What’s Good
- FreeSync support
- Eye Friendly
- Affordable Price
- Impressive Image Quality
- 4K resolution
What’s Bad
- Tilt-only Design
What is LG 27UL500-W
The LG 27UL500-W is a 4K monitor that has all the features a gamer would want on his monitor. It also offers a great value for the money. Read this review of the LG 27UL500-W to find out if it is the right monitor for you.
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LG 27UL500-W - Image Quality
The LG 27UL500-W is a 27-inch 4K (3840 x 2160) monitor. It is based on an IPS panel. It covers 98% of the sRGB color gamut and supports 10-bit color depth (8-bit + FRC) via dithering.
Most 4K monitors in this price range are made of VA panels. The IPS panels have superior image quality and are expensive than VA panels. It is good to see LG use an IPS panel in this monitor.
The color accuracy of this monitor is very good. Its color settings are factory calibrated so you can use it the way it is out of the box. Of course, you can also re-calibrate it as per your requirement.
The overall color quality is top-notch. The images are vivid and full of detail. The colors pop out and are true to life. It is fine for casual photo editing but for professional graphic design work, I suggest considering these monitors.
The 27-inch screen size combined with the 4K resolution results in a massive pixel density of 163PPI. You get detailed images and text. It is also easy on the eyes. You won’t find any breezy or pixelated text and images where you have to squint your eyes to see them clearly.
The panel uniformity of this monitor is decent. The colors are consistent throughout the panel without any irregularities.
The LG 27UL500-W has a brightness level of 300-nits and a contrast ratio of 1000:1. This monitor is fairly bright and has good contrast levels. The images are sharp looking.
It also supports HDR. It supports the entry-level option known as HDR 10. Most of the time it is either a hit or miss. Sometimes you get superb looking content and the other times you get oversaturated pictures.
It is still impressive to see LG include this feature in a budget monitor. Most monitors with better HDR support are expensive.
Overall, I have zero complaints in terms of image quality. For its price, the image quality is more than satisfactory. Watching movies and playing games on it will be a feast for the eyes.
The IPS panels are also known for their wide viewing angles. You get 178-degree horizontal and vertical viewing angles with this monitor. You won’t have any shift in colors, contrast, and brightness levels even when you view the monitor from skewed angles.
The LG 27UL500-W we reviewed had no dead pixels on it. It had slight IPS glow towards its edges that are visible only when you are in dark areas of a game or a movie. The IPS glow is present in all IPS monitors. It is definitely tolerable and you won’t notice it most of the time.
It also has an anti-glare coating on it that will diffuse any distracting reflections that form on it.
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The LG 27UL500-W - Design, Ergonomics, and Connectivity
The LG 27UL500-W comes in a slim design. It has a white cabinet that has a matte finish that makes it easy to clean. Its bezels are not too thin. You will have distractions when you use it for a multi-monitor setup.
The silver stand has the ArcLine design. It doesn’t occupy much space and is a bit wobbly. You won’t have any issues when you place it on a stable desk.
One different feature of this monitor is the lack of OSD buttons. LG provides you with an inbuilt software called OnScreen Control that lets you adjust various settings like contrast, brightness, picture modes,
FreeSync, etc. It is a better option than buttons and is totally user-friendly. There is also a joystick present on the lower bezel.
The overall build quality of the LG 27UL500-W is decent. The plastics used are durable and of good quality.
The stand offers you only -5°/15° tilt functionality. Other ergonomic capabilities like height adjustment, swivel, and rotate options are absent. Thankfully, there is a 100x100mm VESA pattern present on it using which you can easily wall-mount it or connect it to a third-party stand.
The connectivity options of this monitor are fair. You get 2x HDMI 2.0 ports, 1x DisplayPort 1.4. There is also a 3.5mm headphone jack. The LG 27UL500-W doesn’t have integrated speakers.
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LG 27UL500-W - Performance
The LG 27UL500-W is a great choice for 4K gaming.
It has a refresh rate of 60Hz. Do keep in mind that 4K resolution will tax your GPU more than a 1080p monitor. So, you will not reach 60+ FPS in most games unless you have a high-end build.
This is also the reason why most 4K monitors do not have a higher refresh rate than 60Hz. Most graphics cards cannot reach 100+ FPS in video games at 4K resolution.
Though you cannot use 4K monitors for competitive gaming, it is the best choice to play single-player games like RDR 2, Control, etc. You will have an immersive gaming experience.
