1-on-1 Comparison

Side-by-Side Comparison

LG 65SM8500PLA

LG 65SK8500PLA

SCORE:
92
SCORE:
90

Highlights

  • 4K UHD (3840 x 2160) NanoCell Display
  • HDR10, Dolby Vision, HLG support
  • NanoCell Color Pro
  • Wide Viewing Angle
  • α7 Gen2 Intelligent Processor
  • Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth

Highlights

  • 4K UHD (3840 x 2160) NanoCell Display
  • HDR10, Dolby Vision, HLG support
  • Full Array Local Dimming
  • NanoCell Color Pro
  • Wide Viewing Angle
  • α7 Intelligent Processor
  • Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth

Disclosure: We earn money from the affiliate links to products associated with content in this article.

Content

Overview

Here we are comparing LG 65SM8500PLA to LG 65SK8500PLA to reveal their common strengths and weaknesses as well as the differences between them which will help you in making a correct decision before the purchase. Both models have the same 4K UHD (3840 x 2160) resolution and they both support HDR.

We have evaluated the TVs from available features and specifications. LG 65SM8500PLA gets higher overall score in our ranking system which is based on the display specifications, video, audio and other features, connectivity and format support.

LG 65SM8500PLA

LG 65SK8500PLA

DISPLAY
89
VIDEO FEATURES
95
AUDIO FEATURES
94
OTHER FEATURES
98
CONNECTIVITY
94
FORMAT SUPPORT
85
OVERALL
92
DISPLAY
89
VIDEO FEATURES
94
AUDIO FEATURES
84
OTHER FEATURES
85
CONNECTIVITY
91
FORMAT SUPPORT
85
OVERALL
90
 
 

Advantage of LG 65SM8500PLA

This section shows the features and specifications which are the reason to choose LG 65SM8500PLA over LG 65SK8500PLA.

LG 65SM8500PLA vs LG 65SK8500PLA
4K HFR 4K HFR via HDMI will be updated vs
2K HFR vs
Noise Reduction Quad Step NR vs NR
Deep Learning AI Picture vs
AI Brightness vs
Sharpness Frequency based Sharpness Enhancer vs
AI Sound vs
WiSA Ready vs
Smart Speaker Compatible vs
LG Smart Speaker vs
Newer Bluetooth Version 5.0 vs 4.2
Apple Airplay Airplay 2 vs
LG TV Plus App vs
Smart ThinQ App vs
HDMI Version 2.1 vs 2.0b
More Storage 8 GB vs 4 GB
Amazon Echo Compatible vs
AI UX vs
AI Home vs
AI Recommendation Default: off vs
Intelligent Edit vs
Home Dashboard vs
Apple HomePod vs
Magic Link Default: off vs
360 VR vs
Mobile TV On vs
Wi-Fi TV On vs
Bluetooth Low Energy On vs
Instant Game Response ALLM vs
Live Plus (ACR-based Bilateral Service) with Samba TV App vs
Hotel Mode vs
Time Machine (DVR) vs
Analog DVR vs

Advantage of LG 65SK8500PLA

This section shows the features and specifications which are the reason to choose LG 65SK8500PLA over LG 65SM8500PLA.

LG 65SM8500PLA vs LG 65SK8500PLA
LED Type Edge LED vs Slim Direct LED
Backlight Dimming Local Dimming vs Full Array Local Dimming
Higher Panel Bit Depth 8 bits + FRC vs 10 bits
Technicolor Expert Mode vs
Higher Energy Efficiency Class A vs A+

Common Strengths and Weaknesses

STRENGTHS
  High Resolution
  High Refresh Rate: 100 Hz/120 Hz
  Wide Viewing Angle
  Color Depth
  HDR10
  Dolby Vision
  HLG
  Advanced HDR by Technicolor®
  Dolby Atmos
  DTS Digital Surround
  Bluetooth Audio Playback
  Wi-Fi
  Wi-Fi Direct
  Bluetooth
  Works with Alexa
WEAKNESSES
  No HDR10+
  No IMAX Enhanced
  No AMD Freesync™
  No NVidia G-Sync
  No VRR

Selected Features

Nano Cell Technology

Both LG models use nanocell technology on their LCD displays. This technology uses particles to absorb unwanted light wavelengths and enhance the purity of the red and green colors displayed on the screen. In addition, they create subtler, more accurate colors that stay true, even at wide viewing angles. So, even if the whole family is gathered around the TV, everyone has the best seat in the house, whether they’re front and center, or across the room and off to the side.

IPS Panels

Both TVs have in-plane switching (IPS) panels. Such panels are not commonly used in LCD TVs as they suffer from light leakage which lead to the lower contrast and poor HDR experience. However, this type of panels can provide better viewing angles and color accuracy compared to the VA panels.

