LG UltraGear OLED 27GR95QE-B review

About the LG UltraGear OLED 27GR95QE-B

Here are the specs of the monitor we tested:

• Price: $1,000
• Display size: 27 inches
• Resolution: 2,560 x 1,440 pixels
• Refresh rate: 240Hz
• Peak brightness: 200 nits (rated average in SDR), 1,000 nits (3% window peak); 837 nits (with HDR enabled)
• HDR support: HDR10
• Color depth: 10-bit
• Color saturation: 98% DCI-P3 (rated); 97% DCI-P3 (tested), 100% sRGB (tested)
• Contrast ratio: 1,500,000:1 (HDR rated), 14,090:1 (tested)
• Pixel response time (GtG): 0.03ms
• Ports: 2x HDMI 2.1, 1 x DisplayPort 1.4 (DSC), 1 x USB-B 3.0 (upstream), 2 x USB-A 3.0 (downstream), 1 x 3.5mm, 1 x SPDIF out
• VRR Support: AMD FreeSync Premium, G-Sync Compatible
• Other features: VESA mount (100x100), Hexagon lighting, DTS Headphone:X, “uniform brightness,” factory pre-calibrated color, four-way-adjustable stand

What we like

The absolutely gorgeous visuals

It’s hard to argue with a display that can deliver an incredibly wide color gamut, a sizzling peak brightness, and a nearly immeasurably contrast ratio. That’s what the LG UltraGear OLED 27GR95QE-B manages to do.

Its panel is capable of delivering 100% coverage of the sRGB color space, but more impressively, it covers 97% of the much larger DCI-P3 color space. This gives it a strong footing for displaying the huge range of color in HDR content. It displays the colors accurately out of the box as well, with an average color dE of just 1.91, that should largely leave colors appearing as they should, though one shade of yellow measured at dE of 8.84 — an issue that might require some tweaks to tame.

That impressive color gamut is backed by the benefits of OLED. While the display is limited to an overall SDR brightness of about 200 nits, which is on the dim side of the spectrum, highlights can still shine bright when HDR is enabled, with small portions of the display able to hit as high as 837 nits in my testing (notably shy of the LG’s 1,000-nit rating).

Those highlights can come right alongside dark and detailed shadows as well as pitch-black pixels. So, even if 837 nits doesn’t sound obscenely bright, it can appear that way when it's shining through on an otherwise dark screen.

For those concerned about the color fringing issues that have plagued some OLED displays used as monitors, they’re almost entirely absent, even with black-and-white content. The only situation I noticed is subtle fringing along the edges of shades of yellow, and even then it’s hardly distracting.

All the color is on wonderful display in games like Overwatch 2 and Hi-Fi Rush, and the stunning blending of color and contrast shows amazingly well in Ori and the Will of the Wisps, where the ever-present glow of Ori and all of the attacks in the game come through with flashes of brilliance. Meanwhile, the expanded color range also plays well in more realistic visual settings, like the bleak world of Dying Light 2.

The supreme smoothness

OLEDs have always had an advantage over LCD, TN, and VA panels for their extremely fast pixel response time. This sees each pixel on an OLED refresh almost instantly, where other panels have slower transitions for each pixel. Slower response times result in blurry trails behind moving objects on screen, known as ghosting.

That inherent benefit hasn’t always manifested as an advantage for OLED panels when gaming, because few have paired those pixel response times with fast refresh rates. Even the best gaming TVs and large monitors only hit 120Hz or 144Hz, while the Alienware AW3423DW pushed that up to 175Hz.

This left room for 240Hz, 360Hz, and even faster IPS and VA monitors to zoom ahead. But the LG UltraGear OLED 27GR95QE-B finally ramps things up to a 240Hz refresh rate. The zippy refresh rate paired with instant pixel response makes for an impeccable image even in the most frantic action. Turn on variable refresh rate to sync the display with a game’s frame rate, and you’re looking at each frame delivered pristinely.

I didn’t notice the faintest bit of ghosting no matter how intense the action got in dozens of Overwatch 2 matches. And in the Blur Busters’ UFO test, a high-speed photograph I took showed a pristine UFO where other displays exhibited ghosting.

The thoughtful TV extras

When you’re spending $1,000 on a display, you want to be sure you’re getting thoughtful extras that help it do more than a basic monitor. The LG UltraGear OLED 27GR95QE-B has a few of those. It includes a remote control that can quickly adjust settings, swap inputs, control brightness and volume, and adjust the Hexagon bias lighting at the back of the monitor.

