Expert review of the LG QNED816 (2023)

The LG QNED816 has a surprisingly high brightness. I notice the bright colors are clearly visible. I see a blue sky looking very intens. Luckily, I still see enough color details in the bright colors too. The blue sky doesn't just have 1 or 2 shades of blue, but an infinite number of subtle blues. As a result, I don't see any stripes between the transitions from one shade to the next. Colorful images also look realistic thanks to this.

The QNED technology combines quantum dots and the NanoCell technology. Thanks to this, both warm colors like red and cool colors like blue are bright and vibrant. Bright colors also really stand out because of this. For example, in an image with different flowers, I see all kinds of colors that really splash off the screen. The 10-bit screen shows 1 billion colors. This allows me to see all the subtle shades, like in the shadows of a pink flower. The white background doesn't fade between the bright color, but still looks very bright.

The QNED816 uses a poorer technology than the other TV from 2023, the QNED 866 that uses Mini-LED local dimming. The screen is illuminated by LED lights at the edges of the screen. As a result, the TV doesn't control the backlight very precisely. This causes dark images to be bland sometimes. When I watch an image with a light on a black background, I see a little gray glow around the light, for example. As a result, dark scenes in a movie don't always look very realistic.

The QNED816 has an IPS panel. This type of screen has a poorer contrast, but it does improve the viewing angle. When I'm standing in front of the TV at an angle, I see the contrast and color representation remain the same. When I'm almost next to the TV, the image quality decreases slightly. This viewing angle is an advantage if you have a wide couch and like to watch TV with multiple people at once. That way, everyone will have the same image quality.

The QNED816 has 2 speakers and no subwoofer. That's why the sound isn't very rich and powerful. For example, the bass isn't clear during an explosion in an action movie. When I watch a talkshow, the voice of the host does sound clear. That's why the sound of this TV is the most suitable if you mainly watch live television. Do you like to watch movies and series too? I recommend an external soundbar for a more powerful and more spatial sound.

The QNED TV looks almost the same as previous years, but there's one major change. The stand is a sleek, steel plate in the center of the bottom of the screen, instead of the wide half moon that LG has been using for years. I think this design looks more stylish, but it also feels really sturdy. When I lightly press the screen, the TV doesn't wobble. Thanks to this, you can even place a larger TV on a smaller piece of furniture without worrying.

The remote of the entire LG TV line-up of 2023 is the Magic Remote once again. Last year, this remote got a little make-over, but it still looks the same this year. That's not a problem, because I still like the Magic Remote. When you point it at the screen, a cursor appears. You can use it to navigate through the menus with easy gestures.

The new webOS 6.0 looks like the previous version, but this version of the smart menu has a new function. You can easily choose user profiles. Do you want to game, for example? Open the game menu and you'll see the connected consoles and all the settings that are useful for gamers. The home screen still displays the most common streaming apps, like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, and Disney+.