LG QNED86A Review Is This 65 Inch 4K Smart TV Worth Buying

Are you guys in the market for a new TV and wondering if the 65-inch LG QNED evo AI Mini LED QNED86A is the right choice for you? Well, you've come to the right place! In this comprehensive review, we'll dive deep into everything this 4K Smart TV has to offer, from its cutting-edge display technology to its smart features and overall performance. We'll break down the technical jargon, offer real-world insights, and help you decide if this TV is the perfect fit for your home entertainment needs. So, grab your popcorn, settle in, and let's explore the world of LG's QNED evo technology!

Decoding QNED evo AI Mini LED Technology

Let's start by unpacking what QNED evo AI Mini LED actually means. It's a mouthful, I know, but it represents a combination of several key technologies that work together to deliver a stunning picture quality. First, we have QNED, which stands for Quantum Dot NanoCell Emitting Diode. This technology combines Quantum Dot and NanoCell technologies to enhance color accuracy and vibrancy. Think of it as a way to make the colors on your screen pop with incredible realism and richness. The Quantum Dot layer enhances color brightness and purity, while NanoCell technology refines the color spectrum, ensuring consistent and accurate colors even at wide viewing angles. This means that no matter where you're sitting in the room, you'll experience the same exceptional picture quality. Then comes the Mini LED part, which refers to the backlight system. Traditional LED TVs use larger LEDs, which can sometimes result in less precise dimming control and blooming (a halo effect around bright objects on a dark background). Mini LEDs, on the other hand, are significantly smaller, allowing for a much greater density of LEDs behind the screen. This increased density translates to finer control over local dimming zones, resulting in deeper blacks, brighter highlights, and improved contrast. The AI part signifies the integration of LG's advanced Alpha 7 Gen5 AI Processor 4K. This powerful processor is the brains behind the TV, responsible for upscaling content to 4K resolution, optimizing picture and sound settings based on the scene, and providing a smooth and responsive smart TV experience. It analyzes the content you're watching and applies intelligent algorithms to enhance image clarity, reduce noise, and improve overall picture quality. This means that even if you're watching older content or streaming from a lower resolution source, the AI processor will work its magic to make it look its best on the 4K screen. Together, these technologies create a display that boasts exceptional color accuracy, impressive contrast, and stunning clarity, making for a truly immersive viewing experience. The QNED evo technology is designed to deliver a picture that is not only visually impressive but also incredibly lifelike, bringing your favorite movies, shows, and games to life with vibrant colors, deep blacks, and exceptional detail. Whether you're watching a fast-paced action movie or a nature documentary, the QNED evo display will ensure that you're seeing every detail with stunning clarity and realism.

Picture Quality Performance: A Visual Feast

Now, let's talk about the most important aspect of any TV: picture quality. The LG QNED86A truly shines in this department, delivering a visual feast that will impress even the most discerning viewers. The combination of QNED evo technology and Mini LED backlighting results in a picture that is both vibrant and incredibly detailed. Color accuracy is exceptional, with colors appearing rich, natural, and lifelike. The wide color gamut ensures that the TV can reproduce a vast range of colors, making for a more immersive and engaging viewing experience. Whether you're watching a colorful animated movie or a live sports event, the colors will pop off the screen with stunning vibrancy. Contrast is another area where the QNED86A excels. The Mini LED backlighting allows for precise control over local dimming zones, resulting in deep blacks and bright highlights. This high contrast ratio gives the picture a sense of depth and dimension, making it feel more realistic and engaging. In dark scenes, you'll be able to see every detail, while bright scenes will have a dazzling vibrancy. Brightness is also impressive, with the TV able to get incredibly bright without sacrificing color accuracy or contrast. This makes it a great choice for rooms with a lot of ambient light, as the picture will remain clear and vibrant even in bright conditions. The high brightness also contributes to the TV's excellent HDR (High Dynamic Range) performance, allowing it to display a wider range of brightness and color than standard TVs. HDR content looks particularly stunning on the QNED86A, with vibrant colors, deep blacks, and brilliant highlights. The TV supports a variety of HDR formats, including Dolby Vision IQ, HDR10 Pro, and HLG, ensuring that you'll be able to enjoy HDR content from a wide range of sources. The viewing angles on the QNED86A are also excellent, thanks to LG's NanoCell technology. This means that you can watch the TV from virtually any angle in the room without experiencing significant color shift or contrast loss. This is especially important for larger living rooms where people may be sitting at different angles from the screen. Overall, the picture quality of the LG QNED86A is truly exceptional. It delivers vibrant colors, deep blacks, brilliant highlights, and excellent viewing angles, making it a great choice for anyone who values picture quality. Whether you're watching movies, TV shows, sports, or playing games, the QNED86A will provide an immersive and enjoyable viewing experience.

