LG 32GS95UE Review: 4K 240Hz OLED Gaming Monitor With 1080p 480Hz Dual Mode

The LG UltraGear 32GS95UE-B is the first gaming monitor with Dual Mode, which allows you to switch between 4K 240Hz and 1080p 480Hz via a hotkey!

In addition, the monitor has an OLED panel for a true HDR viewing experience and responsive gameplay, as well as plenty of other extra features!

Image Quality

The LG 32GS95UE is based on a W-OLED panel with the new and improved RGWB subpixel layout, which in addition to the monitor’s high pixel density completely eliminates the issue with bothersome fringing on small text and fine details.

Besides the crisp text and details, the 4K UHD resolution also provides you with plenty of real estate as you don’t have to use scaling (though some users prefer 125%).

The only downside is that 4K UHD is quite demanding on the GPU, but thanks to upscaling technologies, such as FSR, XeSS and DLSS, it’s possible to enjoy high frame rate gaming with a decent mid-range or high-end graphics card in most games.

LG’s newer W-OLED panel also brings brightness performance improvements with a high 275-nit peak brightness for SDR and 100% APL (Average Picture Level, white window size), and up to 1300-nits for small HDR highlights (< 3% APL).

Note that these measurements refer to white luminance, Samsung’s QD-OLED panels still have higher color luminance even though they have a lower specified brightness of 250-nits and 1000-nits. So, the overall perceived brightness is still higher on QD-OLED panels – another reason for that is the wider 99.3% DCI-P3 color gamut, which results in more saturated and vibrant colors.

Regardless, the LG 32GS95UE still offers an incredibly immersive image quality thanks to the infinite contrast ratio, excellent brightness and respectable 98.5% DCI-P3 color space coverage.

It’s also factory calibrated, has an accurate sRGB emulation mode, 178° wide viewing angles and true 10-bit color depth for smooth gradients.

There are two HDR modes: Peak Brightness Low and Peak Brightness High. The ‘Low’ mode is accurate but limits the brightness to ~450-nits, whereas the ‘High’ mode can achieve the specified 1300-nits peak brightness but over-brightens most content, though we hope a future firmware update will address this.

Performance

The LG 32GS95UE has a high 240Hz refresh rate and low ~3ms input lag for responsive gameplay. Thanks to OLED’s instantaneous pixel response time speed, there’s no visible trailing behind fast-moving objects.

Pressing the button beneath the monitor’s bottom bezel will switch between 4K 240Hz and 1080p 480Hz modes. The switching process only takes a few seconds.

Now, because the monitor is not displaying its native resolution, 1920×1080 will be a bit blurry. However, if you push the screen a bit further, the added blurriness is really not that noticeable in games.

The LG 32GS95UE monitor also has 24″ and 27″ modes, which will emulate those screen sizes by shrinking the image and adding black bars around it. Alas, the image is even blurrier in these modes, so we recommend sticking with the native 32″ mode.

While 480Hz provides a noticeable boost in motion clarity as opposed to 240Hz, you’ll also need to be able to maintain such high frame rates to take full advantage of it, which is only possible in undemanding eSports titles.

However, most competitive FPS players find 32″ monitors to be too big as you need to move your eyes/neck to see everything that’s happening on the screen. Therefore, you might want to consider waiting for the upcoming 27″ 1440p 480Hz models if you’re a competitive gamer.

Moving on, the LG 32GS95UE supports variable refresh rate (VRR) for tear-free gameplay up to 240FPS at 4K or up to 480FPS at 1080p. It has certified AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and NVIDIA G-SYNC Compatible certification, and supports HDMI 2.1 VRR for the PS5.

Unfortunately, VRR flicker may be present in dark scenes of some games with fluctuating frame rates (and in some in-game menus and loading screens), which is a known drawback of OLED and VA displays.

Features

The LG 32GS95UE features the innovative Pixel Sound technology – there are two 10W speakers placed behind the OLED panel for more immersive audio.

