LG QNED 86-Inch Class evo AI QNED85A Series 86" 2025 Review

The LG QNED85A is a bright, colorful 86-inch Mini-LED TV that comes with a killer soundbar. Its picture quality for sports and movies is top-tier, but HDR and gaming performance are just okay. For under $3,000, it's a compelling package for a bright living room home theater. Just don't expect it to be the best at everything.

Let's talk about what you're actually getting here. The LG QNED85A is an 86-inch Mini-LED TV that's trying to be the centerpiece of your living room without costing as much as a new car. It's LG's pitch for a premium home theater experience, and it comes with a flagship 9.1.5 channel soundbar right in the box. That's a big deal—you're getting a complete audio-visual package from day one.

This TV is built for people who want a massive screen for movies and sports, and who don't want to piecemeal a sound system. The Mini-LED backlight with individual dimming zones is the tech that's supposed to get you close to OLED's perfect blacks without the risk of burn-in. It's interesting because LG, the king of OLED, is putting serious weight behind its QNED line for these giant screen sizes.

If you're looking at an 86-inch TV, you're not shopping for a casual bedroom set. You're committing to a statement piece. This one makes that statement with brightness and color volume, aiming to fill a big, bright room with a vivid picture. Just know going in that it's a specialist, not an all-rounder.

The numbers tell a clear story. Our database puts its picture quality in the 94th percentile, which is outstanding. That means for sheer brightness and color pop, it's beating almost everything else out there. The Mini-LED dimming does a great job making colors look brilliant and highlights punchy, especially in a room with some ambient light. Sports and fast-moving content look smooth, which tracks with its high score in that category.

But the benchmarks also show some clear trade-offs. The HDR performance sits in the 33rd percentile, which is surprising for a Mini-LED TV. This suggests that while it gets very bright, it might not have the fine-grained local dimming or the absolute black level control to make high-contrast HDR scenes truly sing like the best-in-class models. The audio, despite the included premium soundbar, only scores in the 36th percentile. That tells us the built-in processing and integration might not be as refined as a dedicated, high-end separates system, even if the hardware specs look great on paper.

At around $2,728, the value proposition is pretty straightforward: you're paying for size and brightness. An 86-inch OLED from LG would cost you thousands more, so this QNED model is how you get a giant screen without a giant budget. Throwing in a $1,000+ soundbar makes the deal even sweeter on paper.

You have to look at what you're sacrificing for that price, though. Compared to a similarly priced 85-inch Sony BRAVIA 5 Mini-LED, you might be giving up some processing finesse and smart TV polish. But you're getting a bigger screen and that bundled audio. It's a trade-off. For the home theater enthusiast on a budget who values impact over absolute reference quality, this package can make a lot of sense.

The most direct competitor is the Sony BRAVIA 5 in an 85-inch size. Sony's strength is its processing—its Cognitive Processor XR does a better job with upscaling lower-quality content and managing HDR highlights and shadows. You'll likely get a more refined, cinematic picture from the Sony, but you won't get a free high-end soundbar, and it might cost a bit more. The Sony also typically has a better smart TV interface (Google TV).

Then there's the OLED question. If you're in a dark room, an 83-inch LG OLED evo G5 will destroy this QNED on contrast and perfect blacks. But it'll be significantly more expensive, not as bright, and you'd have to add your own sound system. For a bright living room, the QNED's brightness wins. Also, don't ignore value brands like Hisense's U6 series or TCL's QM8. They'll offer similar Mini-LED tech in smaller sizes for much less money, but you won't find this 86-inch size, and the build quality, processing, and included audio won't be in the same league.

Serious gamers should steer clear. With a gaming score in the 37th percentile, this TV almost certainly misses the high refresh rates, variable refresh rate, and ultra-low input lag that modern consoles and PCs demand. Look for a TV with a dedicated 'Game Mode' and HDMI 2.1 features instead.

Videophiles who watch exclusively in a dark room should also skip. The TV's strength is brightness, not perfect blacks. In a dark setting, the limited contrast and potential for backlight blooming will be more noticeable. You'd be much happier with an OLED, even if it's a smaller screen size. The same goes for anyone who prioritizes a slick, fast smart TV interface—the low score here means you'll be dealing with laggy menus, so a Google TV or Roku device might be a necessary add-on.

Buy the LG QNED85A if your primary use is watching movies, sports, and streaming TV in a medium to bright living room, and you want a massive screen with a great out-of-the-box audio solution. It's a fantastic 'plug and play' home theater upgrade that minimizes setup hassle. The bright, colorful picture is its party trick.

Skip it and look at a Sony BRAVIA 5 if you're a videophile who cares deeply about HDR precision, shadow detail, and upscaling. Also, hardcore gamers should avoid this TV—the low gaming percentile means it's missing key features. If you watch mostly in a pitch-black room, the superior contrast of an OLED, even a smaller one, will provide a more immersive experience. This TV is for the bright-room crowd.