LG 27GR95QE Review: 1440p 240Hz OLED Gaming Monitor

A lot of gamers had been waiting a long time for 27″ – 32″ sized high refresh rate OLED gaming monitors and for most of them, the wait was finally over with the LG UltraGear 27GR95QE-B – one of the first OLED gaming monitors available. Let’s see how it holds up today.

Image Quality

Based on LG Display’s W-OLED panel, the LG 27GR95QE delivers an infinite contrast ratio as each pixel is self-illuminated and therefore capable of completely turning off for true blacks.

Since it doesn’t have a backlight, there’s also no backlight bleeding, blooming, or IPS/VA glow of any kind, making for an incredibly immersive viewing experience, especially in dark rooms.

Next, the monitor has a wide 98.5% DCI-P3 gamut coverage, resulting in rich and vibrant colors. This is equivalent to around 135% sRGB gamut size, so content made with sRGB color space in mind will be over-saturated. Some users prefer the extra vibrancy provided by the over-saturation, but you can also clamp the gamut down to ~100% sRGB in case you prefer accuracy.

Another big advantage of OLED technology is exceptional image consistency thanks to the 178° wide viewing angles. The image remains flawless regardless of the angle you’re looking at it.

The LG 27GR95QE has a 2560×1440 screen resolution, which results in a pixel density of 110.84 PPI (pixels per inch) on the monitor’s 26.5″ viewable screen. You get plenty of screen space as well as sharp details and text without having to use any scaling.

A lot of users would have preferred a 4K resolution at this screen size for an even high pixel density and sharper details, but we find that 1440p suits ~27″ sized screens very well. Besides, 4K UHD is a lot more demanding than 1440p, so you wouldn’t be able to maintain as high frame rate.

While the difference in fine details and text clarity is quite noticeable when comparing 27″ 4K and 27″ 1440p monitors, that difference is barely visible in video games and when watching videos, so those who are looking for a monitor mainly for gaming and content consumption will be completely satisfied with the 27GR95QE.

You get a similar image clarity and sharpness as you would on a 42″ 4K display (~106 PPI), such as the LG OLED42C2, just a bit less screen real estate due to the lower 1440p resolution.

LG Display’s W-OLED panel uses an RWBG subpixel layout, which adds a white subpixel to the BGR layout for increased brightness. This causes minor fringing on small text and thin lines, which some users might find a bit annoying, but it’s not noticeable in games and videos.

We recommend setting up Better ClearType Tuner to minimize fringing in some scenarios.

Another thing to keep in mind about OLED panels is the subpar brightness performance in comparison to mini-LED backlit displays.

In the Gamer 1 mode, the LG 27GR95QE maintains ~200-nits of peak brightness regardless of the white window size in SDR. So, ABL (Automatic Brightness Limiter) is not active.

The performance is very similar in all other modes except for ‘Vivid’, which can reach up to ~400-nits for 25% and smaller white window sizes, but drops to ~200-nits at around 50%, and down to ~130-nits at 75% – 100%. Therefore, we don’t recommend using the Vivid mode in SDR unless playing games or watching videos as the jumps in brightness will be annoying during everyday use. It also has a too high color temperature, resulting in a bluish tint.

SDR	100% White Window Size	75% White Window Size	50% White Window Size	<25% White Window Size
Gamer 1	200-nits	200-nits	200-nits	200-nits
Vivid	130-nits	130-nits	200-nits	400-nits

There are also a few presets for HDR. The Gamer 1, Gamer 2, FPS and RTS modes can reach around 650-nits for 10% and smaller sizes and 130-nits for 100% full-screen white windows.

The Vivid HDR mode can reach up to 800-nits for 3% and lower sizes, 700-nits for 10% and 130-nits for 100%, but it over-exposes some bright parts and has a bluish tint. Either way, it falls short of the specified 1000-nit peak brightness. LG plans to release a firmware update in April to improve the brightness performance.

HDR	100% White Window Size	10% White Window Size	<3% White Window Size
Gamer 1	130-nits	650-nits	650-nits
Vivid	130-nits	700-nits	800-nits

Overall, while most people will argue that the 200-nit SDR peak brightness is too low, it’s bright enough under normal lighting conditions. If your screen is facing a big window or studio lighting, however, you’ll need to adjust the lighting (dim the lights, shut the curtains, etc.) in order to mitigate glare for optimal image quality.

Thanks to the monitor’s infinite contrast ratio, wide color gamut and no backlight bleeding, blooming or other visual artifacts, HDR image quality is impressive as 650-nits can still create punchy highlights while preserving black depth.

By default, the monitor has a too high color temperature of 8500K, which gives white a blueish tint. We recommend changing the color temperature to ‘Manual’ and then to ‘C1’ to get the proper 6500K color temperature. You should also disable Smart Energy Saving in order to prevent the display from dimming itself.

Performance

The LG 27GR95QE monitor has a high 240Hz refresh rate, which when paired with OLED’s instantaneous pixel response time speed results in incredible motion clarity without any ghosting or pixel overshoot.

