OLED technology is the last great barrier separating gaming TVs and monitors. A technology that is full of benefits when it comes to creating screens to play, but whose miniaturization has proven to be a challenge. Manufacturers are doing their best to remove these barriers, but OLED monitors remain the exception, not the rule.
That is why I am glad that screens like the new LG 27GR95QE. A 27-inch Ultra Gear series monitor with a panel 240 hertz OLED for about 999 euros. A combination that just a couple of years ago sounded like true science fiction, but some specifications that the South Korean company has flirted with in the past.
I have had the great luck of using this monitor for just over a week, and I want to tell you about my experience with what, in my eyes, is the new standard on high-end gaming monitors.
Playing on an OLED panel at 240 hertz
Surely our most astute readers have been wondering why I have opened this analysis by saying that the miniaturization of OLED technology is being a challenge for manufacturers.
Not surprisingly, we have smartphones with OLED screens since 2012, even earlier if we talk about the AMOLED technology. Where is the problem with gaming monitors?
As with so much else in the world of technology, it’s simply a question of cost-benefit when manufacturing these devices.
It is efficient to create low-density OLED screens – with lower resolution given their size – on devices such as smartphones, while televisions have their size as a natural advantage when making these panels.
The monitors, however, usually have much more restrained diagonals than their salon equivalents. Most of these devices are made to be only a few centimeters from our sight, but they do use the same resolutions – if not higher – than most televisions on the market. Especially if we are talking about monitors to be used in a modern PC Gaming, where even the mid-range graphics they can run current games at 4K resolutions with ease.
How LG has managed to make this manufacturing process efficient is something that only its engineers can answer. But I think it’s easy draw a line that relates the existence of the LG 27GR95QE with the experience acquired by the Asian brand through the evolution of the company’s OLED televisions.
In fact, the characteristics of the panels in LG’s OLED TVs are very similar to those of its new monitors. Those who have been able to use models such as the LG C2 42″ They will find very similar sensations of use when playing on the LG 27GR95QE.
Of course, the monitor of the Asian company has those flashy 240 hertz refresh rate. And the pixel density of the panel is naturally higher than that of the company’s televisions, around 110.8 PPI according to the manufacturer’s values. But the sensations of use from one to the other are very similar. And that is something frankly positive.
Curiously, where I have noticed the most difference when using both peripherals to play has been in the screen coating of the 27GR95QE.
Although most high-performance monitors have been opting for glossy coatings, also common in televisions of any range, the guys at LG have wanted keep screen matte for the new Ultra Gear. A choice more akin to screens intended for competitive use, as well as a curious option, since it trades off the color vibrancy of the screen in poorly lit environments in exchange for a clearer image.
This choice may be due to the competitive focus of this model, which LG has wanted to focus on in its marketing during the months leading up to the launch of the device.
Seeing DOOM Eternal on this monitor has been the excuse I needed to start Nightmare Mode, a thorn stuck
Luckily for the South Koreans, very little can be done with this facet of the 27GR95QE. The monitor is a peripheral excellent for competitive play.
If we look at the values of the technical specifications, we are facing a monitor that moves below a millisecond in response time. A figure that we usually only find in high-performance TN monitors. But, in addition, some numbers that are enhanced by the complete disappearance of any type of residue on the screen. And without perceptible latency in intensive gaming scenarios, at high resolutions and with active extras.
LG’s new monitor has quickly become one of my favorite options for gaming
This places the 27GR95QE in a very interesting position in a market where the high-end options we have go through models like the ROG PG259QNRagainst which the new Ultra Gear it doesn’t go bador monitors like the Zowie XL2566K, with a TN panel that can’t compete with the 27GR95QE outside of competitive stages. And it is that one of the great assets of this evaluation of the 27GR95QE is that, in competitive environments, in addition to being an excellent monitor for these scenarios, it is also a fantastic panel to consume any other type of multimedia content.
