LG 65SM8600PUA Review: A TV With Colorful Display

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LG 65SM8600PUA: At First Glance

The LG 65SM8600PUA is a mid-range television in LG’s nano-cell series. It was released in 2019 as a successor to the LG SK8000.

At the time of writing this review in February 2022, the LG 65SM8600PUA had a price tag of $1,999.00. Although this price tag is quite hefty, the LG 65SM8600PUA packs a lot of useful features that warrant its price.

Some of these features are its NanoCell and ThinQ AI technologies. We will discuss these technologies in detail in the sections below.

Meanwhile, with the hefty price of the LG 65SM8600PUA, can it deliver a good performance that meets your expectation? You’ll have to continue reading this review to find out.

LG 65SM8600PUA: Design, Dimension, and Weight

The LG 65SM8600PUA design looks very impressive. The screen is surrounded by extremely thin bezels that give the television a sleek look.

The bezels are metallic-built, and this gives the television a premium feel. On the bottom bezel, you will find an LG logo.

Also, you will find a power button at the base of the television.

When you flip the LG 65SM8600PUA to its back, you will notice its rather plain backside. This is because the build material of the backplate is a mixture of plastic and metal parts.

Furthermore, you will find the connectivity panel on the left side of the TV’s back.

Moving on to the TV stand, the LG 65SM8600PUA sits on a plastic arc-shaped leg. The stand looks good and it gives the TV firm support.

However, the stand can’t prevent the TV from jiggling a bit when it is bumped against. On the brighter side, the stand can help with cable management.

This is because the connection cables can be inserted through the stand’s hollow neck.

Furthermore, the LG 65SM8600PUA’s stand doesn’t take much space if you decide to sit the TV on a table. In any case, if you decide to mount the TV on the wall, the LG 65SM8600PUA features a VESA 300×300 hole at the rear.

Thankfully the television is quite thin; hence, it will look sleek on the wall without bulging out. Speaking of its thinness, the TV is only 63.5 mm thick.

Hence, it is slightly thinner than its predecessor LG SK8000 which is 64 mm thick.

For the overall dimension, the LG 65SM8600PUA measures 1450.3 x 63.5 x 840.7 mm (W x D x H). In comparison with its predecessor, it is not only thinner but also slightly smaller.

Specifically, the predecessor measures 1456 x 64 x 844 mm (W x D x H).

Moving on to the weight, the LG 65SM8600PUA weighs 24,085.7 g. Hence, it is also a bit lighter than the LG SK8000, which weighs 25,000 g.

To conclude this section, the LG 65SM8600PUA’s design is very impressive. Its bezels are extremely thin, which gives it a sleek look.

It also has a solid build quality. As a result, I will rate this section of the LG 65SM8600PUA review a nine out of ten.

LG 65SM8600PUA: Display Features

The elegance of the LG 65SM8600PUA continues in its display features. For a start, it comes with a brilliant IPS display.

Furthermore, LG 65SM8600PUA’s display comes in four distinct sizes – 49″, 55″, 65″, and 75′. However, in this article, we will only review the 75-inch model.

Like most LG televisions, the LG 65SM8600PUA is a smart TV with decent picture quality. It boasts of a 4K UHD (3840 x 2160) resolution display that makes pictures sharp and colors pop.

Furthermore, the display uses NanoCell technology which also improves the picture quality. In detail, the NanoCell technology was designed by LG to enhance the depth of colors displayed by their televisions.

However, the exact pattern of how the NanoCell technology works remain unclear. This is because LG hasn’t released any documentation yet, about how the technology works.

Regardless, we only have a rough knowledge about what it does. The LG NanoCell absorbs specific spectra of light with the help of a filter layer that is inside the TV.

The purpose of this tech is to refine color output and depth. In other words, NanoCell tends to remove impurities from the colors to further offer a vibrant display.

Meanwhile, the NanoCell technology is only available in LG’s mid-range and top-tier TVs. Thus, you should not expect to get this technology in entry-level LG TVs.

We have said a lot about the quality of colors on the LG 65SM8600PUA. Now, let’s talk about the range of colors it displays relative to a color gamut.

For clarity, a color gamut refers to the number of colors a television can produce.

