LG E6 OLED  TV Review

Review updated Mar 01, 2017 at 06:31am
Tested using Methodology v1.0 
LG E6 OLED
8.6
Mixed Usage 
Value for price beaten by

Not at the latest test bench

9.4
Movies 
Value for price beaten by

Not at the latest test bench

8.3
TV Shows 
Value for price beaten by

Not at the latest test bench

8.1
Sports 
Value for price beaten by

Not at the latest test bench

8.4
Video Games 
Value for price beaten by

Not at the latest test bench

8.9
HDR Movies 
Value for price beaten by

Not at the latest test bench

8.3
HDR Gaming 
Value for price beaten by

Not at the latest test bench

7.7
PC Monitor 
Value for price beaten by

Not at the latest test bench

 0
 TV Settings
Notice: This TVs was replaced by LG E7 OLED

The 4k LG OLED E6 TV delivers an excellent picture quality that can be enjoyed from anywhere in the room. Due to its perfect black, it has an infinite contrast ratio which results in a picture that pops. Motion blur is also practically non existent. It isn't perfect though, maximum brightness and dark gray uniformity could be better.

Our Verdict

8.6
Mixed Usage 

Great TV for a range of different usages. Can't be beaten for movies or sports watching. Very responsive for playing video games.

Pros
  • Nearly no motion blur in sports and video games
  • Excellent picture quality even when viewed from the side
  • Infinite native contrast ratio due to perfect black
Cons
  • Brightness not as high as other HDR TVs and varies depending on content
  • Prone to temporary image retention after displaying static images
9.4
Movies 

Excellent movie performance. Provides perfect blacks and great picture quality. Bright enough to make the image pop.

8.3
TV Shows 

Great for watching TV shows in a bright living room. Picture quality is great, even at an angle. Deals well with ambient reflections.

8.1
Sports 

Very good sports performance. Almost perfect motion handling for fast plays. Very good uniformity for panning across a field.

8.4
Video Games 

Excellent for video games. Low input lag, and excellent response for fast paced games. Works well with a range of resolutions.

8.9
HDR Movies 

Exceptional HDR performance. Displays a wide range of colors and can get bright highlights.

8.3
HDR Gaming 

Great choice for HDR gaming. Picture quality is excellent due to perfect blacks and feels responsive due to fairly low input lag and instantaneous response time. Supports both HDR10 and Dolby Vision formats. Unfortunately some temporary image retention may be visible with static elements and the screen brightness depends on the content.

7.7
PC Monitor 

Great as a PC monitor. Supports a wide range of resolutions and displays very clear text. Very good input lag.

  • 8.6
    Mixed Usage
  • 9.4
    Movies
  • 8.3
    TV Shows
  • 8.1
    Sports
  • 8.4
    Video Games
  • 8.9
    HDR Movies
  • 8.3
    HDR Gaming
  • 7.7
    PC Monitor
  • Changelog

    1.  Updated Mar 01, 2017: Review published.
    2.  Updated Jun 15, 2016: Our testers have started testing this product.
    3.  Updated Jun 07, 2016: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.

    Check Price

    55"OLED55E6P
    SEE PRICE
    Amazon.com
    65"OLED65E6P
    SEE PRICE
    Amazon.com

    Differences Between Sizes And Variants

    We tested the 55" (OLED55E6P). For the most part, we expect our review to be valid for the 65" (OLED65E6P).

    If someone comes across a different type of panel or if their LG OLED 55E6P doesn't correspond to our review, let us know and we will update the review.

    Size Model
    55" OLED55E6P
    65" OLED65E6P

    Popular TV Comparisons

    Comparison picture

    Top left: LG OLED EF9500 (55EF9500). Bottom left: Samsung KS8000 (UN55KS8000). Middle: LG OLED E6 (OLED55E6P). Top right: Vizio P Series 2016 (P65-C1). Bottom right: Sony X930D (XBR55X930D).  Unlike our other photographs, this picture wasn't taken under a controlled environment, so do not draw conclusions from it.

