The LG NANO99 8k 2021 is a high-end 8k TV. It's the only 8k TV available in LG's 2021 NanoCell lineup in the United States, replacing the LG NANO99 8k 2020. It features an IPS panel with wide viewing angles, but that comes at the cost of a low contrast ratio, so blacks look grey in a dark room, and its full-array local dimming feature is mediocre. Also, despite using LG's NanoCell technology, it can't display a wide color gamut like on other high-end TVs, and combined with its low HDR peak brightness, highlights and colors aren't as vivid as they should be in HDR. It supports full bandwidth HDMI 2.1 on all its HDMI inputs for high-frame-rate gaming, but it doesn't support any variable refresh rate (VRR) technology to reduce screen tearing. It also comes with the LG webOS smart platform, which is user-friendly and has a ton of apps you can download through the app store.
Our Verdict
The LG NanoCell 99 Series is good for most uses. It performs best in well-lit rooms while watching shows or sports because it has good peak brightness and great reflection handling. It has wide viewing angles if you want to watch content in a wide seating arrangement. It's great for gaming because of its quick response time, low input lag with most signals, and HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, but it lacks VRR support. Sadly, it's not a good choice for watching SDR or HDR movies because blacks look gray and the full-array local dimming feature causes blooming.
- No issues displaying lower-resolution or native 8k content.
- Good peak brightness and great reflection handling.
- Wide viewing angles.
- Excellent motion handling.
- Low native contrast ratio.
- Mediocre full-array local dimming feature.
- Poor black uniformity with noticeable blooming.
- Uniformity issues with dark vertical bands on our unit.
The LG NANO99 is okay for watching movies in dark rooms. It doesn't have any trouble upscaling 1080p and 4k content from Blu-rays or 480p content from DVDs, and it removes 24p judder from any source. However, its dark room performance is limited because it has a low contrast ratio, and even with a local dimming feature, blacks look gray, and there's blooming. Also, our unit has uniformity issues with dark bands in the center that could be distracting in scenes with panning shots, but this also varies between units.
- No issues displaying lower-resolution or native 8k content.
- Removes 24p judder from any source.
- Low native contrast ratio.
- Mediocre full-array local dimming feature.
- Poor black uniformity with noticeable blooming.
The LG NANO99 is great for watching TV shows in well-lit rooms. Visibility isn't an issue in most well-lit rooms as it has good peak brightness and great reflection handling, but we don't suggest placing it opposite a window. Also, it has wide viewing angles, so the image remains accurate when viewing from the sides, and it doesn't have any issues upscaling lower-resolution content like from cable boxes.
- No issues displaying lower-resolution or native 8k content.
- Good peak brightness and great reflection handling.
- Wide viewing angles.
- Uniformity issues with dark vertical bands on our unit.
The LG NanoCell 99 Series is great for watching sports. It has wide viewing angles, which is good for watching the game with a big group of friends. It gets bright enough to fight glare and has excellent reflection handling if you want to use it in a well-lit room. Motion handling is excellent, thanks to its quick response time, and lower-resolution content is upscaled well. Sadly, our unit has uniformity issues with dark vertical bands that are noticeable while watching sports, but this may vary between units.
- Good peak brightness and great reflection handling.
- Wide viewing angles.
- Excellent motion handling.
- Uniformity issues with dark vertical bands on our unit.
The LG NanoCell 99 Series is good for gaming. It has an excellent response time for smooth motion handling, and the input lag is low with 1080p and 4k signals, but it increases a lot with 8k games. The HDMI 2.1 bandwidth allows you to play high-frame-rate games, but it lacks any VRR support. Also, it's not a good choice for dark room gaming because it has a low native contrast ratio, and the full-array local dimming feature is mediocre.
- Excellent motion handling.
- Low input lag with 1080p and 4k signals.
- Full HDMI 2.1 bandwidth.
- Low native contrast ratio.
- Mediocre full-array local dimming feature.
- Input lag increases with 8k content.
The LG NANO99 is okay for watching HDR movies, but it's not as good as other high-end TVs. It has a low contrast ratio that makes blacks look gray, and the local dimming feature doesn't improve the picture quality in dark scenes. It also causes too much blooming around bright objects, and it doesn't get bright enough to make highlights pop. Also, it doesn't display a wide color gamut in HDR, so it doesn't display a wide range of colors like on other TVs.
- Removes 24p judder from any source.
- Low native contrast ratio.
- Mediocre full-array local dimming feature.
- Poor black uniformity with noticeable blooming.
- Doesn't make highlights pop in HDR.
The LG NanoCell 99 Series is good for HDR gaming. It supports full bandwidth HDMI 2.1 so you can play high-frame-rate games, and it has low input lag with 4k games, but not 8k. It also has smooth motion handling, thanks to its quick response time. However, it lacks VRR support, and HDR content doesn't look good because it has a low contrast ratio and doesn't get bright in HDR either.
- Excellent motion handling.
- Low input lag with 1080p and 4k signals.
