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LG B6 OLED TV Review

Tested using Methodology v1.0
Review updated Mar 01, 2017 at 06:31 am
LG B6 OLED Picture
8.5
Mixed Usage
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench
9.0
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
8.3
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
9.0
HDR Movies
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench
8.6
HDR Gaming
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench
7.8
PC Monitor
Value for price beaten by
: Not at the latest test bench
This TV was replaced by the LG B7/B7A OLED

The 4k LG OLED B6 TV provides an excellent picture quality, with an infinite contrast ratio and great motion handling. It delivers great performance even when viewed from an angle, and is perfect for a home theatre setup. Unfortunately there is still room for improvement with an average full screen brightness and average input lag.

Our Verdict

8.5 Mixed Usage

The LG B6 is a great all-round TV. It excels when watching movies and especially HDR content. The picture quality is great no matter the usage.

Pros
  • Almost no motion blur in sports and video games
  • Perfectly deep blacks provide an infinite contrast ratio
  • Very good picture quality when viewed at an angle
Cons
  • Brightness depends on screen content due to Automatic Backlight Limiter (ABL)
  • Displaying static images results in temporary image retention
9.0 Movies

Great for watching movies. an OLED can't be beat and the LG B6 is no exception. It provides excellent dark scene performance and picture quality.

8.3 TV Shows

Terrific TV show performance. Great experience from anywhere in the room and deals very well with ambient reflections. Good at upscaling low quality content.

8.3 Sports

Sports performance is great. The B6 has almost perfect motion handling so fast moving objects appear crisp. Great gray uniformity to reduce the dirty screen effect.

8.4 Video Games

Fast paced video games appear very good. Great motion handling, input lag is average but should not be a problem for most people.

9.0 HDR Movies

The B6 excels with HDR performance. Highlights get quite bright and provides a wide color gamut for vivid images.

8.6 HDR Gaming

Excellent for HDR gaming. Feels very responsive due to low motion blur and good input lag. Can produce fairly bright highlights and provides a wide color gamut for vivid images.

7.8 PC Monitor

Great choice for a PC monitor. Low motion blur and clear text. The input lag is average and should be OK for most people but unfortunately there is some temporary image retention.

  • 8.5 Mixed Usage
  • 9.0 Movies
  • 8.3 TV Shows
  • 8.3 Sports
  • 8.4 Video Games
  • 9.0 HDR Movies
  • 8.6 HDR Gaming
  • 7.8 PC Monitor
  1. Updated Mar 01, 2017: Review published.
  2. Updated Jul 18, 2016: Our testers have started testing this product.
  3. Updated Jul 12, 2016: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.

Differences Between Sizes And Variants

We tested the 55" (OLED55B6P). For the most part, we expect our review to be valid for the 65" (OLED65B6P).

If someone comes across a different type of panel or if their LG OLED 55B6P doesn't correspond to our review, let us know and we will update the review. Note that some tests such as the gray uniformity may vary between individual units.

Size Model
55" OLED55B6P
65" OLED65B6P

Compared To Other TVs

Comparison picture

Top left: LG E6 (OLED55E6P). Bottom left: Vizio P Series 2016 (P65-C1). Middle: LG B6 (OLED55B6P). Top right: Samsung KS8000 (UN55KS8000). 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 B6 performs quite similarly to the higher end LG OLED E6, as well as last year's OLED TVs. As an OLED it can't be beaten on picture quality, but this comes at a high price. Keep that in mind with our recommendations below.

Video

Test Results

Design
9.5
Design
Style
Curved No

The LG OLED B6 has an impressive design with a very thin screen, metallic finished back and clear stand. Unlike the E6, there is no large sound bar but instead speakers built into the main body of the TV. 

Design
Stand

The stand has quite a small footprint but still feels very stable. It is made of clear plastic, similar to the EG9600.

Footprint of the 55" TV stand: 22" x 8.7"

Design
Back
Wall Mount VESA 300x200

The rear of the TV is a metallic gray. This works well to reduce fingerprints and appears high end. If wall mounted the stand can be removed but the inputs directed out the back of the TV may be difficult to access.

Design
Borders
Borders 0.43" (1.1 cm)

The borders are very thin and feature a metallic edge.

Design
Thickness
Max Thickness 1.77" (4.5 cm)

The max thickness is measured at the bottom half of the TV. From a side profile, it looks very similar to the E6. However unlike the E6, there is nothing protruding from the back and so the TV is thinner and appears more flush with the wall.

