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LG 27UD68-B  Monitor Review

Review updated Feb 21, 2018 at 03:51 pm
LG 27UD68-B
7.6
Mixed Usage 
7.9
Office 
8.0
Gaming 
7.4
Multimedia 
7.6
Media Creation 
5.6
HDR Gaming 
Tested using methodology v1.0 
 0
The LG 27UD68P-B is a good IPS monitor with a UHD resolution and a wide viewing angle. It has decent picture quality, and it features a narrow bezel making it a good choice for a multiple monitor setup. It gets sufficiently bright, and the 27UD68P-B's well-rounded set of features make it quite versatile. Unfortunately, its very cloudy blacks and low contrast ratio means its picture quality greatly suffers in a dark room.

Our Verdict

7.6
Mixed Usage 

Good monitor for a mixed usage. The 27UD68P-B performs well overall, and its IPS display makes it versatile enough to suit most people's needs. Its wide viewing angle and high resolution are noteworthy features, but the 27UD68P also struggles slightly in darker environments due to its low contrast and non-uniform blacks.

Pros
  • 4k resolution gives lots of desktop space
  • Picture quality isn't reduced from minor position changes
Cons
  • Poor picture quality in a dark room
  • Static images are sometimes retained for a few minutes
7.9
Office 

Very good monitor to use in an office. The LG 27UD68P-B's highly adjustable stand makes it convenient to set up ergonomically, and its wide viewing angle and good brightness make it easy to share with co-workers. Its high resolution and decently large 27" size make it a powerful productivity tool, as it becomes easy to open and manage multiple windows at once.

Pros
None
Cons
None
8.0
Gaming 

The LG 27UD68-P is a great gaming monitor. It supports Freesync for a tear-free experience, and its low input lag and motion blur keep games responsive and immersive. Unfortunately, its 60 Hz refresh rate makes it less fitting for more competitive gamers. The picture quality is also only passable, especially if gaming in a dark room where blacks appear gray and blotchy.

Pros
None
Cons
None
7.4
Multimedia 

Decent monitor for consuming a variety of media. The LG 27UD68P-B is quite accurate out of the box, and it covers the standard s.RGB gamut almost perfectly. It also remains accurate when viewed at an angle, which is great. Unfortunately, its low contrast means its picture quality will be less than stellar in a dark room, and it does not support any HDR related feature such as wide color gamuts.

Pros
None
Cons
None
7.6
Media Creation 

Good monitor for casual media creation. The LG 27UD68P-B's factory calibration is better than average, and it is very easy to calibrate to almost perfect accuracy. It's also capable of 10 bits of color depth for more even gradients. Unfortunately, it lacks coverage of wider gamuts such as DCI-P3 and Adobe RGB necessary for more professional users.

Pros
None
Cons
None
5.6
HDR Gaming 

HDR is not supported. There are only a few HDR monitors such as the Samsung CHG70.

  • 7.6
    Mixed Usage
  • 7.9
    Office
  • 8.0
    Gaming
  • 7.4
    Multimedia
  • 7.6
    Media Creation
  • 5.6
    HDR Gaming
  • Changelog

    1.  Updated Jan 17, 2019: We tested the monitor's compatibility with NVIDIA's new FreeSync driver. See our full investigation into NVIDIA's FreeSync Drivers here.
    2.  Updated Oct 12, 2017: Review published.

    Check Price

    27" Black27UD68P-B
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    27" White27UD68-W
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    Differences Between Sizes And Variants

    We tested the 27" model with black trim (27UD68P-B). However, the monitor is also available in a white variant (27UD68P-W). It is also closely related to the cheaper 27UD58P, which is available in 24" (24UD58P-B) and 27" (27UD58P-B) variants.

    If someone comes across a different type of panel or if their 27UD68 doesn't correspond to our review, let us know and we will update the review. Note that some tests such as the gray uniformity may vary between individual units.