    The LG OLED E6 is very similar to last year 4k OLED TVs. Its picture quality can't be beat but some high quality LED TVs offers better bang for the bucks. If budget is not an issue though, there is still nothing better than an OLED TV.

    How We Test TVs
    How We Test TVs

    We buy and test dozens of TVs yearly, taking an objective, data-driven approach to deliver results you can trust. Our testing process is complex, with hundreds of individual tests that take over a week to complete. Most of our tests are done with specially designed test patterns that mimic real content, but we also use the same sources you have at home to ensure our results match the real-world experience. We use two main tools for our testing: a Colorimetry Research CR-100 colorimeter and a CR-250 spectroradiometer.

    Test Results

    Sort:
    RATINGS
    Category:
    All
    Design
    9.5
    Style
    CurvedNo

    The look of the LG OLED E6 is impressive. From first glimpse, the TV appears high end. The upper part of the TV is so thin that it is hard to imagine televisions getting any thinner than this. The stand and speakers are flat with the table surface which is an interesting design. 

    Stand

    The stand is minimalist and extend from the middle of the flat speaker surface. It is made of plastic but doesn't deviate from the classy look of the LG E6P.

    Footprint of the 55" TV stand: 18.5" x 4.3"

    Back
    Wall MountVESA 400x200

    The back of the TV has a nice shiny dark purple and textured finish. It doesn't require a special mount like previous OLED TVs.

    Borders
    Borders0.55" (1.4 cm)

    Borders look very good from up close. The front glass sits directly on the back panel of the TV.

    Thickness
    Max Thickness2.60" (6.6 cm)

    The upper part of the LG E6 is amazingly thin when viewed from the side. Only the lower part of the TV goes thicker on the back. Because of this, the screen won't be flush on a wall if wall mounted. On such a setup, some of the back connections might be blocked too. The 'Max Thickness' measurement includes the cable management hanger that stick out at the back of the TV and that can't be removed.

    Picture Quality
    10
    Contrast
    Native Contrast
    Inf : 1

    The pixels in an OLED display are individually switched on and off, and so infinite contrast ratio exists where the blacks emit no light.

    10
    Local Dimming
    Local Dimming
    No
    Backlight
    N/A

    For reference, we took a video of our local dimming test.

    7.0
    SDR Peak Brightness
    SDR Real Scene Peak Brightness
    232 cd/m²
    SDR Peak 2% Window
    404 cd/m²
    SDR Peak 10% Window
    405 cd/m²
    SDR Peak 25% Window
    405 cd/m²
    SDR Peak 50% Window
    218 cd/m²
    SDR Peak 100% Window
    125 cd/m²
    SDR Sustained 2% Window
    404 cd/m²
    SDR Sustained 10% Window
    405 cd/m²
    SDR Sustained 25% Window
    405 cd/m²
    SDR Sustained 50% Window
    215 cd/m²
    SDR Sustained 100% Window
    125 cd/m²

    The overall SDR peak brightness is average for the LG E6 OLED TV. SDR peak brightness is good until the highlight gets pass 25% of the total windows size. At this point, ABL (Automatic Brightness Limiter) start to dim the highlight making each of the following windows dimmer than the previous one and leaving the full screen 100% windows at almost 1/4 of the brightness of the 2% windows.

    8.0
    HDR Peak Brightness
    HDR Real Scene Peak Brightness
    624 cd/m²
    HDR Peak 2% Window
    652 cd/m²
    HDR Peak 10% Window
    651 cd/m²
    HDR Peak 25% Window
    413 cd/m²
    HDR Peak 50% Window
    223 cd/m²
    HDR Peak 100% Window
    129 cd/m²
    HDR Sustained 2% Window
    652 cd/m²
    HDR Sustained 10% Window
    651 cd/m²
    HDR Sustained 25% Window
    413 cd/m²
    HDR Sustained 50% Window
    223 cd/m²
    HDR Sustained 100% Window
    129 cd/m²

    The E6 has a much better peak brightness than any other OLED TV we have reviewed. Like other OLED TVs, it has ABL (Automatic Brightness Limiter). The maximum luminosity varies depending on the content. A bright image full screen is significantly darker than on other TVs, which is apparent in scene transitions.