Variable refresh rate (VRR) is also supported via AMD FreeSync Premium, NVIDIA G-SYNC Compatible and HDMI 2.1 VRR for tear-free gameplay all the way up to 240FPS without any noticeable input lag penalty.

When using VRR, the pixel response time performance is perfect regardless of the refresh/frame rate as there’s no need for different overdrive modes.

Input lag is excellent as well at just around 2ms of delay, which is imperceptible.

Sadly, Motion Blur Reduction is not available.

There’s a low-blue light filter mode available, and while there are slight dips in brightness due to the way OLED panels work, this is not noticeable in real use and won’t bother those sensitive to screen flickering.

The main downside of OLED panels is the risk of permanent image burn-in and temporary image retention.

However, LG packs a bunch of useful OLED Care features, which if used properly along with sensible use of the display in general, should prevent burn-in and image retention from happening.

• Screen Move – moves the screen by a few pixels at regular intervals
• Screen Saver – screen turns off automatically when no movement is detected after a certain period of time
• Image Cleaning – after using the monitor for more than 4 hours, the pixels are ‘refreshed’
• Pixel Cleaning – the pixels refresh after every 500 hours of use

As long as you let these features operate as intended and don’t leave the screen showing bright static elements for a long time, the LG 27GR95QE shouldn’t burn-in.

LG offers a 2-year warranty that covers burn-in. However, keep in mind that some OLED monitor manufacturers offer a longer 3-year warranty.

Features

There’s no directional joystick for navigation through the OSD (On-Screen Display) menu. Instead, you can use the OSC (On-Screen Control) desktop application or the provided remote controller to make your preferred adjustments.

Interesting gaming features include Black Stabilizer (improves visibility in dark scenes by altering the gamma curvature), a refresh rate tracker, various picture presets (including three customizable profiles) and crosshair overlays.

Apart from the standard image settings (brightness, contrast, color temperature, etc.), the LG 27GR95QE also offers some advanced options, including four gamma modes, 6-axis hue/saturation, sharpness, color temperature fine-tuning in 500K increments, aspect ratio control (full wide, original and just scan) and Auto Input Switch.

The monitor also supports hardware calibration and comes with the LG True Color application, allowing you to store two calibrations on the monitor itself without having to rely on ICC profiles.

Design & Connectivity

The stand of the monitor is quite sturdy and offers height adjustment up to 110mm, tilt by -5°/15°, swivel by +/- 10°, 90° counter-clockwise pivot and 100x100mm VESA mount compatibility.

Moreover, the screen is exceptionally thin and has ultra-thin bezels on all four sides of the screen. It has a light 35% haze matte anti-glare coating which prevents reflections without adding too much graininess to the image.

Monitors with a glossy screen surface have a more vivid image, but they’re more reflective, making them less suitable for rooms with plenty of sunlight or direct lighting.

The LG 27GR95QE also features Hexagon RGB lighting at the rear with adjustable colors and lighting patterns. In a dark room, the LEDs are even strong enough to reflect off of the wall and create atmospheric ambient lighting.

Connectivity options include two HDMI 2.1 ports, DisplayPort 1.4 with DSC, a dual-USB 3.0 hub, a digital audio output and a DTS headphone jack with HP:X support for 3D audio simulation.

The monitor also has a quiet cooling fan.

The monitor also supports 4K 120Hz HDR and VRR on the PS5 and the Xbox One/Series S/X.

Price & Similar Monitors

There are many monitors using the same W-OLED panel with different design, features, connectivity options, warranty and pricing.

You can see how they compare in the table below.

	LG 27GR95QE	ASUS PG27AQDM	Corsair 27QHD240	Acer X27U	AOC AG276QZD	KTC G27P6
Max. SDR Brightness (100% APL)	200-nits	250-nits	160-nits	200-nits	260-nits	200-nits
Max. HDR Brightness (100% APL)	140-nits	160-nits	140-nits	230-nits	140-nits	200-nits
Max. HDR Brightness (10% APL)	650-nits	850-nits	650-nits	650-nits	650-nits	750-nits
Max. HDR Brightness (≤3% APL)	600-nits	900-nits	750-nits	750-nits	700-nits	900-nits
USA Burn-in Warranty	2-year	2-year	3-year	None	3-year	None
Display Inputs	1x DP 1.4 2x HDMI 2.1 (48 Gbps)	1x DP 1.4 2x HDMI 2.0	1x DP 1.4 2x HDMI 2.1 (24 Gbps)	1x DP 1.4 2x HDMI 2.0	2x DP 1.4 2x HDMI 2.0	1x DP 1.4 2x HDMI 2.0
USB-C (DP Alt Mode + Power Delivery)	No	No	65W	90W	No	65W
USB Ports	2x USB-A 1x USB-B	2x USB-A 1x USB-B	4x USB-A 1x USB-C	2x USB-A 1x USB-B	2x USB-A 1x USB-B	2x USB-A 1x USB-B
KVM	No	No	Yes	Yes	No	Yes
Audio Ports	1x HP + Mic 1x Optical Digital	1x HP	1x HP	1x HP	1x HP 2x5W Speakers	1x HP 2x3W Speakers
PS5 Support	Full (4K HDR + 120Hz VRR)	1440p HDR + 120Hz VRR or 4K HDR + 60Hz VRR	Full (with chroma) 4K HDR 4:2:0 + 120Hz VRR	1440p HDR + 120Hz VRR or 4K HDR + 60Hz VRR	1440p HDR + 120Hz VRR or 4K HDR + 60Hz VRR	1440p HDR + 120Hz or 4K HDR + 60Hz
Xbox Series X/S Support	Full (4K HDR + 120Hz VRR)	4K HDR + 60Hz VRR or 1440p SDR + 120Hz VRR	Full (4K HDR + 120Hz VRR)	4K HDR + 60Hz VRR or 1440p SDR + 120Hz VRR	4K HDR + 60Hz VRR or 1440p SDR + 120Hz VRR	4K HDR + 60Hz or 1440p SDR + 120Hz
Other	Hardware Calibration	–	PiP/PbP	–	PiP/PbP	–
Price / Review	LG 27GR95QE	ASUS PG27AQDM	Corsair 27QHD240	Acer X27U	AOC AG276QZD	KTC G27P6