Full-Array Local Dimming on LG 65SK8500PLA

LG 65SK8500PLA has Full-Array Local Dimming technology with multiple zones throughout the display. Individual zones of LEDs can light up independently which enhances black levels, shadow details and decreases level of light bleed in dark parts of the image. This gives higher contrast with increased picture quality which is very important for HDR reproduction. Higher number of zones gives better control over local dimming and less blooming around the bright objects and subtitles. LG 65SK8500PLA has 48 zones.

HDR10

LG 65SM8500PLA and LG 65SK8500PLA support HDR10 which was announced on August 27, 2015, by the Consumer Technology Association and uses the wide-gamut Rec. 2020 color space. It is not backward compatible with SDR. It sends static metadata via video stream to the TV which calibrates its screen brightness and color according to that. HDR10 is technically limited to a maximum of 10,000 nits of brightness and uses 10-bit color which corresponds to 1024 shades of the primary RGB colors.

Dolby Vision

LG 65SM8500PLA and LG 65SK8500PLA also support Dolby Vision which is an update to HDR10 by adding dynamic metadata that can be used to more accurately adjust brightness levels up to 10,000 nits on a scene-by-scene or frame-by-frame basis and supports up to 12-bit color depth (4096 shades of RGB) and 8K resolution.

Specifications

And in the end we display all the specifications which are present for both models.

Note: The following table shows only those details which are applicable for both models and excludes the ones that are applicable for only one model. If you want to see a full list of specs for each model please visit their individual pages here - LG 65SM8500PLA and here - LG 65SK8500PLA.

