LG made a big mistake with its LG QNED91SQA 2022 Mini-LED. It is too good and really closes the gap between Mini-LED and OLED. Of course, having a massive 75” TV to review makes it even better.

Now don’t get me wrong, LG’s 2022 OLEDs are excellent – read If LG OLED Evo is so good, are other types of TVs crap? (opinion). But the question is, how much better are they? The LG QNED91SQA closes the gap offering excellent near-black levels, great popping, saturated colour, and the horsepower to decode and play Dolby Vision and Atmos as the maker intended. Plus, it is an LG, so you know the pedigree and quality.

In reality, if there is a QNED/OLED shootout, Joe and Jan Above-Average will likely go the QNED route.

Please note that this is the LG QNED91SQA 2022 mini-LED – not the 2021 NanoCell Model QNED91TPA (T denotes 2021 model). The 2022 model has improved specifications, an α7 Gen 5 AI Processor and LG WebOS 22.

By comparison, the LG OLED Evo are

But these two have been heavily discounted – a 65” C2 Evo is as low as $3615, and a 65” G2 Evo is as low as $3850. Still, you are looking at saving $1300 compared to a 65” C2 and $2000 less than a G2. Bit of a no-brainer, really.

We use Fail (below expectations), Pass (meets expectations) and Exceed (surpasses expectations or is the class leader) against many of the items below. We occasionally give a Pass ‘+’ rating to show it is good but does not quite make it to Exceed.

You can click on most images for an enlargement.

Most LCD TVs use full-sized LEDs. At the low end is edge-lit, followed by direct-lit, backlit and Full Array Local Dimming (FALD).

Without getting too deep into the tech, Mini-LED is the brightest backlight to an LCD screen.

This sounds good, but a 4K screen is 3840×2160 or about 8.3 million pixels. Mini-LED It uses thousands of Mini-LEDs (instead of hundreds of full-sized LEDs) and has from about 1000-1500 (65/77/85”) dimming zones (compared to 100s in FALD). Compare this to OLED, where each pixel is self-emissive (turns on or off). We understand the 65” has approx. 5000+ Mini-LEDs and 900 dimming zones.

Note that the 67/75” models have Precision Dimming Pro and the 86” has Pro+.

Mini-LED gives increased brightness and contrast and combined with LGs, NanoCell (Quantum Dot) colour provides nice, bright, saturated colours.

I am an OLED aficionado, so I will get to the point – this TV performs so close to OLED that only the trained eye would see the difference. That creates some cognitive dissonance issues for me – an uncomfortable state of mind when I have contradictory values, attitudes, or perspectives about OLED versus the rest. Further reinforced when money does not grow on trees – the savings could buy an excellent LG soundbar.

In all other respects – electronics, remote, operating, HDMI, and gaming the 2022 Mini-LED and OLED TV are the same.

We usually review 55 and 65” as these are easier to transport. This time, LG’s couriers risked a hernia and delivered a 75”. Frankly, I want it! It is a perfect size for a large loungeroom, where you can view it at longer seating distances.

The 75” TV sits on a centre pedestal half-moon arc stand, adding an extra 300mm to its 30mmm depth (83” is 452mm deep). The back is flat except for two wall mount indents and the Ports. In theory, you could flush-mount it.

Remember that Mini-LED is heavy; the 75” is 39.6kg (plus the carton).

It comes with the standard LG Magic remote. Not to be critical, but the lack of a backlight is an issue. My wife also dislikes the inaccurate mouse pointer and finds long fingernails a problem with the ‘wheel’. We won’t deduct points as it does the job well.

Connect an RF Antenna for Free-to-Air, and HDMI (ARC/eARC) to an optional soundbar, apply power and follow the LG webOS 22 Setup Wizard. You can connect to the Internet via Wi-Fi 5Ghz or Ethernet cable (best for 4K streaming). You need at least 25/5Mbps NBN for 1080p and 50/20Mbps for 4K streaming.

You cannot use the smart TV functionality unless you create an LG account, ostensibly to ‘understand you better’, which is a euphemism for serving you tailored advertising content.

You can’t avoid an LG account when you install steaming or other Apps; you must log in. Then those Apps want you to log in and give up personal data. It is even worse if you use Alexa, Google Assistant or Siri – nothing is sacred.

It supports OK Google, Siri and Alexa voice assistance.

We could only wish for all HDMI ports to be 2.1, and a USB-A 3.0 port 5V/2A/10W would have been nice to support an external SSD.

This uses webOS 22, and it is smoother, a little easier to use and has some significant gaming improvements over webOS 6. It is still more complex (or comprehensive) than the latest Android/Google TV, but there is a lot to say for muscle memory, and after a couple of weeks, it was intuitive enough.

Like most TV OS, there is an uncertain upgrade path to future versions. LG has announced that it will provide over-the-air software and security updates at least once a year for two years after the product launch. It will try to provide security updates for up to 5 years if a critical security vulnerability is found.

The Australian LG Content Store has 80+ apps. It includes iView, 9 Now, 7 Plus, 10Play, SBS on Demand, Optus Sport, Netflix, Prime Video, Apple TV+, Disney+, Foxtel, Kayo, Stan, YouTube/Kids, and Telstra TV Box Office. Many of the Apps are for international streaming channels.

Note that LG does not publish these specs. All tests are in default mode – usually AI, auto or standard mode – but you can choose from Cinema, Sports, Game, Filmmaker, ISF Expert (Bright space, daytime) and ifs Expert (Dark space night). My advice – stick to standard or vivid depending on your tastes – sometimes a little choice is too much.

