Thanks to LG, I have recently spent time with the incredible LG 27-inch UHD 4K IPS Monitor. Never having experienced proper 4K gaming before, I was equal parts excited and nervous. What if I couldn’t go back to 1080p when I had to send the monitor back? Nevertheless, I pushed on and set to work putting this monitor through its paces.
I’m fortunate enough to own a PS4 Pro, Xbox One X, desktop and gaming laptop LG 27-inch UHD 4K IPS Monitor with multiple devices. And since the monitor comes equipped with so many ways to connect, it was easy to have plenty of devices connected at once.
Beginning with the PS4 Pro and Xbox One X, I used the LG 27-inch UHD 4K IPS Monitor as I would any other TV. Sure, at 27-inches it’s much smaller than most TVs but the visual fidelity (almost) made up for it.
LG 27-inch UHD 4K IPS Monitor Review
On the back of the monitor are two HDMI 2.0 ports, one Display Port, one USB-C port and two USB Downstream Ports. There are also headphone and line out ports.
Connecting to my PS4 and Xbox One was as simple as connecting the HDMI cable. I wasn’t really prepared for just how much better my games looked on the LG 27-inch UHD 4K IPS Monitor. And it wasn’t just due to the 4K resolution. That obviously helped of course but the vividness of the colours and contrast between them that really blew me away.
Even me, a guy with colourblindness, was able to see just how much clarity and differentiation there was between colours when using the LG 27-inch UHD 4K IPS Monitor. It was incredible.
Part of the reason to use a 4K, HDR monitor is for the dark blacks and crisp whites. From my experience, the LG 27-inch UHD 4K IPS Monitor displays these exceptionally. Whether I was playing games on consoles or watching movies/TV, the blacks were deep and dark while the whites and lighter colours leapt from the screen.
This is likely due to the VESA DisplayHDR 400 that comes included as well as the HDR Effect which transforms non-HDR content into something that closely resembles HDR. A picture quality algorithm is used that seamlessly converts non-HDR content to HDR and, I have to say, while I’m not an expert, I was hard press to tell the difference.
Connecting to my desktop and laptop was where the LG 27-inch UHD 4K IPS Monitor really hit its stride for me though.
Weighty but not heavy and with clean lines and a well-designed form factor, the monitor took up pride of place on my desk. The curved metal stand did make it a bit awkward to get it onto my desk without getting in the way of my keyboard and mouse but, I do have a relatively tiny desk.
With both the gaming laptop and desktop plugged in, I set about putting the monitor through its paces with a number of games. Unfortunately, my desktop PC doesn’t quite have the grunt to output games in 4K so I relied on the laptop for the bulk of that.
Unsurprisingly, PC games, running at 4K with HDR enabled look incredible. Gears of War 4, Wolfenstein The New Colossus and Void Bastards were my go-to games to get a range of colours and styles. I did attempt to play Forza Horizon 4 but I couldn’t get the HDR settings right and simply couldn’t get it to work.
All I could see was a blurry, greyish brown blob on-screen so I left it alone. It’s most likely my lack of knowledge on getting HDR settings correct that caused it, but it’s still a shame I wasn’t able to figure it out.
Like the console games, PC games running on the LG 27-inch UHD 4K IPS Monitor were pretty mind-blowing. Thanks to Radeon FreeSync, gaming on the monitor was super smooth in addition to looking incredible.
FreeSync reduces screen-tearing and stuttering and helps maintain the best possible picture while playing. The preset game modes also help to display games better. You’re able to select from a custom mode, FPS mode and RTS mode which changes the monitor’s settings to give you the best experience.
While I usually use the Razer Nommo Pro for sound on my LG 27-inch UHD 4K IPS Monitor comes with some halfway decent in-built speakers. I’m not going to say that they’re the greatest things ever, but if you’re without headphones or external speakers, the in-built system is going to work well enough.
Costing $1199 AUD, the LG 27-inch UHD 4K IPS Monitor certainly isn’t the cheapest monitor you can buy, but for what you’re getting it’s incredibly worthwhile. Aside from using it to play games or watch media, just using it to browse the internet or do work was great.
Again, it comes down to the differentiation between colours, the clarity of the image and the brightness of the monitor. If you’re in the market for a 4K, HDR monitor then look no further.
The LG 27-inch UHD 4K IPS Monitor is stunning.
LG loaned PowerUp! a LG 27-inch UHD 4K IPS Monitor for the purposes of this review.
PowerUp! Reviews
Product Name: LG 27-inch UHD 4K IPS Monitor with HDR
Offer price: $1199
Currency: AUD