Compare LG G6 vs Sony Bravia 9 II

Across movies, sports, games, SDR, and HDR, the G6 delivers a brilliant, cinematic image with deep blacks, rich color, and strong detail. Most criticism centers on firmware-specific flaws rather than the core panel.

Picture quality earns near-universal praise for its blend of brightness, color, detail, contrast and Sony’s restrained processing.

Built-in sound is fuller and bassier than the G5 and adequate for everyday TV, but it falls well short of the picture quality and usually deserves a soundbar.

Built-in sound is unusually strong for a TV, with impressive scale, clarity and immersion. Bass depth and ultimate refinement remain the main reasons to add external audio.

Inky blacks, precise highlights, and cinematic depth make the G6 superb for lights-off movie viewing.

Dark-room movie performance is strong and cinematic, but opinions become more qualified when compared directly with OLED’s perfect blacks.

Fast response, extremely low input lag, four full-bandwidth HDMI ports, and rich HDR make the G6 an elite gaming TV across consoles and PCs.

Gaming performance is mixed. Console play can look excellent with low lag and strong HDR, but limited HDMI 2.1 connectivity and weaker high-refresh motion keep it from class-leading status.

AI Sound Pro adds noticeably more bass punch and warmth than the G5. The low end can still turn soft, tubby, or underpowered in demanding movie soundtracks.

Bass is the weakest part of an otherwise strong audio system. It has useful punch for a TV, but several accounts wanted more depth or found an external subwoofer transformative.

Per-pixel OLED dimming precisely separates stars and highlights from black backgrounds without blooming.

Local dimming is highly effective and a major reason blacks and contrast look so strong for an LCD. Rare flares and off-axis blooming remain the main caveats.

The tandem OLED implementation delivers the cinematic blacks, depth, and color that make OLED especially compelling for movies.

Sony’s True RGB implementation is widely praised as one of the most convincing RGB-backlit LCD designs yet. The technology still carries LCD limits such as blooming and imperfect blacks.

DTS passthrough over eARC is missing, forcing disc users to route compatible players directly through an external audio system.

Audio passthrough is marred by a reported eARC bug that can prevent sound from reaching compatible external gear correctly.

Dithering and dark-scene noise are greatly reduced, and DVD grain is usually preserved. Compressed HDR can still reveal flicker or temporal noise.

Noise handling is strong, preserving a sharp image without adding distracting noisy artifacts.

Color is usually natural, vivid, and highly accurate out of the box, particularly in Filmmaker Mode. Some samples showed green tint, warm magenta, or firmware-related saturation errors.

Color is usually accurate, natural and well balanced, including convincing skin tones. A few measurements and modes reveal small deviations, so it is not flawless in every condition.

The G6 reaches exceptional OLED peaks, often around 2500–3100 nits and higher in tiny highlights. Measurements vary by mode and firmware, but brightness is a major strength.

Peak brightness is a flagship-level strength, giving HDR highlights and bright-room viewing exceptional headroom.

Perfect OLED blacks beside intense highlights create exceptional depth and punch. This remains a standout advantage in both dark and bright rooms.

Contrast is excellent for an LCD, producing deep blacks and strong image depth. It still cannot equal OLED’s per-pixel contrast in every dark-room scene.

High full-screen brightness and excellent anti-reflection treatment make this one of the strongest OLEDs for bright living rooms without sacrificing deep blacks.

Bright-room viewing is one of the TV’s clearest advantages. Huge light output and the anti-reflective screen keep the picture readable, colorful and punchy in daylight.

Small highlights are intensely bright and full-screen HDR output is substantially stronger than before. Some firmware versions undertracked real scenes despite excellent test-pattern results.

HDR brightness is extraordinary, reaching several thousand nits while preserving impactful highlights and strong full-screen output.

Full-screen HDR brightness around the mid-400-nit range is a meaningful OLED upgrade, improving sports, bright scenes, and room-light performance.

