G1 vs. QN90A: Which is the Better Gaming TV?

In 2021, LG released the G1 while Samsing released the QN90A. So, which of these television sets is better when it comes to gaming on systems such as the PC, PS5, Xbox Series X, Xbox Series S and Nintendo Switch?

You can find out in this comparison guide between these LG and Samsung televisions.

Quick Summary

When compared to the Samsung QN90A, the LG G1 has a better contrast ratio along with three additional HDMI 2.1 ports. The G1 is also the only one of the two to support Dolby Vision.

On the other hand, the QN90A has a much higher HDR brightness output in addition to slightly lower input lag (although the differences are less than a millisecond).

You can also see how the QN90A compares to the Sony X95J with this guide.

G1 vs. QN90A Comparison Chart

You can take a look at Seeking Tech’s comparison table for the G1 and QN90A below.

Screen Sizes

You can check out the available screen sizes, as well as the associated model numbers, for the two TVs below:

G1:

• 55″ (OLED55G1PUA)
• 65″ (OLED65G1PUA)
• 77″ (OLED77G1PUA)

QN90A:

• 50″ (QN50QN90AAFXZA)
• 55″ (QN55QN90AAFXZA)
• 65″ (QN65QN90AAFXZA)
• 75″ (QN75QN90AAFXZA)
• 85″ (QN85QN90AAFXZA)

HDMI Ports

The G1 comes equipped with four HDMI 2.1 ports, which is three more than the QN90A.

You can check out a breakdown of the HDMI port versions for these 4K televisions below:

• G1:
• HDMI Port #1: HDMI 2.1
• HDMI Port #2: HDMI 2.1
• HDMI Port #3: HDMI 2.1
• HDMI Port #4: HDMI 2.1

QN90A:

• HDMI Port #1: HDMI 2.0
• HDMI Port #2: HDMI 2.0
• HDMI Port #3: HDMI 2.0
• HDMI Port #4: HDMI 2.1

Legacy Consoles Support

The G1 and QN90A comes with a cable/antenna tuner, which means that you should be able to directly connect the NES, Super NES, Master System, Genesis and other similar consoles.

Both of these TVs do not include a composite input. Therefore, you will need a composite-to-HDMI adapter to connect the PlayStation 1, PlayStation 2, Nintendo 64, GameCube, Wii, Sega Saturn, Dreamcast and Xbox.

HDR Features

As for HDR features, the G1 is compatible with the Dolby Vision format of the Xbox Series X and Xbox Series X.

These LG and Samsung TVs both support the common HDR10 format, which is used by the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 4 Pro, Xbox One S, Xbox One X, Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X.

You can find the supported HDR features for both televisions below:

G1:

• Dolby Vision
• HDR10
• HLG
• Wide Color Gamut

QN90A:

• HDR10
• HDR10+
• HLG
• Wide Color Gamut
• Local Dimming

Contrast Ratios

According to testing from RTINGS.com, the QN90A has an okay native contrast ratio at 3,510 to 1 in addition to an excellent contrast ratio at 26,534 to 1 when local dimming is used.

The G1 does have the QB90A beat, however, as the LG television uses an OLED screen that have an infinite to 1 contrast ratio.

HDR Brightness in Game Mode

To properly show off HDR colors, we recommend getting a television that can output at least 500 nits.

According to tests done by RTINGS.com, the G1 can reach 601 hits when playing an HDR-capable videogame by using the LG TV’s game mode settings. However, the QN90A can output more than three times brighter under the same scenario.

You can find RTINGS’ full HDR test results for the G1 and QN90A below:

HDR Real Scene Highlight

• G1: 601 nits
• QN90A: 1,862 nits

HDR Peak 2% Window

• G1: 835 nits
• QN90A: 709 nits

HDR Peak 10% Window

• G1: 811 nits
• QN90A: 1,614 nits

HDR Peak 25% Window

• G1: 420 nits
• QN90A: 1,655 nits

HDR Peak 50% Window

• G1: 289 nits
• QN90A: 1,110 nits

HDR Peak 100% Window

• G1: 168 nits
• QN90A: 757 nits

HDR Sustained 2% Window

• G1: 652 nits
• QN90A: 486 nits

HDR Sustained 10% Window

• G1: 765 nits
• QN90A: 1,062 nits

HDR Sustained 25% Window

• G1: 396 nits
• QN90A: 1,639 nits

HDR Sustained 50% Window

• G1: 274 nits
• QN90A: 1,106 nits

HDR Sustained 100% Window

• G1: 162 nits
• QN90A: 755 nits

HDR ABL

• G1: 0.093
• QN90A: 0.051

Refresh Rate

The G1 and QN90A both have a native refresh rate of 120 Hz, which means that you will be able to play games at 120 frames per second in 1080p, 1440p and 4K resolutions for Microsoft’s Xbox Series S and Xbox Series X.

You will also be able to play games at 120 fps in the 1080p and 4K resolutions with Sony’s PlayStation 5.

Adaptive Sync Support

These LG and Samsung televisions support the following adaptive sync modes:

• FreeSync (for AMD PC graphics cards)
• GSYNC (for NVIDIA PC graphics cards)
• Variable Refresh Rate (PS5, Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S)

Adaptive sync modes are designed to alleviate any stuttering and screen tearing from games that can’t run at a stable frame rate.

Input Lag in Game Mode

For a responsive gaming experiencing, your TV should have input latency that is less than 30 milliseconds. According to test from RTINGS, both the G1 and QN90A are easily well below that upper limit when you use the game mode settings for these television sets.

While the QN90A has lower input lag overall than the G1, the differences are less than 1 millisecond.

You can find RTINGS’ latency test results for the G1 and QN90A below:

1080p resolution and 60 Hz refresh rate (Game Mode Enabled)

• G1: 10.3 ms
• QN90A: 10.1 ms

1080p resolution and 120 Hz refresh rate (Game Mode Enabled)

• G1: 5.7 ms
• QN90A: 5.7 ms

1440p resolution and 60 Hz refresh rate (Game Mode Enabled)

• G1: 10.3 ms
• QN90A: 10.0 ms

1440p resolution and 120 Hz refresh rate (Game Mode Enabled)

• G1: 6.0 ms
• QN90A: 5.9 ms

4K resolution and 60 Hz refresh rate (Game Mode Enabled)

• G1: 10.2 ms
• QN90A: 9.8 ms

4K resolution and 60 Hz refresh rate + 10-bit HDR (Game Mode Enabled)

• G1: 10.3 ms
• QN90A: 9.7 ms

4K resolution and 120 Hz refresh rate (Game Mode Enabled)

• G1: 5.5 ms
• QN90A: 5.3 ms

4K resolution and 60 Hz at 4:4:4

• G1: 10.2 ms
• QN90A: 9.8 ms

1080p resolution and 60 Hz refresh rate (Game Mode Disabled)

• G1: 48.4 ms
• QN90A: 76.8 ms

4K resolution and 60 Hz refresh rate (Game Mode Disabled)

• G1: 48.8 ms
• QN90A: 76.6 ms

4K resolution and 60 Hz refresh rate with Interpolation

• G1: 99.1 ms
• QN90A: 20.8 ms