LG QNED 83 Review: Best LED LCD TV for cinema and gaming? Digit.in (2024)

VERDICT:

The LG QNED 83 is a very interesting LED LCD TV. It performs really well in bright sequences and delivers a clean picture quality. The QNED display supports a wide colour gamut and reproduces accurate colours in HDR and SDR content. The software is easy to navigate and integrates a colour-accurate filmmaker mode for enthusiasts. And the gaming experience is also really enjoyable

Where the TV struggles is with dark HDR scenes where blacks feel muddy and some blooming is apparent with the edge-lit local dimming.

The major plus point is the wide-viewing angles of the IPS LCD panel, which does make a difference. So, if you are hesitant about OLED TVs and are looking for a capable LED LCD TV for primarily viewing in a bright living room, we can recommend the LG QNED 83 as an option.

LG QNED 83 Review

LG recently introduced its 2024 QNED TV series in India, and we have the 55-inch QNED 83 Smart TV with us which is a successor to the LG QNED 81. This edge-lit QNED display features several exciting features including a 120Hz refresh rate, Dolby Vision HDR, and the latest WebOS 23 software.

LG claims that its QNED range brings ia new era of LED LCD TVs. But what exactly sets QNED apart from other LED LCD technologies like QLED? And more importantly, is this TV worth your consideration? We will address these questions and more in our LG QNED 83 review. Let’s kick things off with a closer look at the specifications.

LG QNED 83 Review: Specifications

• Model number: 55QNED83SRA
• Display Panel Size: 55-inch
• Display Panel Type: QNED
• Display Panel Resolution: 4K UHD – 3840 x 2160
• Display Refresh Rate: 120Hz
• Backlight: Edge-lit, local dimming
• Supported HDR Formats: Dolby Vision, HDR10, HLG
• Speakers: 20W
• Audio formats: Supports Dolby Atmos, AI Sound Pro
• Processor: α7 AI Processor Gen6
• Built-in storage: 8GB
• Software: WebOS 23
• HDMI Ports: 4x HDMI 2.1 ports (supports 4K 120Hz, eARC, VRR, ALLM, QMS)
• Other connectivity options: 2 USB 2.0 ports, Dual Band Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.0, Ethernet, SPDIF, Antenna
• MRP – ₹159,990

LG QNED 83 Review [Video]

LG QNED 83 Review: Design and Remote

The LG QNED 83 certainly exudes those premium vibes. The bezels on the front are narrow and uniform. The stand is a premium metal towards the front and polycarbonate on the back. It’s stable and looks good, so we don’t mind the hybrid construction.

Ports on the rear are well-spaced. They are all present in a recess, but it is a wide recess and all ports should be easily accessible even if the TV is wall-mounted.

We are quite familiar with and also quite like LG’s magic remote. It’s an ergonomic remote with all the curves and buttons in the right places. And has a decent set of hotkeys.

The ‘Magic’ feature is that the remote has a gyroscope and accelerometer to guide the pointer. You can flick the remote like a wand and directly point to and select your desired options. This initially takes some getting used to, but once you are past the learning curve, it proves quite convenient. You also have the option to disable the pointer in the TV settings.

LG QNED 83 Review: What is QNED

Now, Before we get to the picture quality performance, let’s talk a bit about QNED.

LG’s QNED combines QLED and Nanocell Technology. All LED LCD TVs eventually pass the light through a colour filter. This colour filter acts as a sieve and separates Red, Blue or Green components from the white light. But what if the white light that is originating from the LEDs in the backlight doesn’t have these components proportionally? What if it’s more blue and has very little red and green? In that case, your TV won’t be able to reproduce a high colour volume of red and green or saturated red and green shades.

That’s the problem that Quantum Dots in QLED and QNED TVs address. These TVs use a Quantum Dot Enhancement Film or QDEF layer that converts portions of light from Blue LEDs in the backlight to Red and Green, or in other words, enhances the quality of white light. This results in purer colours and support for a wider colour gamut.

Additionally, LG’s QNED TVs also integrate Nanocell technology which means adding some nano particles in the LCD substrate. These nanoparticles absorb unwanted colour wavelengths – which once again results in purer colours.

But there is a very interesting third aspect to QNEDs. LG uses an IPS LCD panel for most of the QNED TVs which is unlike most QLED TVs that ship with a VA LCD panel. Although some of the 2024 QNED TVs do feature a VA LCD panel, which is to say that this is subject to change moving forward.

Now, IPS LCD panels have lower native contrast as compared to VA panels, but they are still preferred by many consumers. This is primarily because you can trust them for wide viewing angles – both horizontal and vertical —– besides they are also more responsive for gaming and don’t have issues like Black smearing that gamers can be sensitive to.

And for such consumers who demand an IPS panel, wide colour gamut options are very limited and the LG QNED is perhaps the best choice.

If you are interested in more details about QNED technology, check out our detailed explainer below.

Also Read: QNED vs QLED vs OLED TVs: What’s the difference?

