LG UQ8000 Review (43UQ8000AUB, 50UQ8000AUB, 55UQ8000AUB, 65UQ8000AUB, 70UQ8000AUB, 75UQ8000AUB, 86UQ8000AUB) (2024)

Curved No

The LG UQ8000 is a simple-looking TV with a design similar to its predecessor, the LG UP8000. It has a plain back and two V-shaped style feet.

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After twelve months on our accelerated longevity test, the brightness of the TV has remained the same, and no new uniformity issues have developed.

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Wall Mount VESA 300x300

The back is basic with smooth plastic. The inputs are set into the TV, so they're hard to reach, especially if you have it wall-mounted. There are hooks that you can use for cable management.

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Borders 0.47" (1.2 cm)

The side and top borders are thin, while the bottom border is thicker, but it isn't distracting.

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Max Thickness 2.44" (6.2 cm)

The TV is thin but doesn't sit flush against a wall if you use cable management clips. However, you can also remove them if you prefer.

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The TV has decent build quality. The stand is very stable, and the TV is well put together. The plastic on the back panel scratches easily, and there's flex around the inputs, but neither is an issue once you place the TV on a table or wall mount, and it doesn't affect the picture quality. Of course, it could feel better with more premium materials like metal, but it's what you can expect for a budget TV.

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Contrast

Native Contrast

Most of the variants of the LG UQ8000 have a low contrast ratio that makes blacks look gray next to bright objects in dark rooms. However, there are 50 and 70-inch variants with a different panel type with a higher contrast. If you want a comparable budget model with higher contrast, check out the Samsung CU7000 or the 2023 version of this TV, the LG UR8000, instead.

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The TV doesn't have a local dimming feature, so there's no blooming around bright objects or subtitles during dark scenes.

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Local Dimming

Backlight

Dimming Zones Count Of Tested TV

This TV doesn't have a local dimming feature, so it can't adjust the backlight of individual zones to brighten up highlights without impacting the rest of the image. This means that there's no distracting flicker or brightness changes as bright highlights move between dimming zones.

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The LG UQ8000 is direct-lit, meaning the LEDs that make up the backlight are located directly behind the screen, but there's no local dimming feature. We still film these videos on the TV so you can see how the backlight performs and compare it with a TV that has local dimming.

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Hallway Lights (~1950 cd/m²)

Yellow Skyscraper (~700 cd/m²)

Landscape Pool (~300 cd/m²)

Peak 2% Window

Peak 10% Window

Peak 25% Window

Peak 50% Window

Peak 100% Window

Sustained 2% Window

Sustained 10% Window

Sustained 25% Window

Sustained 50% Window

Sustained 100% Window

Automatic Brightness Limiting (ABL)

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Hallway Lights (~1950 cd/m²)

Yellow Skyscraper (~700 cd/m²)

Landscape Pool (~300 cd/m²)

Peak 2% Window

Peak 10% Window

Peak 25% Window

Peak 50% Window

Peak 100% Window

Sustained 2% Window

Sustained 10% Window

Sustained 25% Window

Sustained 50% Window

Sustained 100% Window

Automatic Brightness Limiting (ABL)

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600 Nit Tracking Delta

1000 Nit Tracking Delta

4000 Nit Tracking Delta

The LG UQ8000 has excellent EOTF tracking. Midtones are a little dimmer than they should be, and blacks are slightly raised, but aside from that, the TV's brightness closely follows the curve and tracks the content creator's intent well. However, with content mastered at 600 and 1000 nits, there's a sharp roll-off at the TV's peak brightness, which is low, meaning there's a loss of detail in most bright scenes. With content mastered at 4000 nits, the roll-off is smoother, so fine details in bright highlights are preserved a bit better.

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Real Scene Peak Brightness

Peak 2% Window

Peak 10% Window

Peak 25% Window

Peak 50% Window

Peak 100% Window

Sustained 2% Window

Sustained 10% Window

Sustained 25% Window

Sustained 50% Window

Sustained 100% Window

Automatic Brightness Limiting (ABL)

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Wide Color Gamut

DCI P3 xy

DCI P3 uv

Rec 2020 xy

Rec 2020 uv

The TV has an okay color gamut. It doesn't support a wide color gamut, so it can't display all the colors needed for HDR content. The tone mapping is incredibly off when sending a 75% stimulus, which results in a loss of fine details. The tone mapping is much better with a lower 50% stimulus, meaning colors look better in dark scenes.

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1,000 cd/m² DCI P3 Coverage ITP

10,000 cd/m² Rec 2020 Coverage ITP

White Luminance

Red Luminance

Green Luminance

Blue Luminance

Cyan Luminance

Magenta Luminance

Yellow Luminance

The TV has disappointing HDR color volume. Due to its low contrast and peak brightness, it can't display bright colors well, and it's limited by its narrow color gamut.

