LG 43-Inch UHD Smart TV: Review, Specs & More

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LG 43-Inch UHD Smart TV: Review, Specs & More

Hey guys! Are you in the market for a new TV that won't break the bank but still delivers a fantastic viewing experience? Then, let's dive deep into the LG 43-inch UHD Smart TV! This television is packed with features and offers excellent value for its price point. We'll explore everything from picture quality to smart capabilities and help you decide if it's the right fit for your needs. Let's get started!

Unboxing and First Impressions

So, you've just bought your brand new LG 43-inch UHD Smart TV. What's next? Well, the unboxing experience is pretty straightforward. Inside the box, you'll find the TV itself, the remote control, a power cable, and some basic documentation. The setup is incredibly simple; even if you're not tech-savvy, you should be able to get it up and running in no time. The TV is lightweight and easy to handle, making it manageable for one person to set up, though having a friend help is always a good idea. Once you plug it in and turn it on, you'll be greeted by LG's webOS smart TV interface, which is clean, intuitive, and easy to navigate. Right off the bat, the picture looks vibrant, and the colors pop. The initial impression is that this TV punches well above its weight class in terms of visual quality. It’s sleek design also ensures that it will fit seamlessly into any living room or bedroom setup, providing an immediate aesthetic upgrade. The bezels are slim, which maximizes the screen real estate and provides a more immersive viewing experience. Setting up the Wi-Fi is also a breeze, allowing you to quickly connect to your home network and start exploring the vast world of streaming content. Overall, the initial setup is a positive experience that leaves you excited to dive deeper into what this TV has to offer. This is especially important because a seamless start sets the tone for your entire interaction with the device. A complicated or frustrating setup can sour the experience, but LG has clearly focused on making this process as user-friendly as possible.

Picture Quality: UHD and More

Let's talk about what really matters: picture quality. The LG 43-inch UHD Smart TV boasts a 4K UHD (3840 x 2160) resolution, which means you're getting four times the detail of a Full HD TV. This translates to incredibly sharp and clear images, especially when watching 4K content. The TV also supports HDR (High Dynamic Range), enhancing the contrast and color accuracy. This brings out details in the shadows and highlights, making the picture more realistic and vibrant. LG's Active HDR technology further optimizes HDR content scene by scene, ensuring you always get the best possible picture. The viewing angles are pretty decent, too, so you don't have to be sitting directly in front of the TV to enjoy a good image. However, like most LED TVs, the picture quality does degrade slightly at extreme angles. Color accuracy is another strong point of this TV. Colors are generally accurate and well-saturated, making everything from nature documentaries to animated movies look stunning. While it may not match the color accuracy of higher-end OLED TVs, it's still impressive for its price range. The TV also features a quad-core processor that helps to upscale lower-resolution content to near-4K quality. While upscaling isn't perfect, it does a reasonably good job of making older content look better on the 4K screen. This is particularly useful if you have a lot of Full HD or standard definition content in your library. Overall, the picture quality on the LG 43-inch UHD Smart TV is excellent for its price. It offers a sharp, detailed, and vibrant image with good color accuracy and decent HDR performance. Whether you're watching movies, TV shows, or playing video games, you'll be impressed with the visual experience.

Smart Features: webOS and Magic Remote

The LG 43-inch UHD Smart TV runs on LG's webOS, one of the best smart TV platforms out there. webOS is known for its smooth performance, intuitive interface, and wide selection of apps. You'll find all the popular streaming services like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video, Disney+, Hulu, and more. The app store also has a wide variety of other apps, including games, news apps, and productivity tools. Navigating webOS is a breeze, thanks to the included Magic Remote. This remote features a point-and-click interface, voice control, and a scroll wheel, making it easy to find and select content. You can also use the voice control to search for movies and TV shows, control smart home devices, and ask questions. The Magic Remote also has dedicated buttons for Netflix and Amazon Prime Video, giving you quick access to your favorite streaming services. Another great feature of webOS is its ability to seamlessly integrate with other smart devices in your home. The TV supports Apple AirPlay 2 and HomeKit, allowing you to easily stream content from your iPhone, iPad, or Mac. You can also use the TV to control other HomeKit-enabled devices, such as lights, thermostats, and door locks. The TV also supports Google Assistant and Amazon Alexa, so you can use your voice to control the TV and other smart home devices. The webOS platform is also regularly updated with new features and improvements, ensuring that your TV stays up-to-date. LG has a good track record of providing software updates for its TVs, so you can expect to receive new features and security patches for years to come. Overall, the smart features on the LG 43-inch UHD Smart TV are excellent. The webOS platform is fast, intuitive, and packed with features, and the Magic Remote makes it easy to navigate and control the TV.

