LG QNED85 is positioned as LG’s higher-end 2026 QNED model, and its biggest selling point is its Mini LED backlight. It combines that with the company’s Dynamic QNED Color Pro technology and Precision Dimming. The result is a TV that is designed to give you far more brightness and better control over dark areas than a conventional LED TV. It is priced at Rs 107000 and offers a 120Hz panel, 144Hz VRR, four HDMI 2.1 ports, Dolby Vision, webOS 26 and LG’s latest Alpha 8 AI Processor 4K Gen3. We got the 65-inch model (65QNED85BLA) that is aimed at buyers who want a premium large-screen TV for movies, sports, streaming, and gaming, but do not want to spend LG OLED G6-like money. In our more than a month-long test, we realised there’s a long list of things to like here.
The QNED85 uses a 4K Mini LED LCD panel. Although it uses small LEDs as a backlight, these LEDs are present on the edges only. But as per LG, its Precision Dimming feature can finely control the dimming zones to improve contrast and provide clearer details.
In our Calman tests under Vivid picture mode, the highest reading was around 764 nits at a 25% window, while the 10% window reached around 754 nits, and at a 100% window, I got around 611 nits. For a living room with moderate ambient light, this should be enough for an impactful HDR experience.
Meanwhile, the HDR Calman snapshot recorded a minimum luminance of 0.09 nits.
In everyday viewing, and even in demanding test content such as the busy Penguin chase sequence in The Batman, I could easily make out the darker parts of the road, details on Batman’s suit, and water splashes on the wet surface. The TV also maintained a clear contrast between the headlights and the surrounding black environment.
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While there was no bothersome blooming around bright objects in the content I watched, including the sequence above, the end credits of the first Knives Out or the different lights appearing in the submarine scene in Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, the Magic Remote’s cursor was a different story. When moved over a dark background, it created a fairly large halo around itself.
I also noticed a minor uniformity issue with near-black scenes. During the end credits of the first Knives Out, the otherwise black background developed a faint purple band along the bottom of the screen. This was not something I noticed during most of my viewing, but it was glaring in this particular instance.
LG also claims 100% DCI-P3 colour volume certification from Intertek for its Dynamic QNED Color Pro system. We managed to get 95.77% in this gamut in Filmmaker mode. And the ColorChecker result was an average Delta E of 2.96, and Greyscale Multi recorded 2.74 points.
So, while the QNED85 panel has the potential to produce a strong picture, the Calman results suggest that it is not perfectly tuned out of the box. LG offers plenty of customisation tools in the settings, AI or otherwise, to control the experience to your preference.
Similarly, you get HDR formats like Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HLG. LG does not list HDR10+ support. Dolby Vision and HDR10 mean a wide range of HDR content gets covered.
And LG’s Alpha 8 AI Processor 4K Gen3 supports AI Picture Pro, AI Super Upscaling 4K, Dynamic Tone Mapping Pro and AI HDR Remastering, so that you get a good experience across varied content.
Last but not least, the viewing angles were respectable, and reflection handling isn’t the best.
The LG TV comes with a native 120Hz refresh rate. LG’s TruMotion processing can also adjust motion smoothing depending on the content genre. The visuals were smooth. Additionally, for gamers, the company has given VRR support up to 144Hz and a Motion Booster feature that can further simulate the refresh rate to up to 288Hz to improve motion clarity.
Speaking of gaming, four HDMI inputs are HDMI 2.1 and support 4K 120Hz, VRR, and ALLM. Even some higher-end TVs don’t offer this. The TV also supports AMD FreeSync Premium, HGiG, and Dolby Vision for gaming at 4K 120Hz. There is also a Game Optimizer and Game Dashboard, which let you easily access gaming-related settings without leaving the game.
LG also underlines Bluetooth Ultra Low Latency controller support, with compatible controllers meant to reduce controller input delay to below 2.5ms.
So, connectivity is one of the QNED85’s clear strengths. You get four full-fat HDMI 2.1 ports, with eARC support on HDMI 2, two USB 2.0 ports, Ethernet, optical audio output, and two RF inputs. Wireless connectivity includes Wi-Fi 5 and Bluetooth 5.3. Like with HDMI, it would have been good to see up-to-date standards on these other connectivity options.
What’s up to date is QNED85’s software, which is Linux-based webOS 26. This is a rather mature operating system with different hubs, profiles, and recommendations. You get a personalisable My Page, 150+ free live channels through LG Channels, Multi AI Search with Google Gemini and Microsoft Copilot, alongside AI Concierge and an AI Chatbot. This makes you feel you have a really smart TV, but how often you use it depends on you. Because of all of these, the UI can feel a little sluggish at times. Not a common or frequent affair, though.
The webOS Re:New programme is more important in my book. LG says the TV can receive platform upgrades for up to five years, so up to webOS 30. For a TV that costs more than Rs 1 lakh, long-term software support matters.
The QNED85 is a remarkably slim TV for a Mini LED model. It weighs 21.5kg without the stand and 21.9kg with it. The light and slim profile lets you easily carry and mount it on a wall or a table. Either way, it also looks clean. The inverted V table-top stand, however, being on the edges, demands some space.
Similarly, the LG’s AI Magic Remote with its air-gesture-based cursor control demands some getting used to. It is useful if you get the hang of it. It helps in quickly entering text, selecting items, and moving around menus. Otherwise, it can be a bit annoying. Well, in that case, you can use traditional buttons.
As for sound, the QNED85 has a 20W, 2.0-channel down-firing speaker system. This is coupled with AI Sound Pro, which can create a virtual 11.1.2-channel presentation. There are also other AI goodies like AI Object Remastering Pro, Clear Voice Pro, Dolby Atmos, Adaptive Acoustic Tuning, and WOW Orchestra. The built-in audio is fine for regular everyday watching, and these processing tools can enhance the out-of-the-box sound experience. But since you are spending Rs 1.07 lakhs and want a proper home-cinema experience, I would suggest adding a dedicated soundbar or audio system.
At Rs 107000, the LG QNED85 is a good balanced 65-inch TV. You get a Mini LED display with good HDR brightness, strong contrast for an LCD TV, a 120Hz panel, 144Hz VRR, four HDMI 2.1 ports, Dolby Vision, and a mature smart-TV platform.
The picture quality is generally very good for a variety of content. It handled difficult dark scenes well in my testing, with good shadow detail and no distracting blooming around bright objects in the content I watched. But there are some caveats. As the Calman results show, the panel is not perfectly accurate out of the box. It doesn’t handle reflections all that well, and I encountered uniformity and haloing artefacts.
And while there are Mini LED TVs with stronger hardware offerings in this range, like the Haier M92, LG’s response is through a strong gaming and software suite.
Four HDMI 2.1 ports supporting 4K 120Hz, VRR and ALLM give you plenty of flexibility, while VRR can go up to 144Hz and Motion Booster can simulate up to 288Hz for improved motion clarity. You also get FreeSync Premium, HGiG, and Dolby Vision gaming.
Meanwhile, WebOS 26 is mature, the Magic Remote is useful once you get used to its cursor, and LG promises up to five years of WebOS platform upgrades through its Re:New programme. I also think this and strong after-sales support matter more than the TV’s collection of AI features. Gemini, Copilot and the AI Concierge may be useful, but software support is something you are likely to appreciate throughout the TV’s lifespan.
So, if you want a 65-inch all-rounder TV that can handle movies, sports, regular television, streaming, and gaming, the QNED85 is a sensible choice. If you are chasing the best possible HDR performance, built-in audio, or dark-room movie experience, there are other options. The better choice depends on what you value more.
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