    Model Other name Size Refresh rate Notes
    24UD58P-B   24" 60Hz  
    27UD58P-B 27UD58-B 27" 60Hz  
    27UD68P-B 27UD68-P 27" 60Hz Black variant
    27UD68P-W 27UD68-W 27" 60Hz White variant

    Compared To Other Monitors

    Comparison picture

    Left: LG 27UD58P-B. Middle: LG 27UD68-P. Right: ASUS PB277Q.
    Unlike our other photographs, this picture wasn't taken under a controlled environment, so do not draw conclusions from it.

    The LG 27UD68B-P is a decent 4k monitor with an IPS screen and FreeSync support. There is a lot of competition though, so depending on your use it may or may not be the best choice. See our recommendations for the best monitors for PS4, the best 4k gaming monitors and the best office monitors. See also our recommendations for the best mice and the best keyboards.

    LG 27UD58-B

    The LG 27UD68P-B is better than the LG 27UD58-B, but overall, performance is very similar between the two. The 27UD58-B has a fixed stand that has extremely limited flexibility, whereas the 27UD68P-B has a telescoping stand and can rotate between a portrait and landscape orientation. The 27UD58-B is brighter as well.

    Samsung UE590

    The LG 27UD68P-B is significantly better than the Samsung UE590. The LG 27UD68P-B uses an IPS panel which has much wider viewing angles. The LG has better ergonomics, as the stand height can be adjusted and it can switch between portrait and landscape orientations. The LG is flicker-free, whereas the Samsung UE590 flickers at lower brightness levels, which causes duplications in motion.

    Dell U2715H

    The LG 27UD68P-B is marginally better than the Dell U2715H. The LG 27UD68P-B has higher resolution and can display more detail on your screen. The LG also supports FreeSync, which is great if you play video games. On the other hand, the Dell U2715H has better ergonomics which make it easier to position comfortably.

    LG 32UD59-B

    The LG 27UD68P-B is somewhat better than the LG 32UD59-B, unless your main use is in a dark room. The 27UD68P-B has an IPS panel, which has wider viewing angles, whereas the 32UD59-B has a VA panel which has better contrast and better black uniformity, good for dark room viewing.

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    Test Results

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    Design
    Style
    Size27"
    CurvedNo
    Curve radiusN/A
    Weight (without stand)
    9.9 lbs (4.5 kg)
    Weight (with stand)
    12.6 lbs (5.7 kg)

    The design of the LG 27UD68-P is great. The monitor looks good and is very practical. It is possible to mount it on a stand with a VESA 100 fitting, and on the supplied stand the ergonomic adjustments are good. The monitor feels quite well built too.

    Stand
    Width
    19.9" (50.5 cm)
    Depth
    9.4" (23.9 cm)

    The stand is quite sturdy and supports the monitor well. It has a fairly large footprint for the monitor's size, but this shouldn't be a problem on most tables.

    6.7
    Ergonomics
    Height Adjustment
    4.8" (12.2 cm)
    Switch portrait/landscapeYes
    Swivel RangeN/A
    Tilt Range-20° to 5°

    The stand has a few ergonomic adjustment features but is missing some others. The height can be adjusted over a wide range, but it can't go as high as some other monitors. The monitor's tilt range is large enough to suit nearly any usage, but the stand can't swivel without dragging across the table.

    Back
    Wall MountVESA 100x100

    The back of the LG 27UD68-P monitor is glossy plastic and looks good, but does attract fingerprints. There is a clip for cable management visible here.

    Borders
    Borders
    0.4" (1.0 cm)

    The borders of the 27UD68P-B are fairly thin, and there is no raised brim around the screen except for the bottom.

    Thickness
    Thickness (with stand)
    5.7" (14.5 cm)
    Thickness (without stand)
    1.5" (3.8 cm)

    The monitor is fairly thin without the stand, but with the stand, it has an average thickness.

    6.5
    Build Quality

    The build quality of the LG 27UD68P is fine. The monitor is almost entirely made of plastic, but this isn't an issue for normal use.

