LG QNED99 8K TV (2022) review: "If you want the best of the best, it’s hard to get better than this"

Do you really need an 8K TV? No, you don’t but you'll still want to pay close attention to the new 2022 LG QNED99 8K Mini LED Nano Cell Smart TV. Because even without 8K content, there’s still lots to love about this new TV that is purpose-built for the highest quality movies, streaming, and gaming experience. 

Of course, as with most 8K TVs, this model isn't exactly cheap - though there are 4K screens that are much more expensive now too. But that hefty price brings you the best of LG’s AI picture upscaling, processing, and tone mapping for an experience that even the best gaming TVs and  best OLED TVs would take notice of...

Features & Design

The QNED99 looks practically indistinguishable from the LG QNED91; it looks good without drawing attention to itself. The 75-inch variant I got absolutely swallows up all but the biggest media cabinet. It also weighs 84lb/38kg without the stand means you’ll need two, even three, people, just to set it up. It comes with an equally massive arc shaped stand that handles the TV’s girth and weight well. 

The QNED has a brushed metal frame and the entire TV is less than 2in/5cm thick which is very impressive given it’s not OLED. This makes it great for flush, wall mounting.

LG generously provides a wealth of I/O including four HDMI 2.1 for 4K 120Hz gaming and one eARC. Sound comes via a set of 40W Dolby Atmos speakers for some decent but still very TV-like audio.

But it’s the 8K display that’s the star of the show. It uses almost 2000 Mini LED backlights with full-array local dimming and LG’s unique blend of Quantum Dot and Nano Cell tech. The result is a blindingly brilliant, vibrant colors with almost OLED like contrast to make for one of the best 8K TVs going. You also get Dolby Vision, HDR10 and HLG bolstered by a dynamic tone mapping engine that works across 5,184 areas on the screen. 

As an LG flagship, expect the best in AI picture and sound processing - this time thanks to a completely redesigned α9 Gen 5 AI Processor. The processor does a helluva lot behind the scenes to manage all the various wizardy and systems in real time. The TV also runs the latest version of WebOS which is simple, intuitive and unobtrusive to using it. Navigation is made all the easier by LG’s tried-and-true Magic Remote. It’s comfortable, well laid out with dedicated buttons for the major streaming services.

Performance

In spite of the scarcity of 8K content, the QNED99 still looks absolutely revelatory thanks to its upscaling wizardy. Image clarity and detail is incredibly high giving content an almost 3D feel while colors burst with vibrancy and punchiness. This works best with 4K content however while anything 1080p or lower in quality looks noticeably worse by virtue of the massive panel and pixel density. Streaming anything other than 4K will be a waste of this TV’s capability. 

Feed it right and the picture is bloody gorgeous. Watching The Rings of Power was such a treat as the QNED99 made the dream-like worlds of Middle Earth burst with detail, color and contrast. Some scenes literally looked life-like. Turning to games, playing God of War Ragnarok on the PlayStation 5 at such enormous scale has been my best gaming experience ever. The upscaling on the 4K 120Hz feed with HDR is simply stunning, smooth and responsive, and certainly makes it a contender for the best TV for PS5 and Xbox Series X and best 120Hz 4K TV you can get in 8K right now.

The QNED99 has everything the gamer needs; ALLM, VRR, FreeSync, 120 Hz refresh and the excellent Game Optimiser dashboard. Playing God of War Ragnarok in performance mode with high refresh yielded a buttery smooth 80-90fps play-through - something I’d never imagined possible on a console. 8K gaming remains in the realm of extreme YouTubers but if 4K looks this good, then 8K should be mind-blowing.

Unfortunately, just like the QNED91, there is still noticeable blooming - light halos around smaller bright spots that are against dark backgrounds. Things like loading animations, HUD or even closed captions in movies are the worst offenders. On the opening credits of Andor, the glittering stars became a mess of milky algae as the TV struggled to balance tiny bright spots against the black backdrop of space. But that was an extreme scenario that didn’t replicate in the shows various space scenes.

Overall - should you buy it?

The 2022 LG QNED99 8K Mini-LED TV is definitely one of the best TVs you can get for big-size couch gaming and media. I’m amazed at how close to OLED it gets while being much brighter and free from burn-in anxiety. I don’t think the 8K is worth 30-40% more than the 4K QNED91 yet though. Still, there aren’t any 8K OLED displays yet so if you want the best of the best, it’s hard to get better than this.

Editor's note: USA and UK availability for this model seems to be slim-to-non-existent for this model. We've even seen some sites speculate that it will just not reach the European or North American market. We can only hope this changes.

How we tested the LG QNED99 8K TV

For the last month, the QNED99 has been the only TV in the home - it literally took all the space. Situated in our living room, this has been used for many hours of Disney+ movies and shows. I also finally got my hands on a PlayStation 5 with God of War Ragnarok where I’ve sunk over 30 hours of playtime. Before that, I was catching up on the Last of Us Remastered on my PS4 Pro which was a good test of the upscaling. I’ve also used the QNED99 as an extended monitor via Apple AirPlay. Suffice to say, it’s had some great use these last few weeks.

You can read more here about how we test gaming TVs, gaming monitors, and projectors, and also get a full look at our approach to tech in our GamesRadar+ Hardware Policy.

However, if you're looking for the best of the best when it comes to the other kind of gaming screens then check out the best 4K projectors, best 4K monitors, and best ultrawide monitors you can get right now.