LG QNED85 / QNED86 review

The LG QNED85 – or QNED86, with its different stand arrangement – is certainly an attention-grabber, certainly on paper. Reviewed here in its 65-inch format, the quantum nano-emitting diode technology it uses to serve up pictures is intriguing.

The attention that’s been paid to this QNED's ability to function as a gaming monitor is typically LG, too, while its ‘AI this, HDR that' specification doesn’t do any harm when it comes to drawing you in yet more, either.

‘On paper’ is one thing, though, ‘in your home’ could be quite another. So just how does LG's Mini-LED TV handle compared to the brand's better-known best OLED models – and, ultimately, is it worth buying?

Price & Availability

The 65-inch LG QNED85 and QNED86 models – which are also available in 55-, 75- and 85-inch versions – have dropped from £1299 at launch to closer to the thousand pounds mark at the time of writing.

Obviously, there are variations in specification, and usually in model number too, depending on the territory in which you’re shopping – but an equivalent model in the United States currently costs around $999, while in Australia you’re looking at AU$2499 or thereabouts for something similar.

Features & What's New?

Some things are not broken about the way LG specifies its TVs, and we should all be glad they haven’t been fixed.

The naming can be a bit confusing, though, so to be clear: the QNED85 and QNED86 are the very same panel. It's just that the former has two feet for its stand design, while the latter features a central stand.

Irrelevant of which set you find, however, there are four HDMI inputs here, all at 2.1 standard. That means all are ready to support all the clever features of your games console, from VRR (144Hz) and ALLM to AMD FreeSync and HGiG, with Dolby Vision for Gaming (4K @ 120Hz) thrown in for good measure. One of the sockets is eARC-enabled, too.

Further connectivity is available via a couple of USB 20 slots, a CI card slot, Ethernet, Wi-Fi 6 and Bluetooth 5.3, a couple of aerial binding posts and a digital optical output. Apple Home, Google Home and Google Cast are all available once you’re connected.

Connection to the internet also brings the WebOS 25 smart TV interface into play, with all of its access to available content.

No matter where your content is derived from, though, and no matter how it gets on board, it’s dealt with by LG’s ‘a8 AI Processor 4K Gen 2’ processing engine.

A selection of 10 picture presets naturally enough includes ‘Filmmaker Mode’ (the mode that makes TV manufacturers’ ongoing quest for ever-brighter pictures completely redundant), and, of course, there’s a suite of ‘AI’-driven processes deployed in an effort to maximise your viewing pleasure.

The panel that’s displaying the result of all this hard work is, of course, a 4K LCD design. LG’s ‘QNED’ (quantum nano-emitting diode) technology uses a combination of quantum dots and nano-cell particles in combination with a massive number of individual LEDs that take care of backlighting on a local dimming level.

This is intended to deliver improbable brightness, a wide colour gamut, high contrasts and black tones as deep as the LCD technology will allow. There’s compatibility with plenty of high dynamic range (HDR) formats too: HLG, HDR10 and Dolby Vision.

Sound, meanwhile, is handled by a downward-facing two-driver array driven by an all-in total of 20 watts. It almost goes without saying that audio quality has been subject to ‘AI’ intervention – ‘a8 AI Sound Pro’ is ambitious enough to attempt to deliver an impression of 9.1.2 spatial audio from just two channels of audio information, and ‘AI Acoustic Tuning’ tries to finesse the results to best suit your environment.

Good news is available in the fact that the TV is compatible with LG’s Wow Orchestra feature, so when connected to an appropriate soundbar the TV’s sound system can join in with, rather than be overridden by, the efforts of the soundbar.

Picture Quality

If you subscribe to George Lucas’s theory that 50% of the enjoyment in a movie is derived from the sound, then it’s safe to say the LG QNED85/86 is a game of two halves. Because where picture quality is concerned, it has plenty to recommend it. Sound quality? Not so much.

With some top-of-the-shop native 4K Dolby Vision-enhanced content playing, this TV is straightforwardly impressive in the context of its asking price. It’s bright, first of all, and it creates remarkably deep and notably varied black tones – so it’s capable of extremely strong contrasts.

It controls its backlighting pretty well, too, so unless you’re having to deal with the dreaded ‘white text on a black background’ sort of stuff, backlighting is even, displays little-to-no haloing, and is responsive to sudden on-screen changes.

The colour palette is wide-ranging, decently nuanced, and strikes a nice balance between ‘vivid’ and ‘naturalistic' (unless you’re in ‘Filmmaker Mode’, of course, in which case you can forget ‘vivid’ altogether).

The LG is particularly adept where skin-tones are concerned, and the level of fine detail the screen is capable of teasing out and contextualising means it’s no slouch where skin textures are concerned either. There’s good punch and pop to the most colourful scenes, but it never feels overdriven or unnatural.

Edge definition is solid, and the LG’s ability to handle tight, complex patterns without starting to get noisy or allowing shimmer into the equation is good. It’s possible to get strong motion control out of the QNED85/86 too, as long as you override the ‘AI Picture Wizard’ and defeat most of the ‘clarity’ settings in the ‘advanced’ section of the menus. ‘TruMotion’ turns out to be nothing of the sort, and you’re better off without it sticking its oar in.

