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Like many mainstream vendors, LG offers a wide variety of monitors depending on your focus. There’s the Ultrawide line, UltraGear line for those seeking the best gaming monitors, and UltrFine monitors targeting those seeking the best monitors for video and photography. The LG 27UP850K-W is a shot in that broad market: those who want a 4K resolution monitor for professional video and photography tasks on a budget.
The 27UP850K-W is a stripped-down version of the LG 27MD5KL-B and 32U990A-S. Both are pricier monitors in the UltraFine line for art and video work. To deliver the 27UP850K-W’s excellent sub-$400 MSRP while retaining the basic features you’d expect in a 4K monitor, LG had to make a few changes and cuts. Still, you’re left with one of the best budget 4K monitors with extras like USB-C power delivery. If you’re on a tight budget, this monitor will do you just fine if you don’t live on the bleeding edge of gaming or productivity.
Right from the jump, you can see a few places where LG made cuts to reach the price point on a 27-inch 4K panel. The 27UP850K-W sports an IPS panel, which is often preferred due to its wide viewing angles. You lose the excellent response times of the TN panels, but make up for it with stellar contrast and image depth.
This monitor has a refresh rate of 60Hz, not so great for gaming, but if you’re gaming at 4K without a beefy enough graphics card, it’s certain that you won’t be hitting 60 frames per second (fps) anyway. The 27UP850K-W is about those few trade offf for size and resolution. Here you have a 3840 x 2160 resolution and 400 cd/m2 peak brightness. Overall, the monitors look pretty good when combined with the pixel density, a high contrast ratio, and a solid color gamut.
LG 27UP850K-W Specs
- 27-inch 4K UHD (3840 × 2160) IPS display
- 95% DCI-P3 color gamut
- VESA DisplayHDRâ„¢ 400
- USB-C with 90W Power Delivery
- 60Hz refresh rate
- 5ms response time
- Height, tilt & pivot adjustable stand
- Built-in speakers
Design and Features
The LG 27UP850K-W stand and panel ship in three pieces, which you can assemble even without tools. The base is silver-finished cast aluminum, while the upright is made from plastic with a metal core. It locks to the back, or you can use your own mount with the provided 100mm VESA lug nut.
On the front, it sports a flush-bezel design with a thin, 7mm frame around the top and sides. The bottom bezel is a 20mm band, with a silk-screened LG logo. The monitor comes with a single tiny joystick located underneath the center of the panel; it’s super-convenient and works seamlessly; you’ll be zipping through the on-screen display (OSD) easily, thanks to its creative design and responsive operation. The joystick glows a soft white when the monitor is powered on.
The stand is fairly ergonomic with up to 110mm height adjustment, 5°/15° tilt, 90° pivot, as well as the aforementioned 100 x 100mm VESA mount compatibility. However, it can’t swivel left/right.
Connectivity options include two HDMI 2.0 ports, DisplayPort 1.2, and a headphone jack, and the aforementioned USB-C port with 90W power delivery. FreeSync and HDR are supported over both the HDMI and DP, and both can be used simultaneously.
Performance
The LG 27UP850K-W makes a fine productivity monitor, with Windows 11 scaling very well to 4K. Due to its 27-inch size, it’s possible to scale the desktop to 120%, which is still comfortable to work on (without text and icons being too small), while offering more desktop space.
Again, the wider DCI-P3 color gamut and the 4K UHD resolution (3840 x 2160) make it an excellent monitor for photo and video editing, thanks to its ability to accurately reproduce colors. All these help just if the price tag, if you’re looking for a monitor to work on as well as game on (in fact, the design is free of LEDs that would scream gamer).
The screen uses an IPS (In-Plane Switching) panel, which offers excellent viewing angles, letting you view the screen from various angles without the colors getting distorted.
For gaming, the response time of 5ms (Gray to Gray) and 60Hz refresh rate aren’t the fastest, but the 27UP850K-W still feels responsive on modern games, with no noticeable lag. Playing games at high settings with HDR on and AMD FreeSync technology providing steady refresh rates is something special. However, if you want the very best graphical experience, then a dedicated 4K monitor like the LG 34GS95QE will be a worthy investment.
LG 27UP850K-W Review: Bottom line
The LG 27UP850K-W comes in at a compelling price, while offering a bright, 4K screen with support for HDR and power delivery. Gamers won’t be too excited here – with a 60Hz refresh rate and 5ms GTG response time, this isn’t one of the best 4K gaming monitors. But it’ll at least suffice for casual gamers who don’t mind frame rates of 60 fps and under. If you’re looking for a serious gaming monitor on a budget, check out the Dell S3225QC 4K OLED monitor.
The LG wins out in some other comparisons, though, away from gaming. For a very reasonable price, it offers a bright, crisp picture with extras that you’ll be hard pressed ot find at this price point. You might find a monitor with a better stand, better response time, or more USB ports. But you’re not going to find many great 27-inch 4K monitors with HDR support and USB-C power delivery at this price point.
For a very reasonable price, you’re looking at a great performer for productivity work, video watching, and a little bit of light gaming. And while at it, you can use the money you save for upgrading other parts of your system.
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