LG UltraGear QHD 27-Inch Gaming Monitor 27GL850-B, Nano IPS 1ms (GtG) with HDR 10 Compatibility and NVIDIA G-SYNC, 144Hz, Black

I write this review as the former owner of 3 Asus PG279Qs and one PG279QZ. I was drawn to this realm of the monitor market because I do not believe that 4K displays are worth it at this particular point in time. As far as I see it, the majority are a compromise as the bandwidth requirements for running 4:4:4 chroma subsampling, an extended color gamut, a refresh rate of 144 Hz and beyond, and a resolution of 3840x2160 all at the same time will be much better served by DP 1.5 or HDMI 2.1 (proper HDR wouldn't hurt either). Although it could be argued that achieving 144 frames at 1440p is more resource intensive than 60 frames at 2160p, I believe the experience to be the most immersive, at least until 144+ frames becomes viable at 4K. Unfortunately, based on the price to performance ratio trend of the current generation of graphics cards (Nvidia’s in specific), it is going to be a long, long time until that is achievable at a reasonable price. All things aside, I can state with confidence that I’ve found my sweet spot for monitors in the form of LG’s 27GL850. It has addressed all of the quality control concerns that I’ve experienced throughout my quest of trying to obtain a high refresh rate, 1440p IPS-type display. Seeing as this is an LG product, the monitor can rightfully be referred to as having an IPS (In-Plane Switching) panel as this is their proprietary term for the technology that produces the wider color gamut and viewing angles.I did not buy this display because I am a hardcore gamer; I bought it because I wanted a quality monitor with good color reproduction, a uniform panel, and good response time. My purchase was based solely on the off chance of LG producing a monitor where quality control wasn’t an after-thought. Now that it has finally arrived, I am proud to report that this monitor delivers. The display has zero backlight bleed and excellent uniformity, contrast, and response time. White uniformity is even across the entirety of the screen while the factory calibrated colors appear accurate even next to my calibrated Dell. Outside of sRGB mode, the colors do come off as over-saturated, although some may prefer the added vibrancy of the Nano IPS technology (I did not). Black levels are on par with most other IPS-type displays that I’ve used despite the specified measurement coming in at a somewhat lower figure than similar displays. As for response time, it seems universally accepted by the monitor community that the fast setting is adequate in preventing overshoot. The faster and fastest settings produce undesirable artifacts known as coronas. Despite this monitor not having variable overdrive, I have had no perceivable issues when it comes to gaming as I do tend to binge on CS:GO from time to time.If I had to nit-pick, and I do because this is a review where transparency informs prospective buyers, I will say that the strength of the presence of IPS glow on my display falls on the moderate end of the spectrum. This could be due to the fact the panel is 27 inches, which is a decent amount of real estate for this phenomenon to occur. It is also important to keep in mind that this is something that varies on a per panel basis. Without a doubt, it is a consequence of choosing to utilize an IPS panel for one’s computing purposes. Regardless, it is nothing unexpected or anything that cannot be addressed by adjusting the brightness level as well as the viewing distance, height, and angle. Besides simply turning down the brightness, placing the monitor further away is one way to remedy the matter. Another way to minimize the glow is to position the screen in such a way that one’s gaze meets the center of the screen as IPS-type displays fare better when the height of the top bezel is of equal height or greater in relation to one’s eyes. A final tip is to manipulate the screen’s tilt angle as oftentimes angling it upwards reduces glow.By applying these adjustments, I can easily say that this is overall the best monitor that I’ve used to date. I will not sit here and bash Asus’ most recent iteration of their high refresh rate, 1440p IPS-type display, the PG279QZ, as one can refer to the top review of the PG279QZ to see what types of problems plague those monitors. What I will say is that it’s a breath of fresh air to see that quality control still exists in consumer-grade monitors. Realistically, no manufacturing process is going to produce near perfect monitors all of the time; however, this purchase has instilled confidence in me when it comes to the LG brand. I imagine that this model will provide all disillusioned monitor buyers a glimmer of hope when it comes to having a fighting chance at obtaining a quality monitor in this realm of the market.