    When displaying static content, brightness starts to go down after around 1 minute 45 seconds until it stabilizes at around 6 minutes. During that time, any movement on screen will bring back the brightness to its full capacity.

    8.1
    Gray Uniformity
    50% Std. Dev.
    1.429%
    50% DSE
    0.16%
    5% Std. Dev.
    0.696%
    5% DSE
    0.104%

    The gray uniformity is better than LED TVs, but it is still not perfect. You can see in our picture that the top half is warmer than the bottom, and the edges brighter.

    In the dark shadows (see the 5% picture), there is less vignetting than on the EF9500, which is great. A few vertical bands can still be seen though.

    There is image retention, which is most obvious when viewing a gray screen after long periods of static content. This should not be an issue when viewing normal content.

    7.9
    Viewing Angle
    LCD Type
    N/A
    Color Shift
    26°
    Brightness
    69°
    Black Level
    75°

    The viewing angle of the E6 is great and won't be an issue. Contrast stays very good even from severe angles but like other OLED TVs, color shifts can be observed from around 20 degrees.

    10
    Black Uniformity
    Native Std. Dev.
    0.327%

    On a completely black screen, the pixels emit no light and the uniformity is perfect.

    9.5
    Gradient
    Color Depth
    10 Bit

    The E6 has a 10 bit panel, and the colors appear very good with only very slight tints, not noticeable when viewing normal content.

    8.5
    Pre Calibration
    White Balance dE
    3.43
    Color dE
    2.2141
    Gamma
    2.16

    Good out of the box white balance and color dE. Although faint, a blue tint can be observed and appear more prominent in our pictures than it is with our eyes. The camera sensor would be more sensible to it.

    9.7
    Post Calibration
    White Balance dE
    0.31
    Color dE
    0.9812
    Gamma
    2.2

    Calibrating the LG E6 wasn't hard and most problems could be fixed. Unfortunately, the blue tint issue couldn't be resolved completely although it became less prominent.

    8.0
    480p Input

    Lower resolution content like DVDs are upscaled without any issues and looks very good on the LG E6.

    8.0
    720p Input

    720p content like Cable TV also looks very nice and crisp on the E6.

    9.0
    1080p Input

    Blu-rays looks very good and define on this TV.

    10
    4k Input

    Native 4k content looks sharp and very define. Note that the blue tint observed in our pictures isn't as pronounced when viewed with our eyes. Our camera sensor seems to exaggerate it because of the special screen coating.

    8.3
    Color Gamut
    Wide Color Gamut
    Yes
    DCI P3 xy
    94.85%
    DCI P3 uv
    95.36%
    Rec 2020 xy
    68.89%
    Rec 2020 uv
    71.6%

    To achieve greater support for Rec. 2020 you must change 'Color Gamut' to 'Wide' and enable 'HDMI Ultra HD Deep Color' on the input you are using. The color gamut will be automatically changed to 'Wide' when an HDR signal is detected.

    Update 10/13/2016: We remeasured the color gamut, and have updated the result.

    7.2
    Color Volume
    Normalized DCI P3 Coverage
    83.857%
    10,000 cd/m² DCI P3 Coverage
    56.74%
    Normalized Rec 2020 Coverage
    62.26%
    10,000 cd/m² Rec 2020 Coverage
    41.871%

    The E6 has the same good color volume coverage of the other 2016 OLED models. It can produce saturated P3 colors even at low luminance.

    1.1
    Image Retention
    IR after 0 min recovery
    2.344%
    IR after 2 min recovery
    0.436%
    IR after 4 min recovery
    0.303%
    IR after 6 min recovery
    0.153%
    IR after 8 min recovery
    0.135%
    IR after 10 min recovery
    0.089%

    The E6P OLED TV does have some image retention, like the B6P and the C6P OLED TVs. The image retention is not as strong as we have seen on some LG IPS TVs, but it tends to last much longer, which can be annoying to people who play a lot of video game and also watch TV shows or movies with the same TV. Note that we did have to run the test/fix program from the TV main menu to get rid of some residual image retention, before we could run our image retention test, since it already had some image retention from other testing done beforehand. The procedure got rid of all the image retention and we could do our test afterward. This is a good example of how OLED TV behave and even if retention last a bit longer, it is not a permanent problem.

