LG NU850BPUA 65NU850BPUA 65"

The LG NU850BPUA is a budget 65-inch 4K TV with solid upscaling and FreeSync Premium, but it's held back by HDMI 2.0 and below-average picture quality. Gaming scores 44.8 out of 100, which is okay but not great. At $630, it's a decent big screen for casual viewers, but serious gamers and movie fans should look elsewhere.

The picture quality score is 36th percentile, which is underwhelming. The Nano Detail Enhancer and HDR10 Pro help with contrast and color, but this is still a Direct LED panel without local dimming. Blacks will look more gray than inky. The α7 processor does a decent job upscaling lower-res content, so your old DVDs won't look like total garbage. Audio is a 2.0 channel setup with simulated surround, landing at the 42nd percentile. It's fine for casual viewing, but you'll want a soundbar for anything with explosions. Gaming performance is middle of the pack at the 54th percentile. FreeSync Premium is nice for PC gamers, but the HDMI 2.0 ports cap you at 4K 60Hz. Sports and streaming scores are also mediocre, so this isn't a home theater centerpiece.

Stacked against the competition, the NU850BPUA struggles. The TCL QM8K Series and Hisense U8 Series both offer mini-LED backlights with far better contrast and brightness. The Samsung Neo QLED QN70F also outclasses it in picture quality. The Sony BRAVIA XR XR77A95L is in a completely different league, but it costs way more. Even the Roku Pro Series 55R8C5 has a snappier smart platform. The LG's main advantage is the brand name and the α7 processor's upscaling. But on raw picture quality, it's behind most rivals in this price range.

At $630 USD, this is a budget 65-inch TV. You're getting a big screen with decent upscaling and some gaming features. But the picture quality and smart platform scores are below average. For the same money, you could find a TCL or Hisense with better contrast and more modern HDMI ports. The value here depends on how much you care about the LG brand name and webOS. If you just want a big screen for casual viewing, it's okay. If you want real HDR performance, keep looking.

The LG NU850BPUA is a 65-inch 4K TV that tries to punch above its weight with a Nano Detail Enhancer and the α7 AI Processor 4K Gen9. It's a Direct LED panel, not the fancy OLED stuff, so expectations should be set accordingly. The display itself lands in the 73rd percentile, which is solid for a budget-friendly big screen. But the rest of the package is a mixed bag.

Gaming gets a 44.8 out of 100, which is fine but not thrilling. You get AMD FreeSync Premium and ALLM, which helps, but it's stuck on HDMI 2.0. That means no 4K at 120Hz. For a 2026 model, that feels like a missed opportunity. The smart platform is webOS, which is fine, but the smart score sits at the 30th percentile. It's not the snappiest experience out there.

Skip this if you need HDMI 2.1 for 4K 120Hz gaming on a PS5 or Xbox Series X. Also skip it if you care about deep blacks and real HDR impact, the Direct LED panel just can't deliver that. And if you want a fast, responsive smart TV interface, webOS on this model feels dated compared to Roku or Google TV.

This TV is for someone who wants a big LG screen without spending a fortune. It's fine for everyday streaming, casual sports, and light gaming. The upscaling is genuinely useful if you watch a lot of older content. But if you're a serious gamer or movie buff, the HDMI 2.0 limitation and mediocre picture quality will frustrate you. Buy it on sale, not at full price.