LG QNED 83 Review: Picture Quality and Audio

Now let’s talk about picture quality. Unlike the higher-end models in the series, this is not a mini LED TV. The QNED 83 has an edge-lit IPS LCD display with local dimming support.

We took all measurements using our Spectracal C6 HDR2000 colourimeter and Calman Ultimate software. Most colour-accurate presets are cinema mode and filmmaker mode with a white point close to D65.

The nanocell display is capable of reproducing a wide colour gamut. As indicated by the CIE LAB results above, the colour volume this QNED Panel can reproduce is similar to what we get with QLED displays.

We recorded up to 99.8% RGB coverage and 94.9% DCI P3 coverage.

LG has done a great job with screen uniformity. In SDR mode, the skin tones look natural. The TV does well when it comes to the bright SDR sequences. In dark SDR scenes, we noticed that black and light grey details were not great, but overall the TV did better than expected when compared to most other LED LCD TVs that we have tested.

In our colour checker test, the LG QNED 83 performed really well. We recorded an average Delta error of 3 with occasionally a colour exceeding 4. What this means is that colours are perceptibly accurate.

LG QNED 83 does a great job of upscaling legacy content. If you like mild motion smoothing, you can switch from Filmmaker mode to Cinema mode.

When it comes to HDR, this TV supports Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HLG. We recorded a peak brightness of 849 nits (vivid mode) and a BT2020 colour coverage of 70% in UV terms (HDR content is mastered for DCI-P3 colours in the BT2020 container). For a better perspective, these stats are comparable to higher-midrange QLED TVs.

In the filmmaker mode, the TV tracks EOTF curve rather faithfully which means the TV will properly brighten or darken different scenes in line with the creator’s intent.

In our HDR colour checker test, we recorded an average delta of under 3.0 without any calibration, which is excellent.

Once again the TV does really well in Bright and mixed APL HDR sequences. Skin tones are natural and there are sufficient details in the highlight.

In excessively dark HDR scenes, blacks feel muddy and we were left wanting for slightly more contrast. If you are watching content prominent with dark scenes like See on Apple TV, you can turn local dimming to High and get better contrast. But this works best if you have the subtitles turned off.

By default, the local dimming is set to low and it does a good job of masking IPS glow but at the expense of some noticeable blooming.

The 20W speakers with Dolby Atmos offer wide soundstage and decent dialogue clarity. But for a truly immersive experience, you will need to invest in a soundbar.

LG QNED 83 Review: Performance and WebOS

All picture processing is handled by the 6th generation α7 AI Processor 4K. This is a mid-tier chip in LG’s lineup and it is paired with 8 GB storage, 5.68 GB of which is available to end users. UI transitions are reasonably smooth. AI features like AI Picture Pro and AI Sound Pro are supported.

The interface is intuitive and we could easily find the options that we were looking for. The quick settings menu overlay makes it convenient to switch picture mode and audio mode when the content is playing. We didn’t face any issues casting from popular apps on our phones to the TV or mirroring the phone screen.

The TV supports Apple AirPlay 2 and HomeKit. WebOS makes it easier to remotely connect and access other devices like your PC or your browser.

The LG voice assistant can’t quite match up to the dexterity of Alexa or Google Assistant when it comes to looking up content. LG provides a dedicated key for Alexa which works by activating the LG TV skill on your Amazon account. Once set, you can press the Alexa button to use Alexa’s voice commands to open apps, search content or operate smart home devices.

LG QNED 83 Review: Gaming

There is a lot here for gamers. The 120Hz display is quite responsive. LG includes HDMI 2.1 ports, support for ALLM, VRR, and also the HGIG mode for accurate tone mapping in HDR games.

We played games like Witcher 3, Fortnight, and Spiderman Miles Morale on PS 5 and the overall experience was really enjoyable. There was no hint of screen tearing in the gaming mode. The HDR impact wasn’t as well pronounced as on the LG G3, but it still delivered a pretty good experience.

LG QNED 83 Review: Should you buy it?

So to sum it up, the LG QNED 83 is a very interesting LED LCD TV. It performs really well in bright sequences and delivers a clean picture quality. The QNED display supports a wide colour gamut and reproduces accurate colours in HDR and SDR content. The software is easy to navigate and integrates a colour-accurate filmmaker mode for enthusiasts. And the gaming experience is also really enjoyable

Where the TV struggles is with dark HDR scenes where blacks feel muddy and some blooming is apparent with the edge-lit local dimming.

The major plus point is the wide-viewing angles of the IPS LCD panel, which does make a difference. So, if you are hesitant about OLED TVs and are looking for a capable LED LCD TV for primarily viewing in a bright living room, we can recommend the LG QNED 83 as an option.

The TV’s maximum retail price (MRP) in India is listed at 1,59,999, but it’s actually available for much less. At Chroma, the 2024 model is currently priced at Rs. 94,990. This is still a little pricey for a 55-inch TV, but with additional discounts during festival seasons, this could turn out to be a good deal, so it’s worth keeping an eye on. As for alternatives, you may also consider last-gen Samsung Neo QLED options like the Samsung QN85B which offers a QLED display with a mini-LED backlight in the same budget.