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White Balance dE

Color dE

Gamma

Color Temperature

Picture Mode

Color Temp Setting

Gamma Setting

With just a few quick settings changes out-of-the-box, the TV has fantastic accuracy in SDR. The white balance and most colors are nearly perfect, but the color temperature is slightly on the cold side, giving the image a blue tint. Gamma is good overall, but some darker scenes are brighter than they should be.

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White Balance dE

Color dE

Gamma

Color Temperature

White Balance Calibration

Color Calibration

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50% Std. Dev.

50% DSE

5% Std. Dev.

5% DSE

The TV has some issues with vertical bands that can get distracting with large areas of uniform colors, like when you watch sports or use it as a PC monitor.

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Std. Dev.

Native Std. Dev.

The TV has decent black uniformity and looks much better than the step-down LG UQ7590. The screen looks blue due to the TV's low contrast, and there's some cloudiness. Sadly, there's no local dimming feature to improve it.

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Color Washout

Color Shift

Brightness Loss

Black Level Raise

Gamma Shift

The LG UQ8000 has a good viewing angle. The image remains consistent when viewed from the sides, which is ideal for wide seating areas. Sadly, this isn't the case with the 50 and 70-inch models because they have a different panel type with a narrower viewing angle.

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Screen Finish

Total Reflections

Indirect Reflections

Calculated Direct Reflections

The reflection handling is decent. It's fine if you have a few lights around, but combined with its low peak brightness, it isn't ideal to use in bright environments.

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100% Black to 50% Gray

50% Gray to 100% White

100% Black to 50% Red

50% Red to 100% Red

100% Black to 50% Green

50% Green to 100% Green

100% Black to 50% Blue

50% Blue to 100% Blue

The TV has very good HDR gradient handling. There's noticeable banding in dark blues, with especially noticeable banding in dark grays. Other color gradients fare better and have minimal or no banding at all.

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Smoothing

Detail Preservation

The TV has good low-quality content smoothing. There are very little noticeable artifacts present in dark scenes, but unfortunately, it struggles a bit with preserving details, so some finer details are lost.

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Subpixel Layout

Type LED

Sub-Type

Most of the variants of this TV use the same panel type with an RGB subpixel layout. However, the 50 and 70-inch models have a different panel with a BGR subpixel layout. This doesn't affect the picture quality but hurts the text clarity when using it as a PC monitor.

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80% Response Time

100% Response Time

The LG UQ8000 has a decent overall response time. Unfortunately, the backlight flicker causes noticeable image duplication that negatively impacts the appearance of motion.

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Flicker-Free

PWM Dimming Frequency

The TV uses pulse width modulation (PWM) to dim its backlight at all brightness levels and in any picture mode. It always flickers at 120Hz, which causes image duplication.

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Optional BFI

Min Flicker For 60 fps

60Hz For 60 fps

120Hz For 120 fps

Min Flicker for 60 fps in Game Mode

There's no option to introduce backlight flicker, commonly known as black frame insertion. Instead, the backlight always flickers at 120Hz.

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Motion Interpolation (30 fps)

Motion Interpolation (60 fps)

The TV has a motion interpolation feature to bring 24 and 30 fps content up to 60 fps. It doesn't look all that good, as artifacts are present even with slow-moving content, and it worsens with fast-moving content.

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Frame Hold Time @ 24 fps

Frame Hold Time @ 60 fps

Due to the somewhat slow response time, there's minimal stutter with low-frame-rate content.

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Judder-Free 24p

Judder-Free 24p via 60p

Judder-Free 24p via 60i

Judder-Free 24p via Native Apps

Unlike many 60Hz TVs, the LG UQ8000 can remove 24p judder from any source, including those that output content in 60 fps, like a cable box. It helps with the appearance of motion in movies.

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Native Refresh Rate

Variable Refresh Rate

HDMI Forum VRR

FreeSync

G-SYNC Compatible

4k VRR Maximum

4k VRR Minimum

1080p VRR Maximum

1080p VRR Minimum

1440p VRR Maximum

1440p VRR Minimum

VRR + Local Dimming No Local Dimming

The TV doesn't support variable refresh rate technology to reduce screen tearing. However, the 86-inch model has a 120Hz panel with VRR support, so it's better suited for gaming.

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1080p @ 60Hz

1080p @ 60Hz Outside Game Mode

1080p @ 120Hz

1080p @ 144Hz

1440p @ 60Hz

1440p @ 120Hz

1440p @ 144Hz

4k @ 60Hz

4k @ 60Hz + 10-Bit HDR

4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4

4k @ 60Hz Outside Game Mode

4k @ 60Hz With Interpolation

4k @ 120Hz

4k @ 144Hz

8k @ 60Hz

The TV has remarkably low input lag for a responsive gaming experience, as long as you're in the Game Optimizer Mode.

