The LG UP8000 is an entry-level budget 4k TV. It replaces 2020's LG UN7300 and UN8500, and like its predecessors, it also uses an ADS panel, which performs much like an IPS panel. This type of panel has wide viewing angles, making it a great choice for a wide seating arrangement, but it's not a good choice for a dark room, as it has low contrast and no local dimming feature to improve dark room performance. Unfortunately, it doesn't get very bright, so it struggles to combat intense glare, and it's certainly not bright enough to deliver a satisfying HDR experience. It can't display a wide color gamut, either, so vivid colors appear dull and muted in some HDR content. It has a good response time, so motion in sports or games looks clear; however, its 120Hz backlight flicker causes some image duplication. Lastly, while it has incredibly low input lag, its refresh rate is limited to 60Hz, and it doesn't support any advanced gaming features, like variable refresh rates or HDMI 2.1 bandwidth.
Our Verdict
The LG UP8000 is an okay TV overall. It's best suited for a wide seating arrangement in a moderately-lit room because it has wide viewing angles but low contrast. It's decent for watching sports due to its good response time, but there's some motion duplication caused by its 120Hz backlight flicker. It has a low input lag so that gaming feels responsive; however, the refresh rate is only 60Hz, and it lacks variable refresh rate support to reduce screen tearing. Unfortunately, it's mediocre for watching movies in a dark room because it has a low contrast ratio and no local dimming. It can't display a wide color gamut and doesn't get bright enough for a true cinematic HDR experience.
- Good viewing angles.
- Good response time.
- Excellent smart interface.
- Sub-par contrast.
- No local dimming.
- Can't overcome intense glare.
The LG UP8000 is mediocre for watching movies in a dark room. It has a low contrast ratio and mediocre black uniformity, so blacks look gray in a dark room, and there's no local dimming feature to improve dark room performance. It also stutters a bit due to its relatively fast response time. It upscales low-resolution content well, though, and it can remove judder from all sources.
- Removes judder from all sources.
- Upscales low resolution content without any artifacts.
- Sub-par contrast.
- No local dimming.
The LG UP8000 is good for watching TV shows in a bright room. It has wide viewing angles, so the image remains accurate when viewing from the side, which is great if you like walking around while watching TV. It handles reflections well, but it doesn't get very bright, so it's best suited to a moderately lit room. It upscales lower resolution content well without any artifacts, and its webOS smart interface is user-friendly, with tons of apps available.
- Good viewing angles.
- Excellent smart interface.
- Upscales low resolution content without any artifacts.
- Can't overcome intense glare.
- Struggles with direct reflections.
The LG UP8000 is decent for watching sports. It has wide viewing angles, which is great for watching a game with a group of people, or if you have a wide seating arrangement. While its reflection handling is good, it doesn't get very bright, so it can't overcome glare in bright rooms. It has a good response time, but its 120Hz backlight flicker can cause image duplication. It has decent gray uniformity, but there's a bit of dirty screen effect, distracting when watching sports.
- Good viewing angles.
- Good response time.
- Upscales low resolution content without any artifacts.
- Can't overcome intense glare.
- Struggles with direct reflections.
The LG UP8000 is okay for gaming. While it has incredibly low input lag and good response times, it's limited to a 60Hz refresh rate, and it doesn't support any advanced gaming features like variable refresh rates or HDMI 2.1 bandwidth. It's not the best for gaming in the dark because it has a low contrast ratio that makes blacks appear gray and doesn't have a local dimming feature to improve dark room performance. It's also not ideal for well-lit rooms because it doesn't get very bright.
- Low input lag.
- Good response time.
- Supports Auto Low Latency Mode.
- Sub-par contrast.
- No local dimming.
- No variable refresh rate support.
The LG UP8000 is sub-par for watching movies in HDR. It has a low contrast ratio and no local dimming, so blacks look gray when viewed in the dark. On top of that, it can't display a wide color gamut, so vivid colors look dull and muted, and it doesn't get bright enough to make highlights pop the way the content creator intended. On the upside, it can remove judder from any source.
- Removes judder from all sources.
- Sub-par contrast.
- No local dimming.
- Can't display a wide color gamut.
- Low HDR brightness.
The LG UP8000 is okay for gaming in HDR. It has incredibly low input lag and good response times, but the refresh rate is limited to 60Hz, and it doesn't support any advanced gaming features like variable refresh rate. As for HDR, it can't display a wide color gamut and doesn't get very bright, so colors look dull and muted and highlights don't pop the way the content creator intended. It has a low contrast ratio and lacks local dimming, resulting in blacks that look gray in the dark.
