LG QNED 99 8k MiniLED 75" TV - Long Term Review
/So you've probably heard of QLED. You've probably heard of OLED. Well, this is a relatively new one. QNED. Word on the street is QNED stands for Quantum nano emitting diode. However, the LG QNED99 isn't technically that. It, in fact, should technically be called QMLED because it's actually a Quantum mini LED tv….but I guess it's called QNED because QMLED just doesn't sound right.
Before we get into this, I want to shout out box.co.uk for the hookup. Box are an online technology store. You can get low prices on high-end tech, including TVS AND GAMING hardware, with free shipping of most orders. And excellent customer ratings. Anyway, MiniLED is the next step in the evolution of LED TVs…and honestly, it's quite remarkable.
What is QNED?
Some of you will know what this QNED mini LED tech is already & some of you might be hearing about it for the first time. Put simply, here's what it is.
Traditional LED tv uses an edge-lighting technique. With either an in-plane switching panel or a vertically aligned led panel. The LEDs in these TVs beam Light inwards and up through the liquid crystal layer, creating a beautiful picture.
It's been the go-to method for so many years because it's cost-effective, you can get great colours and peak brightness. Generally speaking and the results have been good enough for most people. However, thanks to better availability of HDR content in 2022. One of the most significant drawbacks you'll start to notice old school LED TVs is the lack of inky blacks in the contrast range.
You'll notice this the most when watching movies with black bars at the top & bottom. You'll sometimes get light blooming into the black bars when watching bright scenes. Or if there is something bright at the centre of the display when everything around it is meant to be dark, you'll get this Halo effect...It's because of how the LED Light is constantly being beamed & travelling around in the display.
LG's OLED panels solve this problem perfectly because organic Light-emitting diodes can be switched off individually. But the problem with OLED is 8K panels carry a heavy price tag, and there's always the possibility of screen burns.
So here comes a new challenger. The LG QNED 99 8K Mini LED tv. It has been designed to solve the black level problem whilst keeping the price tag on large 8K screens sizes as small as possible. You can get this in 65" and a monstrous 86".
There is a massive discount on this TV right at box.Co.uk if you want to check it out. This is because LG just unveiled their 2022 lineup.
The way this mini led tech works is that instead of edge lighting. The LG QNED 99 display houses a full array of LEDs. Lots of clusters of LED's right across the display. The TVs AI algorithm can control these mini led clusters and even switch off zones entirely. Local dimming has been around for quite a while...but now it's been miniaturised. This means way more local dimming zones…and way more contrast control.
According to Vincent's legend from the HDTV test, this TV has 1800 local dimming zones. And do you know what? When it comes to inky black levels, trust me…. Compared to your Old LED tech. If you see a Mini LED TV. You will agree. It makes a significant difference. This QNED TV also delivers brilliant brightness due to the miniLED's. It can reach up to an eye-watering 1600nitts & at launch, LG said this is their brightest LED TV to date.
The colour gamut is also expanded thanks to its Quantum dot layer. I have made a separate video about the evolution of Quantum dot tech. I'll link that at the end. As you would expect, the LG QNED 99 supports Dolby Vision, HDR10 HLG. But it's not just the display tech that makes the TV great. The panel is JUST THE CANVAS.
Let's talk about the brains behind the Braun. LG's A9 gen 4 AI processor plays a large part in upscaling and optimising content. This is an 8K, after all. It has a deep learning ability to recognise scenes and artificially add extra detail & smooth out motion for when you're watching the football.
Now I know many pros will tell you to turn this off. And I agree with that if you're going to be watching 4K HDR movies. And if you are, definitely use the cinema mode as recommended by Michael Bay & I. Because it's the best out of the box setting for colour accuracy.
But for standard HD TV, its AI upscaling ability is really very good. So good in some scenarios that you could mistake a HD feed for 4K. And I'm praising it because when you go up to 75" on a TV and you're watching HD. Typically the picture can start to look a bit shit. But that doesn't happen here.
I've been using this as my main TV for around a month now. And as someone who personally will always choose OLED over LED, I have to say after a few weeks of using this. I've noticed quite a lot of things that I really like.