- Full HDMI 2.1 bandwidth.
- Low native contrast ratio.
- Poor black uniformity with noticeable blooming.
- Doesn't make highlights pop in HDR.
The LG NANO99 is great to use as a PC monitor. The 8k resolution and proper chroma 4:4:4 help produce crisp images, but it has high input lag with 8k signals, so you'll need to use a 4k resolution for a responsive desktop experience. It also has wide viewing angles, great if you sit close to the screen, and the reflection handling is great. However, our unit has uniformity issues visible when using it as a PC monitor, but this can vary between units.
- Good peak brightness and great reflection handling.
- Wide viewing angles.
- Low input lag with 1080p and 4k signals.
- Full HDMI 2.1 bandwidth.
- Uniformity issues with dark vertical bands on our unit.
- Input lag increases with 8k content.
Changelog
- Updated Sep 26, 2025: We uploaded the latest brightness measurements and uniformity photos for the Accelerated Longevity Test.
- Updated Jul 08, 2025: We uploaded the latest brightness measurements and uniformity photos for the Accelerated Longevity Test.
- Updated Apr 17, 2025: We uploaded the latest brightness measurements and uniformity photos for the Accelerated Longevity Test.
- Updated Feb 11, 2025: We uploaded the latest brightness measurements and uniformity photos for the Accelerated Longevity Test.
Check Price
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the 65 inch LG NANO99, which is also available in 75 and 86 inch sizes, and our results are valid for both sizes. It's only available in the United States, and even though there's a LG NANO96 model available in Europe that uses the same processor, it has a different speaker configuration and a different stand. While all of our results aren't valid for that model, we don't expect the picture quality to be much different.
Keep in mind that it has the same name and similar model code as the LG NANO99 8k 2020. You can tell the difference between them by looking at the suffix to the model codes; the 2020 version ends in UNA, while the 2021 finishes with UPA.
| Size | US Model |
|---|---|
| 65" | 65NANO99UPA |
| 75" | 75NANO99UPA |
| 86" | 86NANO99UPA |
If someone comes across a different type of panel or if their LG NANO99 doesn't correspond to our review, let us know and we'll update the review. Note that some tests, like gray uniformity, may vary between units.
Our unit of the NANO99 was manufactured in June 2021; you can see the label here.
Popular TV Comparisons
The LG NanoCell 99 Series is a good 8k TV that improves in a few areas over the LG NANO99 8k 2020, like with local dimming. However, considering its mediocre dark room performance, lack of VRR support, and the fact that 8k content is still pretty rare, you can easily get a 4k TV for cheaper and take full advantage of it.
Also see our recommendations for the best QLED TVs, the best LG TVs, and the best 65 inch TVs.
The LG QNED99 8k and the LG NANO99 8k 2021 are both good 8k TVs. They use the same IPS panel type with wide viewing angles, so they each have a low contrast ratio. However, the QNED99 performs better in dark rooms because its Mini LED local dimming feature causes less blooming, and improves the contrast ratio a lot more. The QNED99 also gets much brighter, especially in HDR, and it displays a wider color gamut. The QNED99 also has a flicker-free backlight, which the NANO99 2021 doesn't have. Other than a few differences in the backlighting, each TV is similar, and they have many of the same features.
The Sony X90J and the LG NANO99 8k 2021 are different types of LED TVs. The Sony is a 4k TV with a VA panel that produces deeper blacks and has better local dimming, while the LG has a higher 8k resolution and the IPS panel has wider viewing angles. The Sony is a better choice for well-lit rooms because it gets much brighter, and even though its reflection handling isn't as good, it's still decent. They each have HDMI 2.1 bandwidth support, but the Sony supports VRR, which the LG doesn't.
The Samsung QN90A is much better overall than the LG NANO99 8k 2021, but they have a few different features. The Samsung is a 4k TV with a VA panel and Mini LED backlighting that makes it get brighter, display deeper blacks, and have a better local dimming feature. The LG has a higher 8k resolution, and even though it has an IPS panel, its viewing angles aren't much better than those on the Samsung because of Samsung's 'Ultra Viewing Angle' technology. They each support HDMI 2.1 bandwidth and have 120Hz panels, but the Samsung has VRR support. The Samsung is also better for HDR because it displays a wider color gamut and has higher HDR peak brightness.
The Samsung QN800A 8k QLED is better than the LG NANO99 8k 2021, but there are a few differences between them. The Samsung has a VA panel with a much better contrast ratio, but the local dimming feature is worse than the LG because there's intense blooming. On the other hand, the LG has an IPS panel with wider viewing angles, even if the Samsung has viewing angle technology to improve it a bit. The Samsung uses Mini LED technology that allows it to get much brighter, and it has better reflection handling. The Samsung has more gaming features, like VRR support and lower input lag with an 8k resolution, but the IPS panel on the LG has less black smearing with fast-moving objects. Even though they're both 8k TVs, the LG does a better job at displaying native 8k content because it doesn't have any dithering like on the Samsung.
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
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
for pictures & test results
