LG QNED81 Review & Rating

An overall better picture quality at the same price awaits you in Sony’s X90J. This model is not only brighter and offers a higher contrast thanks to Full Array Local Dimming, but also directly covers an additional color space range.

If the offer is fair, you can even get a panel with self-luminous pixels with the LG OLED B2, which really puts the picture performance of the QNED81 in the shade. Should the deal be favorable, you can actually consider the Samsung Neo QLED QN85A with a clear conscience also. This model is suitable for brighter rooms and takes the last bit of butter off LG’s LED TV.

Despite the lower price – which is roughly in the upper mid-range – we have little to complain about in the build quality of the LG QNED81, or more specifically the 65QNED819QA. In fact, almost the opposite is the case. Except for the plastic frame, the casing is made of stainless steel, which is definitely a rarity in this price range.

Even high-end models like Sony’s A95K only bring plastic to the customer at this point. Whereby this QD OLED is already heavy enough, if we are honest.

However, the 65-inch screen of our test device does not get a secure stand due to the included plastic base. Although the centered base extends in a semicircle to the sides, a slight bump is enough to make the TV swing quite noticeably.

However, there is enough space left at the lower edge of the screen for a compatible soundbar due to the generous height of the base unit. Thus, you have the option to place even larger soundbars easily in front of the QNED. We have experienced this quite differently.

If you are thinking about wall mounting, you can do that with a VESA 300×300 bracket. You don’t know the best way to accomplish that? Take a look at our guide on the topic of wall mounts if you want to learn more. If the stability of the base is not enough, you can easily replace the setup with a more stable alternative.

Since LG does without corresponding port covers, all interfaces are permanently exposed. We could not find any recesses or other mounting options in form of clips for cable management. However, you can remove the back of the stand to lead cables through.

The LG QNED81 is available in three variants, which differ in size and features. The QNED813QA is available in 50″ and 65″ without WiSA and only with 20 watts of dual-channel sound.

With the QNED816QA, LG offers you a model with 55″ and 65″, WiSA support, but also only 2.0 audio. The QNED819QA is available in 50″, 55″, 65″, 75″ and 85″ with WiSA and a 2.2 sound system.

The combination of LG’s well-known NanoCell technology and the so-called Quantum Dots, which – to put it simply – serve as additional color enhancers, is supposed to achieve a particularly high color diversity and more realistic nuances. This works because these particles absorb excess light waves.

The mid-range TV from the QNED series is certainly capable of this. Colors are therefore reproduced cleanly and powerfully on the panel and thus represent a real plus point in the display quality of this TV. LG keeps its word here. However, the quality is different in terms of screen illumination.

The pure black value leaves plenty of room for improvement. However, we expected this observation due to the backlight based on Edge Lit. Therefore, this point is not a real surprise for us. But how does this exactly look like? Scenes, in which deep black should actually be visible, come as dark gray at best on the viewer’s retina. The control simply does not allow a filigree representation in this area.

A mini-LED backlight definitely would have boosted the picture quality visibly. However, the smaller LEDs only make it into the casing from the QNED86 series onwards and thus leave our test model rather out in the cold in terms of precision and brightness and is a clear deficit in the display of HDR content. This also manifests itself with the existing clouding.

A maximum brightness of over 600 nits looks reasonable on paper, but it is not a miracle in combination with the weak contrast. Thus, a real differentiation between dark and bright details does not really want to happen. Especially in dark scenes, a gray uniform veil appears on the picture.

Bright content does not produce real highlights, so subtleties do not really stand out, which would actually be necessary to bring the brilliance up to a good level.

If you are forced to look at the screen from a duller angle, you will notice a certain color distortion. White tones tend to turn grayish. Generally, the viewing-angle accuracy of the IPS panel can be considered acceptable but not really good.

For classification: OLEDs like LG’s B1 from the previous year play – at a currently similar price – in a completely different class and show the QNED81 what good picture quality really looks like in terms of contrast and gloss.

Despite the 120 Hertz panel, the TV cannot quite maintain the resolution during fast movements when the interframe calculation is turned off. As a result, the picture looks a bit blurry in some places and details can no longer be seen accurately.

When interpolationArtificial calculation of more frames than the source material has to offer is turned on, the QNED’s Alpha7 Gen5 AI processor generally does what it is supposed to and shows an overall smooth display for content with 24 frames per second. Thus, even quick onscreen position changes can be captured properly.

Especially the presentation of sports as well as action-packed movies and series draws a visible advantage from this. Judder does not have a chance to prevail. However, the display’s fast response time is not only advantageous. Especially slow scenes are often affected by jerks. Although you can counteract this effect with the interframe calculation, you will sometimes encounter the Soap Opera effect, which can be annoying for some viewers.