Brightness can remain extremely high for sustained periods; one test held near 4,000 nits for several minutes.

Most modes are well balanced after proper setup, but some samples show green, pink, or warm magenta tint, especially off-axis or in selected scenes.

Out-of-box grayscale and white-balance behavior is solid, providing a good foundation for accurate picture modes.

Audio can spread beyond the screen with decent directionality, yet it often remains contained and lacks the scale of stronger built-in systems.

The soundstage is broad, tall and spatially convincing, with effects extending beyond the screen and good positional precision.

Filmmaker Mode can look natural and reference-like, especially after firmware fixes. Sample-to-sample tint and changing HDR tracking caused some inconsistent early results.

Image accuracy is one of the TV’s signature strengths, especially in Professional mode, with natural color and reference-like tonal balance. A few mode-specific quirks keep it from perfection.

The combination of bright highlights, deep blacks, broad color, and fine detail creates spectacular HDR. Firmware and Dolby Vision inconsistencies prevent completely uniform results.

HDR is a defining strength, combining intense highlights, wide color and disciplined tone reproduction rather than brightness for its own sake.

Fast sports and movie movement is generally excellent. Default processing can look heavy-handed, but better-tuned modes restore natural motion.

Motion handling is mostly strong and natural, but there is genuine disagreement: some testing found blur, noise or poor motion behavior in specific modes and games.

Measured latency is consistently extremely low, often below one frame and dropping further at 120Hz or 165Hz.

Input lag is generally low and responsive in the proper game mode, making controller response suitable for mainstream gaming.

OLED pixel response is nearly instantaneous, producing crisp motion and exceptionally responsive gaming.

One test found unusually poor pixel response and backlight speed at high refresh rates, a serious weakness for demanding gaming.

PC gaming reaches up to 165Hz, while consoles are exceptionally well served at 120Hz. The maximum 165Hz mode can trade some gradation and chroma quality for speed.

One demanding gaming test found 120Hz motion response notably weak, making the TV less appealing for high-refresh competitive play.

All four HDMI ports support modern high-bandwidth gaming, avoiding the two-port limitation found on many rivals.

Only two HDMI 2.1 ports is a recurring frustration, especially because one also serves as eARC and can leave multi-console setups short on bandwidth.

The native 120Hz panel extends to 165Hz with compatible PCs, providing excellent flexibility for gaming.

The native refresh rate tops out at 120Hz, which is sufficient for consoles but trails newer 144Hz and 165Hz competitors.

Large banner ads occupy a substantial portion of the webOS home screen. Some promotions can be disabled, but the space cannot be removed entirely.

Apps Only mode can provide a notably clean, clutter-free home screen for buyers who want to avoid advertising.

Cinematic Movement can add useful smoothness without obvious artifacts, while stronger settings may hesitate or create an artificial look.

Cinema Motion can create an artificial soap-opera or uncanny effect, so disabling it may produce a more natural film presentation.

The Magic Remote’s pointer can be genuinely useful, but many versions feel light, plasticky, and unworthy of an expensive flagship.

The premium remote is well liked for its rechargeable battery, backlighting and solid everyday usability.

AI Sound Pro can produce sufficient or improved loudness, yet other tests found the speakers too quiet until pushed near their upper range.

The built-in speakers can play at cinematically high levels without immediately losing composure.

Near-instant OLED response makes 24p stutter visible, especially on larger screens; light TruMotion can smooth it at the risk of some soap-opera effect.

Stutter is a real weak point for some viewers, with multiple sources noticing micro-stutter or choppy motion in certain material.

Rear channels and clips can keep wiring tidy, but the permanently attached power cord and cable-length requirements complicate concealed installations.

The Mirage Stand hides routed cables extremely effectively, helping the TV keep a clean, floating appearance.

AI Concierge can surface useful suggestions, but several tests found the recommendations too limited or unremarkable to become a regular feature.

