LG UH5500  TV Review

Review updated Mar 01, 2017 at 06:31am
Tested using Methodology v1.0 

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

LG UH5500

Track

0.0
Mixed Usage 
Value for price beaten by

Not at the latest test bench

0.0
Movies 
Value for price beaten by

Not at the latest test bench

0.0
TV Shows 
Value for price beaten by

Not at the latest test bench

0.0
Sports 
Value for price beaten by

Not at the latest test bench

0.0
Video Games 
Value for price beaten by

Not at the latest test bench

0.0
HDR Movies 
Value for price beaten by

Not at the latest test bench

0.0
HDR Gaming 
Value for price beaten by

Not at the latest test bench

0.0
PC Monitor 
Value for price beaten by

Not at the latest test bench

Track

 0
 TV Settings
Notice: This TVs was replaced by LG LJ5500
The LG UH5500 is a budget 4k LED TV with good picture quality, especially in a dark room. It has good motion handling, and deals with reflections well. Unfortunately it isn't all good, as the input lag is considerably higher than the competition and the screen doesn't get very bright.

Our Verdict

0.0
Mixed Usage 

Better than average TV for a range of usages. The picture quality is good, especially for watching movies in a dark room. Handles reflections very well, which helps to make up for the low peak brightness in a brighter room. Unfortunately the picture quality degrades when viewed at an angle.

Pros
  • Good picture quality
  • Screen finish helps to reduce reflections
Cons
  • Can't get very bright
  • Image loses contrast at an angle
0.0
Movies 

Slightly above average for watching movies in a dark room. Dark scene performance in very good due to high native contrast and great black uniformity. Unfortunately lacks local dimming feature to improve performance further.

0.0
TV Shows 

Above average for watching TV in a brighter room. Picture quality is good, but degrades when viewed at an angle. Can't get very bright to counteract glare, but screen finish is good at dealing with reflections. Smart platform works well for casual viewing.

0.0
Sports 

Good for watching sports. Picture quality is good, but degrades when viewed at an angle. Motion handling is good, with only a little motion blur. Some dirty screen effect is visible in panning shots.

0.0
Video Games 

Picture quality is good. Handles fast motion quite well with some blur. Input lag is quite high, which is bad.

0.0
HDR Movies 

Average for watching HDR movies in a dark room. Picture quality is good, but doesn't support a wider color gamut or high peak brightness to benefit from HDR. Accepts a HDR10 signal. Doesn't feature local dimming to improve dark scene performance.

0.0
HDR Gaming 

Slightly above average for HDR gaming. Accepts a HDR10 signal, but this doesn't improve the picture quality. Doesn't support a high peak brightness of highlights or wide color gamut. Input lag is quite high which is bad. Motion handling is good.

0.0
PC Monitor 

Slightly better than average choice for a PC monitor. Fast motion has a little blur which is good. Supports chroma subsampling at the most demanding resolutions, for clear text. Input lag is quite high which is bad. Picture quality is good but degrades when viewed at an angle.

  • 0.0
    Mixed Usage
  • 0.0
    Movies
  • 0.0
    TV Shows
  • 0.0
    Sports
  • 0.0
    Video Games
  • 0.0
    HDR Movies
  • 0.0
    HDR Gaming
  • 0.0
    PC Monitor
  • Changelog

    1.  Updated Mar 01, 2017: Review published.
    2.  Updated Nov 02, 2016: Our testers have started testing this product.
    3.  Updated Oct 26, 2016: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.

    Check Price

    50"50UH5500
    SEE PRICE
    Amazon.com
    65"65UH5500
    Amazon.com

    Differences Between Sizes And Variants

    We tested the 65" (65UH5500). For the most part, we expect our review to be valid for the 50" (50UH5500).

    If someone comes across a different type of panel or if their LG UH5500 doesn't correspond to our review, let us know and we will update the review.

    Size Model
    50" 50UH5500
    65" 65UH5500

    Popular TV Comparisons

    Comparison picture

    Top left: Vizio D Series 4k 2016 (D50u-D1). Bottom left: Hisense H8C (50H8C). Middle: LG UH5500 (65UH5500). Top right: Sony X700D (XBR55X700D). Bottom right: Samsung KU6300 (UN55KU6300).  Unlike our other photographs, this picture wasn't taken under a controlled environment, so do not draw conclusions from it.

