LG NANO 85NU870 85"

The LG NANO 85NU870 gives you 85 inches of 4K screen for $800 USD, which is a steal on paper. The 120Hz panel and HDMI 2.1 make it a solid budget gaming TV, but the Direct LED backlight means picture quality is mediocre at best. HDR performance is average, and the 3.1 out of 5 customer rating is a red flag. Buy it for size and gaming smoothness, not for image quality.

The α8 AI Processor 4K Gen3 is doing a lot of heavy lifting here. It's the same processor family LG uses in their mid-range OLEDs, and it handles upscaling and motion processing well. The 120Hz native panel is the real star for gaming. Combined with ALLM and HDMI 2.1, you're getting low input lag and smooth motion that puts this TV in the 71st percentile for gaming. That's solid, especially at this price. Fast-paced games will feel responsive, and the 85-inch size makes everything more immersive.

But the display itself is where things get shaky. The Direct LED backlight means brightness and contrast are limited compared to the Mini-LED and OLED competition. The display percentile is 80th, which sounds good until you realize that's mostly about size and resolution, not picture quality. HDR sits at 62nd percentile, which is about average. HDR10 and HLG are supported, but without strong local dimming or high peak brightness, HDR content won't pop the way it does on a Sony BRAVIA 8 or TCL QM8K. The Nano Detail Enhancer helps with texture and color detail, but it can't fix the fundamental limits of an edge-lit-style Direct LED panel.

The Sony BRAVIA 8 K65XR80 is the obvious step-up if picture quality matters. It's a 65-inch OLED, so you're trading 20 inches of screen for dramatically better contrast, color accuracy, and HDR performance. The Sony also has better processing and motion handling. But it costs significantly more, and if you're set on 85 inches, it's not even in the same conversation.

The TCL QM8K Series 75QM8K is probably the NU870's most direct threat. TCL's Mini-LED tech delivers far better brightness and contrast than LG's Direct LED, and the 75-inch size is close enough that most people won't miss the extra 10 inches. The Hisense U8 Series 65U8QG is another Mini-LED option that beats the NU870 on picture quality, though it's smaller. If you're willing to drop to 65 or 75 inches, both TCL and Hisense give you a much better image for similar or slightly more money. The Samsung Neo QLED QN900F is in a completely different price bracket, so it's not really a fair comparison. The Roku Pro Series 55R8C5 is smaller but offers a simpler smart platform and better picture quality per inch.

At $800 USD for 85 inches, the NU870 is aggressively priced. Most 85-inch TVs from major brands start well above $1,000, so LG is undercutting the market significantly here. The problem is that you're getting what you pay for in terms of picture quality. The Direct LED backlight and lack of local dimming mean this TV won't compete with the TCL QM8K or Hisense U8 Series, both of which offer Mini-LED with far better contrast and HDR performance.

That said, if your priority is raw screen size and you mostly watch in a bright room, the value proposition is hard to beat. The 120Hz panel and HDMI 2.1 support add real gaming value that many budget TVs skip. Just know that the Allstate protection plan bundle is being pushed hard here, and the $65 bundle savings is a marketing tactic to get you to buy the extended warranty. Whether that's worth it depends on how much you trust LG's quality control on their budget line.

The LG NANO 85NU870 is one of those TVs that looks incredible on paper until you squint at the fine print. You're getting a massive 85-inch 4K panel, a 120Hz refresh rate, HDMI 2.1, and LG's α8 AI Processor 4K Gen3 doing its best to polish everything up. At $800 USD, it's priced like a budget TV but sized like a statement piece. That combination alone is going to pull in a lot of people who just want the biggest screen possible without selling a kidney.

But here's the thing. This is a Direct LED panel, not the fancy OLED or Mini-LED tech LG puts in their higher-end sets. That means no per-zone local dimming, no inky blacks, and contrast that's going to struggle in a dark room. The picture quality percentile sits at 36th, which is mediocre by our database standards. For an 85-inch TV, that's a real trade-off. You're buying size and smoothness, not image depth.

Who's this actually for? Gamers on a budget who want a huge screen with 120Hz and ALLM support, and casual viewers who mostly watch sports or stream in bright rooms. If you're a movie buff who watches in a darkened home theater, this probably isn't your TV. But if you want an 85-inch screen for under a grand and you're not pixel-peeping, the NU870 makes a decent case for itself.

If you care about picture quality at all, skip this TV. The Direct LED backlight with no local dimming means blacks will look gray, contrast will be weak, and HDR content won't impress. Movie buffs, home theater enthusiasts, and anyone who watches in a dark room should look at Mini-LED options like the TCL QM8K or Hisense U8 Series instead. You'll get a smaller screen for the money, but the image quality difference is night and day.

Also skip it if you need lots of HDMI ports or the latest connectivity. Three HDMI ports is tight for a modern setup, and Wi-Fi 5 is a generation behind. If you're building a smart home hub around your TV, the Roku Pro Series or a higher-end LG OLED will serve you better. And if the 3.1 out of 5 customer rating worries you, trust that instinct. There are more reliable options out there.

If you're a gamer who wants the biggest possible screen for the least money, the NU870 is worth a look. The 120Hz panel, ALLM, and HDMI 2.1 support make it a legitimate budget gaming display, and 85 inches of screen real estate is genuinely immersive. Just don't expect it to wow you with HDR or dark room performance. This is a bright-room TV for sports, casual streaming, and gaming sessions where you're more focused on the action than the image quality.

For movie lovers and anyone who cares about picture quality, look elsewhere. The Direct LED backlight is the main culprit. Without local dimming, dark scenes will look gray and washed out, and HDR content won't have the punch you'd get from a Mini-LED or OLED set. The TCL QM8K or Hisense U8 are better choices if you can live with a slightly smaller screen. The NU870 is a size play, not a quality play.