LG 27GP950-B review: 4K quality that's hard to beat

When we tell you that the LG 27GP950-B is a strong contender for both our best gaming monitor and best 4K monitor lists, you can see what an impressive bit of kit it is – in fact, it's one of the best monitors full stop.

The display also comes from one of the most well-respected names in the business, so you know that electronics from this South Korean company are, generally speaking, going to be well made, reliable, and good for many years of consistent use.

In this full LG 27GP950-B review, we'll tell you everything you need to know about this particular display, from how easy it is to set up to how well it shows-off your movies. If you need something that's a little wider, be sure to check out the best ultrawide monitors instead.

LG 27GP950-B: price and availability

The LG 27GP950-B gaming monitor is out now and available to buy from the usual retailers, with an official price of £799.99 in the UK and $899.99 in the US. 

However, you may be able to find it even cheaper – check the widgets on this page for the latest online offers. In the UK it's also available from retailers including Overclockers and Currys.

LG 27GP950-B: design and setup

Setup for the LG 27GP950-B is exactly how we like it: quick, straightforward, and with no need for a screwdriver. There are two thumb screws on the base to get it fitted to the stand, and then the stand just snaps into the monitor – you probably won't even need to get anyone to lend you a hand. Plus, the ports are facing out from the back of the monitor rather than facing down, something which we prefer (even if most manufacturers seem to go the other way).

When it comes to the overall design, there's not much to look at on the front, which is again the way we like it. The display bezels are nice and thin – even on the bottom edge – while the stand manages to be pleasingly minimal without being boring. There's even a basic cable management system around the back, so you don't have to have cables trailing everywhere behind the screen, unless that's the vibe you're going for.

As far as lighting goes, there's an RGB ring around the back of the monitor, which can be synced up with audio and video through your computer, then customised in a variety of other ways thanks to some free LG software. It's another reason to go for this monitor over its many competitors, assuming that you'd like a subtle light show of course.

The overall dimensions of the monitor once assembled, if you want to measure out the space on your desk, are 609.2 x 574.7 x 291.2mm (that's 23.98 x 22.63 x 11.46in). 

The screen can't be rotated on the base, but you can tilt it, you can adjust the height, and you can pivot it around to change the angle of the display (and there is the option to wall-mount it as well). Overall, the aesthetics are low key but impressive.

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LG 27GP950-B: features and picture

The visual appeal and performance of the LG 27GP950-B matches up to the promise of the specs on the side of the box – and they're some very decent specs too, amongst the best that you can get for a monitor of this size and price. 

The monitor boasts a grey-to-grey response time of 1 millisecond, a maximum (overclocked) refresh rate of 160Hz (it's 144Hz otherwise), and support for VESA DisplayHDR 600, Nvidia G-Sync and AMD FreeSync. The monitor size is 27 inches, with a 4K resolution  (that's 3,840 x 2,160 pixels).

That all adds up to a really impressive user experience. We tested the LG 27GP950-B with a variety of games, movies and computing tasks, and it passed with flying colours every time. The high refresh rate and response time means there's no sign of ghosting or motion blur, while we found that the maximum 400 nits of brightness really helps to make colours pop out from the panel. Everything is crystal clear thanks to that high resolution, though you'll likely need to deploy some scaling to make text readable.

This is also one of the first monitors to support the HDMI 2.1 standard, which means getting the best possible picture from the latest devices – including the Sony PlayStation 5 and the Microsoft Xbox Series X (and Series S). There's two HDMI ports and DisplayPort to pick from as far as display connections go. 

Factor in the wide 98% DCI-P3 color gamut coverage to please creatives and this is a monitor that's going to be able to take everything you can throw at it and then some, all the while producing a stellar picture that looks great from every angle (the viewing angle is 178 degrees, by the way).

The monitor also comes with a host of settings you can tweak too, covering brightness, colour, refresh rate, and so on. This is all accessible via an on-screen menu that's easy to navigate around using the little joystick along the bottom edge of the screen – many users won't need to bother with this, but if you do want to customise some aspect of the monitor's performance then it's not difficult to do.

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LG 27GP950-B gaming monitor review: verdict

In just about every area that matters, the LG 27GP950-B scores very highly. Take a glance at the specs and you can see why it's likely to appear on many people's shopping shortlists if they're in the market for a top-end 4K gaming monitor. Combine that with the 27-inch size and the unfussy yet stylish looks, and we think  anyone who purchases this LG screen is going to be very pleased indeed.

Then there are the customisation options, from the screen modes that you can access through the monitor's software, to the RGB lighting ring around the back – if you want to tailor the screen for your specific uses, then you're able to do so. 

There really aren't really many negatives to talk about at all. The local dimming isn't always flawless, and we do wish there was some rotation built into the base, but again we can live without that. Just minor quibbles.

We were sad to have to return the LG 27GP950-B gaming monitor at the end of our review loan period, and that's always a sure sign that we're dealing with a quality bit of hardware. It's superb for games and movies and very good at everything else. Truly one of the best 4K monitors to pass through the T3 test bench in quite some time. 

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Also consider

If the price of the LG 27GP950-B is a little bit too rich for your blood, then the Acer CB282K comes in at around the £280/$300 mark. That's a significant saving for a monitor of a similar size, and you still get the 4K resolution – though the specs of the Acer aren't quite as impressive as the LG monitor of course.

We're also big fans of the Samsung M8 Smart Monitor, which again offers a 4K resolution and throws in a whole host of extras as well. You can run streaming apps right from the monitor itself, and it comes with integrated speakers, so it's sort of like having a smart TV and a monitor in one unit. The pricing is fairly similar to the LG offering too. 

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