LG 65QNED91

LG changes LCD tack with promising but ultimately mixed results

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While LG's OLEDs have been beloved of AV fans for more than a decade now, its LCD screens haven't fared so well. That is partly, in our opinion, because it has stuck with IPS screen tech rather than the rival VA option. The problem with IPS panels is that, while they deliver wider effective viewing angles than VA, they also struggle to control how much light is passed through their LCDs as effectively as VA panels, which means they traditionally struggle to show dark scenes effectively.

The LG 65QNED91, however, uses a VA panel; so let's find out if this proves as transformative to LG’s LCDs as we hope.

The set is robustly built, weighing way more than most modern 65in LCD TVs. It's a bit chunky around the back, too, but wears its heft well thanks to a metallic look to its sides and a narrow bezel around the screen.

LG's Quantum Nano-Emitting Diode technology adds a so-called NanoCell layer to the screen's Quantum Dot colour system that absorbs excess light from the QD layer to reduce colour distortion and leakage. And while we may have had issues with other aspects of LG's LCD TVs over the years, we have consistently found the QNED approach to deliver clean, rich, detailed and natural colours. The QNED91 also uses a direct Mini LED lighting system, where the Mini LEDs are placed directly behind the screen rather than around its edges. This usually contributes in itself to superior contrast, especially on VA panels, but the QNED91 goes a step further by also carrying a local dimming system.

A quick count reveals 160 discrete dimming zones. That's a solid rather than extravagant number by today's standards, but we have seen good evidence over the years that what you do with the dimming zones you have can be more important than how many of them you have.