Step down to some Full HD (1080p) content and the LG proves a very capable upscaler. Detail levels fall away a little, admittedly, and the idea of ‘picture noise’ becomes a little easier to believe, but overall the QNED85/86 is a composed and confident performer. Contrasts stay strong, movement remains secure, and insight into even quite busy scenes continues to impress.

Stepping down even further in terms of native resolution can make the LG betray how hard it’s having to work, though it’s not unique in this – 720p stuff can look soft and rather indistinct, and the ability to control on-screen movement deserts the LG somewhat too.

As a gaming monitor, the LG is everything we’ve all come to expect from the brand. In Game Mode it’s super-quick to respond, makes the most of lighting and colour effects, grips on-screen motion with real determination, and remains controlled and authoritative even during the trickiest tests. The fact that this level of performance is available through any of the HDMI sockets only serves to sweeten an already quite sweet deal.

The story of the sound of the QNED85/86 is rather different, though, as I've said. Before you run through the ‘AI Sound Wizard’ settings, the sound the LG makes is edgy and insubstantial, quite confined and entirely lacking in subtlety or meaningful variation.

It requires little volume-related encouragement to get hard and quite shouty, it has no real low-frequency presence or genuine dynamic headroom – and its willingness to shove dialogue forwards only emphasises its weird ability to be blunt and sharp at the same time.

Nothing really improves after running the ‘AI Sound Wizard’, either – it just becomes slightly differently bad. The sound becomes larger and more expansive, but the trade-off is a loss of focus and any suggestion of a coherent soundstage. It gets more forward and attacking, too, which means it sounds even more strident and forceful, even harder and thinner.

Most big TVs costing modest money sound less-than-brilliant, granted, so most require a soundbar if the pictures are going to be properly complemented by the sound. But seldom has the need for even a quite modestly priced soundbar been more urgent than it is with the QNED85/86.

Design & Usability

‘Neat and tidy’ is about the best you can hope for where the design of a big TV is concerned – and at 840 x 1456 x 30mm (HxWxD) this 65-inch LG hits the spot.

The standard of build and finish is well up to par, and the fact that the feet can be attached in four different positions (there are two width positions and two height positions) means it isn’t a struggle to put it on a fairly small surface and/or leave space for a soundbar beneath.

If you prefer to wall-mount your new television, the QNED85/86 is VESA-compliant and a fairly manageable 22.5kg given its 65-inch scale.

LG supplies its familiar Magic Remote to operate the TV – a combination of motion sensor, scroll-wheel, point-and-click ‘air mouse’ functionality and a fairly sensible button layout means it could be a lot worse. Some backlighting wouldn’t go amiss, mind you.

This remote allows interaction with a host of AI-powered features. ‘AI Voice ID’ recognises individual users’ voices and offers appropriate recommendations; ‘AI Chatbot’ can help with set-up and settings; ‘AI Concierge’ offers customised keywords and search recommendations; ‘AI Picture Wizard’ and ‘AI Sound Wizard’ want to make setting up the screen as swift and painless as possible. Don’t for a moment imagine that LG has let the ‘AI’ craze pass it by.

The LG ThinQ app is also available. It’s a pretty uninspiring looker, but it’s comprehensive and stable, which means it gets the job done.

Either method of control puts you in charge of some mercifully clear and concise set-up menus and the ‘25’ version of LG’s ‘webOS’ operating system. This interface is just as neat and tidy as the physical design of television, with a degree of customisation available – and it’s not too pushy when it comes to promoting its preferred content.

Every major streaming and catch-up service is available, and in addition there’s plenty of free content (with ads) in the ‘LG Channels’ app. LG’s undertaking to offer free OS upgrades every year for the first five years of the TV’s life is a very welcome touch.

For all the LG’s AI smarts, though, there is still room for improvement when it comes to content curation. I’m sure I’m not the only one who will be startled to learn that the mid-70s British softcore sex comedy Adventures of a Private Eye, which is available on LG Channels, was apparently directed by Spike Jonze in 2024.

LG QNED85 / QNED86 review: Verdict

A big screen, from a big brand, with big specification, and some big performance highlights? Yes indeed!

When it’s good the LG QNED85 (or, indeed, QNED86) is very good indeed. Unless you insist on watching lots of lo-res content, then it’s hard to find serious criticism with the way it performs in terms of picture quality – especially in the context of the asking price.

As far as the sound it makes goes, though, serious criticism is all I’ve got. Budget for one of the best soundbars for LG TVs, though, and you've got an exceptional screen for gamers, that's for sure.

Also consider

I reviewed the bargain-tastic 65-inch TCL P7K not long ago, and when you consider how significantly more affordable than this LG it is, it’s hard not to recommend it. The specification is good, and there’s plenty to like about the way it performs – on a pound-for-pound basis, it’s very competitive indeed.

The 65-inch version of Sky Glass 2 is well worth considering, too – it’s far less compromised than the product it replaces, has a unique pricing model and an equally unique selling feature in all the Sky content that’s available without the need for a set-top box. Yes, it’s a hefty item in physical terms – but part of that is explained by the sound system, which is streets ahead of that fitted to the LG.