Picture Quality
10
Picture Quality
Contrast
Native Contrast
Inf : 1

Like the other OLED panels, the light is emitted from the pixels themselves and are individually turned off when a true black picture is displayed. This is resulting in a infinite contrast ratio.

10
Picture Quality
Local Dimming
Local Dimming
No
Backlight
N/A

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

7.1
Picture Quality
SDR Peak Brightness
SDR Real Scene Peak Brightness
259 cd/m²
SDR Peak 2% Window
408 cd/m²
SDR Peak 10% Window
405 cd/m²
SDR Peak 25% Window
405 cd/m²
SDR Peak 50% Window
221 cd/m²
SDR Peak 100% Window
126 cd/m²
SDR Sustained 2% Window
408 cd/m²
SDR Sustained 10% Window
405 cd/m²
SDR Sustained 25% Window
405 cd/m²
SDR Sustained 50% Window
221 cd/m²
SDR Sustained 100% Window
126 cd/m²

The SDR peak brightness of the B6 is almost the same as the LG C6 and the LG E6. Overall SDR peak brightness is average, but for highlight smaller than 25%, it has good result around 400cd/m². Anything beyond 25% of the whole screen gets dimmed by the ABL (Automatic Brightness Limiter), and this affect the final score, making it an average performer when compare to any similar priced, LED TVs.

8.2
Picture Quality
HDR Peak Brightness
HDR Real Scene Peak Brightness
601 cd/m²
HDR Peak 2% Window
745 cd/m²
HDR Peak 10% Window
787 cd/m²
HDR Peak 25% Window
504 cd/m²
HDR Peak 50% Window
268 cd/m²
HDR Peak 100% Window
151 cd/m²
HDR Sustained 2% Window
745 cd/m²
HDR Sustained 10% Window
787 cd/m²
HDR Sustained 25% Window
504 cd/m²
HDR Sustained 50% Window
268 cd/m²
HDR Sustained 100% Window
151 cd/m²

The peak brightness for the LG B6 is fairly good. It is quite similar in performance to the higher end LG E6. This level of brightness mixed with an infinite contrast ratio will make HDR content look amazing. Unfortunately the Automatic Brightness Limiter (ABL) causes the fullscreen brightness to be very low, and it may not be enough to combat glare in bright rooms.

8.6
Picture Quality
Gray Uniformity
50% Std. Dev.
0.999%
50% DSE
0.121%
5% Std. Dev.
0.816%
5% DSE
0.109%

Like the other OLED TVs tested before, the gray uniformity is better than LED TVs, but still isn't 100% perfect. On this picture you can see that the left and right side of the image are more bright and there is also a large band just right of the center that is a bit warmer. That said, the gray uniformity of the LG B6 is still very good and should not cause the dirty screen effect when watching sport like hockey or football. This may vary depending on the individual unit.

On the LG B6P, the image retention is still problematic. When an static image is present on screen for a long time, it will leave a imprint on screen until some normal video content is play. Usually after 5 or 10 mins, the faint ghost image should go away. Gamer should be aware of this inconvenient.

8.1
Picture Quality
Viewing Angle
LCD Type
N/A
Color Shift
32°
Brightness
75°
Black Level
75°

The viewing angle of the LG B6P is very good and you will have a relatively good picture even if you sit at a wide angle. You will notice a change in the tint when viewed from the side.

10
Picture Quality
Black Uniformity
Native Std. Dev.
0.245%

Since no light at all is produced by the individual pixel when a perfectly black picture is displayed, the black uniformity is flawless.

9.5
Picture Quality
Gradient
Color Depth
10 Bit

The LG B6P is using an 10 bit panel and color are reproduce very effectively. The gradation is very good and smooth, but there is still some little imperfection in the darker color, but should not be visible when watching movies or regular TV programs.

8.0
Picture Quality
Pre Calibration
White Balance dE
4.07
Color dE
3.25
Gamma
2.24

Even before calibration, the results are quite good.

9.5
Picture Quality
Post Calibration
White Balance dE
0.47
Color dE
1.25
Gamma
2.2

The calibration is straightforward, and was able to fix the imperfections out of the box.

8.0
Picture Quality
480p Input

The B6 does a very good job at upscaling DVD. Straight lines don't look choppy at all.

8.0
Picture Quality
720p Input

Cable TV is upscaled very well and you can still make out relatively small details.

9.0
Picture Quality
1080p Input

Blu-ray movies are upscaled to 4k resolution without any problems and it looks very sharp.

