LG NANO866 Review • Outperforms most budget LED models (2023)

LG NANO866is a 4K LED TV from the LG NanoCell range.It displays good picture quality with accurate color reproduction, but is not as great when viewed in a dark room.

The NANO866 has an average contrast ratio and poor black uniformity, and the local dimming function leaves much to be desired.At the same time, the TV, based on an ISP panel, offers a wide viewing angle and perfectly copes with glare, providing a comfortable viewing in a bright room.It has a fast response, however, in dynamic scenes, the effect of frame duplication may appear.

We also note the low latency of the NANO866 incoming signal.

Functional rating

(on a 10-point scale)

Overall Viewing Quality7.3
LG NANO866 is well suited for a variety of uses.Its best feature is its performance as a gaming or computer monitor, thanks to its low input signal latency and fast response time.Obviously, the NANO866 is not the most ideal TV for viewing in a darkened room due to its low contrast ratio, low black uniformity and ambiguous local dimming performance.However, the undoubted advantages of this model include a wide viewing angle and good peak brightness, which will allow you to enjoy the games of your favorite team with a large circle of friends.

Movies6.4
Demonstration of films is not the strongest point of LG NANO866.This TV has a low contrast ratio, which is inherent in IPS-type panels, and we also have comments on screen uniformity.Unfortunately, the local dimming function does not do a very good job of rendering dark scenes, allowing light from bright objects to spill over into adjacent areas.However, the NANO866 does a great job of transforming low-resolution videos like old Blu-ray discs into images that are virtually indistinguishable from the original 4K quality.

TV programs7.9
LG NANO866 provides excellent TV viewing experience.The TV does an excellent job with glare and has a decent peak brightness as well as a wide viewing angle.Unfortunately, we noticed some screen irregularity, showing up in darker edges closer to the bezel.The advantages of NANO866 can also be attributed to the excellent scaling of low-format programs from cable channels to quality close to 4K.

Sports programs7.7
Sports programs look good on the LG NANO866 screen.It has a fast response time, however, in scenes with fast moving objects, the effect of duplicate frames can appear.The TV does an excellent job of reducing glare and provides a comfortable viewing experience in a Friends campaign thanks to its large viewing angle.Unfortunately, we noticed the effect of a dirty screen in its center, which can distract from the sporting spectacle itself.

Video Games8.0
LG NANO866 is a great choice for gamers.The TV has a short input latency, fast response, and for better reproduction of dynamic scenes there is a black frame insertion function.However, games in a darkened room look less impressive due to low contrast ratios and poor black uniformity.

HDR6.3movies
The NANO866 does not boast brilliant HDR movie quality.Although the TV supports a wide color gamut, it lacks the brightness to fully reproduce the visual effects of this format.Poor black uniformity and poor local dimming performance will reduce the viewing experience in a dark room.HDR formats supported include HDR10 and Dolby Vision.

HDR7.5Games
LG NANO866 is well suited for gaming in this format due to its high performance, namely short input latency and fast response.However, the HDR quality itself is far from the best.The screen is not bright enough to reproduce the visual effects of this format, which is especially noticeable when played back in dark environments.

Use as PC monitor8.3
LG NANO866 perfectly plays the role of a computer monitor.Its short input latency provides instant response to user input, and its wide viewing angle makes it a great demonstration display for office meetings.Support for Chroma 4: 4: 4 technology means that the text on this TV is reproduced in high definition.You also don’t have to worry about static UI elements as the NANO866 doesn’t run the risk of pixel burnout.

Market positioning

LG NANO866 is positioned as a budget model of the NanoCell line.In the hierarchy of this series, it is located between LG NANO90 and LG NANO81 and is a replacement for last year’sLG SM8600TV.The main competitors are Samsung QLED Q60T andSony XH80 models.

Design

Style8.5
LG NANO866 TV is made in a sleek modern style, but nothing special stands out.It rests on an elegant center pillar, just like theLG SM8600.When wall-mounted, the NANO866 thin panel looks great.

The stand firmly holds the TV, however, when exposed to external influences, it sways noticeably.

The back panel is a smooth plastic surface with a slot for connectors.No means for neat cable routing are provided.The bezel around the screen is very thin (0.9 cm) and invisible.

The case is quite thin (5.5 cm), which is a step up from theSM8600, and is perfect for wall mounting.

Build quality7.0
The build quality of the TV is generally good.We’re not happy with the inexpensive plastic used throughout the entire body.In addition, when exposed, it can deform.The assembly is nevertheless solid and without gaps.

Image quality

Contrast6.8

NANO866 has a good contrast ratio.Usually this parameter is a weak point of IPS panels, but in this case this indicator turned out to be above average and at a level close to the more expensive LG SM9500.However, when viewed in a darkened room, black looks more like a gray, and even the local dimming function does not help.

Local dimming function1.5
The function, unfortunately, is not doing its job.This is especially noticeable in dark scenes – when a bright object moves across the screen, the light from it noticeably shimmers into neighboring areas.Moving the local dimming setting to a medium level reduces this effect, but does not completely eliminate it.

Peak Luminance SDR6.6
NANO866 demonstrates good peak brightness in SDR format.It is, however, not enough to withstand good lighting and is unstable when displaying small and bright objects.
If you want to achieve the maximum brightness of the image, regardless of its accuracy, then set the screen mode to “Bright” and the brightness and contrast settings to maximum.

Peak brightness format HDR5.9
The NANO866’s peak HDR brightness is disappointing as it is not enough to showcase the effects of this format.Moreover, it is not the same for different kinds of content.

