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LG 27UD68-B Monitor Review

Tested using Methodology v1.0
Review updated Feb 21, 2018 at 03:51 pm
Latest change: Retest Jan 17, 2019 at 09:44 am
LG 27UD68-B Picture
7.6
Mixed Usage
7.9
Office
8.0
Gaming
7.4
Multimedia
7.6
Media Creation
5.6
HDR Gaming

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.

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.

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.

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.

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
  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.

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.

Dell U2718Q

The Dell U2718Q is better than the LG 27UD68P-B. The Dell U2718Q has better black uniformity and doesn't suffer from temporary image retention. The U2718Q also supports HDR, although this doesn't add much due to the poor color volume and insufficient peak brightness. The LG 27UD68P-B is flicker-free and has better motion handling overall thanks to AMD FreeSync support.

LG 27UK650-W

The LG 27UK650-W is better than the LG 27UD68P-B. The LG 27UK650 supports HDR, although it doesn't benefit much from it. The LG 27UK650-W also has a faster pixel response time, resulting in a smaller blur trail when you play fast action games. In most other areas, the two monitors offer similar performance.

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 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.

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.

ASUS ROG Swift PG279QZ

The ASUS PG279QZ is better than the LG 27UD68P-B. The ASUS PG279QZ has better ergonomics, lower input lag, higher refresh rate, and a faster response time that will please gamers. On the other hand, the LG 27UD68P-B has higher resolution that can fit more detail on the screen.

LG UltraFine 4k

The LG 27UD68 is a bit better than the LG UltraFine 4k for most users. The 27UD68 has better ergonomics, better reflection handling, and a flicker-free backlight. The 27UD68 also delivers better gaming performance, with less input lag and FreeSync variable refresh rate support.

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Test Results

Design
Design
Style
Size 27"
Curved No
Curve radius N/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.

Design
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
Design
Ergonomics
Height Adjustment
4.8" (12.2 cm)
Switch portrait/landscape Yes
Swivel Range N/A
Tilt Range -20Ā° to 5Ā°

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.

Design
Back
Wall Mount VESA 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.

Design
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.

Design
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
Design
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
Picture Quality
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
Picture Quality
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
Picture Quality
SDR Peak Brightness
SDR Real Scene
313 cd/mĀ²
SDR Peak 2% Window
327 cd/mĀ²
SDR Peak 10% Window
328 cd/mĀ²
SDR Peak 25% Window
329 cd/mĀ²
SDR Peak 50% Window
329 cd/mĀ²
SDR Peak 100% Window
329 cd/mĀ²
SDR Sustained 2% Window
243 cd/mĀ²
SDR Sustained 10% Window
239 cd/mĀ²
SDR Sustained 25% Window
251 cd/mĀ²
SDR Sustained 50% Window
285 cd/mĀ²
SDR Sustained 100% Window
327 cd/mĀ²
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
Picture Quality
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
Picture Quality
Horizontal Viewing Angle
Color Shift from Left
35Ā°
Color Shift from Right
39Ā°
Brightness from Left
41Ā°
Brightness from Right
35Ā°
Black Level from Left
75Ā°
Black Level from Right
75Ā°
Curve Radius N/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
Picture Quality
Vertical Viewing Angle
Color Shift from Below
30Ā°
Color Shift from Above
25Ā°
Brightness from Below
38Ā°
Brightness from Above
34Ā°
Black Level from Below
75Ā°
Black Level from Above
75Ā°

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

8.6
Picture Quality
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
Picture Quality
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
Picture Quality
Pre Calibration
Picture Mode
Custom
Luminance
318 cd/mĀ²
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
Picture Quality
Post Calibration
Picture Mode
Custom
Luminance
100 cd/mĀ²
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
Picture Quality
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
Picture Quality
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
Picture Quality
HDR Color Gamut
Wide Color Gamut
No
DCI P3 xy
N/A
Rec. 2020 xy
N/A

HDR gamuts are not supported.

0
Picture Quality
HDR Color Volume
DCI-P3 in ICtCp
N/A
Rec. 2020 in ICtCp
N/A

HDR color volumes are not supported.

1.9
Picture Quality
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
Picture Quality
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
Picture Quality
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
Picture Quality
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
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
Motion
Image Flicker
Flicker-free Yes
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
Motion
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 Connectors DisplayPort

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
Inputs
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
Inputs
Resolution and Size
Native Resolution 3840 x 2160
Aspect Ratio 16:9
Megapixels 8.3 MP
Pixel Density 164 PPI
Screen Diagonal 26.9"
Screen Area 310 inĀ²

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
Inputs

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

Inputs
Total Inputs
DisplayPort 1 (DP 1.2)
Mini DisplayPort No
HDMI 2 (HDMI 2.0)
DVI No
VGA No
DisplayPort Out No
USB No
USB C No
Analog Audio Out 3.5mm 1
Microphone In 3.5mm No
Digital Optical Audio Out No
Analog Audio Out RCA No
Power Supply External Brick
Features
Features
Additional Features
Speakers
No
HDR10 No
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

Features
On-Screen Display (OSD)
Features
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.

Features
In The Box

  • Manual
  • Calibration document
  • Power brick
  • HDMI cable