LG QNEDs vs OLEDs: What do you get when you pay more?

Tom's Guide

3 days ago

If you're shopping for an LG TV this year, there's a good chance you'll be choosing between two types: QNED and OLED.
These terms refer to a TV's display technology, and depending on your budget and viewing habits, one may be better than the other.
Let's break down the differences between QNED and OLED to determine which LG TV is best for you.
LG QNEDs are LED TVs. This means they're backlit by either standard-sized LEDs or smaller-sized Mini-LEDs.
Typically, Mini-LED TVs perform better than traditional LED TVs, as they tend to offer better brightness and contrast control. Unsurprisingly, you can expect to pay more for an LG QNED with Mini-LEDs.
At one point in time, all LG TVs that carried the QNED moniker featured brightness- and color-enhancing nanocrystals called quantum dots. These days, quantum dots are not a prerequisite for QNED TVs, though some models do come with this feature.
Like all OLED TVs, LG OLEDs don't rely on LED backlighting at all. Instead, every single pixel in these displays is self-illuminating. As you can imagine, this has a positive impact on many areas of performance — especially contrast.
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While that core technology remains the same for all OLED TVs, LG OLEDs come in a variety of configurations.
For several years leading up to 2024, LG's G Series OLEDs — the brand's flagship OLED series — featured a hardware enhancement known as Micro Lens Array (MLA) technology. This allowed TVs like the LG G4 to offer better brightness than mid-range and entry-level LG OLEDs.
Beginning in 2025, LG's best OLED TVs no longer leverage MLA technology for enhanced brightness. Instead, they're built around LG Display's 4th-generation OLED panel, colloquially known as 'four-stack OLED' due to the panel's unique engineering.
You can find LG Display's four-stack OLED on LG's top-tier OLED TVs, including the flagship LG G5. According to our test results, the G5 delivers better brightness and color volume than previous G Series TVs, making it the best LG OLED tech to date.
The LG G5 is proof that LG Display's 4th-generation OLED technology is the real deal. It's one of the brightest OLEDs we've ever tested, and as a flagship model, it arrives with one of the most exhaustive list of features you'll find on an LG TV in 2025. It's pricier than most TVs, but the cost goes a long way.
Entry-level and midrange LG OLEDs, like the LG B5 and the LG C5 — the latter of which recently earned our five-star rating due to its incredible performance and value — do not currently come with LG Display's four-stack panel, but they still deliver better overall performance than LG QNEDs due to the inherent benefits of OLED technology.
The amount of A/V- and gaming-related features that LG QNEDs and OLEDs offer depends largely on which class they belong to.
Entry-level QNEDs — like the recently released LG QNED80T — don't offer much in the way of features. This TV lacks enhanced HDR formats and can't compete with the robust set of gaming features found in higher-end QNEDs. Such is the case with TVs that prioritize affordability.
LG OLEDs are a bit different of a story. Although the most affordable LG OLEDs don't come with a list of features as extensive as flagship LG OLEDs, they still arrive with more features than entry-level QNEDs.
Take the LG B5, for instance. This is the most affordable LG OLED of 2025, and while it doesn't support 4K gaming at 165Hz like the G5, it still supports 4K gaming at 120Hz — something the entry-level LG QNED80T doesn't support.
This is just one of many reasons why the LG B Series OLED TVs tend to be fantastic options for folks who'd like to experience an LG OLED but who otherwise don't want to shell out for maximum feature availability.
The B5 is LG's most affordable OLED of 2025, but don't let that fool you into thinking that it's not a terrific TV for folks looking to save money on an OLED. In addition to supporting 4K gaming at 120Hz, the B5 also supports Dolby Vision HDR and costs significantly less than its higher-end counterparts.
As of 2025, all LG QNEDs and OLEDs come with LG's webOS smart platform preinstalled. It's not as streamlined and easy to use as Roku or Google TV, but its app support is strong and most people will feel comfortable using it as a daily driver.
Generally speaking, if you're spending more on a TV — not just an LG-branded TV — you can expect to receive more features than if you spent less. This is especially true when comparing models within the same brand lineup.
I recommend taking a long look at a TV's list of features before buying. It helps to have a handle on what extra features you need versus those that would simply be nice to have.
For LG QNEDs, picture quality will ultimately come down to display type. If you're shopping for an LG QNED with Mini-LED backlighting, you can reasonably expect a brighter picture with better contrast control than a QNED with garden-variety LEDs. This likely spells a superior, more-cinematic presentation.
The aforementioned, entry-level LG QNED80T, for example, doesn't feature Mini-LEDs, nor does it feature full-array local dimming. This leads to a flat, dull picture, which is one of the reasons we don't recommend it over some of its similarly priced competitors.
Even top-tier QNEDs can't compete with the depth and clarity of LG OLEDs.
Higher-end QNEDs — like the LG QNED92 — will typically offer a brighter overall picture than entry-level and mid-range LG OLEDs, making them a decent choice for people who watch a lot of TV during the day in sun-soaked living spaces.For my money, though, even top-tier QNEDs can't compete with the depth and clarity of LG OLEDs. These are among the best TVs you can buy, and OLED's self-lit pixels are a big reason why.
If you're worried about OLED's ability to overcome the ambient light in your living room, it's worth noting that LG OLEDs have been getting brighter in recent years. This is especially true of the brand's flagship G Series. Even the most recent LG C Series OLEDs are much brighter than those of just three years ago.
If you're looking to cut costs on your next TV, there's no way around it: LG QNEDs represent a better path forward. Nearly all of these TVs are less expensive than LG OLEDs.
However, if you have your heart set on a TV with a higher performance ceiling and you don't mind spending $900 or more on a new model, I highly recommend taking a look at LG OLEDs. You don't need to splash out on a flagship model, either.
The aforementioned C5 OLED is LG's mid-range OLED TV for 2025, and in my opinion, it's one of the best non-flagship TVs on the market.
The C5 is bright enough for most rooms and comes with nearly all of the same A/V- and gaming-related features you'll find on the top-shelf G5. This amount of value is the reason why it earned our coveted five-star rating.
This five-star LG OLED TV is one of the best TVs of the year, and it just went on sale for a whopping $1,000 off its usual asking price. If you're in the market for an OLED TV that hits the sweet spot between value and performance, look no further than the LG C5.
Generally speaking, LG OLEDs are talked about more often due to their excellent performance and exhaustive features.
That said, whichever direction you decide to go, you can be sure that you're choosing a TV-making brand with a pretty great reputation among industry professionals and casual viewers alike.