The LG NANO99 8k 2020 is a flagship LED TV with good overall performance, but it doesn't add much over a 4k TV since there's limited 8k content available. It's the highest model in LG's NanoCell Series, and like most of the 4k TVs in that lineup, it has an IPS panel. This means it has wide viewing angles and a low contrast ratio, so blacks appear gray when viewed in the dark. It has a full-array local dimming feature, but it performs poorly, so it's not suggested for watching movies in dark rooms. However, it gets decently bright and has excellent reflection handling if you want to use it in a well-lit room. It doesn't have any issues upscaling lower-resolution content, such as from DVDs or Blu-rays, and it displays native 8k content perfectly. Lastly, it's well-built and is compatible with LG's Gallery Flush wall-mount, similar to the LG GX OLED, but you have to buy it separately.
Our Verdict
The LG 65NANO99UNA is a good overall TV. It performs best when watching TV shows or sports because it has wide viewing angles, decent peak brightness, and excellent reflection handling. It's very good for gaming because it has a low input lag and an excellent response time. Sadly, it doesn't perform well in dark rooms due to its low contrast ratio, disappointing black uniformity, and poorly-performing local dimming feature.
- Wide viewing angles.
- Excellent reflection handling.
- Excellent response time.
- Low contrast ratio.
- Uniformity issues.
- Poor local dimming feature.
The LG 65NANO99UNA is only okay for watching movies. It has a low contrast ratio, so blacks look gray when viewed in the dark. The local dimming feature is poor and it has disappointing black uniformity. Luckily, it displays 1080p and 4k content without any issues and removes 24p judder from any source.
- Removes 24p judder from any source.
- Low contrast ratio.
- Uniformity issues.
- Poor local dimming feature.
The LG 65NANO99UNA is great for watching TV shows. It has excellent reflection handling and decent peak brightness, so visibility shouldn't be an issue in well-lit rooms. It also has fairly wide viewing angles, so the image remains accurate when viewing off-center. Sadly, it has some uniformity issues, but this could vary between units.
- Decent SDR peak brightness.
- Wide viewing angles.
- Excellent reflection handling.
- Uniformity issues.
The LG 65NANO99UNA is great for watching sports. It's a good choice for watching the game in a wide seating arrangement as it has wide viewing angles. It also gets bright enough to fight some glare and has excellent reflection handling. Fast-moving content looks smooth, but there's dirty screen effect in the center that can be distracting.
- Wide viewing angles.
- Excellent reflection handling.
- Excellent response time.
- Uniformity issues.
The LG 65NANO99UNA is very good for gaming. It has an excellent response time, a Black Frame Insertion feature to reduce motion blur, and low input lag. However, it doesn't have any variable refresh rate (VRR) support to reduce screen tearing. It's also not good for dark-room gaming because of its low contrast ratio and disappointing black uniformity.
- Excellent response time.
- Low input lag.
- BFI feature.
- Uniformity issues.
- No VRR support.
The LG 65NANO99UNA is just okay for watching HDR movies. It displays a wide color gamut but fails to make highlights stand out in HDR. It has a full-array local dimming feature, which sadly, performs poorly. Lastly, it has disappointing black uniformity and a low contrast ratio, so blacks look gray when viewed in the dark.
- Removes 24p judder from any source.
- Displays wide color gamut.
- Low contrast ratio.
- Uniformity issues.
- Poor local dimming feature.
- HDR content is dim.
The LG 65NANO99UNA is decent for HDR gaming, mainly due to its very good gaming performance. It has an excellent response time and low input lag but lacks VRR support. Unfortunately, HDR content doesn't look good because it fails to make highlights pop, has a low contrast ratio, and the local dimming feature is poor.
- Excellent response time.
- Low input lag.
- BFI feature.
- Displays wide color gamut.
- Low contrast ratio.
- Uniformity issues.
- Poor local dimming feature.
- HDR content is dim.
The LG 65NANO99UNA is a great choice to use as a PC monitor. It has an excellent response time and low input lag, delivering a responsive desktop experience. It has wide viewing angles so that the image remains accurate at the sides if you sit up close. It also has decent peak brightness and excellent reflection handling if you want to use it in a well-lit room.
- Wide viewing angles.
- Excellent reflection handling.
- Low input lag.
- Displays chroma 4:4:4.
- Uniformity issues.
Changelog
- Updated Sep 16, 2021: We corrected a mistake in the total inputs section.
- Updated Aug 05, 2021: Added the real content local dimming videos.
- Updated Mar 01, 2021: Converted to Test Bench 1.6.
- Updated Dec 07, 2020: Review published.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the 65 inch LG NANO99 8k 2020, and for the most part, we expect our results to be valid for the 75 inch model, the 75NANO99UNA. You can see the different model codes between North America and Europe below.
| Size | North America | Europe |
| 65" | 65NANO99UNA |
65NANO996NA |
|
75" |
75NANO99UNA |
75NANO996NA |
There's an LG NANO97 variant in North America and an LG NANO95 model in Europe that appear to be similar TVs, but aren't compatible with LG's Gallery Flush wall-mount, and they look more like the LG NANO90. However, we don't know for sure how they perform since we haven't tested them.
If someone comes across a different type of panel or if their 65NANO99UNA doesn't correspond to our review, let us know and we'll update the review. Note that some tests, such as the gray uniformity, may vary between individual units.
The 65NANO99UNA unit we tested was manufactured in September 2020 and you can see the label here.
Popular TV Comparisons
The LG NANO99 8k 2020 is a good overall TV, but it's not worth its price tag considering how little 8k content is available in 2020. It has excellent reflection handling and decent peak brightness, but due to its low contrast ratio and poor local dimming, it's not a good choice for viewing in dark rooms. HDR content doesn't look good either and there are better 4k HDR options available for much cheaper. Also see our recommendations for the best TVs for PS5, the best TVs for Xbox Series X, and the best TVs for HDR.
The Samsung Q900/Q900R 8k QLED is much better than the LG NANO99 8k 2020. The Samsung has a VA panel with a much better contrast ratio and wider viewing angles due to Samsung's 'Ultra Viewing Angle' technology. It also has better local dimming, it gets significantly brighter, and has variable refresh rate support for gaming. However, the LG does a better job at displaying 4k and 8k content as there aren't any dithering artifacts.
The Samsung Q80T is much better overall than the LG NANO99 8k 2020, but they have a few different features. The Samsung has a VA panel that results in a much better contrast ratio, so it can display deep blacks. It also gets brighter, has VRR support, a lower input lag, and much better reflection handling. However, the LG can display an 8k image, and it has an IPS panel with a bit wider viewing angles, but the benefits of 8k are limited since there still isn't much native 8k content.
The Samsung Q800T 8k QLED is better than the LG NANO99 8k 2020. The Samsung has a significantly better contrast ratio, better local dimming, and it gets much brighter. It also has VRR support and a lower input lag for gaming. However, the LG has a quicker response time, it displays 4k and 8k content perfectly, and it has better reflection handling.
The LG NANO99 8k 2020 and the LG SM9970 8k perform very similarly overall. The NANO99 has wider viewing angles, much better out-of-the-box color accuracy, a slightly quicker response time, and lower input lag. However, the SM9970 gets brighter in SDR, displays a wider color gamut, and has better gradient handling.
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 use 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
Older Test Bench: This product has been tested using an older TV test methodology, before a major update. Some of the test results below aren't directly comparable with other TVs. Learn more
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