Summary

• Stunning OLED display with vivid colors and deep blacks for a great HDR gaming experience.
• Super-smooth 240Hz refresh rate ensures games play incredibly smoothly with 0.03ms response time.
• Competitors offer better features at similar prices, making it harder to recommend at full price.

LG makes excellent monitors, and as I recently saw in the UltraGear 45GR95QE model, its OLED gaming panels are no slouches. I loved that monitor, and it had a lot going for it when you consider the form factor and size. The LG UltraGear 27GR95QE is pretty much a scaled-down version of the same screen, and that means in terms of the display itself.

It also means it has the same flaws, like no built-in speakers or even a power supply. But the LG UltraGear 27GR95QE also suffers from being significantly less unique in terms of its size or aspect ratio, and since it's a 2023 model, there are now a lot of competitors on the scene that will outshine it without costing much more. It's harder to recommend as a result.

Pricing and availability

LG announced the UltraGear 27GR95QE at CES 2023, and it launched later that year, just like the larger 45-inch ultrawide model. Today, you can find it at all major retailers, including Amazon, Best Buy, and B&H.

At launch, the monitor retailed for $1,000, but thankfully, prices seem to be generally lower now, often around $800, which makes it much more compelling in 2024.

Design and ports

It's thin and looks great

In almost every way, the LG UltraGear 27GR95QE really is just a smaller version of the UltraGear 45GR95QE I reviewed earlier this week, and that includes the design. This monitor has a sleek and modern look, with a pretty thin design at the edges, with most of the guts housed at the center. Just like that larger monitor, there's RGB lighting around that central area that lights up the wall behind the screen, as well as the desk under it. Frankly, it looks good, though there's no way to really sync the light to the screen, so it's not as immersive as I'd like.

I also like the stand, it feels robust and durable, but it doesn't take up an obscene amount of space. The stand also offers a wide range of adjustability, with height, tilt, and swivel all being supported. Unlike the larger model, this version can also pivot if you want to use the screen in a vertical orientation, though it only rotates in one direction, which is something I haven't seen before.

This monitor has a sleek and modern look

However, I have the same complaints as I did with the 45-inch model. The power supply still isn't built into the monitor, so if you get this monitor, you now have to worry about another chunky power adapter taking up space on your desk or around it. Similarly, there are no speakers built into the monitor, so you're going to need a soundbar or headphones if you want to get sound out of your computer or a console. Yes, you can say monitor speakers are usually not great, but for a $1,000, I'd say anything is better than nothing.

A solid selection of ports, but no USB-C

The port selection on the LG UltraGear 27GR95QE includes two HDMI 2.1 ports and one DisplayPort 1.4, all of which let you take full advantage of the full resolution and refresh rate of this screen. Many monitors tend to have less bandwidth over HDMI, so this is nice to see. However, there's no USB Type-C input, which I would have liked to see, especially if you want to use a laptop with it.

Not only would this allow for an additional display input, but it could also power the two USB Type-A ports on this monitor. As it stands, you need to use the USB Type-B upstream port to power them, but this also means there's no built-in KVM feature because it can only connect to one computer at a time. The monitor also has a 3.5mm headphone jack and an optical audio output. Included in the box are cables for HDMI, DisplayPort, and USB Type-A to Type-B to power the USB hub.

Display

A beautiful OLED panel that's no longer top-of-the-class

OLED monitors are becoming more and more commonplace, especially for gaming, and that's because they look fantastic. The LG UltraGear 27GR95QE is no exception. It's packing a 26.5-inch OLED panel with Quad HD resolution in a 16:9 aspect ratio. As usual, colors look stunning on this display, and thanks to the OLED technology, you get deep black and bright whites for an amazing HDR experience. LG only advertises 200 nits of brightness, but that's only for SDR mode. Every game I've played, from Rocket League to Shadow of the Tomb Raider looks fantastically vivid and crisp.

That's one advantage of this monitor compared to its larger sibling. Since it's essentially the same resolution in a much smaller panel, the pixel density is significantly higher, and everything is a lot sharper. For gaming, it doesn't make a huge difference, but when you're on the desktop, it definitely feels a bit better.

Every game I've played, from Rocket League to Shadow of the Tomb Raider looks fantastically vivid and crisp

This display also features a 240Hz refresh rate, which ensures games play incredibly smoothly on this screen, especially paired it the super-fast 0.03ms response time. Fast-moving games like Rocket League never show any signs of smearing or slowdown, and everything just looks great.

However, when you look at this smaller 27-inch form factor, LG is no longer alone, and in fact, CES 2024 saw the advent of some incredible new QD-OLED gaming monitors with Quad HD resolution and an even faster 360Hz refresh rate, on top of the newer OLED technology. The Alienware AW2725DF we recently reviewed is an excellent example. It features a superior OLED panel of the same size, and it only costs $900 outside of sales. That means there's basically no reason to buy this monitor unless you can find it at a significant discount.

Some may also dislike the mate cover for the screen, though I personally have no issue with it.

Display tests

As per my usual procedure, I also ran some tests to see how the UltraGear performs. The SpyderX Pro doesn't allow me to test HDR brightness properly, but in the SDR brightness lines up with LG's claims. I measured just under 200 nits in the default color profile. Of course, blacks are pitch black, as you'd expect from OLED, so the contrast ratio is basically infinite.

I also tested the white point and brightness for the different profiles available in the monitor's settings. This includes all the Game Mode option as well as the three color temperature presets (Warm, Medium, and Cool). However, it's worth noting the monitor also offers more fine-tuned color temperature settings, so you can adjust your experience quite a bit.

Finally, there are the color tests, and of course, the LG UltraGear 27GR95QE excels. It covers 100% of sRGB, 97% of P3, and 90% of Adobe RGB, which just goes to show how great colors look on this screen.

The controls

Use the remote or the app

I've already touched on the software settings for LG's gaming monitors in my previous review, so I won't go too deep into it here. The settings are pretty much exactly the same, and this monitor uses the exact same remote as its larger sibling. The only real difference here is that it seems to have a newer version of the software, and the user-customizable keys in the remote are both configurable, whereas the 45GR95QE had one of its keys locked to a single function.

In addition to the remote, you can also use LG's OnScreen Control app for Windows or macOS to change monitor settings more intuitively without reaching for an external device. Not every setting is available in the app, though, so you'll still need the remote for some things.

Should you buy the LG UltraGear 27GR95QE?

The short answer to this question is probably not. The LG UltraGear 27GR95QE is an excellent gaming monitor, with a beautiful OLED display and a super-smooth refresh rate, and in a vacuum, it's great, But, at its MSRP, it's more expensive than newer options like the Alienware AW2725DF, which is superior across the board and has a lower base price. Plus, minor inconveniences like the lack of speakers or a built-in power supply don't help.

However, if you find this monitor at a discount, then it's very unlikely you're going to be disappointed. It's a fantastic screen, and if you get get it for $100 to $200 less than those newer models, then it's still totally worth it.

You should buy the LG UltraGear 27GR95QE if:

• You want the best image quality around for gaming, plus a smooth refresh rate
• You already have a soundbar or sound system
• You find it at a discount

You shouldn't buy the LG UltraGear 27GR95QE if:

• An option like the Alienware AW2725DF costs about the same
• You don't want to invest in a separate audio output
• You want USB-C connectivity