BASICS LG 65SM8500PLA LG 65SK8500PLA
BrandLGLG
SeriesSM85SK85
Model65SM8500PLA65SK8500PLA
Size65"65"
CountryUKUK
Release Year20192018
Smart TV
DISPLAY LG 65SM8500PLA LG 65SK8500PLA
Display TypeNanoCellNanoCell
Actual Size (Diagonal)64.5"64.5"
Resolution4K UHD (3840 x 2160)4K UHD (3840 x 2160)
Refresh Rate100 Hz/120 Hz100 Hz/120 Hz
Screen DesignFlatFlat
Panel TypeIPSIPS
LED TypeEdge LEDSlim Direct LED
Backlight DimmingLocal DimmingFull Array Local Dimming
ColorNanoCell Color ProNanoCell Color Pro
Viewing AngleWide Viewing AngleWide Viewing Angle
Panel Bit Depth8 bits + FRC10 bits
Color Depth1.07 Billion1.07 Billion
VIDEO LG 65SM8500PLA LG 65SK8500PLA
3D Capability
HDR10
HDR10+
Dolby Vision
Dolby Vision IQ
HLG
Advanced HDR by Technicolor®
IMAX Enhanced
HDR Effect
Technicolor Expert Mode
AMD Freesync™
NVidia G-Sync
4K HFR 4K HFR via HDMI will be updated
2K HFR
VRR
HGIG Compatibility
Picture Processorα7 Gen2 Intelligent Processorα7 Intelligent Processor
Upscaling4K Upscaling4K Upscaling
Frame Interploation TechniqueTruMotion 200TruMotion 200
Frame Interpolation Frequency200 Hz200 Hz
Filmmaker Mode
Auto Low Latency Mode
Depth Enhancement Object Depth Enhancer Active Depth Enhancer
AI Picture
Auto Genre Selection
Face Enhancing
Image Enhancing
Color Enhancer Advanced Color Enhancer Dynamic Color
Noise ReductionQuad Step NR NR
Deep Learning AI Picture
AI Brightness
True Color Accuracy
Ultra Luminance Pro Pro
SharpnessFrequency based Sharpness Enhancer
Dynamic Tone MappingDynamic Tone MappingEnhanced Dynamic Tone Mapping
AUDIO LG 65SM8500PLA LG 65SK8500PLA
Speaker Channels2.2 Channel2.2 Channel
Speaker TypeDown FiringDown Firing
Speaker Power Rating40W (WF:20W)40W (WF:20W)
Dolby Atmos
DTS Digital Surround DTS-HD DTS-HD
Simultaneous Audio Output
AI Sound
Surround ModeDolby Surround / ULTRA SurroundDolby Surround / ULTRA Surround
Clear VoiceClear Voice IIIClear Voice III
Sound TuningOne Touch Sound TuningOne Touch Sound Tuning
WiSA Ready
Bluetooth Audio Playback
LG Sound Sync
Smart Speaker Compatible
LG Smart Speaker
CONNECTIVITY LG 65SM8500PLA LG 65SK8500PLA
Ethernet Input
Wi-Fi
Wi-Fi Direct
Wi-Fi Frequency2.4 GHz, 5 GHz2.4 GHz, 5 GHz
Wi-Fi Protocol802.11a/b/g/n/ac802.11a/b/g/n/ac
Bluetooth
Bluetooth Version5.04.2
Apple Airplay Airplay 2
LG TV Plus App
Smart ThinQ App
Chromecast
Google Home Google Home device sold separately (This feature is not available in Republic of Ireland)
Virtual Assistant Google Assistant Google Assistant Built-in Google Assistant features require software update (This feature is not available in Republic of Ireland)
Works with Alexa 19.5 MR Amazon Alexa device sold separately (This feature is not available in Republic of Ireland)
HDMI Inputs44
HDMI Version2.12.0b
HDMI Audio Return Channel (ARC) eARC (HDMI 2) HDMI 2
HDCP Version2.22.2
HDMI-CEC SIMPLINK SIMPLINK
USB Inputs33
USB 3.0 Ports
RF (Terrestrial / Cable ) Inputs22
Component Inputs
Composite Inputs1 via A/V 3.5mm Jack1 via A/V 3.5mm Jack
RCA Audio Outputs
3.5mm headphone Audio Output
Optical Audio Output
RS-232C Remote
DLNA
OTHER LG 65SM8500PLA LG 65SK8500PLA
CPU Cores44
GPU Cores22
RAM2 GB2 GB
Storage8 GB4 GB
Operating SystemwebOSwebOS
Internet Browser
Electronic Program Guide (EPG) 8 days 8 days
Parental Control (V-Chip)
Application Store LG Content Store LG Content Store
PVR Function
On-Screen Display Languages3636
LG AI ThinQ®
Speech to Text
LG Voice Search
Amazon Echo Compatible
AI UX
AI Home
AI RecommendationDefault: off
Intelligent Edit
Home Dashboard
Apple HomePod
Voice Recognition Intelligent Voice Recognition Intelligent Voice Recognition
Magic LinkDefault: off
Audio Guidance (Text To Speech)
Gallery Mode
Multi-view
DIAL
Music Player
360 VR
Mobile TV On
Wi-Fi TV On
Bluetooth Low Energy On
Instant Game Response ALLM
Live Plus (ACR-based Bilateral Service) with Samba TV App
Hotel Mode
Screen Share
Digital Recording
Time Shift
Watch & Record
Auto Calibration
Time Machine (DVR)
Analog DVR
HEVC
VIDEO FORMATS LG 65SM8500PLA LG 65SK8500PLA
3GPP
AV1
AVI
ASF
DivX
Flash Video
H.263
H.264
H.265
MKV
M2TS
MP4
MPEG-4
QuickTime
RealVideo
TS
VC-1
VP7
VP8
VP9
VOB
VRO
WebM
WMV
Xvid
AUDIO FORMATS LG 65SM8500PLA LG 65SK8500PLA
AAC
AC4
AIFF
ALAC
APE
aptX
eAAC+
EAC3
FLAC
HE-AAC
LPCM
M4A
MIDI
MP2
MP3
OGG
RealAudio
WMA
WAV
IMAGE FORMATS LG 65SM8500PLA LG 65SK8500PLA
BMP
GIF
JPEG
JPS
MPO
PNG
TUNER LG 65SM8500PLA LG 65SK8500PLA
Digital Tuner 1 1
SAT Tuner
Analog TunerPAL/SECAM, B/G, D/K, I, SECAM LPAL/SECAM, B/G, D/K, I, SECAM L
Digital Terrestrial TV SystemDVB-T/T2DVB-T/T2
Digital Cable TV SystemDVB-CDVB-C
Digital SAT TV SystemDVB-S/S2DVB-S/S2
Color systemPAL / SECAM / NTSCPAL / SECAM / NTSC
CI+CI+ 1.4CI+ 1.4
GENERAL LG 65SM8500PLA LG 65SK8500PLA
Energy EfficiencyAA+
Power SupplyAC 100-240 V, 50/60 HzAC 100-240 V, 50/60 Hz
Power Consumption (In Standby)0.5 W0.5 W
Dimension Without Stand (W x H x D)1452 mm x 833 mm x 62.5 mm1455 mm x 835 mm x 63 mm
Dimension With Stand (W x H x D)1452 mm x 806 mm x 315 mm1455 mm x 903 mm x 319 mm
Dimension of Package (W x H x D)1600 mm x 970 mm x 190 mm1600 mm x 1035 mm x 190 mm
One Connect Box
VESA Wall Mount
VESA Hole Pitch (W x H)300 mm x 300 mm300 mm x 300 mm
Weight Without Stand27.0 kg26.6 kg
Weight With Stand28.8 kg28.1 kg
Weight of Package (Gross)35.1 kg35.5 kg
ACCESSORIES LG 65SM8500PLA LG 65SK8500PLA
RemoteMagic Remote Control - AN-MR19Magic Remote Control - AN-MR18
Universal Control Capability for remote
Magic Remote Control Compatible

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