Google TV’s recommendation rails can feel poorly matched, with at least one suggested-content row showing little connection to the title it referenced.

Game Optimizer is feature-rich and responsive, but firmware-dependent HGiG, color, and high-refresh accuracy issues keep it from being flawless.

Game mode is responsive and can look excellent, particularly with PlayStation 5, even though the TV is not the strongest option for every kind of gamer.

Pushing the volume introduces slight distortion, and action scenes can sound sluggish rather than clean and forceful.

Distortion is generally well controlled, especially at normal levels, but it can become more noticeable when the TV is pushed very loud.

Per-pixel OLED lighting eliminates the halos and bloom associated with backlit TVs, preserving clean high-contrast edges.

Blooming control is strong from a central seat and often close to invisible in normal content. Haloing becomes easier to see off-axis or in especially difficult high-contrast scenes.

The tested panel showed no visible dirty-screen effect on full-field gray slides.

Screen cleanliness is strong, with minimal dirty-screen effect noted on full-field test patterns.

The sturdy, height-adjustable pedestal works well with soundbars where included. Several wall-mount variants omit a stand entirely, creating extra cost for tabletop users.

The Mirage Stand is a design highlight: attractive, easy to assemble and unusually effective at making the screen appear to float while concealing cables.

The flat Gallery chassis and included zero-gap or slim mounts create an especially clean, picture-like wall installation.

The flat rear panel allows a neat wall-mounted installation that should sit close to the wall.

The new processing pipeline produces exceptionally smooth HDR10 gradients and greatly reduces the G5’s banding. Very dark compressed material and some Dolby Vision scenes can still expose artifacts.

Color banding is generally well controlled, with smooth transitions and only limited issues in demanding material.

The Alpha 11 Gen 3 processor improves gradation, clarity, and detail, but low-quality sources can trigger ringing or aggressive smoothing that erases fine texture.

Sony’s image processing is a major strength, producing natural, refined images and strong cleanup across a wide range of sources.

Blacks are consistently deep, rich, and precise, even with room lights on. A few tests found mild black crush in the darkest HDR scenes.

Black levels are unusually deep for an LCD and can look impressively OLED-like head-on. OLED still has the edge in the darkest rooms, and some modes or angles expose the backlight more clearly.

Cinematic Movement controls panning judder effectively without strongly exaggerating the soap-opera effect, though some smoothing is needed.

Film cadence can be handled smoothly with the right setting, preserving proper 24p pans without unnecessary judder.

The glossy anti-reflection coating suppresses glare extremely well while preserving image depth, contrast, and saturated color.

Glare resistance is exceptional and repeatedly singled out as one of the best anti-glare implementations on a premium TV.

Off-axis viewing is generally excellent, though extreme seats can reveal a green or pink shift on white objects.

Viewing angles are better than most LCD TVs, often retaining color and contrast well from the side. Blooming and some color shift still become more visible at wider angles.

Good DVDs and HD sources can look crisp and detailed, but heavily compressed broadcasts expose ringing, artifacts, and inconsistent processing.

Lower-resolution sources are cleaned up impressively, often looking detailed and natural without excessive artificial sharpening.

Rich, bright color is one of the G6’s defining strengths, with bold highlights retaining impressive saturation and realism.

Color volume is a major strength: bright colors retain richness at luminance levels that conventional LCD and many OLED sets struggle to match.

Complex color transitions are exceptionally smooth and among the best seen on OLED. Only heavily compressed or Dolby Vision material occasionally reveals residual issues.

Gradients are usually smooth and clean, with strong 10-bit handling and very little visible posterization in difficult scenes.

DVD and HD material often gains crisp texture and careful detail, especially from cleaner sources. The weakest compressed broadcasts can still expose overprocessing.

Upscaling is among the TV’s strongest processing tricks, making HD and even DVD material look cleaner without obvious over-sharpening.

Uniformity is very good overall, with clean gray fields and strong sports performance. One sample showed minor edge tint and faint dark vertical streaks.