    Picture Quality
    6.3
    Contrast
    LCD Type
    IPS
    Native Contrast
    1,165 : 1
    Contrast with local dimming
    N/A

    The contrast ratio of the LG 27UD68P-B is passable. This is mostly due to the IPS panel used on this monitor, as those tend to have lower native contrast ratio when compare to VA panel. This result in blacks that look more like gray when viewed in a totally dark room. Fortunatelly, when viewed in a well-lit room, this becomes less apparent, as the ambient light visually counteract the negative effect of a low contrast ratio.

    0.0
    Local Dimming
    Local Dimming
    No
    Backlight
    Edge

    The LG 27UD68P-B does not have a local dimming feature. The video is for reference only.

    7.6
    SDR Peak Brightness
    SDR Real Scene
    313 cd/m²
    SDR Peak 2% Window
    327 cd/m²
    SDR Peak 10% Window
    328 cd/m²
    SDR Peak 25% Window
    329 cd/m²
    SDR Peak 50% Window
    329 cd/m²
    SDR Peak 100% Window
    329 cd/m²
    SDR Sustained 2% Window
    243 cd/m²
    SDR Sustained 10% Window
    239 cd/m²
    SDR Sustained 25% Window
    251 cd/m²
    SDR Sustained 50% Window
    285 cd/m²
    SDR Sustained 100% Window
    327 cd/m²
    SDR ABL
    0.000

    The LG 4K is capable of reaching good levels of brightness, making it suitable for most viewing environments. Its screen does dim slightly when showing static images for a significant amount of time.

    0.0
    HDR Peak Brightness
    HDR Real Scene
    N/A
    HDR Peak 2% Window
    N/A
    HDR Peak 10% Window
    N/A
    HDR Peak 25% Window
    N/A
    HDR Peak 50% Window
    N/A
    HDR Peak 100% Window
    N/A
    HDR Sustained 2% Window
    N/A
    HDR Sustained 10% Window
    N/A
    HDR Sustained 25% Window
    N/A
    HDR Sustained 50% Window
    N/A
    HDR Sustained 100% Window
    N/A
    HDR ABL
    N/A

    HDR is not supported.

    6.8
    Horizontal Viewing Angle
    Color Shift from Left
    35°
    Color Shift from Right
    39°
    Brightness from Left
    41°
    Brightness from Right
    35°
    Black Level from Left
    75°
    Black Level from Right
    75°
    Curve RadiusN/A

    Decent horizontal viewing angle. At an angle, the black level remains fairly consistent, but brightness and colors do become slowly worse with increasing angle.

    8.2
    Vertical Viewing Angle
    Color Shift from Below
    30°
    Color Shift from Above
    25°
    Brightness from Below
    38°
    Brightness from Above
    34°
    Black Level from Below
    75°
    Black Level from Above
    75°

    Great vertical viewing angle. The black level remains almost perfect, but brightness and colors do degrade significantly at an angle.

    8.6
    Gray Uniformity
    50% Std. Dev.
    3.111%
    50% DSE
    0.111%
    5% Std. Dev.
    0.377%
    5% DSE
    0.042%

    This LG 27UD68-P monitor has an impressive gray uniformity. On our 50% gray uniformity test picture, we can see that both sides are a bit darker than the center, but besides that, not much other issues can be noticed. On the 5% gray test picture, even fewer issues can be noticed, which is an excellent result.

    4.8
    Black Uniformity
    Native Std. Dev.
    2.778%
    Std. Dev. w/ L.D.
    N/A

    This LG 27UD68-P monitor has a poor black uniformity due to some major flashlighting around each corner and also near the top and bottom edge, which really hurts the black uniformity. This is an issue for a dark room, where backlight bleed (BLB) is noticeable but in a bright room, this isn't a problem.