The monitor also includes a pair of HDMI 2.1 ports alongside its DisplayPort 1.4 port. This provides a means of receiving a 4K HDR input from a separate console or streaming stick, letting you take advantage of the display for more than just games. (Unfortunately there’s no integrated KVM for switching your USB inputs among devices.)

There’s even an optical audio output port for passing along a better audio signal to a soundbar or speakers instead of using the 3.5mm headset jack.

What we don’t like

The limited overall brightness

Perhaps the biggest downside of OLED displays is still present on the LG UltraGear OLED 27GR95QE-B. That’s the inability to drive the whole display to its max brightness, the same issue I saw with the Asus ROG Swift OLED PG42UQ.

As each pixel is self-lit, it takes more and more power as the number of illuminated pixels increases. So, even though the display was able to hit 837 nits in a small patch of white pixels, it can’t sustain that same peak across a large area.

In everyday use, this may not be a big problem. It’s not like I’d want a flash bang going off in-game to suddenly light the whole screen up at 1,000 nits (though some gamers might enjoy the realism). The bigger concern is that it can limit the display’s utility in other contexts.

Working on documents, which generally means large white backgrounds, will see the display’s brightness somewhat limited to about 200 nits. This is comfortable in a room with a little overhead lighting, but may be too dim in brighter environments.

Fortunately, I didn’t run into any obnoxious Automatic Brightness Limiter behavior, which appears as all white portions of the screen getting darker and darker as they cover more area on the screen. For example, a small white window might appear bright, but if it expanded to cover the full screen it would dim down considerably. This monitor avoids that by locking the white point to that 200-nit target, which it can sustain for small and full-screen windows alike.

The lack of USB-C and speakers

The price of LG’s 27GR95QE-B puts it in league with other premium gaming monitors, even if it’s actually not among the most expensive. However, it comes up lacking in regard to the included extras. For one, it doesn't have any speakers. Even just a modest pair would have been a nice inclusion.

Perhaps even more noticeable is the lack of any USB-C ports. While there’s a basic two-port USB hub, it still uses the dated USB-B for the upstream port. This limits the potential to use the monitor easily with many laptops, much less charge your USB-C devices.

The reliance on a remote

As nice as it is for LG to include a small remote for controlling the LG UltraGear OLED 27GR95QE-B, the benefit is almost ruined by the fact LG links almost all of the control of the monitor to that remote. Ask yourself this: How often do I misplace my remote?

There’s a power button on the underside of the monitor that allows for brightness, volume, and input adjustments. That’s it. Not only that, it's a pain to use because the controls are entirely based on either pressing or holding the same button, which is entirely too mushy to perform either action easily.

It would easily take a minute just to dial the brightness down from 100% to 50%. In summary, don’t lose the remote.

Should you buy it?

Yes, if gorgeous, smooth gaming is what you’re after

For the LG UltraGear OLED 27GR95QE-B, the good dramatically outweighs the bad, if the shortcomings of this monitor can even be called bad. This makes for a rather compelling value as its upgrades over competing low- and mid-priced monitors help justify the increased price. The display does an excellent job balancing its features; it’s a crisp, fast 27-inch display that’s as well-equipped for presenting the luscious visuals of a story-driven game as it is for the most competitive titles.

It faces serious competition from the Alienware AW3423DWF, though, which has recently been selling for $1,000 or even less. It is a QD-OLED display that has the same benefits but can more easily achieve 1,000-nit highlights. That monitor is a 21:9 ultra-wide, providing more screen space but running at a slower 165Hz refresh rate. It may certainly make more sense for some gamers, but for those who want an advantage in competitive games and a traditional aspect ratio, the LG UltraGear OLED 27GR95QE-B remains a strong option.

As far as competition from competitive gaming monitors that can also hit 240Hz or faster, the LG UltraGear OLED 27GR95QE-B stands apart. You can save money by going with a non-OLED model like the Gigabyte M27Q X, but you’ll lag behind when it comes to pixel response times and visual quality. That may be worth the trade-off for some, but LG is certainly putting in the work to justify the extra price. Even with 360Hz monitors like the AOC Agon Pro AG254FG, ghosting and motion blur can be present, if subtle, which lets the LG UltraGear OLED 27GR95QE-B stay competitive.

Gamers certainly have other options that may be better suited to their specific needs, but the LG UltraGear OLED 27GR95QE-B is an exceptional monitor that’s ready for almost any challenge that might come its way. Its supreme flexibility and remarkable performance makes it easy to recommend.