The LG UN6950 is an okay entry-level 4k TV with limited features. Part of LG's 2020 lineup, it's their lowest 4k model and appears to be exclusive to Walmart. We bought and tested the 50 inch model, which has a VA panel, but most of the other sizes use IPS panels. We expect them to have much better viewing angles, but worse contrast. The model we bought has great contrast, so blacks look black in a dark room, but it lacks a local dimming feature. It has a good response time and low input lag, but it lacks any advanced gaming features like HDMI 2.1 or variable refresh rate support, so it's just decent for gaming. It has mediocre peak brightness in SDR and decent reflection handling, so glare can still be an issue in a bright room. Sadly, HDR content doesn't look good because it can't display a wide color gamut and doesn't get bright enough to truly bring out highlights.
Our Verdict
The LG UN6950 is an overall okay TV. The 50 inch TV's VA panel has a great contrast ratio, so the TV displays deep blacks. It's good for gaming because of its quick response time and low input lag, but the backlight's flicker may cause duplication in motion. Sadly, it lacks many extra features like local dimming and variable refresh rate (VRR) technology. It doesn't get bright enough to combat glare, and its reflection handling is just decent. Lastly, it has narrow viewing angles, so it isn't suggested for watching TV with a large group of people.
- Great contrast ratio.
- Good response time.
- Incredibly low input lag.
- Doesn't get very bright.
- Can't display a wide color gamut.
- Narrow viewing angles.
The LG UN6950 is alright for watching movies. The VA panel on the 50 and 60 models has great contrast and displays deep blacks, but it lacks a local dimming feature and has uniformity issues. Unfortunately, the other sizes likely have worse contrast. It upscales lower-resolution content well and removes judder from 24p sources, like native apps. Even though it has a fast response time, lower frame rate content doesn't stutter much.
- Great contrast ratio.
- Removes judder from native 24p sources.
- No local dimming.
- Noticeable backlight bleed.
The LG UN6950 is decent for watching TV shows. It performs best in dim rooms because it doesn't get very bright and reflections from direct sunlight may be too distracting. Unfortunately, the 50 inch model we bought has narrow viewing angles, so that size isn't suggested for wide seating arrangements, but some of the other sizes have IPS panels and should look better at an angle. It upscales 720p and 1080p content, like from cable boxes or apps, without any issues.
- Upscales lower-resolution content well.
- Ton of apps available to download on WebOS.
- Doesn't get very bright.
- Narrow viewing angles.
The LG UN6950 is reasonable for watching sports. Fast-moving content doesn't have much motion blur because it has a quick response time, but its 120Hz flicker leads to duplication in motion. It's not a good choice for bright rooms because it doesn't get very bright and its reflection handling isn't the best. The 50 inch model we bought has narrow viewing angles, so that size isn't suggested for wide seating arrangements, but some of the other sizes have IPS panels and should look better at an angle.
- Good response time.
- 120Hz flickers causes duplication in motion.
- Narrow viewing angles.
The LG UN6950 is a decent TV for playing video games. It has outstanding low input lag, for a responsive gaming experience, and it features an Auto Low Latency Mode, so you don't have to worry about switching modes when you start gaming. Although it has a good overall response time, but the backlight isn't flicker-free, causing noticeable duplications in fast-moving objects. It also doesn't support any advanced gaming features, like HDMI 2.1 or variable refresh rates.
- Great contrast ratio.
- Good response time.
- Incredibly low input lag.
- No VRR.
- 120Hz flickers causes duplication in motion.
The LG UN6950 is mediocre for watching HDR movies. This TV can't display a wide color gamut for HDR content, and it doesn't get very bright in that mode, so HDR content doesn't look all that different from SDR content. Even though the 50 and 60 inch models have an impressive contrast ratio, they lack a local dimming feature, and it has some uniformity issues. Note that the other sizes use a different panel and likely have a much worse contrast.
- Great contrast ratio.
- Doesn't get very bright.
- Can't display a wide color gamut.
- No local dimming.
The LG UN6950 is decent for HDR gaming, mainly due to its good gaming performance. It has a really low input lag and quick response time, but it doesn't have any extra gaming features like VRR support. Even though this TV supports HDR10, HDR content doesn't look all that different from SDR content because it can't display a wide color gamut and doesn't get bright enough to truly bring out highlights.
