LG UQ9000 4K HDR TV Review

 

75UQ9000PUD 60Hz Smart LED TV

Intro

The UQ9000 is one of two models in LG’s entry-level lineup for 2022. The other model is the UQ8000 and is positioned below the UQ9000. The UQ9000 is available in 43”, 50”, 55”, 65”, 70″ and 75” screen sizes. All models use IPS panels except for the 50” and 70” sizes which use VA panels.

Design & Features

Although the UQ9000 is a basic 4K TV, its build quality is quite nice. The screen is surrounded by very thin plastic borders (bezel), nothing fancy, yet still appealing.  On the 75” model, I was surprised to find the back panel is made of metal instead of the typical plastic, which made it feel very solid.

The V-shaped feet (stand) give the TV very good support even on the 75” model and will prevent the TV from tipping over. Furthermore, the feet give the TV plenty of clearance to place a soundbar beneath the panel. The UQ9000’s semi-gloss screen surface uses direct-lit LED backlighting (no local dimming) to illuminate the display panel. So don’t expect the precise LED backlighting control that local dimming offers.

Feature Highlights:

• Alpha 5 Gen 5 Video Processor – for enhanced picture and sound
• Direct-lit LED backlighting
• HDR10, HLG – HDR formats
• webOS 22 smart TV platform
• Google Assistant, Alexa, Apple Airplay 2 and Homekit – separate device purchases are necessary
• Magic Remote w/ point, click and scroll functionality and voice control
• Game Optimizer
• Filmmaker Mode – adjust the picture quality to display the director’s intent
• AI Brightness Control – automatically adjust the brightness of the screen to your room’s lighting
• AI Sound Pro – automatically up-mixes 2-channel audio into virtual 5.1.2 sound for more immersive audio
• 4K Upscaling

Connectivity

• 3 HDMI 2.0 inputs (HDCP 2.2 compliant)
• eARC HDMI input #2
• 2 USB inputs (2.0)
• 1 Ethernet input
• 1 RF input for antenna/cable/satellite
• 1 Digital optical audio output

Performance

Many consumers in the market for a new TV just want a TV that will produce decent or what they may consider good picture quality and basic features such as smart TV capability with access to their favorite apps and compatibility with Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa devices. If these are some of your basic requirements, then you may what to check out the UQ9000.

Over the years I’ve had the opportunity to evaluate many TVs; from inexpensive basic models, and all the way up to very expensive high-end models.  And what I’ve discovered is that even the most basic model has something to offer via picture quality and features. In other words, I’ve never reviewed a TV that had down-right bad picture quality and the images were decent at the very least. In the end picture quality is subjective and a matter of personal preference, in my opinion. Now on with the review.

Although the UQ9000 is one of LG’s basic models, it’s still nice to see that it offers the “Filmmaker” mode picture setting. I recommend using this picture mode to get an accurate picture image out of the box, especially when watching movies. Nevertheless, I typically like to mention that you should choose the picture mode that looks best to your eyes.

In my opinion, the UQ9000 is a decent TV. Its overall picture quality is fine for an entry-level model. Out of the box, its color reproduction was decent, but it can be improved with a calibration, but in reality, most consumers who buy this TV won’t be spending the extra money to get it calibrated. And in my opinion, it’s not worth it for an entry-level model; just buy a better TV instead.

This TV does not have the capability to produce a wide color gamut, so it’s not the best choice for viewing HDR. And speaking of HDR content, this TV is not a good choice for watching HDR content, not only because of its lack of a wide color gamut but also due to its low peak HDR brightness which isn’t adequate to produce HDR content correctly.

And saying on the topic of brightness, the UQ9000 brightness with SDR content is decent, but it may not be bright enough for a room with lots of natural lighting. However, if you want the picture to be as bright as possible, use the TV’s “Vivid” picture mode. Doing this, however, will come at the cost of picture accuracy.

Rtings.com has posted “real scene” SDR (standard dynamic range) peak brightness at 256 nits, and HDR (high dynamic range) “real scene highlight” at 304 nits.

The UQ9000 produced inadequate contrast and black levels due to its IPS panel which is common with IPS displays. Furthermore, the lack of LED local dimming compounds this issue. The end result was a TV that produced grayish blacks when viewing dark scenes in a dark room environment. On the other hand, this is much less an issue when viewing the TV in a room that is well lit or has moderate lighting.

Black screen uniformity wasn’t good on this TV when viewing a black screen. The screen had a cloudy and grayish appearance. This was caused by the IPS panel.

Detail and clarity were good on this TV with quality 1080p and 4K content. 480p (non HD) content was also decent. HD images appeared sharp and well-defined.

Side angle viewing was decent on this TV which was due to its IPS panel. Image quality had minimal color saturation and contrast loss when viewed from wide viewing angles.

Motion rendering was generally smooth on this TV. You may experience some slight motion artifacts with some fast action content.

Sound quality from this TV is ok but not great. Dialogue sounds good and the TV will play loud. However, for much better sound quality, I recommend a soundbar.

Conclusion

LG’s 75UQ9000 PUD is a decent entry-level 4K TV and generally speaking delivered good picture quality for a large screen budget model. It also delivered sharp and detailed picture images with decent color reproduction. It was, however lacking in contrast and black levels and doesn’t get bright enough for HDR content. That being said, if you find its pros and cons acceptable and don’t want to break the bank on a large screen name brand TV, I recommend checking out LG’s UQ9000.