LG NU700B Series 50NU700BPUA 50"

The LG NU700B is a budget 50-inch 4K TV with a great smart platform and solid upscaling, but weak display quality and limited gaming features. It's fine for casual streaming in a secondary room. At under USD 200 from Best Buy, it's a fair deal, but don't expect premium picture performance.

The α7 AI Processor 4K Gen9 does decent work with upscaling. Lower-res content gets a noticeable clarity bump, and the Nano Detail Enhancer sharpens textures without making everything look like a soap opera. HDR10 Pro helps a bit with bright and dark scenes, but this is a Direct LED panel without local dimming, so don't expect deep blacks. The display sits in the 17th percentile in our database, which is rough. Brightness is limited, and HDR content won't have that pop you'd get from a QLED or OLED. Audio is a basic 2.0 channel setup, fine for dialogue but thin for action scenes. Gaming is where it really shows its budget roots: 60Hz, HDMI 2.0, and a 39th percentile gaming score. ALLM and Game Mode help reduce lag, but you're capped at 4K/60 and no VRR.

Stacked against the Sony BRAVIA 5 K65XR50 or Samsung Neo QLED QN70F, the LG NU700B looks like a different class of TV. Those are brighter, faster, and more color-accurate, but they also cost way more. The real competition here is the TCL QM6K and Hisense U8 Series. Both of those offer better picture quality and gaming specs for not much more money. The Roku Pro Series is another strong alternative if you prefer Roku's simpler interface over webOS. The LG's main edge is its processor and smart platform polish, but raw display performance is where it falls behind.

At USD 198 to USD 230, this is a budget TV through and through. The price spread across vendors is USD 32, so it's worth shopping around. The cheapest listing we found was at Best Buy, which also throws in price match guarantees. For under USD 200, you're getting a 50-inch 4K screen with a genuinely good smart platform and decent upscaling. That's fair. But if you creep toward the USD 230 end, you're getting close to better options from TCL or Hisense that offer brighter panels and better gaming features.

The LG NU700B is a 50-inch 4K TV that tries to punch above its budget price tag with LG's α7 AI Processor and a clean webOS 26 interface. It's aimed at people who want a big screen for streaming and casual viewing without spending a fortune. The picture won't blow you away, but it's competent for the money.

Where it shines is smart features and ease of use. Where it stumbles is raw display quality and gaming chops. It's a 60Hz panel with HDMI 2.0, so don't expect next-gen console glory. But for Netflix, YouTube, and the occasional movie night, it gets the job done.

Skip this if you need a TV for a bright living room or serious gaming. The limited brightness and lack of local dimming mean it'll struggle in sunny spaces, and the 60Hz panel with HDMI 2.0 will frustrate anyone with a PS5 or Xbox Series X. If you want HDR that actually pops or smooth 120fps gaming, spend a bit more on a TCL QM6K or Hisense U8.

Buy this if you want a no-fuss 50-inch 4K TV for a bedroom, office, or secondary room. It's a solid streamer with a great interface and decent upscaling. Just don't expect it to be your main home theater centerpiece. If you're a gamer or a movie buff who cares about HDR pop and deep blacks, save up a bit more and look elsewhere.