    8.4
    Pre Calibration
    Picture Mode
    Custom
    Luminance
    318 cd/m²
    Luminance Settings
    100
    Contrast Setting
    70
    RGB controls
    50-50-50
    Color Temperature
    6,563 K
    White Balance dE
    1.68
    Color dE
    2.65
    Gamma
    2.09

    Out of the box, this LG monitor has a great accuracy. The white balance dE is under 2, which is very good for an uncalibrated monitor. The color accuracy is also great with a dE of 2.65, which is once again very good for an uncalibrated monitor. The gamma is a bit low though and the gamma curve does not track closely our target.

    If you are not planning to calibrate this monitor, there is 3 mode with almost the same accuracy level. 'Custom', 'Cinema', and 'sRGB' all have about the same white balance dE and color dE, so you could choose any of those picture modes without issues.

    9.4
    Post Calibration
    Picture Mode
    Custom
    Luminance
    100 cd/m²
    Luminance Settings
    10
    Contrast Setting
    70
    RGB Controls
    53-50-50
    Color Temperature
    6,374 K
    White Balance dE
    0.88
    Color dE
    0.71
    Gamma
    2.27

    After calibration, the LG 27UD68P-B accuracy is excellent. Both the white balance and color dE are under 1, which at this level, the inaccuracy are almost not noticeable at all. The biggest correction was applied on the gamma, which now tracks our 2.4 target and the curve is almost spots on.

    You can download our ICC profile calibration here.

    8.8
    SDR Color Gamut
    sRGB xy
    97.8%
    Adobe RGB xy
    76.5%

    Near perfect coverage of the standard s.RGB colorspace, which is great for most uses. Coverage of the Adobe RGB colorsplace, however, is quite limited, making this monitor less useful for professional use such as print editing.

    8.9
    SDR Color Volume
    sRGB in ICtCp
    95.8%
    Adobe RGB in ICtCp
    81.8%

    Great SDR color volume. The LG 27UD68-P covers the s.RGB and Adobe RGB volumes well. It does struggle to reproduce very dark tones due to its lower contrast ratio.

    0.0
    HDR Color Gamut
    Wide Color Gamut
    No
    DCI P3 xy
    N/A
    Rec. 2020 xy
    N/A

    HDR gamuts are not supported.

    0.0
    HDR Color Volume
    DCI-P3 in ICtCp
    N/A
    Rec. 2020 in ICtCp
    N/A

    HDR color volumes are not supported.

    1.9
    Image Retention
    IR after 0 min recovery
    1.11%
    IR after 2 min recovery
    0.41%
    IR after 4 min recovery
    0.12%
    IR after 6 min recovery
    0.09%
    IR after 8 min recovery
    0.06%
    IR after 10 min recovery
    0.00%

    The LG 27UD68-P monitor does have some image retention, which is easily noticeable right after the 10 minutes burn-in scene. The retention stays visible for almost 10 minutes before it completely dissipates. This is unlikely to be very noticeable in normal usage though, except for changing from a static screen to a fairly uniform desktop background for example.

    9.9
    Gradient
    Color Depth
    10 Bit

    An outstanding performance of the LG 27UD68P monitor on our gradient test. the 10-bit panel does an amazing job and no banding at all can be noticed here. Only some really minor issues can be noticed in the grayscale, but this is not in any case problematic.

    10
    Color Bleed
    Pixel row error
    0.000%
    Pixel column error
    0.000%

    The LG 27UD68P-B does not produce any bleeding when displaying large single color surfaces.

    7.0
    Reflections

    The reflection handling of the LG 27UD68P is decent. It has a light matte finish which diffuses reflections across the screen and reduces their intensity, but not as much as some higher end anti-reflective coatings. It is fine for an average room but may be an issue in a bright room.