Screen uniformity is excellent, with very even full-field performance and minimal dirty-screen effect.

Reflections are greatly reduced without using a matte finish, so the screen keeps glossy depth and strong black retention. A faint magenta tint can appear in reflected light.

Reflection handling is outstanding in bright rooms, dramatically diffusing direct light. Matte-screen preferences are more mixed in dark dedicated theaters.

Filmmaker Mode and Calman support can deliver reference-grade accuracy with extensive adjustment. One firmware version’s broken HDR color controls created a notable exception.

Professional mode is the strongest starting point for accurate viewing, while the other presets give useful flexibility for brighter or punchier presentation.

Game Optimizer provides quick, customizable access to frame rate, VRR status, genre presets, black level, HGiG, and latency controls.

The on-screen game bar is useful and well liked, putting key gaming controls within easy reach.

The revised layout is cleaner for some users, yet missing backlighting, charging, and a straightforward source button keeps it from feeling fully premium.

Remote layout is mixed: the basic arrangement is friendly and intuitive, but the oversized Sony Pictures Core emphasis drew criticism.

Sports and games look smooth, responsive, and largely free of ghosting or obvious artifacts.

Fast motion can remain clear and easy to follow, with strong visibility in quick gaming sequences.

FreeSync, G-Sync, and HDMI VRR work smoothly up to very high frame rates, with only the usual OLED flicker possible in some static game scenes.

VRR works well alongside 4K/120Hz and helps keep fast console gaming smooth.

Speech is generally clear, natural, and separated from background effects, though the warmer tuning can make some male voices sound slightly bass-heavy.

Dialogue is consistently clear and well positioned on screen, even with busy soundtracks. Some voices can sound a little harder than on Sony’s OLED models.

Dark-scene texture is often excellent and preserved without raising blacks. A few firmware versions and challenging scenes showed mild crush or required a small Near Black adjustment.

Shadow detail is handled very well, keeping subtle near-black information visible without washing out the image.

ALLM is part of the G6’s complete gaming toolkit and helps consoles switch into responsive play automatically.

ALLM complements 4K/120Hz and VRR well, making automatic low-latency switching useful for console play.

The panel covers virtually all DCI-P3 and a strong portion of Rec.2020, producing broad HDR color. A few comparisons found slightly less high-brightness coverage than rival QD-OLEDs.

The True RGB backlight delivers an exceptionally wide color gamut, with BT.2020 coverage and saturated HDR colors among the TV’s standout strengths.

Four capable HDMI inputs provide ample room for consoles, PCs, and external media devices.

Four total HDMI inputs are convenient for mixed setups with consoles, audio gear and other sources.

The heavy metal pedestal is consistently described as reassuringly sturdy.

The stand feels sturdy once installed and combines stability with effective cable concealment.

The hardware is widely regarded as excellent, but launch firmware varied across units and introduced inconsistent HDR, Dolby Vision, and processing behavior. Later updates fixed many of those problems.

A handful of software and connection problems—including HDMI handshakes, eARC and Dolby Vision issues—raise some reliability concerns despite updates resolving at least one problem.

DTS decoding and passthrough are completely absent, a recurring drawback for Blu-ray collections and external audio setups.

DTS:X playback helps produce a very large, immersive soundstage and is a meaningful plus for movie audio.

HDR gaming can run at 4K/144Hz on compatible hardware, giving high-end PC players plenty of headroom.

The 120Hz ceiling is a limitation for high-end PC gaming, with rivals already offering 144Hz or 165Hz at 4K.

eARC is available for connecting a soundbar or receiver, though it cannot pass DTS.

eARC functionality is weakened by a reported bug that prevented correct sound output to compatible devices during testing.

Dolby Vision can look excellent and improved substantially after firmware updates, but early units showed serious near-black artifacts. Dolby Vision 2 is also absent.

Dolby Vision support has a notable caveat: one detailed test found a processing-related picture bug on certain Dolby Vision material.

