4K TV Reviews

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value

AT A GLANCE
Plus
It’s all about the black
Wide viewing angle
Supports both HDR10 and Dolby Vision
Minus
Pricey

THE VERDICT
Last year’s OLED sets from LG were so impressive that, apart from their peak white capabilities (an ongoing shortcoming relative to LCD designs), it was hard to see a road ahead for improvements. But LG has found that road, and while the upgrades might prove subtle to most viewers, videophiles will welcome them.

LG’s 2017 OLED offerings fall into five model groups, with the OLED65E7P positioned roughly in the middle. At $5,000, it’s hardly a Black Friday special, but it’s significantly cheaper than the near-paper-thin 65-inch flagship OLED65W7P (reviewed in our June issue), which commands $8,000.

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Rich, accurate color
Wide viewing angle
Outstanding HDR performance
Minus
Remote control difficult to use
Table-mount legs an optional accessory

THE VERDICT
LG’s design-savvy 65GXPUA OLED offers up a mix of features and performance that’s guaranteed to grab your attention.

LG's GX series for 2020 sits in the middle of the company's OLED TV range, just above the CX series, and right below the WX (for Wallpaper—ultra thin and designed for, you guessed it, wall mounting). But at 20mm, GX series sets are also very thin, and while they come with a wall-mounting bracket, it doesn't include legs for a table-top mount, though that option is available at a modest extra cost. The GX series has built-in Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa voice control, and it also adds a Gallery feature that can display stationary artwork surrounded by a faux frame inside its otherwise nearly invisible bezel.

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Jaw-dropping black level and contrast
Wide viewing angle
Thin, thin, thin. And light
Minus
Expensive
Must be wall-mounted

THE VERDICT
We could argue with the mandatory inclusion of an outboard soundbar, the lack of a stand-mount option, and a lower (but still perfectly satisfactory) peak brightness for HDR than the best of the LCD competition provides. But it’s hard to imagine that any other 65-inch Ultra HDTV in 2017 will offer overall superior performance, or a more impressive aesthetic, than the best LCD competition.

Dateline: March 2017. Along with several other bit-drenched members of the audio/video press, we’ve been brought to San Francisco for a day with LG. The events will include a briefing on the company’s Ultra HDTV lineup for 2017, a visit to Dolby headquarters for the latest pitch on Dolby Vision high dynamic range (HDR), and several hours of hands-on experience with the 65-inch OLED65W7P, the smaller of the two new 2017 OLED models in LG’s flagship Signature series. (A 77-inch version should be available later this year; no price had been announced as we went to press, but if that’s your ticket, bring money.)

2D Performance
3D Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Accurate color
Good contrast and shadow detail
Customizable Home Screen GUI
Decent price for a 65-inch UHDTV
Minus
Some picture noise

THE VERDICT
Panasonic’s 65-inch Ultra HDTV provides impressive performance and a huge array of Smart features.

Steep price declines have become the norm in the consumer electronics world, especially when it comes to TVs. Case in point: The last Ultra HDTV I reviewed, a Samsung 65-incher that arrived at the tail end of 2013, had an MSRP that was twice the $3,000 sticker price of Panasonic’s 65-inch TC-65AX800U Ultra HDTV. Now I hear that Vizio is selling sets with the same screen size and pixel count for $2,200. They might as well be giving them away.

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Excellent color
Great screen uniformity
Artifact-free 1080p-to-UHD scaling
Minus
Poor black level and contrast
Meager streaming platform

THE VERDICT
Though it delivers solid entry-level performance, Panasonic’s CX400 faces more fully featured competition at its price.

Panasonic pulled big crowds at its CES booth in January with their CZ950 OLED, a 65-inch Ultra HD television that adds advanced processing to an LG-supplied OLED panel, with quite stunning results. Unfortunately, that set is only sold overseas for now (priced at €10,000 or about $11,000, no less), and it remains unclear when or if Panasonic will release it in the States.

Performance
Features
Ergonomics
Value

AT A GLANCE
Plus
Bright SDR and HDR peak luminance
Low input lag and new Game Bar
Attractive design, narrow bezel border
Attractive and snappy smart TV interface
Minus
Glossy screen shows reflections from room lights
Some noticeable blooming and shadow detail loss
No Dolby Vision support

THE VERDICT
The QN95D delivers solid performance, whether you're watching movies or live sports, especially in darker rooms. This is due in part to its glossy screen surface, which while effective does produce visible reflections from room lights. The backlight performance, in terms of brightness and dark scene presentation, is similar to that of last year's QN95C. The QN65QN95D is likely to represent a good value in the coming weeks and months as promotions begin. It is a particularly solid choice for gamers.

The QN95D is one of two televisions we went hands-on with on a recent trip to Samsung's New Jersey QA Lab, the other being the S95D quantum-dot OLED. We discovered an attractively thin 4K LCD display screen that produces an HDR picture as bright as last year's QN95C, with wide and accurate coverage of the professional DCI-P3 color space.