- Great contrast ratio.
- Good response time.
- Incredibly low input lag.
- Doesn't get very bright.
- Can't display a wide color gamut.
- No local dimming.
The LG UN6950 is a decent choice if you want to use it as a PC monitor. It displays proper chroma 4:4:4, which is important for reading text, and it has a really low input lag. Sadly, the 50 inch model we bought has narrow viewing angles, so the edges of the screen may appear darker if you sit too close. Some of the other sizes have IPS panels and should look better at an angle. It also doesn't perform the best in bright rooms because it doesn't get bright and reflections in really bright rooms may be too distracting.
- Incredibly low input lag.
- Displays chroma 4:4:4.
- Doesn't get very bright.
- Narrow viewing angles.
Changelog
- Updated Sep 02, 2021: There was a mistake in the stutter calculation.
- Updated Aug 09, 2021: Updated review for accuracy and clarity.
- Updated Mar 01, 2021: We previously indicated that 1440p is supported natively. It isn't; it requires a forced resolution.
- Updated Mar 01, 2021: Converted to Test Bench 1.6.
Check Price
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the 50 inch LG UN6950 (50UN6950ZUF) and we expect our results to be valid for the 60 inch model sold in Canada (60UN6951ZUA). There's a Black Friday model sold as the LG UN6970. All other variants are expected to have an IPS panel, providing wider viewing angles but a lower contrast ratio; you can see the differences below.
| Size | Panel | US | Black Friday Code | Canada |
| 43" | IPS | 43UN6950ZUA | - | 43UN6951ZUA |
| 50" | VA | 50UN6950ZUF | - | 50UN6951ZUF |
| 55" | IPS | 55UN6950ZUA | - | 55UN6951ZUA |
| 60" | VA | - | - | 60UN6951ZUA |
|
65" |
IPS | 65UN6950ZUA | - | 65UN6951ZUA |
| 75" | IPS | 75UN6950ZUA | 75UN6970PUD | - |
If someone comes across a different type of panel or if their UN6950 doesn't correspond to our review, let us know and we'll update the review. Note that some tests, like gray uniformity and contrast, may vary between individual units. At the time of writing, it appears to be only available at Walmart, so if you see it somewhere else, let us know in the discussions.
The unit we reviewed was manufactured in July 2020 and you can see the label here.
Popular TV Comparisons
The LG UN6950 is a cheap TV that should satisfy most casual gamers or people looking for an inexpensive option for watching movies in the dark. Unlike most TVs we've seen, it's available with both IPS panels or VA panels, so you should get the size and panel that suits your needs best. If you're willing to spend a bit more money, there are better budget-friendly options, like the TCL 6 Series/R625 2019.
Also see our recommendations for the best small TVs, the best smart TVs, and the best budget TVs.
The LG UN6950 is slightly better than the LG UN6970, but the units we tested have different panel types. The 50 inch UN6950 has a VA panel with a much better contrast ratio. It also has much better black uniformity and there's less stutter. However, the UN6970 has an IPS panel with wide viewing angles and it has better out-of-the-box color accuracy, but this may vary between units.
The LG UN6950 and the LG UN7000 that we tested have different panel types, although both come in either VA or IPS panels, depending on the size. The 50 inch UN6950 has a VA panel, displaying deep blacks. It also gets brighter in SDR, it has better gradient handling, a quicker response time, and it properly displays 4k content. However, the 55 inch UN7000 we reviewed has an IPS panel that provides much wider viewing angles, and it has better out-of-the-box color accuracy.
The LG UN7300 is slightly better overall than the LG UN6950. Both TVs are available with IPS or VA panels, depending on the size. The UN7300 we tested has an IPS panel, and the UN6950 we tested has a VA panel, so the contrast and viewing angles differ on which panel you get. The UN7300 has much better reflection handling, color accuracy, and it comes with LG's Magic Remote. However, the UN6950 has a quicker response time and lower input lag.
The LG UN6950 is slightly better than the Toshiba Fire TV 2020. The LG has much better color accuracy, it has a lower input lag, it has better gradient handling, and it removes 24p judder. On the other side, the Toshiba handles reflections better, it gets slightly brighter, and it has a slightly quicker response time.
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
for pictures & test results
