LG 27UL500-W Productivity Monitor Review

Best Features

• 98% sRGB
• HDR 10
• UHD IPS Display
• On-Screen Controls
• Color-Calibrated

The LG 27UL500-W is an excellent monitor for productivity because of its sharp and roomy 4K screen. Causal gaming on this budget monitor is possible because it has AMD FreeSync.

You get HDR 10 certification for entertainment and adequate color coverage for media creation and color-demanding tasks.

Productivity

Gaming

Entertainment

Media Creation

Front

Monitor Type – Flat
Width – 59.6cm
Height – 33.5 cm

The LG 27UL500-W has a very premium look, and it follows the same design language as other LG monitors. The borders are a little bit thick and comes finished in black, which combines well with the silver finish of the stand, giving it a premium look.

The bottom bezel has an LG logo, and apart from that, the front is clean and minimal.

Back

Depth – 20.94 cm
VESA Mount – 100x100mm
Ports Position – Back-Facing

The back comes finished in white color, which looks very premium, making it suitable for places where the monitor’s back is exposed. The top part has a big LG branding in the middle, and below that, you get vents for heat to dissipate.

There are holes for VESA-supported arms in the middle, and exactly to the right, you get back-facing ports. The Kensington lock is at the bottom. Apart from that, the back of LG 27UL500-W is mostly clean.

Bezels 7/10

Thinness – N/A

The bezels of LG 27UL500-W are slightly thick than most modern monitors, but they should not create any problem for dual setups.

Build Quality 8/10

Weight – 4.6 kg

The build quality of LG 27UL500-W is excellent. It is plastic but of very good quality. There are no gaps in between the parts, and it is lighter in weight than most 27-inch monitors making it suitable for adjustable desks.

Stand 6/10

Removable Stand – Yes
Cable Management – N/A

The LG 27UL500-W has the ArcLine stand with a premium silver design. It feels heavy and is sturdy, offering a stable grip on the desk. However, the ergonomics are poor, but it is removable if you want to mount this monitor on a custom monitor arm.

Ergonomics 4/10

Tilt – 15° Backward, 5° Forward
Swivel – N/A
Height – N/A
Pivot – N/A

The LG 27UL500-W offers only tilt function, making it poor ergonomically. Also, the tilt range is very narrow, so it does not go backward that much. However, the mechanism is smooth and feels premium.

Panel

Panel Type – IPS
Panel Size – 27″
Aspect Ratio – 16:9
Panel Depth – 10 bits (8 bits+FRC)

The LG 27UL500-W has an IPS panel with a 27-inch screen size. IPS panels have better viewing angles than TN and VA counterparts, and you will be able to see more colors because it supports 10-bit color (8-bits+FRC).

The aspect ratio is 16:9, so it is suitable for most tasks, providing ample tall and wide field of view.

Screen Clarity 9/10

Resolution – UHD | 3840x2160p
PPI – 163 PPI

The LG 27UL500-W has UHD resolution, which means 3840×2160 pixels. It is a 4K panel, so you get an excellent screen and text clarity, thanks to its 163 PPI that is made possible due to the tight arrangement of pixels on this 27-inch panel.

Screen space is fantastic, way better than 1080p and 1440p monitors, allowing you to fit more content on the screen so that you will have a look at more visuals at once.

Brightness 7/10

Peak Brightness – 300-nits

The 300-nits peak brightness on the LG 27UL500-W should get the job done, but it is not the highest in this price segment. There are brighter monitors than this, but the anti-glare coating should be able to fight against most reflections and glares.

The AOC U2790VQ and Philips 276E8VJSB fall in the same price segment as the LG 27UL500-W, but they both offer a brighter panel. So, if you are looking for a monitor for well-lit rooms, consider these two.

Contrast 6/10

Contrast Ratio – 1000:1

The static contrast ratio on the LG 27UL500-W is mediocre, delivering a average dark room performance. It is common with most budget IPS monitors, so a color-accurate VA monitor would be a great choice if color accuracy matters to you in the dark.