For example, the UI. LG's WebOS operating system is quite unique and comprehensive. Yes, you'll find many shows being promoted that maybe you care less about...but I guess that comes with the smart TV Territory these days.
The remote has a magic wand feature that makes typing on keyboards and navigating web pages more accessible. It also supports voice commands, and there are some nice preset streaming service buttons & virtual assistant buttons onboard.
And there is even NFC in the remote, so tapping your phone to the remote will allow you to instantly connect your phone to it. Overall using the interface is intuitive...but it could take some getting used to for the more mature user.
SOUND QUALITY
If you're thinking about buying this, you probably want to know how it sounds. With most thin displays, it's pretty hard for manufacturers to pack in powerful speakers. The built-in sound quality is not bad, all things considered. It has a 60watts 4.2 setup.
It does have an AI sound pro that can emulate a 5.1.2 sound signature. Which is actually quite good, in my opinion. The clarity in vocals is crisp and clear. You get a sense of directional sound that you don't get with LG's more affordable TV's. The Bass levels aren't deep for my liking, though.
But check this out. If you happen to have two LG XBOOM speakers, you can set these up as rear audio channels for a better 5.1 experience… with no cables required. That is pretty cool. In my honest opinion, if you are going to go big with any TV, the least you should do is get a nice quality soundbar to go with it. Trust me, invest in a Dolby Atmos soundbar or the Xbooms if you want to keep the cost down. It's a sound investment.
Some people don’t realise that sound is every bit as important as a picture and, in some cases, more important... Well, that's what they told me at London's YT space studios back when I started the channel. And I attended a bootcamp. And just wanted to say thank you for making it this far into the video. If you guys are getting any kind of value from this... Life will be good if you hit me up a Like and subscribe.
See what I did there. Lifes Good LG... interesting fact for you. Did you know LG's original name was Luck Goldstar....don't say that you didn't learn anything new today?
THE PORTS
So you might be wondering what ports does this TV have. There are 4HDMI's in total. Three are HDMI 2.1 and can support with 8K 60FPS support and 4K and Dolby vision in 120HZ support. One of the HDMI's in an EARC for full uncompressed Dolby Atmos sound.
It also has a Lan port, an RF in, a mini audio jack, 3 USB 2.0's and an optical output. LG hasn't neglected the cable management on this TV. You can run everything down through the base of the stand.
Design-wise it's nice. Brushed metal sides thin bezels. The base of the stand is quite deep, though, so I would recommend doing some TV stand measurements if you're not wall mounting this. If you are planning to wall mount this, it uses a standard VESA bracket....but it's heavy. It's very heavy.
GAMING
So here's my personal opinion have used this for an extended period. I'm not gonna lie; I've a good few movies on this TV and tons of regular TV shows, and I can honestly say I've enjoyed the experience. But I've used it more frequently with the PS5. I was initially sceptical about how good such a big TV could be when it came to NextGen gaming. The truth is it's actually excellent.
The gaming latency has been measured as low as 6.5ms with a 120hz signal & this QNED99 doesn't have VRR but supports auto low latency mode.
I must say I've been pleasantly surprised. LG's gaming presets are so good & latency is so low that it's almost as good as my LG ultra gear gaming monitor. It is so much better in terms of colour, brightness, and resolution. And when it comes to gaming, just the luxury of sitting on a sofa and playing competitively in online games as opposed to hunched over at a desk in a dark room.
So if you're a gamer, I'm sure you will appreciate LGs efforts and gaming presets built-in.
So overall, there is a lot to like about my new friend, the LG Q Ned 99. I think now is an excellent time to pick one up because of the price drop. Even though there's not much 8K content out there, this panel and the HMDI's support are future proof for when the time comes. I'd love to hear your thoughts on mini led vs OLED in the comments, and hit me up with your questions about this TV. I love to listen to them & I always try my best to answer them.
Shout out to Mike from box.Co.uk. Check out the website linked below for the latest prices! If you want to learn more about the evolution of Quantum dots TV's, check out the video.
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