LG UN73 Series 50UN7300PUF 50"

The LG UN7300 is a budget 4K TV that nails the smart home basics with webOS, three voice assistants, and AirPlay 2. Picture quality is mediocre, with an IPS panel that's great for bright rooms but weak on contrast. Gaming is capped at 60Hz with no VRR, so it's not for current-gen console players. At $472, it's a solid casual streaming TV, but the TCL QM8K or Hisense U8 deliver much better picture for not much more.

The UN7300 runs on LG's Quad Core Processor 4K, which handles upscaling and motion reasonably well for a budget set. HDR support includes HDR10 Pro and HLG Pro, but there's no Dolby Vision here. Our data puts HDR performance at a solid 64th percentile, which sounds okay until you remember this is an IPS panel without local dimming. Peak brightness is limited, so HDR content won't have that punchy highlight pop you'd get from a QLED or OLED. It'll accept the signal, but it won't blow you away.

Gaming is where the limitations get real. You get ALLM and a Game Mode, which is nice for reducing input lag, but the 60Hz refresh rate caps you at 60fps. No VRR, no 120Hz, no HDMI 2.1. For a Nintendo Switch or casual gaming, it's fine. For a current-gen console, you're leaving performance on the table. The 39th percentile gaming score reflects that. It's a TV that can play games, not a gaming TV.

Stacked against the Sony BRAVIA 5 K65XR50, the LG loses on picture quality and gaming but wins on price and smart home integration. The Sony is a more serious display with better processing, but you'll pay more for it. The Samsung Neo QLED QN70F is in a completely different league for HDR and contrast, with mini-LED backlighting that makes the LG's IPS panel look flat by comparison. That's the trade-off: the Samsung costs significantly more.

The more interesting comparisons are the TCL QM8K and Hisense U8 series. Both deliver far better picture quality for not a huge amount more money, especially if you catch a sale. The Roku Pro Series 55R8C5 is another budget-friendly option with a simpler smart platform that some people prefer over webOS. The LG's edge is its smart home flexibility and that Magic Remote. If you're deep in the Apple ecosystem, AirPlay 2 and HomeKit support matter. If you're not, the TCL or Hisense will give you a better picture for similar money.

At $472 for a 50-inch 4K TV, the UN7300 is priced like a budget set, and that's fair. You're not overpaying for the picture quality you get. The value proposition here is the smart platform. webOS on this TV feels snappier and more polished than what you'll find on many budget competitors, and having three voice assistants plus AirPlay 2 built in is genuinely useful if you live in a mixed-device household.

But value depends on what you care about. If picture quality is your top priority, that $472 can go further elsewhere. The TCL QM8K and Hisense U8 series cost more but deliver dramatically better HDR and contrast. If you just want a reliable smart TV for a bright room and don't care about deep blacks or high refresh rates, the UN7300 earns its price tag. Just don't expect it to punch above its weight on picture.

The LG UN7300 is a 2020 4K TV that still pops up on Amazon, and at around $472 for the 50-inch model, it sits in that tempting budget zone. It's an IPS panel, which means you're trading deep blacks for better off-angle viewing. If you've got a bright living room with seating spread all over the place, that's actually a reasonable trade. If you're building a dark home theater cave, well, keep reading.

This is a smart home friendly TV more than a home theater powerhouse. LG packed in Google Assistant, Alexa, and Apple AirPlay 2, plus the Magic Remote with its point-and-click cursor. The webOS interface is genuinely pleasant to use, and our database puts its smart features well above average. That's the real selling point here. It's a hub for your connected home that happens to be a decent TV.

But the picture quality rankings tell a different story. It lands in the bottom half for display and picture quality, and gaming sits at a mediocre 39th percentile. The 60Hz panel and lack of HDMI 2.1 features mean this isn't the pick for a PS5 or Xbox Series X setup. Think of it as a casual streaming screen with great smart features, not a performance display.

Skip this if you're building a home theater setup in a dark room. The IPS panel's weak contrast and lack of local dimming will leave you with grayish blacks and underwhelming HDR. You'd be much happier with a VA panel TV like the TCL QM8K or Hisense U8, both of which deliver far better contrast for not much more money. The same goes for serious gamers. A 60Hz panel with no VRR or HDMI 2.1 is a bottleneck for a PS5 or Xbox Series X. Look for something with at least 120Hz and VRR support if gaming matters to you. And if you're buying a TV for a corporate or office setting, our data shows this one scores terribly there. A basic commercial display or even a cheaper Roku TV would make more sense.

For a bright living room where you mostly stream Netflix, YouTube, and the occasional sports game, the UN7300 is a perfectly fine choice. The IPS panel handles reflections and off-angle viewing better than VA panels in this price range, and webOS makes finding content painless. The Magic Remote is a small thing that makes a big difference in daily use. If you've got kids or less tech-savvy family members, they'll figure this TV out fast.

For a dark room movie setup or serious gaming, look elsewhere. The lack of local dimming and HDMI 2.1 features means you're leaving a lot on the table. A TCL QM8K or Hisense U8 will give you dramatically better contrast and HDR for not much more money. And if you're a console gamer with a PS5 or Xbox Series X, the 60Hz cap is a dealbreaker. This is a smart TV first, a display second.