    9.0
    Reflections
    Reflection
    0.4%
    Screen Finish
    Glossy

    Reflections are well taken care off on the LG E6. The TV can get bright enough so it isn't a problem in a bright room and direct reflections can be seen through although they have a purple tint. No rainbow effect could be seen which is also good.

    10
    3D
    3D
    Yes
    3D Type
    Passive
    2D to 3D
    Yes

    The E6 has passive 3D which performs very well. The higher resolution of the 4k screen means you don't see the alternating lines which are visible on 1080p OLEDs.

    Pixels
    TypeOLED
    Motion
    9.9
    Motion Blur
    Refresh Rate120 Hz
    Response Time
    0.1 ms
    Overshoot
    1.7 ms

    Just like other OLED TV we have reviewed in the past, the response time is practically perfect and there is very little overshoot. No trail can be seen following the logo at all, which will give a very clear watching experience during fast movements. The backlight of the TV is also flicker-free.

    4.0
    Image Flicker
    PWM Dimming Frequency
    0 Hz
    BFI
    No
    BFI Frequency
    0 Hz
    BFI In Game Mode
    No

    As with the other LG OLED TVs, the E6 doesn't flicker moving images. This means that despite the very fast response time, some blur is seen due to eye tracking.

    8.6
    24p Playback
    Judder-free 24p
    Yes
    Judder-free 24p via 60p
    No
    Judder-free 24p via 60i
    Yes

    Enable 'RealCinema' under 'Picture Mode Settings'>'Picture Options' to remove judder on 24p content over a 60i signal. Movies over 24p signals such as a blu-ray player experience no judder.

    10
    Motion Interpolation
    Motion Interpolation (30 fps)
    Yes
    Motion Interpolation (60 fps)
    Yes

    The E6 is able to interpolate 30Hz and 60Hz content up to 120Hz.

    Inputs
    7.7
    Input Lag
    1080p @ 60Hz
    34.2 ms
    1080p With Interpolation
    127 ms
    1080p @ 60Hz Outside Game Mode
    50.7 ms
    1080p @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
    34.2 ms
    4k @ 60Hz
    34.4 ms
    4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
    34.1 ms
    4k @ 60Hz + HDR
    36.8 ms
    4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4 + 8 bit HDR
    N/A

    Update 06/17/2016: The input lag can take some time to stabilize, but adjusting the picture mode to 'Game' and changing the input icon to 'Game console' reduces the input lag to 34.2ms at 1080p. Ensure 'TruMotion' is disabled.

    Update 08/09/2016: The 1080p input lag outside game mode was updated to 50.7ms and the input lag under HDR mode with a 1080p resolution was also verified, and it is also of 50.7ms.

    Update 09/14/2016: The input lag with an HDR signal under a 4k @ 60Hz resolution is a bit higher than without an HDR signal, because when the TV detects a HDR signal, it switches to a special HDR picture mode. To have the best input lag, be sure to select the 'HDR Standard' picture mode.

    Note that the less expensive LG B6 has a better input lag under HDR with a 4k resolutions than the E6.

    Update 10/07/2016: A video of the input lag differences can be seen here.

    Update 11/08/2016: Some owners have started a petition to LG to address these issues. This can be found here.

    Update 12/02/2016: With the newest firmware update (04.30.19) there has been the addition of a HDR gaming mode. In this mode the HDR input lag is lower, and should be fine for HDR gaming. Note that although the TV accepts a 4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4 + HDR signal, it can't accurately display the chroma subsampling in any HDR mode, even with the 'PC' icon selected. The HDR chroma subsampling looks the same as the B6, visible here .

