If you are looking for a mid-range 4K TV for bright rooms and do not want to miss a wide viewing angle, you will soon come across LG’s NanoCell series. The three models of the series vary quite a lot in price, which of course raises the question whether the next more expensive NanoCell is really worth the extra charge. Therefore we compare the NANO90 with the NANO85 in this article and see if there is really a serious difference between the two TVs.
LG NANO85 and NANO90 compared
Which TV is better?
- 120Hz IPS panel
- Input Lag
- Viewing angle
- Reflection handling
- Dolby Vision & Atmos
- HDMI 2.1
- Black level
- Contrast ratio 1700 : 1
- Edge Lit Local Dimming
- Peak brightness ~570 Nits
- 120 Hz IPS panel
- Input Lag <15 ms
- Viewing angle
- Full Array Local Dimming
- Reflection handling
- Dolby Vision & Atmos
- HDMI 2.1
- Black levels
- Contrast ratio 1680:1
- Dirty Screen Effect
Detailed comparison: LG NANO85 or NANO90
| Comparison winner |
LG NANO85 Thanks to the IPSIn-Plane Switching, type of LCD Panel panelThe panel is the actual screen of a television. There is different types of panels like OLED, LCD or Micro LED and different sub-types of LCD like VA or IPS., the NANO85 has a wide viewing angle and has a quite respectable picture quality in brighter rooms. However, the black levels and contrast ratio is too low for it to be really convincing in dark environments. With a peak brightness of about 570 NitsSI unit of luminance: 1 nit = 1 cd/m2 - The best way of measuring and comparing a TVs brightness it is bright enough under normal conditions, but not enough to display HDRHigh Dynamic Range - image/video with more dynamic range (contrast range) content well - this is hardly distinguishable from SDRStandard Dynamic Range - image/video with a conventional gamma curve (opposite: HDR) - "normal" videos content on the NANO86. Unfortunately the cheaper NanoCell TV has only Edge Lit Local Dimming, which is rather disappointing and does not really improve the picture quality. | LG NANO90 Since the NANO90 is also equipped with an IPSIn-Plane Switching, type of LCD Panel panelThe panel is the actual screen of a television. There is different types of panels like OLED, LCD or Micro LED and different sub-types of LCD like VA or IPS., it has the same strengths and weaknesses as its little brother. In brighter rooms, it can present its best picture quality, but is also somewhat limited by its brightness. With a peak brightness of about 640 NitsSI unit of luminance: 1 nit = 1 cd/m2 - The best way of measuring and comparing a TVs brightness , it is slightly brighter than the NANO85, but still cannot display HDRHigh Dynamic Range - image/video with more dynamic range (contrast range) content in a satisfying way. The contrast ratio of 1680:1 is a bitThe color depth is measured in Bit. 8 Bit stands for 28 different values for each color channel, for TVs those are red, green and blue. By combining the 3 rgb channels 28*28*28=16.777.216 colors are possible. HDR10 or the dynamic HDR formats work with 10 or even 12 Bit. lower, but it has been equipped with Full Array Local Dimming, so it can deliver a much better picture quality in dark environments. But also its local dimming feature has not been implemented very well, which makes BloomingAdding a brighter area around bright objects on a dark background clearly visible. But it is still much better than the Edge Lit Local Dimming of the NANO86. Unfortunately, the NANO90 is affected by the Dirty Screen effectVisible difference (color shift/brightness) when displaying the same color in different areas of the screen, which is also visible on the NANO85, but not quite as obvious. |
| Panel type | IPS Panel | IPS Panel |
|---|---|---|
| Resolution | 3840 x 2160 pixels Ultra HD (UHD) / 4K / 2160p | 3840 x 2160 pixels Ultra HD (UHD) / 4K / 2160p |
| Contrast ratio | 1700 :1 | 1700 :1 |
| Local Dimming | Edge Lit Local Dimming | Full Array Local Dimming |
| Frequency | 120 Hz | 120 Hz |
| VRR | HDMI 2.1 | HDMI 2.1 |
| Input Lag | < 17 ms | < 15 ms |
| Motion Handling | ||
| Color space coverage | ||
| Ø brightness | ||
| Max brightness | ||
| Reflections | ||
| Operating system | webOS 5.0 | webOS 5.0 |
| HDR10+ | ||
| Dolby Vision | ||
| Dolby Atmos | ||
| DTS | ||
| HDMI 2.1 | ||
| Improved viewing angle |
| Comparison winner |
LG NANO85 | LG NANO90 |
49 Inch See price Amazon.com.co.uk.ca 55 Inch See price Amazon.com.co.uk.ca 65 Inch See price Amazon.com.co.uk.ca All prices | 55 Inch See price Amazon.com.co.uk.ca 65 Inch See price Amazon.com.co.uk.ca 75 Inch See price Amazon.com.co.uk.ca 86 Inch See price Amazon.com.ca All prices |
Our conclusion: Similar performance, just a little bit better in most respects
The NANO85 and NANO90 are very similar due to the IPSIn-Plane Switching, type of LCD Panel panelThe panel is the actual screen of a television. There is different types of panels like OLED, LCD or Micro LED and different sub-types of LCD like VA or IPS. used. Both have a wide viewing angle and can deliver their best picture quality in brighter rooms. In dark rooms, however, the performance is rather mediocre, even though the NANO90 is somewhat superior here. Due to full array local dimming and higher brightness, it has a better picture quality, which is probably the most important argument for the NANO90. In terms of motion handlingDisplaying fast moving objects and gaming performance, both are similarly well positioned – including the HDMI 2.1 interface and the 120Hz panelThe panel is the actual screen of a television. There is different types of panels like OLED, LCD or Micro LED and different sub-types of LCD like VA or IPS.. The bottom line is that the NANO90 is clearly the better TV, which is worth the extra price. But if you are looking for an entry-level TV for next gen gaming with a wide viewing angle, which is mainly used in brighter rooms, you cannot do wrong with the cheaper NANO86, because both Playstation 5 and Xbox Series X can take it to the max – at least when it comes to SDRStandard Dynamic Range – image/video with a conventional gamma curve (opposite: HDR) – “normal” videos gaming.