    The LG UH5500 is a budget offering with impressive picture quality, especially for the price. It has especially good dark scene performance, so is hard to beat for those with a dark room. Keep that in mind when viewing our recommendations below.

    How We Test TVs
    How We Test TVs

    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

    Sort:
    RATINGS
    Category:
    All
    Design
    0.0
    Style
    CurvedLockedLocked

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    Stand

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    Back
    Wall MountLockedLocked

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    Borders
    BordersLockedLocked

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    Thickness
    Max ThicknessLockedLocked

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    Picture Quality
    0.0
    Contrast
    Native Contrast
    LockedLock : 1

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    0.0
    Local Dimming
    SAMPLE
    JOIN NOW

    for videos & test results

    LG UH5500 Local Dimming Video Sample
    Local Dimming
    LockedLocked
    Backlight
    LockedLocked

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    0.0
    SDR Peak Brightness
    SDR Real Scene Peak Brightness
    LockedLock cd/m²
    SDR Peak 2% Window
    LockedLock cd/m²
    SDR Peak 10% Window
    LockedLock cd/m²
    SDR Peak 25% Window
    LockedLock cd/m²
    SDR Peak 50% Window
    LockedLock cd/m²
    SDR Peak 100% Window
    LockedLock cd/m²
    SDR Sustained 2% Window
    LockedLock cd/m²
    SDR Sustained 10% Window
    LockedLock cd/m²
    SDR Sustained 25% Window
    LockedLock cd/m²
    SDR Sustained 50% Window
    LockedLock cd/m²
    SDR Sustained 100% Window
    LockedLock cd/m²

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    0.0
    HDR Peak Brightness
    HDR Real Scene Peak Brightness
    LockedLock cd/m²
    HDR Peak 2% Window
    LockedLock cd/m²
    HDR Peak 10% Window
    LockedLock cd/m²
    HDR Peak 25% Window
    LockedLock cd/m²
    HDR Peak 50% Window
    LockedLock cd/m²
    HDR Peak 100% Window
    LockedLock cd/m²
    HDR Sustained 2% Window
    LockedLock cd/m²
    HDR Sustained 10% Window
    LockedLock cd/m²
    HDR Sustained 25% Window
    LockedLock cd/m²
    HDR Sustained 50% Window
    LockedLock cd/m²
    HDR Sustained 100% Window
    LockedLock cd/m²

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    0.0
    Gray Uniformity
    50% Std. Dev.
    LockedLock%
    50% DSE
    LockedLock%

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    0.0
    Viewing Angle
    SAMPLE
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    LG UH5500 Viewing Angle Video Sample
    LCD Type
    LockedLocked
    Color Shift
    LockedLock°
    Brightness
    LockedLock°
    Black Level
    LockedLock°

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    0.0
    Black Uniformity
    Native Std. Dev.
    LockedLock%

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    0.0
    Gradient
    Color Depth
    LockedLock Bit

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    0.0
    Pre Calibration
    White Balance dE
    LockedLock
    Color dE
    LockedLock
    Gamma
    LockedLock

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    0.0
    Post Calibration
    White Balance dE
    LockedLock
    Color dE
    LockedLock
    Gamma
    LockedLock

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    0.0
    480p Input

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    0.0
    720p Input

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    0.0
    1080p Input

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    0.0
    4k Input

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    0.0
    Color Gamut
    Wide Color Gamut
    LockedLocked
    DCI P3 xy
    LockedLock%
    DCI P3 uv
    LockedLock%
    Rec 2020 xy
    LockedLock%
    Rec 2020 uv
    LockedLock%

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    0.0
    Color Volume
    Normalized DCI P3 Coverage
    LockedLock%
    10,000 cd/m² DCI P3 Coverage
    LockedLock%
    Normalized Rec 2020 Coverage
    LockedLock%
    10,000 cd/m² Rec 2020 Coverage
    LockedLock%