That being said, the LG 65SM8600PUA fared excellently in the color gamut test. Specifically, it covered an impressive 91.6% of the sRGB color gamut, which implies that the display is wide-colored.

This is an excellent score as it is above the average of 85%. Consequently, the TV can display a wide range of colors and makes HDR content more enjoyable.

Speaking of HDR (High Dynamic Range), it is a format that helps improve color accuracy and overall clarity of the display. It is also responsible for making images look more realistic.

Additionally, the LG 65SM8600PUA supports Dolby Vision, HDR10, HLG, and HDR Dynamic Tone Mapping Pro. HDR10 increases the color depths and elevates a TV’s brightness level to 1000 nits when viewing HDR content.

However, for non-HDR contents, the peak brightness of the LG 65SM8600PUA is quite disappointing. Its peak brightness measured 308 nits which are way below the average value of 650 nits.

As a result, watching none-HDR content in a bright room may be unappealing. Unfortunately, the LG 65SM8600PUA also has a poor contrast ratio.

For clarity, contrast ratio refers to the ratio of bright whites and deep blacks on a display. Regarding that, the TV has a contrast ratio of 1,176: 1(higher means better).

With such a poor contrast, dark scenes in movies may look grey.

On a brighter note, the LG 65SM8600PUA has good viewing angles thanks to its IPS (In-Plane Switching) technology. Therefore, you will get good views of the display from whatever angle you look at it.

Another drawback of the LG 65SM8600PUA’s display is its poor local dimming. This is so because the LED backlight on the display is edge-lit.

Hence, to get the best out of the display, you will have to adjust the settings to medium.

For better understanding, local dimming refers to the technique that enhances the dark shades on LED TVs. Thus, a good local dimming will enable content with dark scenes to look darker.

However, that’s not the case for the LG 65SM8600PUA.

Thankfully, the LG 65SM8600PUA’s display handles reflection well. This is because the screen has a semi-gloss coating that reduces reflection if the room has too much lighting.

Next up in this display features section, we’ll be examining the response time of this display. Response time refers to how quickly display pixels can respond to changes in colors in fast-moving content like sports.

Regarding that, the LG 65SM8600PUA has a response time of 12.4 ms (lower means better). This is not the best response time there is; however, it implies that the display is fast enough for watching motion content.

Furthermore, when it comes to input lag, the TV measured an input lag of 14 ms. Input lag determines how enjoyable gaming will be on refers to the time it takes a display to output an image.

Although a smaller input lag means better, an input lag of 14 ms is acceptable. Hence, the LG 65SM8600PUA will be sufficient for playing competitive games.

In summary, the LG 65SM8600PUA has impressive display features. It has decent color accuracy, response time, input lag, and handles reflections well.

However, its local dimming, contrast, and peak brightness are poor. Hence, I will be rating this TV an eight in this section.

LG 65SM8600PUA: Sound Features

The LG 65SM8600PUA comes with 2 channel 20 watts speakers. These speakers produce an immersive 5.1 virtual surround sound.

However, the television doesn’t have bass. Thus, you shouldn’t be expecting a thumping and rumbling sound.

Also, the audibility of the television is poor; hence, it doesn’t get loud.

On the brighter side, the LG 65SM8600PUA can deliver a balanced and clear dialogue. This is good when watching talk shows, sports, and news.

Furthermore, the LG 65SM8600PUA comes with some sound technologies that improve its audio quality. These technologies include Dolby Atmos and DTS-HD.

Moving on to the distortion performance, the LG 65SM8600PUA has a mediocre total harmonic distortion (THD). To explain further, total harmonic distortion measures the deformation in sound output in contrast to its input.

Therefore, at an average volume, the LG 65SM8600PUA measured a THD of 0.184. However, the numbers rose to 0.955 when the volume hit the maximum.

Even though the THD is slightly higher than the maximum allowed benchmark, the distortion won’t be much of a distraction.

In conclusion, the LG 65SM8600PUA sound quality is quite disappointing. However, the TV’s dialogue clarity is commendable.

Hence I’ll be rating this LG 65SM8600PUA’s sound unit a seven out of ten.

LG 65SM8600PUA: Ports and Connectivity Features

The LG 65SM8600PUA comes with an adequate number of input ports. These inputs are located at the left backside of the TV.