HDR10+ remains unsupported, leaving Dolby Vision, HDR10, and HLG as the main formats.

HDR10+ is absent, but one assessment found Sony’s HDR10 tone mapping good enough that the missing format was not missed in practice.

Traditional TV functions include useful recording and time-shifting, but the US tuner remains ATSC 1.0 rather than the newer ATSC 3.0 standard.

The ATSC 3.0 tuner is useful for high-quality over-the-air event TV and sports without relying on a paid streaming service.

Stand or wall-mount installation is generally straightforward, although one 5GHz Wi-Fi issue made initial software setup painfully slow.

Setup is notably straightforward, including quick Google Home configuration and an easy physical stand installation.

Performance is genuinely flagship-level, but launch pricing is difficult to justify while the discounted G5 and cheaper C6/C6H deliver much of the experience.

Value is the biggest sticking point. The flagship price is difficult to justify against cheaper OLEDs and the Bravia 7 II, though a few comparisons felt the performance gains could merit the premium.

Dolby Atmos FlexConnect is a promising way to add wireless surround speakers and use the TV within a larger audio system.

The up-firing beam tweeters give Dolby Atmos playback more height and immersion than most built-in TV systems manage.

Console gaming is exceptionally well covered at 4K/120Hz, including Dolby Vision on compatible systems. Image fidelity is generally strongest at 120Hz rather than pushing the optional 165Hz mode.

4K/120Hz works well for current-generation console gaming, especially alongside VRR and ALLM.

Four capable HDMI inputs and a broad gaming feature set make the G6 a first-rate 4K gaming display.

The TV handles 4K console gaming well, with 120fps, VRR and ALLM forming a strong current-gen feature set.

Apple AirPlay 2 works alongside Google Cast to make wireless sharing flexible across device ecosystems.

AirPlay is a welcome convenience and was specifically called out as a useful addition.

Built-in Google Cast and AirPlay provide broad, convenient wireless sharing.

Built-in casting is a useful part of the Google TV experience and helps make everyday streaming straightforward.

Google Cast is built in and works as part of a versatile wireless streaming setup.

Chromecast adds convenient local streaming and contributes to the TV’s easy everyday smart-TV experience.

Full-bandwidth HDMI 2.1 across every input supports the G6’s comprehensive gaming feature set.

HDMI 2.1 features materially improve gaming, enabling the high-bandwidth modes expected from a modern flagship console setup.

The tandem panel reaches up to 83 inches, giving big-screen buyers access to the flagship picture technology.

The size range has an odd gap: the absence of a 98-inch version was specifically criticized on a flagship offered in very large sizes.

The almost borderless screen creates a clean, floating-picture effect that suits the Gallery design.

The bezel is slim and unobtrusive, keeping the front of the set focused on the picture.

The slim, understated Gallery design looks premium and especially elegant when flush-mounted. Its familiar appearance has changed little, which some consider overdue for a refresh.

The design looks clean and premium, though the thicker RGB Mini-LED cabinet has more visual presence than a slim OLED.

The metal frame and substantial construction feel reassuringly sturdy and appropriately premium.

Build quality feels appropriately premium and sturdy for a flagship TV, with strong fit and finish.

Dynamic tone mapping can reveal shadows and add punch, but several tests found it overbrightened, washed out, or reduced highlight and color nuance. Accuracy is usually best with it disabled.

Sony’s dynamic tone mapping is well judged, preserving highlight detail while making strong use of the panel’s enormous HDR headroom.

Voice ID and queries have potential, but slow responses, limited language support, and inconsistent usefulness weaken the experience.

Voice control was unreliable on one test unit, with voice search failing even though the remote appeared paired.

Wireless results vary by region and unit: Wi-Fi 6E is welcome where included, while Wi-Fi 5 and a reported 5GHz setup failure feel like regressions.

