Our Verdict
Very good TV for a wide range of usages. The TV is best suited for bright rooms with wide seating, as it can get bright to combat glare and has great reflection handling. Image remains accurate when viewed at an angle which is great. Picture quality in a dark room is sub-par as the full-array local dimming isn't enough to make up for the low native contrast ratio. Input lag is very low and motion handling is good, so the TV feels responsive for gaming or PC use.
- Image remains accurate when viewed at an angle
- Feels very responsive for gaming
- Can produce bright highlights
- Blacks appear gray in a dark room
Decent for watching movies in a dark room. Full-array local dimming helps to alleviate the poor native contrast ratio but blacks still appear gray or details are crushed in dark scenes. The TV can display 24p movies from most sources without judder which is great.
Great for watching TV shows in a bright room. The LG SK 9000 can get bright in SDR to combat glare, and reflection handling is great. Image also remains accurate when viewed from an angle, which is good for those with wide seating. The smart platform works well for casual browsing or finding content on Netflix and YouTube.
Great for watching sports in a bright room. Image remains accurate when viewed at an angle which is great for gatherings for an important game. The response time is fast, which is great for displaying fast motion without much of a trail. The screen can get bright to overcome glare, and anti-reflective coating works great.
Great for gamers. Input lag is very low, so games feel responsive. The response time is excellent, resulting in only a short blur trail behind fast-paced content. The LG SK9000 can also flicker the image to clear up fast motion, and the picture quality is good in a room with some light.
Decent choice for watching HDR movies in a dark room. Contrast ratio is low so blacks appear gray, even with full-array local dimming. The TV can produce bright and saturated highlights. It supports both HDR10 and Dolby Vision.
Great for HDR gaming. Picture quality is good, but low contrast ratio results in dark scenes that appear gray or washed out in a dark room. Input lag is low and response time is excellent so the TV feels very responsive even in fast action sequences. The TV can produce bright and saturated highlights in HDR.
Great for use as a monitor. The colors remain accurate at an angle, which is great for viewing the sides of the screen from up close. Supports chroma 4:4:4 for clear text across all backgrounds. Input lag and fast response time are low, so the TV feels responsive and movement is clear.
Changelog
- Updated May 21, 2020: Converted to Test Bench 1.5.
- Updated Feb 21, 2020: Converted to Test Bench 1.4.
- Updated Feb 28, 2019: Converted to Test Bench 1.3.
- Updated Apr 20, 2018: Review published.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the 55" SK9000 (55SK9000PUA). In the U.S. the SK8500 has been renamed to the SK9000, but in other regions, it is still known as the SK8500. We expect our results to be valid for both model numbers (LG 55SK9000PUA and LG 65SK9000PUA) and for the 49" model that is not available in the U.S.
If someone comes across a different type of panel or their LG SK9000 doesn't correspond to our review, let us know and we will update the review.
| Size | US Model | Alternative Name | EU Model |
| 49" | N/A | 49SK8500PLA | |
| 55" | 55SK9000PUA | 55SK9000 | 55SK8500PLA |
| 65" | 65SK9000PUA | 65SK9000 | 65SK8500PLA |
Popular TV Comparisons
The LG SK9000 offers good performance for most viewing habits but is especially suited for bright rooms. See our recommendations for the best 4k TVs and the best TVs.
The LG SK9000 is better than the LG SK8000. The LG SK9000 can get brighter, so it's more suitable if you have a bright room, but also has better local dimming and better black uniformity which make it a slightly better option for darker rooms too. The SK9000 has better performance when displaying HDR content. On the other hand, the LG SK8000 has a better response time and better gray uniformity which make it a slightly better choice if you're a sports fan.
The LG SK9000 is a better choice if you're going to watch TV from the side, as it has better viewing angles. The Sony X900F is better for directly in front seating arrangements. The LG SK9000 has better input lag and better black frame insertion (BFI), which make it slightly better for gaming and can be attractive to gamers. The Sony X900F has better contrast and local dimming, and much better black uniformity so it can display deeper blacks that improve picture quality in a dark room and make it a much better TV for movies. The Sony also has a faster response time and better gray uniformity that make it a marginally better choice for sports fans.
If you've got a room with wide seating and several light sources, then the LG SK9000 is a better choice as it has better viewing angles and better reflection handling. Although its local dimming algorithm is better than the Samsung's, it can't display deep blacks in a dark room due to the IPS panel. So for a dark room with seating directly in front, the Samsung NU8000 is a better choice. The better contrast ratio and black uniformity allow for deeper blacks and offer a better movie experience. Also, the Samsung NU8000 is equipped with the FreeSync variable refresh rate technology to eliminate tearing when you play video games.
These two TVs have different types of panels. The LG SK9000 has an IPS panel and is a better choice if you're going to watch TV from the side, as it has wider viewing angles. If you'll be sitting straight in front, the Samsung Q7FN/Q7/Q7F QLED 2018 can get brighter to fight bright room glare and can display deeper and more uniform blacks in a dark room, thanks to the higher contrast ratio and better black uniformity. The Q7FN has better gray uniformity, and it's a little better for watching sports.
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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