Beneath the bottom bezel of the monitor, there’s a directional joystick for quick and easy navigation through the OSD (On-Screen Display) menu. Alternatively, you can use the On-Screen Control desktop application.

There are plenty of image adjustment tools available, including brightness, contrast, manual color temperature fine-tuning in 500K increments, sharpness, three gamma modes, 6-axis hue/saturation and aspect ratio (Full Wide, Original and Just Scan).

The monitor also supports Automatic Input Switch, Black Stabilizer (improves visibility in dark scenes), crosshair overlays, a refresh rate tracker, hardware calibration and Dual Controller (functions as a KVM, but requires both PCs to be connected to the same network and have the application installed).

As is the case with all OLED displays, there’s a risk of permanent image burn-in, but there are a few burn-in prevention features (OLED Screen Move, Screen Saver and Image Cleaning). LG also offers a 2-year warranty that covers burn-in, though some other monitor manufacturers offer a 3-year OLED burn-in coverage.

Design & Connectivity

The stand of the monitor is sturdy and offers a full range of ergonomic support, including up to 120mm height adjustment, +/- 15° swivel, -10°/15° tilt, 90° pivot and 100x100mm VESA mount compatibility.

Connectivity options include DisplayPort 1.4, two HDMI 2.1 ports with full 48 Gbps bandwidth, a dual-USB 3.0 hub and a headphone jack with DTS Headphone:X support. The headphone port can also be used as a combined audio jack as long as the monitor is connected to the PC via USB.

Next, the screen has a bit heavier matte anti-glare coating that efficiently prevents reflections but adds some graininess to the image. Luckily, the graininess is only noticeable on solid colors, and it’s negligible.

Price & Similar Monitors

The LG 32GS95UE goes for $1,200 – $1,400, which is a bit expensive considering that the 32″ 4K 240Hz QD-OLED models can be found for as low as $900, such as the MSI MAG 321UPX, though they don’t have the 1080p 480Hz mode.

If you want the 1080p 480Hz Dual Mode, we recommend the ASUS PG32UCDP instead. It goes for $1,300, but offers USB-C with 90W Power Delivery and DP Alt Mode, integrated KVM, a 3-year burn-in warranty, passive cooling instead of a heatsink and ELMB support up to 120Hz.

As we’ve already mentioned, if you’re interested in a 480Hz OLED display, consider waiting for the ASUS PG27AQDP model.

For more information and the best deals available, check out our dedicated OLED monitor article. If you’re interested in mini LED HDR displays as well, check out our best HDR monitors buyer’s guide.

Conclusion

Overall, the LG 32GS95UE is an excellent gaming monitor thanks to its 32″ 4K 240Hz OLED panel with vibrant colors, high brightness, infinite contrast ratio and instantaneous response times. It’s a bit on the expensive side in comparison to other 32″ 4K 240Hz OLED models, but if you need the 1080p 480Hz mode, it’s worth it.

Specifications

Screen Size	31.5-inch
Resolution	3840×2160 (Ultra HD)
Panel Type	OLED
Aspect Ratio	16:9 (Widescreen)
Refresh Rate	4K 240Hz 1080p 480Hz
Response Time	0.03ms (GtG)
Speakers	2x10W (Pixel Sound)
Adaptive-Sync	FreeSync Premium Pro (48-240Hz) G-SYNC Compatible, HDMI 2.1 VRR
Ports	DisplayPort 1.4, 2x HDMI 2.1
Other Ports	Headphone Jack, 2x USB 3.0
Brightness (1 – 3% White Window)	1300 cd/m²
Brightness (10% White Window)	800 cd/m²
Brightness (100% White Window)	275 cd/m²
Contrast Ratio	Infinite
Colors	1.07 billion (true 10-bit) 98.5% DCI-P3
HDR	VESA DisplayHDR 400 True Black
VESA	Yes (100x100mm)