LG certainly made the most of the online-only CES 2021 Expo by announcing a
list of new OLED TVs, 8K TVs, all-new budget models, and even a ``QNED'' display that is expected to give its range its biggest upset in years. But what is QNED? Should I pay attention to it? The main confusion here is that QNED looks a lot like... all the other TV acronyms. The name is very similar to Samsung's QLED (quantum light-emitting diode) panels found in the latest new Samsung TVs and like Samsung's QLED, it also refers to LCD technology rather than, say, OLED or MicroLED. This is particularly confusing given that
LG and Samsung are such close competitors. While Samsung is the world's largest TV maker, LG falls a bit behind, with both TV brands often being cited in the same sentence, especially in questions about the best TV to buy.
QNED and QLED are so similar that the occasional mix-up or mistake seems inevitable and we can't help but think that LG could have done more to set itself apart - unless, of course, it was planning to switch. about the existing familiarity of consumers with the Samsung TV. technology. If you want to know what a QNED TV really is and what sets it apart from other LG TVs, or Samsung TVs, then this guide is for you.
What is QNED?
QNED stands for "quantum nanoemitting diode" and "nano" refers to the small size of its 30.000 LEDs used in its backlight. This is because
QNED uses something called MiniLED technology., a type of backlight that uses many very small LED lights to control brightness and create effective contrast between different areas of the screen. LG QNED TVs also feature 2500 dimming zones to limit bloom and ensure light is directed where it should be on the screen. This MiniLED technology is also present in
TCL 6 and 8 series QLED TVs, and Samsung is expected to announce its own line of products soon. LG says its new backlight “includes up to nearly 30,000 tiny LEDs that produce incredible peak brightness and a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio when combined with up to 2,500 dimming zones and advanced local gradation zones.” The control is supposed to The contrast and brightness ratio is similar to that of OLED, given the number of LEDs in play.OLED panels can turn off individual pixels entirely, leading to their so-called 'infinite contrast ratio' between highlights and deep blacks.No it's an OLED mixer, but it should improve the performance of LG's current line of NanoCell LCD TVs, but backlighting won't be the only determining factor in whether your TV is any good, and it's worth noting that half of the LG's new QNED TVs use its high-performance TV processor, the a9 Gen 4 AI, while the other half use an a7-spec model.So a TV with ``QNED'' or ``MiniLED'' ' stuck doesn't automatically mean you get top specs across the board.
(Image credit: LG)
What QNED TVs can I buy?
LG has so far unveiled four QNED TVs in its LG TV 2021 lineup under its NanoCell brand: Nano9Z, Nano9X, Nano9C and Nano9A. The first two are 8K TVs and the latter two are 4K TVs, but they all come in 65-inch and 75-inch sizes, with an additional 86-inch size for the Nano9Z and Nano9C. They vary slightly in their panel movement speed (60-120Hz), while the 4K models make do with a mid-spec a7 Gen 4 AI processor instead of the premium a9 Gen 4 AI chip used in the 8K models. and most LG. new OLED sets for this year. There's no pricing or version information yet, but we'll be sure to update this page when more details are confirmed. We'd expect a price range starting at around €1,000 / €1,000 / AU1,500 for the cheapest QNED model, and up to two to three times that. The second quarter of 2021 (so April to July) seems the most likely time for these sets to start rolling out on the market.
And OLED?
The introduction of QNED is particularly interesting given LG's penchant for OLED TVs.
The TV maker is launching some of the best OLED TVs, like the popular LG CX OLED we saw in 2020 (and which had a C1 successor for 2021). LG notes that QNED will drop below its OLED lineup, rather than replace or replace it, but it's clear the company wants to bolster its LCD offering so as not to lose out to Samsung and others, given that not everyone is convinced that OLED TV technology. . LG seems to have put a pin on its B-Series OLED, replacing the lineup with a new budget A-Series OLED, so we'd expect the mix of lower-spec OLED and higher-end LCD to come together. The specification is starting to close the gap between LG's various product categories, though the OLEDs in the LG C1 and LG Gallery series are still expected to handily outperform their QNED competitors.
- See all the CES 2021 coverage of LaComparacion. We cover the program remotely online just to bring you the latest tech news and releases, along with some helpful reviews.