As with most modern OLED displays, the high levels of contrast derived from the nature of the panel itself result in some deep images, rich in color, and with surprising vividness. Especially when we consume content compatible with the HDR standards which we see in many modern video games, as the monitor supports the same standards as LG TVs.
Do not confuse this depth with color coverage. The new Ultra Gear is not a bad monitor for editing or similar work if we only look at its coverage and capabilities, and capabilities, but not enough the levels of models intended for that use, nor that of models of the same range in this metric. Although it is more joyful to the eye to consume multimedia content on an OLED panel.
Nothing important when it comes to talking about a monitor intended for gaming, but a note that I have to make to remember that, although OLED screens are fantastic in many aspects, they are not the panacea.
In fact, now that I’ve mentioned this, I think it’s a good time to talk about another of the weak points of this monitor: the distribution of its pixels.
Original image property of LG. Modified for use in this text
An often ignored section of a monitor is the way in which its pixels are distributed across the screen. On most IPS panels this layout is RGB, and most content is intended to be properly represented in this layout. In the LG monitor, as in the rest of its OLED screens, this distribution is WRGB, and this has negative connotations for the representation of texts and images in a few pixels, such as the text that I am writing at this precise moment.
This contrasts enormously with the perception that we can have of a panel of this type, normally associated with devices with uses as versatile as a television, and leaves the 27GR95QE as a device much more focused on gaming – in the broadest sense of the word – than to other typical activities in front of a PC, such as productivity tasks, for example.
I have found that blur especially while writing
On a more positive note, I haven’t written anything on the outside of the device yet, and this is as good a time as any to close this section.
The LG 27GR95QE falls within what we could call “a conventional gaming monitor” if we focus on its appearance. Dark colors, marked lines, or the appearance of RGB lighting, thus demonstrate it; however, both the choice of materials and the arrangement of the characteristic elements of its appearance, they are made with great taste.
The ultra-thin panel is a great touch, its base is firm and has good stability, and setting up the monitor is simple and effective. To get something out of the wayI would have liked a more comfortable integrated control than the one that appears on the device, but its remote control is a suitable alternative.
Nothing is going wrong in terms of connections either, with the presence of HDMI 2.1 and DPI 1.4 to take advantage of the panel’s features, as well as the appearance of a USB HUB to connect our devices. An almost obligatory addition in these price ranges. Nothing to object.
An excellent monitor, but not perfect
If we are only looking for a monitor to play the new LG 27GR95QE he is a real beast.
It has all the benefits of one of the most powerful technologies on the market, hand in hand with one of the manufacturers with the most boards in this technology. But, in addition, the LG monitor brings new features that make it a much better option for this use.
LG UltraGear 27″ gaming monitor
Its form factor and size make it a more comfortable option for a conventional desktop. And its 240 hertz refresh rate and absurd speed they contribute much more of what seems to any game scenario; especially in competitive scenarios.
I think it is frank to say that the monitor of the South Koreans has been the best monitor I’ve tried in 3DJuegos to date, but the benefits of these OLED panels are not without their problems. And the LG 27GR95QE does not escape them.
Burn-in on these screens, while greatly reduced barring misuse, is still something to consider. According to the use that we are going to give to our equipmentthis can be a mere anecdote, or a problem that can put an end to the excellent image of the panel.
Personally, I think that the LG 27GR95QE crowns itself as the reference monitor in the high-end of QHD screens, but it is not a clear recommendation for all gamers.
Users who regularly use their equipment for more than just gaming may find it more reasonable to stick to technologies other than OLED.
I find it difficult to outright recommend a monitor that Possibly pass 1000 euros in our territory once it is launched on the market, when its useful life in the long term may be compromised by these activities.
Definitely. If you’re looking for a high-end screen to play on, and nothing else, this is now my top recommendation outside of 4K resolutions. For everyone else, it’s a great monitor, but with important nuances.
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