***As per a request in the comments, I've attached pictures of the monitor at brightness of zero, 50%, and 100%. I also managed to track down another monitor from Micro Center, so I posted the same array of shots for this sample too. The results were very similar; however, a small circular area of bleed does exist in the top left corner. It is somewhat noticeable on a black screen unless I increase the height of the stand. To identify the pictures of the second monitor, please see the pictures without the headphones in them. Despite trying several approaches and platforms, the photo uploader refuses to retain the sequence in which I had originally ordered them).***

I should start by saying I upgraded to this monitor from a simple 1080p TV setup and was on the fence about making the jump to full 4K for my gaming rig but I'm glad i decided to go with this beautiful 27 inch 1440p LG Ultragear and it has surpassed my every expectation. I've played my PS4 Pro on a 4K 60hz TV but this is the first gaming screen I've personally owned above 1080p and to me this monitor has far better picture quality. To be fair I have it connected to a pretty good build (i7 10700K, GTX 2070 Super, 16GB RAM) but to stay that this was an improvement over my TV+ Xbox One is a huge understatement. I play a lot of Destiny 2 and now it's like it has become an entirely different game. Everything on this monitor is so smooth and just explodes with color. When running graphically demanding games with g-sync or freesync like Destiny 2, Gears of War 5/Tactics, Dishonored 2 this screen really shines. It's extremely noticeable when any game you've spent a ton of time playing on console, for me Destiny 2, is now let lose from its frame rate cap and rendered in flawless 1440 at 144hz on this monitor. It was truly a "i was blind but now i see" moment.As other reviewers have noted the 1ms response time is really just a marketing gimmick. The monitor technically can achieve that response but the image quality falls off a cliff. It runs just fine at a slightly lower rate. Around 4 or 5ms if memory serves for the next fastest setting. Assembly was a breeze. There is one screw in the entire set up and the base easily and snugly sits right into a slot on the back of the monitor held in place by clips operated with one easy button. Once you have it assembled, it feels pretty sturdy once you start to spin the monitor around and push and pull the top to your exact desired angle. If you want the screen higher or shorter you simply lift or press down but It's worth noting that while the screen does pivot on its X-axis it does not on its Y-axis. Only a problem if your monitor is not on a flat smooth surface. Its also important to know that when tilting the screen 90 degrees to its vertical display the screen only pivots one direction. Be careful not to torque the thing the wrong way when adjusting it this way though the casual user will probably not need to do this. The display does not pivot to follow the screen the way your smart phone does so unless you're going to buy a couple of these things and chain them together vertically you will likely be keeping it horizontal. The monitor also offers some additional features for gamers that can overlay on whatever game you're playing in case you want to easily capture some game play recordings, screen shots, or see your FPS. It can even add an artificial set of cross-hairs to any game that may not display them for you for one reason or another.It looks sharp even when not running. The red accents do make the monitor look cool though I wish they would have made the edges of the screen red as well since It's not really noticeable from the front. There are also no speakers on this monitor which wasn't a con for me but should be noted. $500 is a lot for a monitor and my review might be a bit biased since i was coming from such a poor previous setup. I cant tell you if this monitor is better than any other 1440p monitor or how it would compare to a solid 4K monitor. I also don't know how this monitor would work with an Xbox Series S's 1440p support using HDMI instead of Display Port. I'm also hesitant to speak on the brightness of this monitor because I don't really have anything to fairly compare it to. Its plenty bright even in quite a bit of sunlight though I've heard HDR 400 is a bit low compared to some other high resolution monitors in this class. All in all If you happen to be like me and are making the jump up from 1080p for the very first time then you will not at all be disappointed with the experience this monitor delivers. Just know you wont ever be able to go back to your 1080p console setup without great resentment.