimes even too soft, but it can easily be adjusted with the sharpness slider, tailoring the effect to personal preferences. Additionally, the lack of edge cropping in SD materials is a plus, which is still not standard in this class of televisions.

Here the LG C6 has taken a really big step forward. 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 banding and artifacts that often appear, for example, in lower-quality streaming. It's best to leave it on the "Low" setting. That way the improvement is noticeable, and the TV doesn't yet start blurring fine details. Higher levels smooth the image more, but can start to remove some of the natural texture of objects on screen. The upscaling itself also performs very well. Lower-resolution material is properly sharpened, edges look clean, and the processor quite effectively reconstructs fine details. In this respect the C6 is already very close to LG's best TVs, and the differences compared with the G6 are small.

Philips PUS9010 has a 4K panel with a refresh rate of 144 Hz, which will be appreciated primarily by sports fans and gamers. This is especially evident in dynamic scenes where motion is sharp, and annoying trailing is nearly absent. When it comes to movies (standard 24 fps), Philips provides us with a proven set of settings known from higher series. Two sliders are used to control motion. The “Smoothness” slider allows you to adjust the image to your taste: at low settings, we maintain a cinematic character, while moving the slider to the right gives us a perfectly smooth, albeit slightly “theatrical” effect. On the other hand, the “Motion Blur Reduction” is a feature made for sports – it ensures that fast objects do not lose details and remain clear.

The C6H with a Tandem OLED panel can also operate at refresh rates up to 165 Hz. PC gamers will get the most use out of that, of course, because for consoles, movies, or sports we’re still talking about a maximum of 120 Hz. The panel itself performs excellently in motion. OLED pixels respond virtually instantly, so even with fast-moving objects you don’t see the typical motion blur behind them. The image stays clean whether you’re watching sports or playing fast-paced games.

If you care more about smoothness than motion clarity, TruMotion is available. LG lets you adjust two parameters separately. De-Judder works mainly with films and series shot at 24 fps and helps reduce the judder typical of them. De-Blur, on the other hand, is intended for 50/60 fps material, so it’s especially useful when watching sports or TV.

The Philips PUS9010 is truly a solid machine for gaming. It has everything that matters: VRR, automatic game mode (ALLM), and support for HGiG. The latter is a great feature—it allows HDR in games to be set exactly as the creators envisioned. The television handles 120 Hz refresh rates effortlessly at every popular resolution (1080p, 1440p, and 4K). It doesn't matter if you connect a PS5, Xbox, or a powerful PC—everything runs smoothly and just as it should. Gamers will also appreciate the Game Bar. It's a quick, clear menu that immediately shows whether low latency mode is active. This is especially useful when frequently switching between different consoles. The experience is completed by Ambilight. Evening sessions with this lighting are on a whole different level; the image seems larger, and dynamic scenes leave an even better impression. Even if someone isn’t a fan of such “gimmicks,” it’s hard to deny that it’s impressive.

The C6H offers basically a full package of gaming features. On consoles we can easily use 4K at 120 Hz, while PC users can push the refresh rate up to 165 Hz. The TV also supports VRR from 40 to 165 Hz, ALLM and a proper implementation of HGiG. Dolby Vision is also available in game mode, which remains a significant advantage for Xbox owners. We can view all the key information in the Game Bar, which provides quick access to VRR settings and current signal parameters. The OLED tandem therefore doesn't change the actual feature set for gamers, but with such high panel brightness HDR games can make an even bigger impression. Functionally, the C6H is simply a very complete TV for console and PC.