Smart Features and User Experience: webOS at its Finest

Beyond its stunning picture quality, the LG QNED86A is also a fully-fledged smart TV, powered by LG's webOS platform. webOS is widely regarded as one of the best smart TV operating systems, offering a clean, intuitive interface and a wealth of features. The home screen is organized into rows of tiles, making it easy to access your favorite apps, streaming services, and connected devices. The magic remote, which comes included with the QNED86A, makes navigating webOS a breeze. It features a point-and-click interface, voice control, and dedicated buttons for popular streaming services like Netflix and Amazon Prime Video. The voice control feature is particularly useful, allowing you to search for content, adjust settings, and control other smart home devices with just your voice. The QNED86A supports a wide range of streaming services, including Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Hulu, and many more. You'll have access to a vast library of movies, TV shows, and other content, all available at your fingertips. The TV also supports Apple AirPlay 2 and HomeKit, allowing you to easily stream content from your Apple devices and control the TV with Siri. In terms of performance, webOS on the QNED86A is smooth and responsive. Apps launch quickly, and navigation is fluid and lag-free. The Alpha 7 Gen5 AI Processor 4K ensures that the smart TV experience is as enjoyable as the picture quality. The QNED86A also includes a variety of other smart features, such as a built-in web browser, a gallery app for viewing photos and videos, and a music player. It also supports LG's ThinQ AI platform, which allows you to control other smart home devices from your TV. For example, you can use your TV to turn on your lights, adjust your thermostat, or view your security camera footage. Overall, the smart features and user experience on the LG QNED86A are excellent. webOS is a powerful and intuitive platform that makes it easy to access your favorite content and control your smart home devices. The magic remote and voice control features add to the convenience, making the QNED86A a joy to use. Whether you're a seasoned streamer or new to the world of smart TVs, you'll find webOS to be a user-friendly and feature-rich platform. The seamless integration with streaming services, Apple devices, and smart home ecosystems makes the QNED86A a central hub for your entertainment and connected life.

Gaming Performance: A Gamer's Delight

For gamers, the LG QNED86A offers a compelling package with features designed to enhance the gaming experience. Input lag, which is the delay between your input on the controller and the action appearing on screen, is a crucial factor for gaming, and the QNED86A boasts a very low input lag, ensuring a responsive and immersive gaming experience. This means that your actions will translate to the screen almost instantly, giving you a competitive edge in fast-paced games. The TV also supports HDMI 2.1, the latest version of the HDMI standard, which enables features like 4K resolution at 120Hz, Variable Refresh Rate (VRR), and Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM). 4K at 120Hz allows for smoother and more detailed gameplay, while VRR eliminates screen tearing and stuttering, resulting in a more fluid and enjoyable gaming experience. ALLM automatically switches the TV to its low-latency mode when a gaming console is detected, further reducing input lag. The QNED86A supports both NVIDIA G-Sync and AMD FreeSync, two popular VRR technologies, ensuring compatibility with a wide range of gaming devices. Whether you're using a PC or a console, you'll be able to take advantage of VRR to eliminate screen tearing and enjoy a smoother gaming experience. The TV also includes LG's Game Optimizer menu, which provides a centralized hub for adjusting gaming-related settings. From this menu, you can easily switch between different picture modes optimized for various game genres, adjust black stabilizer levels, and enable or disable VRR. The Game Optimizer menu makes it easy to fine-tune the picture settings to your preferences and optimize the gaming experience. In addition to its low input lag and gaming-specific features, the QNED86A's excellent picture quality also contributes to a great gaming experience. The vibrant colors, deep blacks, and high contrast make games look stunning, while the fast response time ensures that there is minimal motion blur. Whether you're playing fast-paced action games, immersive RPGs, or competitive multiplayer titles, the QNED86A will provide a visually impressive and responsive gaming experience. The combination of low input lag, HDMI 2.1 features, VRR support, and excellent picture quality makes the QNED86A a top choice for gamers looking for a high-performance gaming TV. It's a TV that can keep up with the demands of modern gaming consoles and PCs, delivering a smooth, immersive, and visually stunning gaming experience.