It is sufficient for well-lit rooms, but the blacks appear gray in the dark.

Viewing Angles 10/10

Viewing Angles (H/V) – 178°/178°

The viewing angles on the LG 27UL500-W are 178-degrees wide, so colors stay intact most of the time, and the top-bottom viewing angles are also decent, so mounting this monitor on the wall at height should not create a problem.

Color Coverage 7/10

sRGB – 98%

The SRD color coverage on the LG 27UL500-W is adequate. It is not extraordinary, but it can display vibrant colors for most modern web content and visuals. The out of the box color accuracy is excellent because it is factory calibrated to deliver the best performance, which is great for creative professionals.

It does have satisfactory wide color gamut coverage, so HDR fails to shine.

Response Time 7/10

Response Time – 5ms

The LG 27UL500-W has decent motion handling, and most gamers will be satisfied with the clarity it offers. It is great for casual gaming and console gamers, but there is some noticeable motion blur while playing fast-paced games, so it is not meant for intensive gaming sessions.

Refresh Rate 6/10

Refresh Rate – 60Hz

The LG 27UL500-W has a max 60Hz refresh rate. It is ample for most modern computing needs, but it feels limited for gaming. Casual gamers won’t complain, but enthusiasts will be dissatisfied.

However, the high refresh rate 4K panels come at a high price, and considering the purpose and price of the LG 27UL500-W, we have no complaints.

BFI N/A

Black Frame Insertion – N/A

The LG 27UL500-W is a productivity and media creation, focused monitor. Hence it does not have game-centric features like Black Frame Insertion.

HDR 5/10

HDR 10 – Yes

The LG 27UL500-W has HDR 10 certification, supporting HDR content, but the HDR performance is dull due to the lack of high peak brightness and wide color gamut.

AMD FreeSync

The LG 27UL500-W supports AMD FreeSync, so gamers with AMD cards should have a stutter and tear-free gaming experience. We don’t have any sources that prove its compatibility with Nvidia cards.

Dynamic Action Sync

Dynamic Action Sync on LG monitors is a feature that reduces input lag to the lowest for a responsive gaming experience.

Black Stabilizer

Black Stabilizer boosts the details in the dark so that you get to see finer details when a black or dark scene is displayed on the screen.

Game Modes

The LG 27UL500-W has various gaming modes, and you can set one of them that best suits the game’s condition.

Low Blue Light

The low blue light mode lowers the harmful blue light on the screen, so your eyes do not strain in the dark, allowing you to sit in front of the screen for a long time.

Flicker Free

The LG 27UL500-W has flicker-free technology, providing a consistent viewing experience at all brightness levels.

OSD Control 2.2

The LG 27UL500-W has LG’s on-screen control version 2.2 that is intuitive and loaded with tons of features. The Screen Split feature in the OSD menu organizes all your windows and tabs for multitasking. Further, it also has Picture-in-Picture and Picture-by-Picture.

Factory Calibrated

The LG 27UL5000-W comes factory calibrated like most LG monitors to deliver the best color accuracy right out of the box.

Video Inputs

2x HDMI 2.0
1x DisplayPort 1.2

The LG 27UL500-W has dual HDMI ports and a single DisplayPort 1.2 for video connections, and they support [email protected] You can use all three video ports simultaneously for connecting multiple video sources.

USB, Other Ports

1x 3.5mm Audio Out

You get a single 3.5mm audio out port for connecting speakers and headphones. It misses out on USB ports, but its higher model LG 27UN850-W has multiple USB ports along with a USB-C port.

AOC U2790VQ

See Our Review

The AOC U2790VQ has a wide SDR coverage than LG 27UL500-W, but it does not have HDR certification and VRR support, so it is not the best option for gaming. However, if color accuracy matters to you, consider the AOC U2790VQ.

Philips 276E8VJSB

The Philips 276E8VJSB is also a decent 4K monitor to consider for demanding color tasks. Its SDR color coverage is wider than the LG 27UL500-W, but it misses out on AMD FreeSync and HDR. Also, you do not get VESA mount support on this monitor even though it only has a tilt function.