LG UltraGear Ergo gaming monitor review: impressive and super versatile

Unbox the LG UltraGear Ergo and you immediately get the impression that this is one of the best gaming monitors in the business at the moment – even if it does deploy a rather unconventional clamp-style stand that won't be to everyone's tastes or requirements.

This display – which has the model number 27GN88A if you're shopping for it – brings with it some high-end specs and of course the assurance of the LG brand name. LG has been behind several of the top panels of recent years, including some of the best 4K monitors.

After a few days of using the LG UltraGear Ergo as our main monitor – for both gaming and non-gaming purposes – we can give you the definitive verdict on this screen, and give you the information you need to decide whether or not this is the monitor upgrade for you.

LG UltraGear Ergo gaming monitor review: design and setup

The LG UltraGear Ergo doesn't stand on top of your desk – it clamps itself to the edge of it. Right away you've got an unconventional selling point that might immediately boost the appeal of this screen or immediately put you off. You'll have to decide about that, but we can confirm that the metal stand is sturdy, solid, and well put together. Setup is simple and straightforward and should only take a few minutes, assuming you've got a desk edge that you can make use of.

Once the monitor has been unboxed and put in place, you can adjust it in all manner of different ways. The screen swivels, and tilts, and rotates, enabling you to get the perfect viewing angle no matter where you're sat. It's not often that we come across a monitor with this much versatility and flexibility, and it adds to the number of reasons that you might pick the LG UltraGear Ergo over anything else. The 178-degree viewing angles are definitely to be applauded as well, with whatever's on screen staying in view until you're almost behind the monitor.

The IPS LCD screen measures 27 inches from corner to corner, and brings with it a native resolution of 2,560 x 1,440 pixels. The bezels are noticeably there, especially along the bottom, but they're thin enough and don't detract too much from the overall quality of the display. Black dominates, although there is some red edging around the back of the monitor, and a small LG logo on the bottom bezel on the front. On the whole, it's another really good exercise in aesthetics from LG.

All of the ports are easily accessible around the back of the LG UltraGear Ergo gaming monitor: you get two HDMI ports, one DisplayPort socket, and three USB 3.0 ports (one upstream and two downstream). What you don't get is a USB-C connection, which would have been nice for the sake of completeness, but it's not all that difficult to live without. The on-screen display is more competent and intuitive than most, and is controlled via a joystick embedded in the bottom of the monitor.

• Here are the best 4K monitors

LG UltraGear Ergo gaming monitor review: features and picture

We were very impressed with the quality and the fluidity of the picture produced by the LG UltraGear Ergo gaming monitor: titles such as GTA V, Cyberpunk 2077 and Red Dead Redemption 2 all looked glorious, though of course the end result depends on your graphics card as well as your monitor. The panel is capable of a 144Hz refresh rate, and also boasts a 1ms grey-to-grey response time, as well as a 1,000:1 typical contrast ratio. There's support for Nvidia G-SYNC and AMD FreeSync here too.

Those specs all add up to a gaming experience that's one of the best we've come across recently. It's perhaps not quite as speedy in its response as the best TN displays on the market, but we reckon this isn't far off at all. Details in individual frames are clear and smooth, and you're not going to lose anything to motion blur or fuzziness. If 27-inch, 1440p gaming is what you're aiming for, this certainly delivers (and if you want a clamp-style stand, even better).

The LG UltraGear Ergo is a fine screen for watching movies and shows as well, with deep blacks and bright colours, although the lack of integrated speakers is something of a drawback – there is a 3.5mm headphone jack around the back of the monitor, but if you don't use that you're going to have to settle for a separate speaker setup. Audio aside, this is a display that has no problems with tasks that don't relate to gaming, and for the creatives you get support for 98 percent of the DCI-P3 colour gamut.

HDR10 is supported here as well, though with a maximum brightness of 350 nits it's not quite as impressive as it is on other panels. Still, every monitor is a choice of compromises, and we reckon that the LG UltraGear Ergo makes most of the right choices. It's also worth mentioning that there's also a standard 27-inch LG UltraGear monitor available (model number 27GN850) with the same panel as this one, should you want a more conventional stand underneath.

• Check out the best gaming monitors

LG UltraGear Ergo gaming monitor review: price and verdict

There are really two aspects of the LG UltraGear Ergo to consider: that ergonomic clamp that fits on to desks up to 3.5 inches (nearly 9cm) in thickness, and the display panel itself. In terms of the former, it's really a personal choice – but the stand option gives you a lot of flexibility in terms of where you put this screen, without taking up any desk space. The rotation, tilt and swivel options give you a lot of room to manoeuvre too.

As for the 144Hz, 27-inch panel itself, it's hard to find fault with it. We have seen screens that are slightly speedier, and slightly brighter, but this comes very close to the best – and at a reasonable price too. Games look pretty fantastic on this, with plenty of vibrancy and crispness, and when you've stopped gaming, the display does well as a general purpose screen as well.

Dedicated creatives will probably want to spend their money on a monitor that offers a little more in terms of colour management and perhaps a USB-C port, and the lack of integrated speakers is going to put some people off. However, overall there's not much that's negative to say about the LG UltraGear Ergo 27GN88A, and it's another fine panel from the experts at LG.

Check the widgets embedded on this page for the very latest online deals on this monitor, but at the time of writing you can get the LG UltraGear Ergo for just under £500 in the UK. That's not necessarily cheap, but we think that the quality that the display offers, together with the flexibility and versatility of its design, means that the investment is one that you'll feel is more than justified once you start using it.

• We've collected together all the best gaming laptops