However, two HDMI ports and one USB port are directed out to the side of the connectivity panel. This makes the HDMI and USB ports easier to access if the TV sits close to the wall.

Meanwhile, one of the side-facing HDMI ports is ARC (Audio Return Channel) compatible. The ARC-compactible HDMI port allows you to connect to the home theater or soundbar using a single connecting cable rather than more.

In addition to the side-facing inputs, the rear of the LG 65SM8600PUA houses more.

This rear-facing input includes two more HDMI ports, two USB ports, and an RF connection input. The LG 65SM8600PUA also has an RJ-45 Ethernet port for wired internet connectivity and an AV composite in port.

Moving on to the wireless connectivity features, the LG 65SM8600PUA comes with an 802.11ac built-in WiFi for wireless internet connection. Additionally, it supports Bluetooth version 5.0.

Furthermore, the LG 65SM8600PUA comes with a magic remote. This remote has three control options – point and click, wheel, and voice control.

The point and click control move the cursor around the screen just by moving your hand. The wheel allows you to scroll through a long list of channels.

In addition to that, the remote also has an in-built mic that allows you to speak commands to the TV.

Moving to the looks and functions of the LG 65SM8600PUA remote, the magic remote has an ellipse shape with a flat bottom. Also, the magic remote is mostly matte black with a little glossy black at the bottom.

On the top of the magic remote, there is the mic vent and the power button. Also, there are numeric buttons below the power button.

Underneath the numeric buttons are the volume and channel control, mute button, and an oval-like shaped voice control button. Close to the middle of the remote, there is a round navigation button.

The round button has a wheel like that of a computer mouse at its center.

Further below the remote, we get the playback buttons, smart button, input, and exit buttons. Interestingly, the remote can serve as a universal remote for devices plugged into the TV like the soundbar.

In summary, the LG 65SM8600PUA features a good number of ports. It also comes with a magic remote.

Hence, I will rate the LG 65SM8600PUA a nine out of ten in this section of the article.

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LG 65SM8600PUA: Smart Features

The LG 65SM8600PUA comes with an impressively easy-to-use interface. Thanks to LG’s latest WebOS version 4 platform, the interface runs smoothly on average.

One unique thing about this television is that it comes with LG’s ThinQ AI. This technology allows the user to interact with the television with the help of Artificial Intelligence.

To clarify, LG’s ThinQ AI also allows users to engage in conversations with the TV using its voice command feature. As a result, it can learn the behavior of the user based on the interaction of the user with the TV.

In addition to that, with the help of sensors, the LG 65SM8600PUA can communicate with other ThinQ devices. As a matter of fact, the overall experience of the ThinQ AI is epic.

Beyond the ThinQ AI technology, the LG 65SM8600PUA WebOS also has other interesting features. For example, the WebOS’s interface has some pre-installed apps which provide access to the LG’s apps store.

You will also find some pre-installed apps on the LG 65SM8600PUA WebOS interface. These pre-installed apps include Netflix, Hulu, VUDU, Youtube, and the likes.

Another feature that is new on WebOS is the Home Dashboard. This feature allows users to link to IoT devices.

Aside from that, below the home screen, you will find the ribbon where most of the contents are located. Another new feature is the addition of a second ribbon above the first.

This second ribbon pops immediately after a tile on the first ribbon is selected. This feature is also found on Samsung TVs, and it comes in handy when previewing certain apps.

Furthermore, LG 65SM8600PUA comes with a screen mirroring feature called Miracast. With this feature, users can mirror their smartphone screens to the TV.

Also, the LG 65SM8600PUA supports Apple AirPlay 2. To that effect, users can seamlessly stream-cast content from iOS devices and Mac to the TV.

In my opinion, the LG 65SM8600PUA offers fantastic smart features. Hence, I will be rating it a nine in this review section.

Frequently Asked Questions

Conclusion

The LG 65SM8600PUA is a fantastic 4K resolution smart television. It has a gorgeous design and can be a point of attraction in a room.

Furthermore, the display color is vibrant, and it has an impressive response time and input lag. Additionally, the ThinQ AI and the NanoCell technologies of this TV make it unique.

However, the brightness, local dimming, and contrast ratio of this TV are disappointing.

Hence, if you wish to own a NanoCell television, you might want to consider the LG 65SM8600PUA.

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