Do you really need an 8K TV? No, you won’t, but you will want to pay attention to the new LG QNED99 8K Mini LED Nano Cell Smart TV 2022. Because even without 8K content, there’s a lot to love about this new TV, built for premium movies, streaming and gaming.
Of course, like most 8K TVs, this model doesn’t come cheap, but 4K screens are more expensive now. But that high price allows you to notice LG’s AI image enhancement, processing and sound mapping on even the best gaming TVs and the best OLED TVs…
Features and design
The QNED99 looks almost indistinguishable from the LG QNED91; looks good without attracting attention. The 75-inch version I got swallowed up all but the largest media cabinet. It also weighs 84 lbs/38 kg without the stand, so it will take two or even three people to install it. It comes with the same large arched stand that handles the TV’s size and weight well.
The QNED has a brushed metal frame, and the entire TV is less than 2 inches/5 cm thick, which is impressive considering it’s not an OLED. It is suitable for wall mounting and washing.
LG provides plenty of inputs, including four HDMI 2.1 and one eARC for 4K 120Hz gaming. Sound comes through 40W Dolby Atmos speakers, but there’s excellent TV-like audio.
But the star of the show is the 8K display. It uses nearly 2,000 Mini LED backlights with full local dimming and LG’s unique blend of Quantum Dot and Nano Cell technology. The result is incredibly bright and vivid colors with almost OLED-like contrast. You also get Dolby Vision, HDR10 and HLG with a dynamic sound mapping engine that works across 5,184 areas of the screen.
Expect the best in AI picture and sound processing from LG’s flagship – this time thanks to the completely redesigned α9 Gen 5 AI processor. The processor does a lot behind the scenes to manage all sorts of wizards and systems in real time. The TV runs the latest version of WebOS, which is intuitive and easy to use. LG’s tried and true Magic Remote makes navigation even easier. It’s convenient and has dedicated buttons for major streaming services.
Performance
Despite the lack of 8K content, QNED99 is still a real revelation thanks to its improved wizardry. Image clarity and detail are impressively high, and content has an almost 3D feel, while colors are vibrant and sharp. It works best on 4K content, but 1080p and below looks noticeably worse thanks to the huge panel and pixel density. Streaming anything other than 4K will waste this TV’s capabilities.
Feed it right and the picture is bloody gorgeous. Watching The Ring of Power was amazing as QNED99 was able to render the dreamlike world of Middle Earth full of detail, color and contrast. Some scenes looked literally like life. As far as gaming goes, God of Ragnarok on PlayStation 5 was the best game I’ve ever played. The 4K 120Hz upscaling with HDR is simply stunning, smooth and responsive, making it a contender for the best TVs for PS5 and Xbox Series X and the best 120Hz 4K TVs you can get in 8K right now. undoubtedly.
QNED99 has everything a player needs; ALLM, VRR, FreeSync, 120 Hz refresh and a great dashboard with Game Optimiser. Playing God of Ragnarok in performance mode with high refresh rates allowed me to play at 80-90fps, something I never imagined possible on a console. 8K gaming is still in the realm of YouTube extremes, but if 4K looks this good, 8K should be exciting.
Unfortunately, as with QNED91, light rings around small bright spots against a black background are still prominently bloomed. Animations, HUDs, or closed captions in movies are the worst offenders. In Andor’s opening film, twinkling stars fade into milky algae as the TV struggles to balance small bright spots against the black background of space. But it was an extreme scene that is not repeated in the show of various cosmic phenomena.
Overall – should you buy it?
The 2022 LG QNED99 8K Mini-LED TV is one of the best TVs you can get for large couch gaming and media. I wonder how close it gets to OLED while being brighter and less jittery. I don’t think 8K is worth 30-40% more than 4K QNED91. However, 8K OLED screens aren’t out yet, so if you want the best, it’s hard to get better than this.
Editor’s Note: Availability of this model in the US and UK does not appear to be available for this model. We’ve seen some sites predict that they won’t reach the European and North American markets. We hope this changes.
How we tested the LG QNED99 8K TV
For the past month, the QNED99 has been the only TV in the house, taking up all the space. This unit in our living room is used for hours of Disney+ movies and shows. I finally got my hands on a PlayStation 5 with God of War Ragnarok and played it for over 30 hours. Before that, I was playing through Last of Us Remastered on my PS4 Pro, which was a good test of the improvements. I’ve also been using the QNED99 as an extended display via Apple AirPlay. Suffice it to say, it’s been very beneficial these past few weeks.
You can read about how to test gaming TVs, gaming monitors and projectors here, and see our full approach to technology in our GamesRadar+ Hardware Policy.
However, if you are looking for the best of other types of gaming monitors, check out the following. the best 4K projector, the best 4K monitorsand the best ultrawide monitors you can get it right now.