The LG B6 OLED delivers impressive texture and clarity in dark scenes, along with sharp, responsive gaming performance, but its brightness, contrast and color saturation are less consistent. The entry-level model offers a broad set of features and premium finishes, yet its $1,300 price makes the brighter LG C6, available for $1,500, a strong alternative.
One of the B6’s strengths is its handling of blacks and grays, which retain considerable 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 very dark movie, became crisp and detailed after I adjusted the picture settings, particularly by switching to Vivid mode.
Contrast and brightness were more mixed. I saw this while watching House of the Dragon and Game of Thrones, including the infamously dark Season 8, Episode 3. When I stress-tested these capabilities, the B6 struggled. 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 blackness, suggesting limitations with contrast performance.
Color saturation and brightness could also be better, particularly compared with the RGB TVs tested recently. The Super Mario Galaxy Movie displayed several blooming effects. They were not especially distracting, but the image was not as sharp as it was on a model such as the LG Micro RGB Evo. In the less colorful End of Oak Street demo reel, the green grass beside a fence in winter looked a little too brown, again pointing to a saturation issue. Skin-tone transitions, however, were surprisingly good.
Strong gaming performance
LG is not the first brand that comes to mind for gaming for me—that would be Sony—but the B6 deserves considerable praise in this area. Its 120-Hz display handled every movement smoothly. Crimson Desert looked crisp and responsive on PC, while Resident Evil: Requiem remained highly detailed even when I zoomed in on crumpled leaves. Glowing statues and other scenes showed surprisingly good color quality and looked almost photorealistic.
Sports and news viewing produced no major surprises. A Baltimore Orioles baseball game looked rich and textured, although it was not particularly bright.
Excellent 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 plenty of ports, useful capabilities and premium finishes. My main complaints are its brightness and contrast, although both can be improved to some extent through picture adjustments. LG’s WebOS interface is also still not my favorite.
The larger concern may be the price. As of this writing, the LG B6 retails for $1,300. The excellent mid-range LG C6 is also on sale for $1,500. For only $200 more, buyers can get a much better and brighter TV, with both models measuring 65 inches.
That is not necessarily an argument against buying an older, yet brighter, model such as the LG C5, which I found on sale and which is a few steps behind the B6. Ultimately, the choice depends on how much you want to spend.
Source: www.wired.com