10
Picture Quality
4k Input

4k content look sharp and very small details are easy to notice. A slight blue tint is noticeable, but only when comparing side by side with another TV having a different screen finish.

8.6
Picture Quality
Color Gamut
Wide Color Gamut
Yes
DCI P3 xy
97.31%
DCI P3 uv
99.55%
Rec 2020 xy
71.22%
Rec 2020 uv
75.89%

Wide color gamut is enabled automatically when the TV detects a HDR signal. The wide color gamut is about the same as the LG E6.

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

7.3
Picture Quality
Color Volume
Normalized DCI P3 Coverage
82.453%
10,000 cd/m² DCI P3 Coverage
56.908%
Normalized Rec 2020 Coverage
64.772%
10,000 cd/m² Rec 2020 Coverage
43.97%

The B6 has one of the best color volume performances of all 2016 models. It is able to cover most of the P3 color volume and produce saturated colors even at low luminance.

1.2
Picture Quality
Image Retention
IR after 0 min recovery
2.654%
IR after 2 min recovery
0.475%
IR after 4 min recovery
0.303%
IR after 6 min recovery
0.187%
IR after 8 min recovery
0.133%
IR after 10 min recovery
0.046%

The LG B6 does have some image retention, but it differs a bit from what an IPS panel would show. Unlike LED TVs, on an OLED TV the image retention looks more like a photo negative, where the brightly exposed part of the screen now looks darker than the rest. When looking at the test picture of our 15% gray pattern the left part of the picture where the white section was is clearly darker than the right side which was black.

Even after 10 minutes, some faint retention remains, but this does go away after some more normal TV viewing. In a case where the retention lasts longer the LG OLED TVs do have some internal testing/fixing programs to fix retention problem and after running this program, any retention that would not be fixed by watching normal content usually goes away. We are not aware of any image retention being permanent on any OLED TVs that we have tested yet.

9.0
Picture Quality
Reflections
Reflection
0.4%
Screen Finish
Glossy

The screen coating on the B6P does a great job at dealing with reflections. It results in a purple tint as visible in the image, but this helps to reduce the intensity of the reflections.

0
Picture Quality
3D
3D
No
3D Type
No
2D to 3D
No

Unlike the LG E6, the LG B6 does not support any type of 3D.

Picture Quality
Pixels
Type OLED
Motion
10
Motion
Motion Blur
Refresh Rate 120 Hz
Response Time
0.1 ms
Overshoot
0.3 ms

As with other OLED TVs, the response time is excellent and so no trail can be seen following the logo. The backlight is flicker-free. Some people may prefer a flickering backlight instead. Motion blur is non-existent. For low frame rate content this lack of motion blur can be jarring, especially for panning scenes.

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

The B6 doesn't flicker, and there are no options to enable a flicker. This means that despite the fast response time, images may appear slightly blurrier than other TVs.

7.1
Motion
24p Playback
Judder-free 24p
Yes
Judder-free 24p via 60p
No
Judder-free 24p via 60i
No

To play 24p source material without judder, you need to activate 'RealCinema' option under 'Setting'→'Picture options'. Although inconsistent, for 60p and 60i sources set 'Trumotion' to user and set 'De-Judder' and 'De-Blur' to 0 to remove judder. It wasn't consistent enough for us to consider a pass though.

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

The B6 is a native 120Hz display, and can interpolate 60Hz and 30Hz content. To enable motion interpolation, set 'Trumotion' to 'User'. For a 30fps source increase 'De-Judder' and for a 60fps source increase 'De-Blur'. Note that this may introduce artifacts.

Inputs
7.8
Inputs
Input Lag
1080p @ 60Hz
27.6 ms
1080p With Interpolation
53.3 ms
1080p @ 60Hz Outside Game Mode
54.3 ms
1080p @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
62.9 ms
4k @ 60Hz
27.8 ms
4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
70.9 ms
4k @ 60Hz + HDR
28.5 ms
4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4 + 8 bit HDR
N/A

The 1080p input lag of the B6P is average and will disappoint the more professional gamers out there who need fast reflexes. To get the lowest input lag, set the input icon to 'Game Console' and change to the 'Game' picture mode. This results in 43.2 ms input lag with a 4k @ 60Hz input and 44.4ms input lag with a 1080p @ 60Hz input. With interpolation, there is 62.6 ms input lag.

It is important to note here that from the get-go, our set always had an input lag a bit higher than what other sources were reporting for this specific TV model, so some of this may be due to differences between individual sets.