Gray uniformity7.3

The gray uniformity in NANO866 is not bad.The pattern is noticeably darker around the edges, and there is a slight dirty screen effect in the center, which can be distracting when watching sports.

Viewing angle7.4
The NANO866 has a good viewing angle, which is expected from an IPS panel.Of course, there are TVs of the same type that surpass this model in this parameter.However, the NANO866 has a better viewing angle than many other LGsiblings, including theSM8600.
The image here retains its good quality when you deviate from the center position, which makes this model excellent for viewing with friends or loved ones.

Black uniformity5.1
Black uniformity in NANO866 is weak.A clear light leak is observed in all corners of the screen.The local dimming function is unable to remedy the situation and creates its own “pattern” of heterogeneity in the form of a light strip in the center of the screen.

Glare8.4
The NANO866 handles glare very well.Viewing is comfortable in moderate lighting conditions, but in a light-flooded room, reflections from the screen can be distracting.

Colors7.7
TV NANO866 copes well with the transmission of a wide color gamut.It has an impressive DCI-P3 coverage rate used in most HDR movies, but compliance with the higher Rec.2020 standard is average.

Left: Coverage DCI-P3 xy – 84.67%, DCI-P3 uv – 90.77%Right: Coverage REC 2020 xy – 62.56%, REC 2020 uv – 70.90%

The EOTF curve deviates from the centerline all along.Its starting position indicates that most scenes appear brighter than they really should be.
If HDR seems too dark for you, set the dynamic contrast ratio to a high level and the brightness and contrast to maximum.

Color volume6.8
The color volume in NANO866 is not bad.Low contrast ratios make the TV unable to reproduce deep and rich dark colors well.In this respect, NANO866 is very similar toLG SM8600.

Gradient7.2

The NANO866 demonstrates a good gradient pattern.In the dark areas of the template, fluctuations are noticeable, and they are also seen in the real image.Turning on the Smooth Gradation feature helps to eliminate them.

Temporary image retention and risk of screen burn-in10
No signs of temporary image retention were found even immediately after a 10 minute test with a high contrast static pattern.There is also no risk of screen burn-in.

Response time7.2
The NANO866 demonstrates a good response time.The trail behind fast-moving objects is barely noticeable, although some may experience the distracting effect of duplicate frames in fast-moving scenes.

Screen Flicker4.0
The NANO866 uses PWM to dim the backlight.It flickers at 120Hz in all screen modes.However, when a computer is connected, if the TV is not in game mode, it increases to 240Hz.

Insert black frame10
NANO866 has a black frame insert function to reduce motion blur.To enable it, you must activate the Motion Pro setting in the User menu of the TruMotion function.

Frame interpolation
The NANO866 is capable of increasing video frequency up to 60Hz by interpolating frames, which creates the so-called soap opera effect and improves the transmission of dynamic scenes.The function works well in a real image, except for frames with very intense movement, where some artifacts may occur.
To enable frame interpolation, select the User setting in the TruMotion menu and set both De-Judder and De-Blur scales to their maximum value.

Image Twitch Effect7.8
Although the TV has a fast response time, this effect is practically not observed, especially when watching video at 60 frames per second.

Jitter effect in 24fps video10
The NANO866 is capable of removing jitter from low frequency video from any source.This is a step up from theLG SM8600, which couldn’t handle a 60i signal at 24 frames per second.
To eliminate this effect, you need to activate the “Real Cinema” setting in the picture parameters.

Variable refresh rate
NANO866 uses HDMI Forum VRR technology, but we do not have the technical ability to test it yet.Another VRR technology – FreeSync – is not yet supported, but it is expected to appear with the next firmware update.

Input Delay8.6
NANO866 has a very short input signal latency at a natural frequency of 120Hz.However, at 60Hz it is higher and may not suit some serious gamers.
The TV also features an automatic ALLM game mode, saving you the hassle of manual adjustments every time you play a game.To activate it, turn on the “Instant in-game response” setting.

Connections

In our testing, we were unable to get a 4K / 120Hz signal to the screen, whatever settings we tried.

Video and audio format support

The NANO866 supports eARC technology, which means the TV can send Dolby Atmos surround sound to an AV receiver.To do this, you need to activate the eARC setting in the sound parameters.Sorry, 2020 LG TVs have discontinued DTS decoding.

Sound quality

Frequency response6.6
NANO866 has a good frequency response.The TV volume is quite high with balanced mids and highs, but deep bass is not heard.The sound quality in NANO866 is much better than inLG SM8600.

Distortion of incoming audio6.6
The total harmonic distortion is small.Its level is minimal at medium volume, but at high volume it increases noticeably.

Smart features

Platform Interface8.5
The webOS platform is simple and easy to use.We didn’t find any glitches.

Advertising presence 0
Unfortunately, there are advertisements on the TV screen that appear from time to time.

Apps and features8.0
The platform catalog offers a wide range of applications.There is a function of transferring images from a mobile device to the TV screen.

Control panel9.0

The NANO866 uses the same Magic remote control as other LG TVs and can act as a pointer. It has a built-in microphone for receiving voice commands such as changing the signal source, searching for content in applications, displaying weather information on the screen. The remote control can also be used to control other devices that do not even comply with the CEC standard

Comparison with other TVs

Top left:LG SM 8600; bottom left:LG SM 9000; center:LG NANO866; top right:Sasmung QLED Q 70 R; bottom right:the Samsung QLED the Q 60 T.

Conclusion

The LG NANO866 TV is a step up from its predecessor, theLG SM8600.It also outperforms many budget LED models on the market.