    8.0
    Supported Resolutions
    Resolution4k
    1080p @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
    Yes
    1080p @ 120Hz
    No
    4k @ 30Hz @ 4:4:4
    Yes
    4k @ 60Hz
    Yes
    4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
    Yes

    To enable chroma 4:4:4 support, change the input icon to PC. Press the input button on the remote, select 'All Inputs', and click 'Edit Icon'. For chroma 4:4:4 support at 4k and 60Hz, enable 'ULTRA HD Deep Color' under 'General' settings. The input lag in PC mode with the 'Game' picture mode is 34.0 ms.

    Side Inputs
    Rear Inputs
    Total Inputs
    HDMI4
    USB3
    Digital Optical Audio Out1
    Analog Audio Out 3.5mm0
    Analog Audio Out RCA0
    Component In1 (incl. adapter, shared)
    Composite In1 (incl. adapter, shared)
    Tuner (Cable/Ant)1
    Ethernet1
    DisplayPort0
    IR In0
    SD/SDHC0
    Inputs Specifications
    HDR10
    Yes
    5.1 Passthrough ARC Dolby Digital
    Yes
    Dolby Vision
    Yes
    5.1 Passthrough ARC DTS
    Yes
    5.1 Passthrough Optical Dolby Digital
    Yes
    5.1 Passthrough Optical DTS
    Yes
    HDMI 2.0 Full BandwidthYes
    ARCYes (HDMI 2)
    USB 3Yes (1)
    HDCP 2.2Yes
    CECYes
    MHLNo
    Variable Analog Audio OutNo
    Sound Quality
    8.1
    Frequency Response
    Std. Dev. @ 70
    2.53 dB SPL
    Std. Dev. @ 80
    2.6 dB SPL
    Std. Dev. @ Max
    4.58 dB SPL
    Max
    91.6 dB SPL
    Low-end Cutoff
    71.27 Hz

    Very good frequency response, for a TV. With the low-end cutoff of 71Hz and maximum loudness of 91.2dB, this TV should be able to perform decently in most situations. However, at higher volumes, some pumping and compression may be present. Also, it won't be able to produces the punch and low-end thump that external speaker/sub systems are able to produce.

    6.2
    Total Harmonic Distortion
    Distortion @ 70
    0.009
    Distortion @ 80
    0.063
    Distortion @ Max
    0.084

    Average performance. The amount of total harmonic distortion at 75dB is excellent. However, there is a noticeable rise in the amount of harmonic distortion under heavier load, especially at maximum volume, while remaining within acceptable limits.

    Smart Features
    Apps

    The TV doesn't lack support for applications as it has the most demanded applications such as Youtube, Netflix and Amazon Video already pre-loaded to the home screen, you can also downloaded plenty of applications from 'LG Content Store' that is also located on the home screen. Since WebOS is open source to the public there will never be the lack of applications.

    9.0
    Interface
    Smart OSWebOS 3.0

    The LG E6P comes loaded with WebOS 3.0 that has both a sleek design and a very responsive interface. WebOS 3.0 comes with many demanded application such as Youtube, Netflix, and Amazon Video already pre-loaded on the home screen which is great for easy access, you can also download plenty of application straight from the 'LG Content Store'. Since WebOS is open source you can expect frequent updates as well the number of applications to increase. The remote, just like other LG TVs we have reviewed in the past, has a pointer which makes it very easy to navigate through menus. In terms on inputs, this TV has it all, you will not have any issue when it comes to connecting all your devices to it.

    0.0
    Ads
    Ad-free
    No
    Opt-out
    No

    The E6 is one of the most expensive TVs this year. In spite of that, it isn't free from ads.

    TV Controls

    Basic TV controls can be performed with a little controller located at the back of the left side of the TV. This can be accessed if the TV is wall mounted.

    Remote
    RemoteSmart

    The LG E6 comes with the new premium magic remote. It is bigger than previous magic remote iterations but works the same with a pointer that can be controlled on the screen with remote movements. It works great and is a pleasure to use.

    In The Box

    • Remote
    • Batteries
    • Wall Mount Cover
    • Component In Adapter
    • Composite In Adapter
    • Two 3D Glasses
    Misc
    Power Consumption96 W
    Power Consumption (Max)146 W
    Firmware03.15.10