- Low input lag.
- Good response time.
- Supports Auto Low Latency Mode.
- Sub-par contrast.
- No local dimming.
- No variable refresh rate support.
- Can't display a wide color gamut.
- Low HDR brightness.
The LG UP8000 is great for use as a PC monitor. It has low input lag and fast response times to deliver a smooth and responsive desktop experience. It supports most common resolutions and can display chroma 4:4:4 properly, which helps with text clarity. It has wide viewing angles, so the image remains uniform at the sides when sitting up close. It handles reflections well, but it doesn't get very bright, so it can't overcome glare in bright rooms.
- Good viewing angles.
- Low input lag.
- Good response time.
- Chroma 4:4:4 is displayed properly.
- Can't overcome intense glare.
- Struggles with direct reflections.
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.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the 65 inch LG 65UP8000PUA. It's also available in a 43, 50, 55, 60, 70, 75, 82, and 86 inch size. The 50, 60, and 70 inch models have a VA panel, and the larger 82 and 86 inch sizes, known as the LG UP8770, have a native 120Hz refresh rate and support HDMI 2.1 bandwidth, so they perform a bit differently from the 43, 55, 65, and 75 inch variants that use ADS (IPS family) panels.
| Size | US Model | Panel Type | Refresh Rate | HDMI Bandwidth |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 43" | 43UP8000PUA | ADS (IPS family) | 60Hz | 2.0 |
| 50" | 50UP8000PUA | VA | 60Hz | 2.0 |
| 55" | 55UP8000PUA | ADS (IPS family) | 60Hz | 2.0 |
| 60" | 60UP8000PUA | VA | 60Hz | 2.0 |
| 65" | 65UP8000PUA | ADS (IPS family) | 60Hz | 2.0 |
| 70" | 70UP8070PUA | VA | 60Hz | 2.0 |
| 75" | 75UP8070PUA | ADS (IPS family) | 60Hz | 2.0 |
| 82" | 82UP8770PUA | ADS (IPS family) | 120Hz | 2.1 |
| 86" | 86UP8770PUA | ADS (IPS family) | 120Hz | 2.1 |
If you come across a different type of panel or your LG UP8000 doesn't correspond to our review, let us know, and we'll update the review.
Our unit was manufactured in March 2021; you can see the label here.
Popular TV Comparisons
The LG UP8000 is an okay budget TV. It's best suited for watching TV shows or use as a PC monitor. Even then, it's not very versatile, as it can't overcome glare in a bright room, and it looks bad in a dark room.
For more options, check out our recommendations for the best budget TVs, the best smart TVs, and the best 4k gaming TVs.
The Samsung AU8000 and LG UP8000 are both okay TVs with different panel types. The Samsung has a much higher contrast because of its VA-type panel, and the LG has wider viewing angles due to its IPS panel type. The Samsung is a better choice to use in well-lit rooms because it has better reflection handling and gets brighter, but it's still not enough to truly fight glare. On the other hand, gamers should appreciate the LG's quicker response time for smoother motion. It also supports 1440p, which the Samsung doesn't.
The LG UP8000 and the Sony X80J are very similar IPS TVs. The only notable differences between them are that the X80J can display a wide color gamut for HDR, gets a bit brighter, and has better response times. It also has a flicker-free backlight, making it a good choice for people sensitive to backlight flicker.
The Hisense H8G is better than the LG UP8000 for most uses, mainly because it has a significantly higher contrast ratio and full-array local dimming; this means it can display much deeper blacks. It also has a better color gamut and gets a lot brighter in SDR and HDR. However, the LG has better viewing angles, making it more ideal for wide seating areas. Although both TVs score similarly for response time, the Hisense delivers clearer motion because its backlight flickers at a much higher frequency, which causes less image duplication, and has an optional Black Frame Insertion feature to further improve clarity.
The LG UP8000 and the Samsung TU8000 are similar despite having different panel types. The LG uses an ADS panel that performs like an IPS panel, while the Samsung uses a VA panel. This means that the LG has much wider viewing angles but isn't as well-suited for dark rooms as the Samsung. Likewise, the LG has a better total response time, but it stutters more than the Samsung in low frame rate content. Unfortunately, neither TV is good for HDR because they can't display a wide color gamut and don't get very bright in HDR.
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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