The LG B6 delivers strong black levels, detailed dark scenes and responsive gaming performance for an entry-level OLED TV, but its limitations become clearer in demanding content. Brightness, contrast and color saturation can fall short of more expensive models, and the B6’s $1,300 price is close enough to the $1,500 LG C6 that the upgrade may be worth considering.
One of the B6’s strengths is its handling of blacks and grays, which have impressive texture and clarity. That is notable because many mid-range TVs make dark, shadowy scenes look washed out. Scenes from Awake and The Creator, a particularly dark movie, became crisp and detailed after I adjusted the picture settings, including switching to Vivid mode.
Contrast and brightness are more mixed. When I watched House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones—including the infamously dark Season 8, Episode 3—the B6 struggled under stress testing. On high-end televisions and home-theater projectors, trees are visible in the background of scenes in which characters appear on a frozen lake. On the B6, those details disappeared into complete black, suggesting limitations in contrast performance.
Color saturation and brightness could also be stronger, particularly compared with the RGB TVs tested recently. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie showed several blooming effects. They were not especially distracting, but the image was not as sharp as it is on a TV such as the LG Micro RGB Evo. In the less colorful The End of Oak Street demo reel, the grass beside a fence in a winter scene looked somewhat too brown, another sign of limited color saturation. Skin-tone transitions, however, were surprisingly good.
Strong gaming performance
LG is not the first brand that comes to mind for gaming—Sony is—but the B6 performs particularly well in this area. Its 120-Hz refresh-rate display reproduced my movements smoothly. Crimson Desert looked crisp and responsive on PC, while Resident Evil: Requiem remained detailed even when I zoomed in on crumpled leaves. Glowing statues and other scenes also showed surprisingly good color quality, with details that looked almost photorealistic.
Sports and news produced no major surprises. A Baltimore Orioles baseball game looked rich and textured, although it was not especially bright.
Strong performance at an affordable price
The LG B6 may be an entry-level OLED, but like an entry-level BMW, it includes many flagship-style features, including numerous ports, a broad set of functions and premium finishes. My main concerns are brightness and contrast, although both can be improved to some extent through picture adjustments. LG’s webOS interface also remains less appealing to me than some alternatives.
The biggest issue may be the price. At the time of writing, the LG B6 sells for $1,300. The excellent mid-range LG C6 is also on sale for $1,500. For just $200 more, buyers can get a significantly better and brighter 65-inch TV. The same is true of the LG C5, which I found on sale. The choice ultimately depends on how much you are willing to spend.
Source: www.wired.com