It has 10-bit, 1.07 billion colours and DCI-P3 support. LG does not disclose this, but tests show around 95% gamut coverage with a Delta E of 2.7 out of the box (<4 is excellent). It can be Calman calibrated, which can reduce Delta E to <1. We tested against Rec 2020 standard – a very creditable 79%.

Of course, each mode affects colour accuracy.

While these tests are more ‘subjective’, there is a visible difference between the same content shown in SDR and HDR.

When you play Dolby Vision content, the metadata stream changes the TV parameters on a frame-x-frame basis. You don’t need pre-sets, and again we found Vivid suited us best to compensate for the bright room.

It uses Precision Dimming Pro (Pro+ on 86”). Our tests show about 6000:1 with high local dimming mode and 1000:1 native contrast.

SDR content maxes out close to 500nits. This is slightly above most TVs.

HDR is about brightness in a small percentage of the screen. It reaches 1,000 nits in 2% of the screen in Vivid mode but, on average, tops out at around 600 nits.

We recommend using Vivid mode and 100% brightness in a bright Aussie lounge.

It has about 1000 dimming zones. This affects motion, and as white test objects move between the zones, there is a slight trail. It is not noticeable as a TV at 24/30/60fps – only in the test at 50-100fps.

No LCD technology can eliminate blooming (a glow around white lettering like subtitles or objects), but it is well-controlled and best when you set Local Dimming to High.

DSE in an LCD panel that has inconsistent luminance performance across its surface area. It can appear as random splotches, uniform lines, wide bars, and sometimes vignetting (slightly darkening toward the corners). The review unit had lower levels of DSE than the 2021 model.

It has a TruMotion 200 setting using black frame insertion. The panel is a native 100/120Hz. There is some tearing at higher frame rates, but your eyes will not notice it.

It is an IPS panel with quite good off-angle viewing to about 135°. That means a large three-seater couch and side chairs. However, colour shift becomes quite noticeable as you move off-angle.

It handles reflection quite well but do not have a bright light source opposite the screen or strong downlights near it.

LG’s AI upscale is excellent, although 480p content is too soft on a 75” screen.

It does not use pulse width modulation to control light levels and is suitable for those affected by strobing.

We cannot test this but understand it is <15ms G-T-G and as low as 4ms in Games Mode.

The native refresh is 100Hz (we have 50Hz electricity – it is 120Hz where electricity is 60Hz) and has Variable Refresh Rate (VRR), FreeSync, G-Sync, ALLM and LFC (low framerate compensation) to avoid image tearing. It also supports NVIDIA GeForce Now and Google Stadia cloud gaming.

It fully supports Dolby Vision Games on Sony PS5 and Xbox X.

The 65/75” uses 2 x 400 x 400 VESA plates and 2 x 600 x 400 for 86” – about $100 via special order.

LG may want to argue that its 40W system is good (and it is), but it is not the same as a good LG soundbar. The maximum sound is 80dB with some distortion – quite enough for a large lounge room. It tends to be a little bass-heavy, cutting in at 80Hz, with strong mid and slightly recessed treble. The treble is a little choppy, meaning the sense of sound direction and a feeling of ‘air’ (a reality as though the music were really there) is a little lacking – music sounds more ‘hollow’ than the soundbar option.

It does not disclose the speaker configuration. Our best guess is left/right down-firing stereo (2x 10W) and 20W down-firing woofer.

It does not have AI acoustic tuning to the room acoustics.

The inbuilt speakers are incapable of 3D spatial height or surround. The TV does not support DTS surround and will present that as 2.0. Otherwise, it can decode PCM and Dolby Digital+ (5.1) and downmix to its speakers. It will upscale 2.0 as well.

All sound can pass through the HDMI eARC cable to a soundbar for processing. This is the perfect candidate to mate with LG S95QR 9.1.5 Dolby Atmos soundbar – the ultimate sound for every TV (review). Suffice it to say that it makes an instant and tangible difference. It also supports Dolby Atmos and DTS formats.

If you use BT headphones, you can still use the internal TV speakers and Digital Audio output. This means the hearing impaired can use headphones while others listen to the TV speakers or a soundbar using a Digital Audio connection.

We have mentioned that you can connect BT headphones and still use the TV speaker or Digital Optical. There is a specific hard-of-hearing setting.

But there are many accessibility options, including High Contrast, Greyscale, Colour inversion, Subtitles, and more.

Depending on the content and brightness, it consumes between 100-150W/hr. At 30 cents per kW/h, that is 7-10 hours. LG advises

Damn you, LG, for making a TV that, at least to the untrained eye, can match OLED in bright Aussie living rooms.

Sure, if money is no object, buy the excellent LG C2 Evo or G2 Evo OLED, but frankly, this is the ‘bang-for-buck’ winner – by a long shot.

At launch, I saw the LG QNED85 model (next level down), which was pretty good, too – a few fewer dimming zones. The LG QNED80SQA, however, is Edge-Lit and not nearly as bright as the QNED91.

Features: 90 – it has almost all the features of the C2 OLED

Value: 95 – it offers terrific features for the price, and to the untrained eye, it is very good

Performance – 85 – it is almost as good as OLED

Ease of use – 90 – LG webOS 22 is comprehensive but fine after you work out your way around

Design: 90 – big, well-made glass slab with LG pedigree

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