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    0.0
    Image Retention
    IR after 0 min recovery
    LockedLock%
    IR after 2 min recovery
    LockedLock%
    IR after 4 min recovery
    LockedLock%
    IR after 6 min recovery
    LockedLock%
    IR after 8 min recovery
    LockedLock%
    IR after 10 min recovery
    LockedLock%
    0.0
    Reflections
    Reflection
    LockedLock%
    Screen Finish
    LockedLocked

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    0.0
    3D
    3D
    LockedLocked
    3D Type
    LockedLocked
    2D to 3D
    LockedLocked

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    Pixels
    TypeLockedLED
    Motion
    0.0
    Motion Blur
    Refresh RateLocked60 Hz
    Response Time
    LockedLock ms
    Overshoot
    LockedLock ms

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    0.0
    Image Flicker
    PWM Dimming Frequency
    LockedLocked
    BFI
    LockedLocked
    BFI Frequency
    LockedLocked
    BFI In Game Mode
    LockedLocked
    0.0
    24p Playback
    Judder-free 24p
    LockedLocked
    Judder-free 24p via 60p
    LockedLocked
    Judder-free 24p via 60i
    LockedLocked

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    0.0
    Motion Interpolation
    Motion Interpolation (30 fps)
    LockedLocked
    Motion Interpolation (60 fps)
    LockedLocked

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    Inputs
    0.0
    Input Lag
    1080p @ 60Hz
    LockedLock ms
    1080p With Interpolation
    LockedLock ms
    1080p @ 60Hz Outside Game Mode
    LockedLock ms
    1080p @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
    LockedLock ms
    4k @ 60Hz
    LockedLock ms
    4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
    LockedLock ms
    4k @ 60Hz + HDR
    LockedLock ms
    4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4 + 8 bit HDR
    LockedN/A

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    0.0
    Supported Resolutions
    ResolutionLocked4k
    1080p @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
    LockedLocked
    1080p @ 120Hz
    LockedLocked
    4k @ 30Hz @ 4:4:4
    LockedLocked
    4k @ 60Hz
    LockedLocked
    4k @ 60Hz @ 4:4:4
    LockedLocked

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    Side Inputs
    Rear Inputs
    Total Inputs
    HDMILockedLocked
    USBLockedLocked
    Digital Optical Audio OutLockedLocked
    Analog Audio Out 3.5mmLockedLocked
    Analog Audio Out RCALockedLocked
    Component InLockedLocked
    Composite InLockedLocked
    Tuner (Cable/Ant)LockedLocked
    EthernetLockedLocked
    DisplayPortLockedLocked
    IR InLockedLocked
    SD/SDHCLockedLocked
    Inputs Specifications
    HDR10
    LockedLocked
    5.1 Passthrough ARC Dolby Digital
    LockedLocked
    Dolby Vision
    LockedLocked
    5.1 Passthrough ARC DTS
    LockedLocked
    5.1 Passthrough Optical Dolby Digital
    LockedLocked
    5.1 Passthrough Optical DTS
    LockedLocked
    HDMI 2.0 Full BandwidthLockedLocked
    ARCLockedLocked
    USB 3LockedLocked
    HDCP 2.2LockedLocked
    CECLockedLocked
    MHLLockedLocked
    Variable Analog Audio OutLockedLocked
    Sound Quality
    0.0
    Frequency Response
    Std. Dev. @ 70
    LockedLock dB SPL
    Std. Dev. @ 80
    LockedLock dB SPL
    Std. Dev. @ Max
    LockedLock dB SPL
    Max
    LockedLock dB SPL
    Low-end Cutoff
    LockedLock Hz

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    0.0
    Total Harmonic Distortion
    Distortion @ 70
    LockedLock
    Distortion @ 80
    LockedLock
    Distortion @ Max
    LockedLock

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    Smart Features
    Apps

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    0.0
    Interface
    Smart OSLockedLocked

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    0.0
    Ads
    Ad-free
    LockedLocked
    Opt-out
    LockedLocked
    TV Controls

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    Remote
    RemoteLockedLocked

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    In The Box

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    Misc
    Power ConsumptionLockedLock W
    Power Consumption (Max)LockedLock W
    FirmwareLockedLocked