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Resolution 4k

480p @ 59.94Hz (Widescreen)

720p @ 59.94Hz

1080p @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4

1080p @ 120Hz

1080p @ 144Hz

1440p @ 60Hz

1440p @ 120Hz

1440p @ 144Hz

4k @ 60Hz

4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4

4k @ 120Hz

4k @ 120Hz @ 4:4:4

4k @ 144Hz

8k @ 30Hz or 24Hz

8k @ 60Hz

Most models of this TV only support signals up to 60Hz due to its limited refresh rate, but the 86-inch version has HDMI 2.1 bandwidth and a 120Hz refresh rate, so it supports more resolutions. This TV also displays proper chroma 4:4:4 with any supported resolution, which helps with the appearance of text when using it as a PC monitor.

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Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM)

4k @ 120Hz

1440p @ 120Hz

1080p @ 120Hz

HDR

VRR

The LG UQ8000 has limited capabilities with the PS5 due to its HDMI 2.0 bandwidth and 60Hz refresh rate. However, the 86-inch model can take full advantage of it as it has HDMI 2.1 bandwidth and a 120Hz refresh rate.

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Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM)

4k @ 120Hz

1440p @ 120Hz

1080p @ 120Hz

HDR

VRR

The LG UQ8000 has limited capabilities with the Xbox Series X due to its HDMI 2.0 bandwidth and 60Hz refresh rate. However, the 86-inch model can take full advantage of it as it has HDMI 2.1 bandwidth and a 120Hz refresh rate.

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HDR10

HDR10+

Dolby Vision

HLG

HDMI 2.0 Full Bandwidth

HDMI 2.1 Class Bandwidth

CEC Yes

HDCP 2.2 Yes (HDMI 1, 2)

ATSC Tuner

USB 3.0

Variable Analog Audio Out No

Wi-Fi Support Yes (2.4 GHz, 5 GHz)

As mentioned, all the models have HDMI 2.0 bandwidth except for the 86-inch version, which has HDMI 2.1 bandwidth and two extra HDMI slots. As it doesn't support either Dolby Vision or HDR10+, all HDR content will be limited to HDR10, regardless of its intended format.

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The power input is located on the back left side of the TV.

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HDMI 2

USB 1

Digital Optical Audio Out 1

Analog Audio Out 3.5mm 0

Analog Audio Out RCA 0

Component In 0

Composite In 0

Tuner (Cable/Ant) 1

Ethernet 1

DisplayPort 0

IR In 0

With only two HDMI ports, you'll need a receiver if you want to connect multiple devices.

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ARC/eARC Port

eARC: Dolby Atmos Over Dolby Digital Plus

eARC: Dolby Digital Plus 7.1

eARC: LPCM 7.1 Over Dolby MAT

eARC: Dolby TrueHD 7.1

eARC: DTS:X Over DTS-HD MA

eARC: DTS-HD Master Audio 7.1

eARC: LPCM Channels (Bitstream)

ARC: Dolby Digital 5.1

ARC: DTS 5.1

Optical: Dolby Digital 5.1

Optical: DTS 5.1

The TV supports eARC, meaning it can pass high-quality audio to a compatible receiver or soundbar. It doesn't support DTS or DTS:X, though, which is disappointing as many Blu-rays use this audio format. If you have a Blu-ray player, it's best to connect it directly to your receiver instead of using eARC.

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Low-Frequency Extension

Std. Dev. @ 70

Std. Dev. @ 80

Std. Dev. @ Max

Max

Dynamic Range Compression

The LG UQ8000 has an okay frequency response. It gets fairly loud and has a well-balanced sound profile, but like most TVs, it doesn't produce much bass.

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Weighted THD @ 80

Weighted THD @ Max

IMD @ 80

IMD @ Max

The distortion handling is alright. There isn't much at moderate listening levels, but it gets worse at its max volume.

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Smart OS webOS

Version 22

Ease of Use

Smoothness

Time Taken to Select YouTube

Time Taken to Change Backlight

Advanced Options

The TV comes with LG's webOS smart platform built-in, which is user-friendly. It's updated compared to previous versions, as it now supports user profiles, meaning you can customize it for different people in your house.

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Ads

Opt-out

Suggested Content in Home

Opt-out of Suggested Content

Like most TVs, there are ads throughout the smart interface, and there's no way to disable them.

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App Selection

App Smoothness

Cast Capable

USB Drive Playback

USB Drive HDR Playback

HDR in Netflix

HDR in YouTube

The app store has a great selection of additional apps, so you're sure to find your favorite content.

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Size

Voice Control

CEC Menu Control

Other Smart Features

Remote App LG ThinQ

Unlike the cheaper LG UQ7590, the LG UQ8000 comes with the more advanced Magic Remote. You can use its point-and-press feature like a Wii remote, making it easier to navigate through the menu. Its built-in mic allows you to ask it to open apps, search for content, and switch inputs, but you can't change certain settings like the brightness. It also supports NFC, so you can tap your phone against the remote to cast content to the TV.

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There's a single button underneath the center of the TV. You can turn the power on and off, adjust the volume, switch inputs, and change channels with it.

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Power Consumption 57 W

Power Consumption (Max) 126 W

Firmware 3.11.65

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