The LG 27UL500-W has a response time of 5ms and an input lag of around 9ms. This will be more than enough for gaming at 4K. There will also be no ghosting or trailing in video games. The motion blur is imperceptible.
It also supports AMD’s FreeSync. You will have no screen-tearing, stuttering, and lagging in between gameplay. This is definitely an important feature for gamers. You can enable it via the OnScreen Control.
The latest (10-series and above) Nvidia graphics cards also work without any issues.
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LG 27UL500-W - Features
The LG 27UL500-W also comes with a lot of important features. One of them being the blue light filter. You can work or game on it for long hours without having to worry about eye strain. It is also a flicker-free monitor. You won’t have any headaches even after prolonged use.
The 4K resolution gives you a lot of screen real-estate. You can use the Split-screen feature to divide the monitor into a few sections and use each section for a different application. This will help you multitask efficiently and boost your productivity.
In terms of gaming, you will have the black stabilizer feature and a game mode. The black stabilizer feature helps increase enemy visibility in dark areas by increasing the gamma.
The game mode has different image presets that will help enhance image quality in FPS and RTS games. There are also many other images presets like Vivid, Cinema, etc. that improve the viewing experience of the content.
You also get the standard feature to adjust the different aspects of the monitor like contrast, brightness, sharpness, gamma, etc.
All these features can be accessed via the OnScreen Control.
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Monitors Similar to LG 27UL500-W
The BenQ EL2870U is an excellent alternative to the LG 27UL500-W. It offers you a decent image quality, ultra-low 1ms response time, and FreeSync support. It costs the same as the LG 27UL500-W and delivers good value for money.
The AOC U2790VQ is a decent IPS 4K monitor. It has a wide color gamut and excellent image quality. It costs $30 less than the LG 27UL500-W and is best suited for casual gaming, watching movies, and office work. Overall, It is a very good budget 4K monitor.
The Asus VP28UQG is a 4K monitor with FreeSync support and a 1ms response time. It is a great choice for consoles as well. It comes at an affordable price and is a great monitor overall. It is a decent alternative to LG 27UL500-W.
The ViewSonic VX2776-4K-MHD is a 4K monitor best suited for office work and multimedia consumption. It is priced similarly to the LG 27UL500-W. It has a decent image quality, built-in speakers, and a frameless design.
The Philips 276E8VJSB is an affordable 4K monitor. It has an amazing image quality, ultra-thin bezels, and a slim design. It is $50 cheaper than the LG 27UL500-W.
LG 27UL500-W Review - Final Thoughts
The LG 27UL500-W is the perfect choice for 4K gaming, work, watching movies, and everything else. It is one of the few monitors in the market that made 4K gaming affordable. It comes with a lot of helpful features and totally justifies its price tag. I would definitely recommend it to you.
Who should buy the LG 27UL500-W?
1. Those who want an affordable 4K monitor for Gaming
2. Those who want an eye-friendly 4K monitor for long hours of office work or programming
3. Those who want an affordable 4K monitor for regular usage like surfing the web, managing documents, watching movies, YouTube, working with Microsoft office, etc.
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LG 27UL500-W Specs
| Screen Size: | 27 Inches |
| Resolution: | 3840 x 2160 QHD |
| Aspect Ratio: | 16:9 |
| Panel Technology: | IPS |
| Refresh Rate: | 60 Hz |
| Response Time: | 5ms (GtG) |
| Contrast Ratio: | 1000:1 (Static) |
| Brightness: | 300 cd/m² |
| Built-in Speakers: | No |
| Stand: | Tilt Only |
| Adaptive Sync: | Yes (FreeSync) |
| VESA Compatibility: | Yes (100 x 100) |
| Connectivity: | 2x HDMI 2.0, 1x DisplayPort 1.2 |
| Dimensions (W x H x D): | 24.13″ x 17.99″ x 9.1″ |
| Weight: | 13.89 lbs |
LG 27UL500-W Review: Best Budget 4K IPS Gaming Monitor
This review of the LG 27UL500-W covers everything you need to know about it. Its pros and cons are explained in detail. Its complete specs and other alternatives are also mentioned.
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4.2
Vishwak is the man behind YourTechBro. He has been into technology ever since his dad brought him a PC when he was a 10-year old. He is an avid PC gamer, Android Fanboy, and a Tech geek.