As for gaming, things look a bit different and you will be greeted by features like a Variable Refresh Rate via AMD FreeSync PremiumVariable Refresh Rate with AMD graphics cards or consoles with at least 120fps at Full HD, an Auto Low Latency mode for optimizing the input time on the controller and 4K at 120 hertz via the two HDMI 2.1 ports.

Especially the latest feature will be welcomed by owners of a next-gen console like the Xbox Series X|S or the PlayStation 5. However, G-SyncVariable Refresh Rate for Nvidia graphics cards compatibility and Dolby Vision for use on the current Microsoft consoles fall through.

The other two HDMI interfaces in version 2.0b can still be used for a 4K resolution with up to 60 frames per second. HDR10HDR10 Media Profile – HDR with a color depth of 10 Bit in the Rec. 2020 colorspace and HLGHLG or Hybrid Log Gamma facilitates the transmission and reception of signals by combining the SDR and HDR signals. If the device supports HDR, the HDR part of the signal is used, otherwise the SDR part. support is added to enable HDRHigh Dynamic Range – image/video with more dynamic range (contrast range) in games as well.

The revised gaming optimizer is also a great addition and combines all important picture settings in a compact window. This way, you always have an overview and do not have to jump around between menu entries in order to adjust certain presets. Bright game scenes and the color reproduction in HDR look quite good.

Unfortunately the poor performance in terms of contrast is also shown here. In return, the input lag in gaming mode is on an excellent level and transmits commands almost in real time. Ultimately, the LG QNED81 lags behind in the differences between bright and dark picture areas and therefore does not really deserve the title of a true gaming TV.

Since the LG QNED81 does not have an external soundbar – which is something very few TVs do and would otherwise be a real highlight in this price range – you have to be prepared for pretty flat sound that radiates downwards from the casing. Trebles and mids sound clean, but you’ll hardly notice any bass from the 2.2 audio system with a total of 40 watts.

This is a common problem with flat-screen TVs and a disadvantage for movie and series fans. Just because it says Woofer doesn’t automatically mean that it’s Woofer. The AI Sound Pro up-mix to virtual 5.1.2 via the Alpha7 Gen5 AI processor doesn’t help much. The lack of Dolby Atmos compatibility is also a pity.

In return, our review unit has WiSA support for wireless surround sound connections in Hi-Res to compatible speakers. Although the TV does not offer true three-dimensional surround sound, you can use a soundbar or full-fledged home theater solution and connect it to the QNED TV either via optical digital output or HDMI eARC.

Our buying guide on Soundbarfindr will help you find the perfect solution for you.

The new webOS 22 – as in all models of the 22 lineup – also shines in its full glory on the screen of the LG QNED81. Thanks to the good performance, you can navigate quickly through the intuitive menu with the Magic Remote. However, this – slimmed-down – version of the remote does not have NFC functionality and is not on the exact same level as the high-end models in terms of workmanship.

Voice commands are received by the TV either via ThinQ, Alexa or Google’s voice assistant. The new Hands Free Voice Control is only available on the more expensive 8K models from 2021 and therefore starting with LG’s QNED96. You will also have to do without Watch & Record, which means watching TV and recording at the same time, since LG only installs a single tuner on the board.

USB recordings are however not an issue. Just like Apple connectivity via Airplay and Homekit. Of course, a wide range of apps is available and none of the big streaming providers like Amazon, Netflix or Disney+ are left out. LG also includes Wi-Fi 802.11ac and Bluetooth 5.0.

The LG QNED81 can by no means claim accurate reproduction and still leaves a lot of room for improvement in all areas. First of all, there is the brightness performance. The panel of our test device already exaggerates here and consistently displays content too bright from a luminance of 30%. At its peak, the device is more than 9 points off.

The chain of errors continues with the color components and drives the RGB balance further and further apart with increasing brightness and even beyond the limits of the tolerance range.

As the screen gets brighter, the display becomes more and more saturated with green. If we now look at the average brightness, also called gamma, the target value of 2.2 is not reached over the entire course. An additional point of interest is, as always, the handling when it comes to color representation.

Again, the LG QNED81 doesn’t present itself in a particularly decent manner and is visibly off especially with blue and green. The error is even more pronounced in cyan. Red is mostly within the limits.

Our test device impressively shows that a professional screen calibration can be quite rewarding. All luminance levels are now reproduced as intended.

The color mixing is now also much better balanced and is – if at all – only within a comparatively small margin of error. All brightness levels now have a more accurate gamma value.

We also see the same result in color fidelity. For example, the maximum error in cyan could be reduced from about seven to just one error point. White tones no longer suffer from a green cast.

Only blue still falls slightly out of the frame. In the end, however, the QNED81 shows a much better overall reproduction and is hardly recognizable compared to the previous settings