Wi-Fi 6E performance measured strongly, with wireless throughput comfortably high enough for demanding 4K streaming.

webOS is usually intuitive and quick, especially with the pointer remote, though occasional settings-menu sluggishness remains.

The menu layout is generally intuitive and easy to work through once the picture-mode structure is understood.

webOS feels swift and snappy in most use, with only occasional hesitation in deeper settings.

Google TV feels quick and familiar in operation, with responsive navigation during everyday use.

Matter support and compatibility with Thread, Zigbee, Homey, and connected devices make the G6 a capable smart-home hub.

Google Home setup is quick and straightforward, making smart-home integration easy to get running.

webOS 26 remains a fast, customizable, app-rich platform with useful Quick Cards and settings. Ads, account requirements, and uneven AI features are its main drawbacks.

Google TV is capable, stable and easy to use, even if it is not always as slick or personalized as the best rival platforms.

Firmware has already corrected major HDR and Dolby Vision problems, and LG promises years of webOS updates. The messy launch showed how dependent performance can be on software version.

A recent software update reportedly fixed an HDMI handshake problem, showing that at least one early issue was addressed after launch.

webOS offers an excellent app catalog covering major streaming services plus niche platforms such as Crunchyroll and Hidive.

App availability is excellent, with the major streaming services covered and few meaningful gaps.

Major and niche streaming services are widely available and work correctly once the required LG account is active.

Streaming-app support is comprehensive, with the major services present and a broad downloadable library through Google TV.

Accessibility options are extensive and easy to reach, while eye-care features can reduce fatigue during long viewing sessions.

Streaming apps being locked behind an LG account is one of webOS 26’s most disliked changes, with added concern over required data consent.

Color crosstalk can appear in synthetic patterns or isolated UI elements, but it is usually subtle in real content and some testing found it essentially a non-issue.

The second-generation tandem panel improves efficiency while also increasing brightness and color performance.

Nvidia G-Sync compatibility combines with high refresh rates and low latency for excellent PC gaming.

Overall satisfaction is very high, with the TV repeatedly described as outstanding, spectacular or among the best LCD/RGB LED sets available. The strongest reservations center on price and OLED competition.

The four-stack tandem OLED panel combines premium blacks, high brightness, and richly realistic color.

The RGWB subpixel arrangement makes desktop text noticeably clearer, with less fringing and blur than the G5.

Pointer controls, the scroll wheel, and navigation pad make webOS fast to operate, although some buttons require excessive pressure.

Classic screen mirroring joins AirPlay and Chromecast for flexible wireless display sharing.

AI Search can be convenient for simple requests, but broader queries may return slow, inaccurate, or irrelevant results.

A skinny, flat base leaves room for a soundbar without dominating the furniture.

There are three USB ports, but limiting all of them to slow USB 2.0 is disappointing on a flagship.

VRR remains smooth and tear-free up to 4K HDR 165Hz, giving PCs a very wide operating range.

Direct wireless subwoofer and surround-speaker expansion is a useful differentiator, adding much deeper bass and true surround without requiring a soundbar.

The ThinQ app works well as a quick remote, and external streaming devices perform smoothly with the TV.

Ultra-low-latency Bluetooth controller support strengthens the G6’s cloud-gaming credentials.

Opening streaming apps can require consent to transmit data outside the European Economic Area, which privacy-conscious users may dislike.

Voice control and AI search offer broad device and content commands, and some consider LG’s assistant among the best for TV control.

One setup developed a noticeable audio-sync problem with PlayStation and an external Samsung sound system, requiring a Toslink workaround.

GeForce Now can reach 4K/120Hz, and the portal includes several major cloud services. Low-latency controller support makes the feature unusually capable for a TV.

AMD FreeSync support is consistently praised as part of the G6’s complete adaptive-sync package.

A five-year panel warranty on G6 models adds valuable protection beyond LG’s standard one-year coverage.

The attached power cord on at least one size was specifically disliked and reduces flexibility compared with a detachable cable.