    Motion
    8.4
    Motion Blur
    80% Response Time
    5.0 ms
    100% Response Time
    16.6 ms
    Best Overdrive Setting
    Middle

    Response time Off
    Response time Low
    Response time Middle
    Response time High

    The LG 27UD68P-B has a fast response time, which is great for watching fast-paced content or playing games such as first person shooters. Pixel transition speed can be modified by changing the 'Response' setting. We recommend using the 'Middle' setting for fast response without overshoot, but the 'High' setting is slightly faster, so you can use it if you don't mind small pixel overshoot artifacts appearing as lighter trails following moving objects. Note that setting 'Response time' to 'High' counter intuitively lowers response time, while 'Low' or 'Off' increases response time.

    7.5
    Image Flicker
    Flicker-freeYes
    PWM Dimming Frequency
    0 Hz
    Black Frame Insertion (BFI)
    No
    BFI Maximum Frequency
    N/A
    BFI Minimum Frequency
    N/A

    Like most monitors, the LG 27UD68P doesn't flicker, and instead, shows each image for a full frame. This makes motion appear slightly smoother but results in some persistence blur as the image is static for the entire frame duration. It is not possible to use Black Frame Insertion (BFI) to add flicker and help reduce persistence blur. It is unfortunate as it can help to produce a clearer image when gaming.

    7.8
    Refresh Rate
    Variable Refresh Rate
    FreeSync
    Native Refresh Rate
    60 Hz
    Factory Overclock
    N/A
    Variable Refresh Rate
    FreeSync
    G-SYNC Compatible
    Yes
    VRR Maximum
    60 Hz
    VRR Minimum
    40 Hz
    VRR Maximum With OC
    N/A
    VRR Supported ConnectorsDisplayPort

    The monitor has a high native refresh rate of 60Hz. Freesync on this monitor can adjust the screen's refresh rate to match the frame rate of a compatible graphics card, which allows playing graphically-intensive games with some framerate drops without tearing or stuttering. Unfortunately, this monitor has a small VRR range and starts displaying tearing or stuttering at refresh rates below 40Hz.

    Update 01/15/2019: We have retested the monitor with NVIDIA's new FreeSync drivers. FreeSync had to be manually enabled in the monitor's OSD and in NVIDIA Control Panel, but there were no issues.

    Inputs
    8.9
    Input Lag
    Native Resolution
    9.3 ms
    Non-Native Res @ Native Refresh
    9.3 ms
    Native Resolution @ 60 Hz
    9.3 ms
    Variable Refresh Rate
    8.7 ms
    10 bit HDR
    N/A
    Black Frame Insertion (BFI)
    N/A

    Great low input lag, especially for a 60 Hz monitor. The FreeSync input lag is roughly equal to the input lag at native refresh rate, which is great.

    9.1
    Resolution and Size
    Native Resolution3840 x 2160
    Aspect Ratio16:9
    Megapixels8.3 MP
    Pixel Density164 PPI
    Screen Diagonal26.9"
    Screen Area310 in²

    The LG 27UD68P has a very high 4K UHD resolution and a large 27" size, which gives it plenty of screen space while still having incredible pixel density and detail.

    Inputs

    All of the inputs are located on the back of the monitor.

    Total Inputs
    DisplayPort1 (DP 1.2)
    Mini DisplayPortNo
    HDMI2 (HDMI 2.0)
    DVINo
    VGANo
    DisplayPort OutNo
    USBNo
    USB CNo
    Analog Audio Out 3.5mm1
    Microphone In 3.5mmNo
    Digital Optical Audio OutNo
    Analog Audio Out RCANo
    Power SupplyExternal Brick
    Features
    Additional Features
    Speakers
    No
    HDR10No
    Multiple input display
    PBP

    The 27US68P does not include speakers, but it does allow to pass sound through its input connection to a 3.5mm jack.

    Some additional features are available through the on screen menu:

    • Picture beside picture
    • Response time adjustments
    • 'Super Resolution' to improve the quality of low quality content
    • FreeSync

    On-Screen Display (OSD)
    Controls

    A single control stick is located under the LG logo at the front of the monitor. It is quite easy to use, but not as intuitive as discrete buttons found on other monitors.

    In The Box

    • Manual
    • Calibration document
    • Power brick
    • HDMI cable

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