Looking for a TV at a specific price point and not dedicated to the style or interface of one particular manufacturer? We can help with that too. Check our lists of the best TVs under $500 and the best TVs under $1,000.
UJ6300
The UJ6300 is the gateway to LG’s 4K TV line-up, but even as a relatively affordable and simple-looking option, it offers above-average screen performance. Color accuracy and viewing angle are great out of the box, and brightness is also decent overall — though if you’re planning on viewing the TV in direct sunlight you may want to spring for a better-lit option. We thought the TV shows a noticeably brighter picture when showing high dynamic range (HDR) content, which also helps with overall contrast.
Gamers will love that input lag is very low, especially when the TV is in Game Mode, which makes playing those first-person shooters that much easier. In terms of connectivity, the UJ6300 comes with three HDMI ports and LG’s WebOS system, a simple visual interface that offers one of our favorite Smart TV experiences.
UJ7700
The big brother of the UJ6300 brings a couple of desirable features to the table, offers a sleeker bezel design, and includes LG’s magic motion remote. The former means that the UJ7700 will look better in your living room, and the latter will let you control your TV in much the same way you used a Wii: point-and-click. The edge-lit TV does offer local dimming, but there aren’t very many zones, which can lead to some grey splotches in areas that should be black when the TV is viewed in a dark room. Despite slight back-lighting stumbles, the UJ7700 does have better HDR performance than the UJ6300 model, providing a better-looking picture overall.
SJ8500
LG’s Super UHD line, including the SJ8500, slims down noticeably from more-affordable models, with an extremely thin profile and much trimmer bezels that make it positively gorgeous on your wall. The SJ8500 features 4 HDMI inputs and increased brightness and color gamut from lower-tiered models, though we have the same general gripes about local dimming as we did with the UJ7700 model. The key reasons to consider the SJ8500 are improved design and color performance, both of which are markedly better than you can find on cheaper LG models.
OLED (LG C7 and LG E7 Series)
We picked two different LG OLED TV models with two different looks for one key reason: Aside from the the design cues and sound quality differences, both the C7 and E7 models (and all LG OLED TVs in this model year) produce the exact same picture quality, because they all have the exact same panels and processing. That’s a good thing, in this case, because LG’s current OLEDs are the best that money can buy. They’re better than the finest plasmas ever made — and than any other LCD/LED TVs on the market today.
If you’ve got the dough and are looking to choose between screens, choosing a model really depends on what you’re after: The E7 is the flashier TV overall, with a picture-on-glass design, and it has forward-facing speakers for better sound. The C7 has a pedestal that lets you place it on smaller entertainment stands, and though slightly less showy than the E7, will still show off the same stunning picture.
Here’s our take: Unless you’re a total design nut, we’d go for the most affordable option — and spend the difference on a great soundbar.
