The LG SM9500 is a good UHD IPS TV with good picture quality and impressive motion handling. It can get very bright in SDR and has excellent reflection handling, suitable for bright rooms with plenty of light. The contrast ratio is mediocre, as expected from an IPS TV, and the local dimming is bad at improving the dark scene performance in a dark room. It has a wide color gamut, can get very bright in HDR, and can display rich colors and bright highlights. The gray uniformity is mediocre and the noticeable dirty screen effect might bother demanding sports fans, but the viewing angles are good and the image remains accurate when viewed from the side. The SM9500 has a very low input lag, even for the most demanding gamers, and the response time is very fast so that fast motion has only a minimal blur trail.
Our Verdict
The LG 65SM9500 is a good TV for mixed usage. It has excellent reflection handling, can get very bright, and has wide viewing angles, so it's a great choice for large bright rooms where people might be watching from the side. It has a fast response time and motion is crisp to please sports fans. The SM9500 has a very low input lag, great for gaming, but can only deliver decent dark room performance, which will disappoint movie fans.
- Can get very bright.
- Image remains accurate at an angle.
- Very low input lag.
- Blacks look gray in a dark room.
The LG SM9500 is a decent TV for watching movies. Unfortunately, it does not have a high native contrast ratio and its poor black uniformity and the poor local dimming feature don't help much. Therefore, blacks tend to look gray in a dark room and this hurts the overall picture quality in a dark room. It can play movies judder-free from most sources and has a motion interpolation feature to please the soap opera effect fans.
The LG SM9500 is a great TV for watching TV shows. It has excellent reflection handling and a remarkable SDR brightness so you can easily place it in a very bright room. Also, you can move around when you casually watch your favorite TV show, and the image will remain accurate thanks to the wide viewing angles. Cable content is upscaled well and the TV has motion interpolation for those who enjoy the soap opera effect.
The LG 65SM9500PUA is a very good TV for watching sports. It has excellent reflection handling and a very fast response time that only leaves a small blur trail behind fast-moving content. Unfortunately, the gray uniformity is only mediocre and there is some dirty screen effect that might bother demanding sports fans. On the upside, the image remains accurate when viewed from the side so you can invite a group of friends to watch the big game, without worrying who will sit on the side.
This is a great TV for playing video games. It has a remarkably low input lag and feels very responsive. Gamers will also appreciate the fast response time that only leaves a small blur trail in fast-moving content. The SM9500 also supports HDMI Forum VRR for a nearly tear-free gaming experience, but currently, this is only supported on the Xbox One.
This is a decent TV for watching HDR movies. The TV has a wide color gamut, can get very bright in HDR and can display a vivid image with bright highlights. HDR content on this TV looks best in a dim room where blacks don't matter as much. When viewed in a dark room, blacks tend to look like gray due to the TV's poor dark room performance.
This is a very good TV for playing HDR games mainly due to its low input lag and fast response time. If you play HDR games in a dim room where deep blacks are not that important, then you will enjoy a great HDR gaming experience. Unfortunately, the low contrast ratio and poor local dimming don't allow for deep blacks in a dark room.
This is a great TV for use as a PC monitor. It has a very low input lag and a very fast response time. When you move the mouse, the arrow on the screen responds instantaneously and you won't see much blur. The SM9500 can display proper chroma 4:4:4: so text looks crisp. As an IPS panel, the SM9500 doesn't have the risk of permanent burn-in but there is some temporary image retention.
Changelog
- Updated Nov 27, 2020: We've retested the input lag and supported resolutions with an HDMI 2.1 source and the latest firmware version 05.00.02.
- Updated Jul 27, 2020: Retested the VRR range.
- Updated May 21, 2020: Converted to Test Bench 1.5.
- Updated Feb 21, 2020: Converted to Test Bench 1.4.
Check Price
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the 65" (65SM9500), the only size available at the moment in the U.S. In Europe, the SM9500 is known as the SM9800 (SM98). Other than minor regional differences (especially inputs), we expect them to perform the same.
If someone comes across a different type of panel or if their LG 65SM9500 doesn't correspond to our review, let us know and we will update the review.
| Size | US Model | EU Model |
| 55" | N/A | 55SM9800PLA |
| 65" | 65SM9500PUA | 65SM9800PLA |
The LG 65SM9500 we reviewed was manufactured in March 2019.
Popular TV Comparisons
The LG SM9500 offers good performance for most viewing habits and is very well-suited for bright rooms. See our recommendations for the best TVs and the best smart TVs.
The LG SM9500 and the Vizio P Series Quantum 2018 have different panels, each with their advantages and disadvantages. The LG has an IPS panel and is more suitable if you have a large room with a wide seating arrangement and prefer to watch TV in a dim or a bright room, as its dark room performance is just decent. The Vizio, on the other hand, is more suitable if you watch TV in a dark room, as it can deliver excellent dark room performance, but you must sit straight in front to enjoy the most accurate image.
The Sony X850F is marginally better than the LG SM9500. The Sony has better gray uniformity, which is great if you're a sports fan. The X850F is also flicker-free, which is important for those that are bothered by flicker. The SM9500, on the other hand, can get brighter and is suitable for a very bright room. The LG has a local dimming feature that can provide some improvement with the appearance of blacks in a dark room. The LG also has a lower input lag, which is good news to gamers, but also shows some signs of temporary image retention.
The Samsung Q70R and the LG SM9500 use different panel technologies, each with their strengths and weaknesses. The Q70R is a better choice for watching in a dark room thanks to its exceptional contrast ratio and black uniformity. The SM9500 looks better in a brighter room and has wide viewing angles, so it's better for watching sports during the day with a large group of friends. The SM9500 is also a bit more future-proof, as it has 4 HDMI 2.1 ports, and it supports eARC.
The two TVs have different panels, but the Samsung Q80R has the 'Ultra Viewing Angle' technology that allows it to display wider viewing angles than typical VA panel TVs at the expense of a lower contrast ratio. For most uses, the Samsung Q80R is a much better TV than the LG SM9500. The Q80R has excellent dark room performance with deep blacks thanks to its effective local dimming support. Also, the image on the Q80R remains accurate for fairly large angles. The LG SM9500 still has wider viewing angles, so it's more suitable if viewing angles are the main concern. In most other cases, the Q80R is the better choice.
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