Sound Quality: Adequate but Not Exceptional

Okay, let’s be real, the sound quality on most TVs isn't anything to write home about, and the LG 43-inch UHD Smart TV is no exception. The TV has two 10W speakers, which are adequate for casual viewing but lack the punch and depth for a truly immersive audio experience. Dialogue is clear and easy to understand, but the bass is weak, and the overall soundstage is narrow. If you're serious about audio, you'll definitely want to invest in a soundbar or a dedicated surround sound system. A soundbar can significantly improve the audio quality, providing a wider soundstage, deeper bass, and clearer dialogue. There are many affordable soundbars available that can greatly enhance your viewing experience. Alternatively, you could opt for a full surround sound system for a truly cinematic audio experience. The TV does support Bluetooth, so you can easily connect wireless headphones or speakers. This is great for private listening or for connecting to a Bluetooth speaker for improved audio quality. The TV also has an optical audio output, which you can use to connect to a soundbar or receiver. The TV also features LG's Clear Voice technology, which enhances dialogue clarity. This can be helpful if you have trouble hearing dialogue in movies and TV shows. While the sound quality on the LG 43-inch UHD Smart TV is not exceptional, it's adequate for most users. However, if you're a serious audiophile, you'll definitely want to invest in external speakers or a soundbar. With that upgrade, you'll be golden!

Gaming Performance: Surprisingly Good

Gamers, listen up! The LG 43-inch UHD Smart TV is surprisingly good for gaming, especially considering its price. It has a low input lag, which is crucial for a responsive gaming experience. Input lag is the delay between when you press a button on your controller and when the action appears on the screen. The lower the input lag, the more responsive the game will feel. The TV also supports ALLM (Auto Low Latency Mode), which automatically switches the TV to its lowest input lag mode when it detects a game console. This ensures that you always get the best possible gaming performance. The TV also has decent motion handling, which helps to reduce motion blur. Motion blur can be distracting in fast-paced games, so good motion handling is important. While it doesn't have a super high refresh rate like some gaming monitors, it's still perfectly adequate for most games. The 4K resolution and HDR support also make games look stunning, with sharp details and vibrant colors. The TV also supports HGiG (HDR Gaming Interest Group), which ensures that HDR games are displayed accurately. This helps to prevent blown-out highlights and crushed blacks, resulting in a more balanced and realistic image. Overall, the gaming performance on the LG 43-inch UHD Smart TV is surprisingly good. It has low input lag, ALLM support, decent motion handling, and 4K resolution with HDR support. Whether you're playing fast-paced action games or immersive RPGs, you'll be impressed with the gaming experience on this TV.

Pros and Cons

Alright, let's break it down with a simple pros and cons list to give you a clear overview:

Pros:

  • Excellent picture quality for the price
  • Intuitive webOS smart TV platform
  • Magic Remote with voice control
  • Low input lag for gaming
  • Wide selection of apps
  • Supports Apple AirPlay 2 and HomeKit
  • Good value for money

Cons:

  • Sound quality could be better
  • Viewing angles are not the best
  • Upscaling is not perfect

Final Verdict

So, what's the final verdict on the LG 43-inch UHD Smart TV? Overall, it's a fantastic TV for the price. You're getting a sharp, detailed, and vibrant picture, a smooth and intuitive smart TV platform, and a host of features that make it a great value for money. While the sound quality isn't the best, and the viewing angles could be better, these are minor compromises considering the overall performance and price. If you're looking for a budget-friendly 4K smart TV that delivers a great viewing experience, the LG 43-inch UHD Smart TV is definitely worth considering. It's perfect for small to medium-sized rooms and offers a great balance of features, performance, and price. This TV is a solid choice that won’t disappoint. Happy watching, folks!