Update 11/07/2016: The input lag results have been updated with the newest firmware update 04.30.40, but the results remain largely unchanged. Note that the HDR input lag still cycles, which may be an issue for gamers. A video showing the cycling can be seen here, and a full table of the results can be found below. We will continue to update these results with any further firmware updates.

Note that ranges of numbers show the variance in the cycle of the result.

SourceInput lag
1080p @ 60Hz27.6ms
1080p @ 60Hz @ 4:4:462.9ms
1080p @ 60Hz @ HDR28.2ms
4k @ 60Hz27.8ms
4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:470.9ms
4k @ 60Hz @ HDR28.5ms

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

After some more testing we have found that none of the LG TVs support chroma 4:4:4 when in a HDR picture mode, regardless of the input icon. This can be seen here .

Update 01/05/2017: With the newest firmware update (04.30.77) the input lag has been reduced across all resolutions. A 'HDR Game' picture mode has been added, and the input lag no longer cycles over time. The results above have been updated.

Update 02/07/2017: Note that in the 'HDR Game' picture mode there is some screen tearing in the bottom 1/4inch of the display. This does not affect the other picture modes.

Update 03/06/2017: Retested the B6 with the latest firmware update (04.31.10) and the screen tearing issue in 'HDR Game' picture mode is now fixed. Input lag remained the same as with the previous update

8.0
Inputs
Supported Resolutions
Resolution 4k
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, first go in the 'General' menu, then enable 'HDMI ULTRA Deep Color' for the HDMI port that you are using. After, change the input icon to PC in the 'All inputs' menu, accessible thru the remote input button. Under PC mode, the input lag is 70.9 ms at 4k.

Inputs
Side Inputs
Inputs
Rear Inputs
Inputs
Total Inputs
HDMI 4
USB 3
Digital Optical Audio Out 1
Analog Audio Out 3.5mm 0
Analog Audio Out RCA 0
Component In 1 (incl. adapter, shared)
Composite In 1 (incl. adapter, shared)
Tuner (Cable/Ant) 1
Ethernet 1
DisplayPort 0
IR In 0
SD/SDHC 0
Inputs
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 Bandwidth Yes
ARC Yes (HDMI 2)
USB 3 Yes (1)
HDCP 2.2 Yes
CEC Yes
MHL No
Variable Analog Audio Out No

On the LG B6P, when a Bluetooth device is connected, the 'Game' picture mode is unavailable.

Sound Quality
7.7
Sound Quality
Frequency Response
Std. Dev. @ 70
1.75 dB SPL
Std. Dev. @ 80
2.48 dB SPL
Std. Dev. @ Max
4.52 dB SPL
Max
87.6 dB SPL
Low-end Cutoff
89.8 Hz

Very good frequency response, for a TV, especially at lower volumes. Lowend cutoff of 90Hz and maximum loudness of 87.6dB are not great, but decent. 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.

5.4
Sound Quality
Total Harmonic Distortion
Distortion @ 70
0.019
Distortion @ 80
0.074
Distortion @ Max
0.284

Poor 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, where it could be audible is certain situations.

Smart Features
Smart Features
Apps

The most popular applications such as YouTube, Netflix and Amazon Video come pre installed, and the 'LG Content Store' is well supported by a range of publishers.

9.0
Smart Features
Interface
Smart OS WebOS 3.0

The B6 features WebOS 3.0, which provides a very responsive interface and is easy to use. Popular applications such as YouTube, Netflix and Amazon Video come pre-loaded and the 'LG Content Store' provides a wide range of applications to extend the viewing experience. The number of available applications is increasing all the time. The remote is similar to the EG9600 and provides a pointer for easy navigation.

0
Smart Features
Ads
Ad-free
No
Opt-out
No
Smart Features
TV Controls

The controls are located on the front of the TV, under the LG logo. This is easily accessible when wall mounted. This image is shown with the stand removed.

Smart Features
Remote
Remote Smart

The remote is much smaller than the E6, and is the same as the UH8500. Although it looks less premium than the E6, the smaller size is more comfortable to use. It features a pointer controlled by the remote movements to navigate menus. Although there is a 3D button, the TV does not have the feature.

Smart Features
In The Box

  • Remote
  • Batteries
  • Component in adapter
  • Composite in adapter
  • Cable management tie
  • Manual

Smart Features
Misc
Power Consumption 92 W
Power Consumption (Max) 156 W
Firmware 03.15.07