Next, here are the 27″ 1440p 240Hz monitors using LG’s newer W-OLED panel with MLA+ technology with a higher brightness, as well as Samsung’s QD-OLED panels with a wider color gamut, brighter colors and better subpixel layout for less noticeable fringing on small text and fine details.

	LG 27GS95QE / 27GS93QE*	KTC G27P6S	ASUS XG27AQDMG	Gigabyte FO27Q2	MSI 271QPX E2	AOC AG276QZD2
Panel	W-OLED MLA+	W-OLED MLA+	W-OLED MLA+	QD-OLED	QD-OLED	QD-OLED
100% APL Brightness	275-nits	275-nits	275-nits	250-nits	250-nits	250-nits
10% APL Brightness	750-nits	750-nits	750-nits	450-nits	450-nits	450-nits
≤ 3% APL Brightness	1300-nits	1300-nits	1300-nits	1000-nits	1000-nits	1000-nits
DCI-P3 Color Gamut	98.5%	98.5%	98.5%	99.3%	99.3%	99.3%
USA Burn-in Warranty	2-year	None	3-year	3-year	3-year	3-year
Display Inputs	DP 1.4, 2x HDMI 2.1	DP 1.4, 2x HDMI 2.0	DP 1.4, 2x HDMI 2.0	DP 1.4, 2x HDMI 2.1	DP 1.4, 2x HDMI 2.1	2x DP 1.4, 2x HDMI 2.0
Other Ports	2x USB-A 1x USB-B	2x USB-A 1x USB-B	2x USB-A 1x USB-B	2x USB-A 1x USB-B	–	2x USB-A 1x USB-B
USB-C (DP Alt Mode + Power Delivery)	No	Yes (65W)	No	Yes (18W)	Yes (15W)	No
KVM	No	Yes	No	Yes	No	No
Audio Ports	Headphone Jack, Optical Digital Audio Out	Headphone Jack, 2x5W Speakers	Headphone Jack	Headphone Jack, 2x5W Speakers	Headphone Jack	Headphone Jack
Other	Hardware Calibration	–	ELMB	–	–	–
Screen Surface	Matte	Matte	Glossy	Glossy	Glossy	Glossy

Note that there are also 27″ 1440p 360Hz QD-OLED panels, such as the MSI MAG 271QPX, which can be found on sale for $600.

Finally, consider the ASUS PG27AQDP with a 27″ 1440p 480Hz W-OLED MLA+ panel and BFI up to 240Hz support for $1,000.

LG also released the LG 27GR95QL League of Legends variant of the 27GR95QE, though it’s exclusive to the United Kingdom, France, Germany, Spain, Sweden, Italy, Saudi Arabia and South Korea, and can only be ordered from LG.com.

For more options and information, check out our best HDR monitors buyer’s guide.

Conclusion

The LG 27GR95QE was the first 27″ 1440p high refresh rate OLED display available, but nowadays, there are better options available.

We recommend the MSI MAG 271QPX E2 for $500 – $600.

Specifications

Screen Size	26.5-inch
Resolution	2560×1440 (QHD)
Panel Type	OLED
Aspect Ratio	16:9 (Widescreen)
Refresh Rate	240Hz
Response Time	0.03ms (GtG)
Adaptive-Sync	FreeSync, G-SYNC Compatible (48-240Hz) HDMI 2.1 VRR (48-240Hz)
Ports	DisplayPort 1.4, 2x HDMI 2.1
Other Ports	Headphone Jack, 2x USB 3.0, Optical Digital Audio Jack
Brightness (1 – 3% White Window)	650 cd/m²
Brightness (10% White Window)	650 cd/m²
Brightness (100% White Window)	130 cd/m² (HDR) 200 cd/m² (SDR)
Contrast Ratio	Infinite:1
Colors	1.07 billion (true 10-bit) 98.5% DCI-P3
HDR	HDR10
VESA	Yes (100x100mm)