LG 27UD88 Review: 4K IPS FreeSync Monitor With USB-C

The LG 27UD88 is a 27" 4K UHD IPS monitor with FreeSync, USB-C (DP 1.2 Alt Mode and 60W PD), and additional useful features.

Bottom Line

The LG 27UD88 provides good image quality, smooth performance, and a lot of useful features. However, there are better alternatives out there for the money.

Design:
(4.5)
Display:
(4.5)
Performance:
(4.3)
Price/Value:
(3.5)
4.2

Looking for a 4K UHD IPS monitor with USB-C for your MacBook Pro/laptop? The LG 27UD88 may be just what you’re searching for. 

Image Quality

The LG 27UD88 is based on an IPS panel with 10-bit color depth (8-bit + FRC), which is factory-calibrated to cover over 99% of the sRGB color gamut. You get precise, consistent, and rich colors fit for professional color-critical work.

IPS panels also ensure wide 178-degree viewing angles so that the picture won’t change in contrast, brightness, or color when you look at it from certain angles.

Other panel-related specifications include a 350-nit peak brightness and a static contrast ratio of 1,000:1, which is standard for a 4K monitor at this price range.

The specified 5,000,000:1 ‘dynamic’ contrast ratio is just a marketing gimmick and should be disregarded.

4K UHD resolution ensures a stunning detail clarity on a 27″ screen of the LG 27UD88 monitor due to the high pixel-per-inch ratio of 163 PPI.

Such rich pixel density also makes for plenty of screen space, but you will need to scale the picture to make small items such as text easily readable.

Overall, the image quality is excellent, but if you don’t need USB-C, you can get the same level of picture quality with a much cheaper 4K IPS display, such as the LG 27UK650.

Performance

Although it’s not a gaming monitor, video games both look and run great on the LG 27UD88 IPS display.

It supports AMD FreeSync, so if you have a compatible graphics card, you can eliminate screen tearing and stuttering within the VRR (variable refresh rate) range of the display, which amounts to 40-60Hz/FPS (Frames Per Second).

Further, it has a low input lag of ~12ms and a quick response time speed of 5ms, which ensures no noticeable delays nor trailing artifacts while gaming or in everyday use.

Moving on, the LG 27UD88 has a flicker-free backlight and a built-in low-blue light filter. These two features prevent eye fatigue and headaches, which some users may experience after looking at a computer screen for long periods.

We didn’t detect any excessive IPS glow, backlight bleeding, nor dead/stuck pixels on our unit of the monitor.

Features

There are additional features available which are useful for gaming, including Black Stabilizer (increases visibility in dark games), Dynamic Action Sync (minimizes input lag by bypassing certain image processing), and the Game Mode picture presets (FPS, RTS, and a Customizable profile).

Other features for everyday use include On-Screen Control (allows you to adjust OSD settings in a desktop application) and Screen Split (partitions the desktop into different layouts for easier multitasking).

You will also find plenty of features related to photo editing. There are different color space presets (EBU, Rec.709, SMPTE-C, DICOM, sRGB, and two custom Calibration profiles that can be used with the True Color Pro software and a compatible hardware calibrator).

Advanced color adjustments such as gamma, sharpness, color temperature, and 6-axis hue/saturation are available as well in the OSD (On-Screen Display) menu of the LG 27UD88.

Design & Connectivity

Lg 27ud88 Amazon

Connectivity options of the monitor are abundant and include two HDMI 2.0 ports, DisplayPort 1.2, a headphones jack, two downstream USB 3.0 ports with quick charging, and a USB-C port with DisplayPort 1.2 Alternate Mode and 60W Power Delivery which allows you to simultaneously transfer audio/video signal, data, and charge a compatible device up to 60W.

Note that FreeSync is only supported over DisplayPort, not over HDMI. Moreover, FreeSync doesn’t work with compatible NVIDIA cards as there was constant tearing in our tests, so the LG 27UD88 is not G-SYNC compatible.

The more power-hungry devices such as the 87W MacBook Pro can also be charged; they just won’t charge as quickly.

Keep in mind that when you use the USB-C port for video/power, the USB hub is limited to the USB 2.0 bandwidth. To get the USB 3.0 speed, you will need to connect the USB-C port of the monitor to a USB-A port on your PC.

Next, the design of the monitor is simply beautiful with glossy white finish and ultra-thin bezels while the screen has a matte anti-glare coating.

It also offers versatile ergonomics with up to 110mm height adjustment, -3°/20° tilt, 90° clockwise pivot, and 100x100mm VESA mount compatibility, but no swivel option.

Price & Similar Monitors

The LG 27UD88 price amounts to ~$650. For roughly the same amount of money, you can get the LG 27UK850 or the LG 27UL850 with HDR support (although software-emulated), built-in speakers, and FreeSync over both HDMI and DP.

If you don’t need USB-C, you can get a 4K IPS monitor with better image quality and wider color gamut, such as the ASUS VG289Q – for less money.

For more information, visit our best USB-C monitors buyer’s guide. We also compared all LG’s UK and UL series monitors in our LG 27UK650 review.

You can also find the LG 27MU88, which is the same monitor as the 27UD88. The LG 27MU88-W is just a commercial model, whereas the 27UD88 is the consumer version.

Conclusion

While the LG 27UD88 4K monitor does offer a great image quality, performance, and features, there are better and newer alternatives available nowadays.

Unless you can find it on a big sale, we suggest just going with the LG 27UK850/27UL850 if you want the USB type C connectivity.

Screen Size27-inch
Resolution3840×2160 (UHD)
Panel TypeIPS
Aspect Ratio16:9 (Widescreen)
Refresh Rate60Hz
Response Time5ms (GtG)
Adaptive SyncFreeSync (40Hz-60Hz)
PortsDisplayPort 1.2, 2x HDMI 2.0
USB-C (60W PD, DP 1.2 Alt Mode)
Other Ports2x USB 3.0, Headphone Jack
Brightness350 cd/m2
Contrast Ratio1000:1 (static)
Colors1.07 billion (8-bit + FRC)
VESAYes (100x100mm)

The Pros:

  • Accurate and vibrant colors
  • Smooth performance
  • Plenty of useful features
  • USB-C with up to 60W PD

The Cons:

  • Expensive, there are better alternatives
  • FreeSync doesn’t work over HDMI
  • Design lacks swivel option

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Rob Shafer

Rob is a software engineer with a Bachelor’s degree from the University of Denver. He now works full-time managing DisplayNinja while coding his own projects on the side.