LG QNED85A 86"

Gorgeous 86-inch screen and a killer bundled soundbar, but the remote has no mute button and the smart features are weak. Buy it for the picture, not the experience.

The display is the absolute best right now, and that's not hyperbole. The 86-inch panel is bright, vibrant, and handles fast motion like sports and auto racing without breaking a sweat. The bundled S90TR soundbar with rear surround speakers and a wireless subwoofer is a standout too, Dolby Atmos and DTS:X support mean this thing can fill a room. But here's the kicker: the smart platform and connectivity are weak spots. Alexa is built in, but the smart features rank near the bottom, and the HDR support is just HDR10, nothing fancy. The picture quality percentile is also underwhelming at 36th, which is strange given how much people praise the actual image. It's a mixed bag of great hardware and frustrating software.

The Samsung Neo QLED QN990F and Sony BRAVIA 9 K85XR90 are the obvious rivals here, and both offer better smart platforms and more polished remotes. The TCL QM8K and Hisense U8 are cheaper alternatives that don't bundle a soundbar but deliver strong picture quality without the remote headache. The LG wins on sheer screen size and the included audio system, but it loses on the daily usability front. If you're already in the LG ecosystem or plan to use an external streamer, it's a contender. Otherwise, the Sony or Samsung are safer bets.

At $2,461 USD, you're getting an 86-inch TV plus a full 7.1.3 surround system. That's actually a solid deal if you value screen size and audio. But the remote issue and mediocre smart features make it feel less like a bargain and more like a compromise. If you can live with a Fire TV Stick and a workaround for muting, the value is there. If not, you'll be annoyed every single day.

The LG QNED85A is a weird one. You're getting an 86-inch screen with a display that ranks in the 99th percentile, and it comes bundled with a 7.1.3-channel soundbar that's also top-tier. But the user sentiment score sits at a mediocre 31st percentile, and the reason is almost comically simple: the remote has no mute button. People are literally docking stars because they can't silence the thing without a workaround. That's the story here. A gorgeous, massive TV with a genuinely baffling remote design.

If you want a TV that just works without fiddling with remotes or external streamers, skip this. Go get a Sony BRAVIA 9 or a Samsung Neo QLED instead. And if you're a hardcore gamer, the weak gaming performance here is a dealbreaker. This is a TV for people who prioritize screen size and bundled audio over daily usability.

The LG QNED85A is a fantastic screen with a frustrating remote. If you're willing to use a Fire TV Stick or another streaming device and can live without a one-click mute, you'll love the picture and the bundled soundbar. But if you want a TV that just works out of the box, this isn't it. The remote alone is enough to make me hesitate, and that's a shame because the display is genuinely stunning.