Displays review
LG UltraGear 27GP850 Review: Fast Pixels, Flat Blacks
Response times two labs measured in the low milliseconds, and a contrast ratio both of them called poor even for IPS. It is a very good gaming monitor and a mediocre film one.
By Paulo GerchonPublished 2 min read
Illustration, not a photo — we don’t have a licensed image of this product yet.
LG
LG UltraGear 27GP850-B
Good · researched from 4 sources
For fast 1440p gaming this is still an easy recommendation, and two labs independently measured the response times that justify it. The contrast is genuinely poor, so if you watch films in a dark room this is the wrong panel technology at any refresh rate.
- Buy if
- Competitive and fast-paced gaming at 1440p · Rooms with ambient light, where low contrast matters less · Anyone who wants an sRGB clamp for colour work between games
- Skip if
- Dark-room film watching, where 871:1 will look washed out · Anyone buying for HDR · Desks that need the screen to swivel rather than move
We don’t list prices, because Amazon’s change hourly.
Nano IPS is a trade, and this is the bill
LG's Nano IPS gets its speed by accepting worse contrast than ordinary IPS. That is not a defect in a particular unit, it is how the technology works, and this monitor is a clean illustration of both halves.
Custom PC measured average initial response at 4.24 ms in Fast mode, with 2.78 ms available if you push the overdrive further. That is genuinely quick for an IPS panel and it is why the monitor exists.
Then Custom PC measured contrast at 871:1 and Monitor Nerds at 903:1. Ordinary IPS sits nearer 1,000:1 to 1,100:1, which is itself unimpressive next to VA or OLED. Monitor Nerds called the result dismal.
Two labs, two units, the same answer. This is not panel lottery.
What that means in practice
In a room with the lights on, playing anything with movement in it, you will not notice the contrast and you will notice the response times. That is most gaming.
In a dark room watching a film with a lot of night scenes, blacks will look grey and Monitor Nerds found clouding along the top and bottom edges that becomes visible in exactly those scenes.
So this is a monitor for a specific job rather than a general-purpose screen, and it does that job well.
Set the overdrive yourself
Both Display Ninja and Custom PC land on Fast rather than Fastest, and Custom PC shows why with numbers: Fastest cuts initial response to 2.78 ms but produces an RGB error of 15, which is overshoot. Overshoot looks like a bright halo trailing behind moving objects and is more distracting than the extra millisecond is helpful.
Fast measured 4.24 ms initial and 4.36 ms perceived, which is close enough to be the right default for almost everyone.
The colour surprise
Gaming monitors with wide gamuts often have no way to constrain them, so ordinary sRGB content looks oversaturated.
Custom PC confirms this one has a working sRGB mode that pulls the native gamut from about 140 percent sRGB down to just under 100. Monitor Nerds measured default accuracy at dE 2.65 and calibrated accuracy at 0.56.
That makes it usable for colour-sensitive work between games, with the obvious caveat that the contrast ratio limits how far you would want to trust it for grading.
What is missing
No swivel. The stand does height, tilt and a 90 degree pivot, and both Custom PC and Monitor Nerds raise the absence of left-to-right rotation.
No speakers at all.
And the two HDMI ports cap at 144Hz per Display Ninja, so the 180Hz overclock needs DisplayPort. Worth knowing before you plan your cabling around a console.
How it scored
The overall 7.2 is the weighted average of these five criteria — we never adjust it by hand.
Panel performance
Custom PC measured a 4.24 ms average initial response in Fast mode. Monitor Nerds measured default colour accuracy at dE 2.65, falling to 0.56 after calibration.
Value
Custom PC scored it 87 percent and called the performance class leading. Display Ninja notes cheaper alternatives now exist and that the predecessor may be better value discounted.
Build quality
Solid stand with height, tilt and pivot, but Custom PC and Monitor Nerds both note there is no swivel and no speakers, and call the design basic.
Ease of use
A proper sRGB clamp that Custom PC found pulls the default 140 percent sRGB down to just under 100. Overdrive needs setting by hand to avoid overshoot.
Contrast and uniformity
Custom PC measured 871:1 and Monitor Nerds 903:1, both below typical IPS. Monitor Nerds also found clouding along the top and bottom edges.
Pros and cons
What we liked
- Custom PC measured 4.24 ms average initial response in Fast mode, with 2.78 ms available in Fastest
- 165Hz native with a 180Hz factory overclock
- Monitor Nerds measured colour accuracy at dE 0.56 after calibration
- A working sRGB emulation mode, which wide-gamut panels often lack
- Height, tilt and pivot adjustment plus a 100x100 VESA mount
What we didn’t
- Contrast measured 871:1 by Custom PC and 903:1 by Monitor Nerds, poor even for IPS
- Monitor Nerds found clouding along the top and bottom edges that shows in dark scenes
- No swivel adjustment, raised by both Custom PC and Monitor Nerds
- No speakers at all
- DisplayHDR 400 with no local dimming, which Display Ninja says is not real HDR
- The Fastest overdrive mode introduces overshoot, so it needs setting by hand
Specifications
| Panel | 27in LG Nano IPS, matte anti-glare |
|---|---|
| Resolution | 2560 x 1440 |
| Refresh rate | 165Hz native, 180Hz factory overclock |
| Response time | 1 ms GtG rated; 4.24 ms average measured in Fast mode by Custom PC |
| Input lag | About 4 ms per Display Ninja and Monitor Nerds |
| Contrast | 871:1 per Custom PC, 903:1 per Monitor Nerds |
| Brightness | 400 cd/m2 rated; 370 cd/m2 SDR measured by Monitor Nerds |
| Colour gamut | About 95 to 98 percent DCI-P3 depending on source |
| Colour accuracy | dE 2.65 default, 0.56 calibrated per Monitor Nerds |
| Adaptive sync | 48 to 180Hz AMD, 60 to 180Hz GeForce over DisplayPort |
| Connectivity | DisplayPort 1.4, 2 x HDMI 2.0 limited to 144Hz, USB 3.0 hub, headphone jack |
| Stand | Height up to 110 mm, tilt, 90 degree pivot, no swivel |
How we researched this
We have not had this unit on the bench. This review synthesises the manufacturer’s published specifications, independent measurements and owner reports listed below. Every figure on this page comes from one of those sources rather than our own measurement.
4
sources reviewed
Custom PC and Monitor Nerds both published their own instrumented results and are the basis for the response time, contrast, brightness and colour accuracy figures. They agree closely, which is worth saying because monitor panel variation often makes two labs disagree: 871:1 against 903:1 is the same conclusion twice. Display Ninja contributed the adaptive sync ranges, the HDMI refresh limitation and the HDR assessment. Where they differ slightly on gamut coverage, between about 95 and 98 percent DCI-P3, the specification table gives the range rather than a single figure.
What we read
Common questions
Is the contrast on the LG 27GP850 really that bad?
Which overdrive setting should I use?
Does the 180Hz overclock work reliably?
Is it good enough for colour work?
What about HDR?
The bottom line on the LG UltraGear 27GP850-B
For fast 1440p gaming this is still an easy recommendation, and two labs independently measured the response times that justify it. The contrast is genuinely poor, so if you watch films in a dark room this is the wrong panel technology at any refresh rate.
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