Sound Quality: Immersive Audio to Match the Visuals

While picture quality often takes center stage when evaluating TVs, sound quality is equally important for a truly immersive entertainment experience. The LG QNED86A delivers a respectable audio performance, although it may not match the sonic prowess of a dedicated sound system. The TV features a built-in 2.2 channel speaker system with a total output of 40W. The sound is clear and balanced, with decent dialogue clarity, making it suitable for everyday viewing. However, the bass response is somewhat limited, which can detract from the impact of action movies and other bass-heavy content. The QNED86A supports Dolby Atmos, an immersive audio technology that creates a three-dimensional soundscape. Dolby Atmos adds height channels to the audio mix, making sounds appear to come from above, creating a more realistic and engaging listening experience. While the TV's built-in speakers can reproduce a Dolby Atmos soundstage, the effect is not as pronounced as it would be with a dedicated Dolby Atmos sound system. LG's AI Sound Pro technology is also included, which analyzes the audio content and optimizes the sound settings for the best listening experience. AI Sound Pro can upmix stereo audio to a virtual 5.1.2 channel sound, creating a more immersive soundstage. The TV also supports Bluetooth audio, allowing you to connect wireless headphones or speakers for a more personalized listening experience. This is particularly useful for late-night viewing or when you don't want to disturb others. For those seeking a more immersive audio experience, pairing the QNED86A with a dedicated soundbar or surround sound system is highly recommended. A soundbar can significantly improve the bass response and overall sound quality, while a surround sound system will create a truly cinematic audio experience. Overall, the sound quality of the LG QNED86A is decent for a TV's built-in speakers. It provides clear dialogue and a balanced sound, but the limited bass response may leave some viewers wanting more. The inclusion of Dolby Atmos and AI Sound Pro helps to enhance the audio experience, but for a truly immersive sound, a dedicated sound system is the way to go. The QNED86A's audio capabilities are sufficient for everyday viewing, but for a truly cinematic experience, investing in a soundbar or surround sound system is recommended to complement the TV's excellent picture quality.

Design and Build Quality: A Sleek and Modern Aesthetic

The LG QNED86A boasts a sleek and modern design that will complement any living room. The TV features a slim bezel, which maximizes the screen real estate and creates an immersive viewing experience. The stand is sturdy and provides good support for the TV. The overall build quality is excellent, with the TV feeling solid and well-constructed. The back of the TV is clean and uncluttered, with well-organized ports and cable management options. The QNED86A is relatively thin, making it easy to wall-mount if desired. The slim profile also allows the TV to blend seamlessly into its surroundings. The materials used in the construction of the TV feel premium and durable. The bezels are made of a high-quality plastic with a metallic finish, giving the TV a premium look and feel. The stand is made of metal and provides a stable base for the TV. The remote control is also well-designed and comfortable to hold. It features a minimalist design with a limited number of buttons, making it easy to use. The magic remote functionality, which allows you to point and click on the screen, is a convenient way to navigate the smart TV interface. The QNED86A is available in a range of sizes, from 55 inches to 86 inches, allowing you to choose the perfect size for your viewing space. The larger sizes are particularly impressive, providing a truly cinematic viewing experience. The design of the QNED86A is both functional and aesthetically pleasing. The slim bezels, clean lines, and premium materials create a TV that looks as good as it performs. Whether you place it on a stand or mount it on the wall, the QNED86A will add a touch of elegance to your living room. The attention to detail in the design and build quality is evident, making the QNED86A a premium TV that is built to last. The combination of sleek aesthetics and robust construction makes the QNED86A a stylish and reliable addition to any home entertainment setup.

Is the 65-Inch LG QNED evo AI Mini LED QNED86A for You?

So, after diving deep into its features and performance, the ultimate question remains: Is the 65-inch LG QNED evo AI Mini LED QNED86A a good TV for you? The answer, as with most things, depends on your individual needs and preferences. If you prioritize picture quality above all else, the QNED86A is definitely worth considering. The combination of QNED evo technology and Mini LED backlighting delivers a stunning picture with vibrant colors, deep blacks, and excellent contrast. It is an excellent choice for gamers. The low input lag and HDMI 2.1 features make it a great choice for gamers, while the smart features powered by webOS provide a user-friendly and feature-rich experience. However, it is important to acknowledge that this TV sits in a premium price bracket. So, If you're on a tight budget, there are other excellent TVs available at lower price points. The sound quality is decent but might not satisfy audiophiles, potentially requiring an additional investment in a sound system. Ultimately, the LG QNED86A is a fantastic TV that offers a compelling combination of picture quality, smart features, and gaming performance. It's a great choice for anyone who wants a premium TV that will provide an immersive and enjoyable viewing experience for years to come. However, it's important to weigh its strengths against its price and consider your individual needs and preferences before making a decision.