Introduction - A Brighter Future for OLED, At a Price
The LG UltraGear 27GX700A is not just another addition to an already crowded field of high-performance gaming monitors. It arrives as a technological standard-bearer, the first commercially available display to feature LG Display's highly anticipated 4th Generation WOLED panel technology. Marketed under the "Primary RGB Tandem" moniker, this new panel architecture represents a significant evolutionary step, aiming to address the historical limitations of OLED technology while amplifying its core strengths. For years, enthusiasts have accepted a trade-off: in exchange for the perfect blacks, infinite contrast, and near-instantaneous pixel response times that define OLED, they tolerated lower full-screen brightness and harbored a persistent anxiety about panel longevity and burn-in. The 27GX700A, with its 4th Gen panel, promises to shatter this compromise. It brings claims of a staggering 1500-nit peak brightness for dazzling HDR highlights, a substantial boost in full-screen luminance for comfortable desktop use, and an underlying Tandem structure designed for greater efficiency and durability.
However, this technological leap forward is immediately shadowed by a significant commercial hurdle: its price. With a launch price in the United States of approximately $850, the 27GX700A plants its flag firmly in premium territory. This positioning would be defensible if it existed in a vacuum, but the monitor market is anything but. The central conflict of the 27GX700A's story is that its greatest competitor is a product it directly enabled. Gigabyte's MO27Q28G, a monitor built around the exact same 4th Gen WOLED panel, is slated to enter the market at a rumored price point of around $500—a massive 70% price difference. This creates an immediate and unavoidable value crisis for LG's offering.
This pricing disparity is not an oversight but a reflection of LG's complex dual role in the display industry. As LG Display, the panel manufacturer, their objective is to maximize the adoption of their new technology by selling panels to as many partners as possible, thereby competing more effectively against Samsung's QD-OLED technology. As LG Electronics, the monitor vendor, they aim to create a premium "halo product" that showcases this technology in its best light. The 27GX700A is that halo product, a technology demonstrator that sets a high technical benchmark. Yet, by supplying the core component to rivals like Gigabyte, LG Display allows those partners to aggressively undercut LG Electronics on price, accelerating market penetration for the panel technology as a whole. The 27GX700A is thus caught in a strategic pincer movement of its own making. It serves as the expensive pioneer, while its more affordable siblings reap the benefits of the trail it blazes.
This review, therefore, must answer two critical questions. First, does the 4th Generation WOLED panel truly deliver on its ambitious promises of a brighter, more robust, and more versatile OLED experience? And second, and perhaps more importantly, does the LG UltraGear 27GX700A, as a complete product package, offer enough to justify its significant "pioneer's tax" in a market where functionally identical, and far more affordable, alternatives are not just on the horizon, but are already here?
Design, Build Quality, and Connectivity
A monitor's on-paper specifications provide the foundation for its real-world performance. The LG 27GX700A boasts a formidable feature set, headlined by its next-generation panel technology.
Table 1: LG UltraGear 27GX700A - Key Specifications
| Feature | Specification | Source(s) |
| Panel Size & Type | 26.5-inch, 4th Gen WOLED ("Primary RGB Tandem") | |
| Resolution | (QHD) | |
| Refresh Rate | 280 Hz | |
| Response Time | 0.03ms (GtG) | |
| HDR Certification | VESA DisplayHDR 500 True Black | |
| Peak Brightness (Claimed) | 1500 nits (@1.5% APL) | |
| Typical Full-Screen Brightness | ~335 nits (SDR) | |
| Color Gamut | 99.5% DCI-P3 | |
| Contrast Ratio | 1,500,000:1 | |
| Surface Coating | Anti-Glare / Matte | |
| Connectivity | 2 x HDMI 2.1, 1 x DisplayPort 1.4 (with DSC), USB 3.2 Hub (1 Up, 2 Down), 3.5 mm Audio Out | |
| Ergonomics | Height, Tilt, Swivel, Pivot (90° Clockwise) | |
| VESA Mount | 100 x 100 mm |
Unboxing and Physical Design
The unboxing experience is straightforward and secure, with the monitor arriving well-protected. Assembly is exceptionally simple, thanks to LG's "One Click Stand" mechanism that allows the stand to be attached to the panel without the need for tools.
Once assembled, the 27GX700A presents a modern and distinctly "gamer-focused" aesthetic. The "4-Side Virtually Borderless Design" creates an immersive feel, with razor-thin bezels on the top and sides, and a slightly thicker but still minimal bottom bezel. The panel itself is incredibly thin, a hallmark of OLED technology that continues to impress. The chassis is constructed primarily from high-quality plastics that feel solid and well-assembled, befitting its premium price point.
However, the design is not without its critics. A notable point of contention among early observers is a protruding bar or "chin" that extends from the bottom of the screen. While some may find it an acceptable design flourish, others have labeled it a "massive design mistake" that disrupts the otherwise sleek, all-screen aesthetic. It's a subjective element, but one that detracts from the seamless look that many users crave.
The rear of the monitor houses LG's signature "Hexagon Lighting," an RGB ambient lighting system designed to add flair to a gaming setup. While a nice addition, user feedback suggests that the lighting is not particularly bright, especially when compared to dedicated third-party solutions like Philips Hue or Govee. It adds a subtle glow rather than a powerful wall-washing effect.
Ergonomics and Stand
LG has equipped the 27GX700A with a highly functional and well-designed stand. It offers a full suite of ergonomic adjustments, including height, tilt, swivel, and a full 90-degree pivot into portrait mode, providing excellent flexibility for any desk setup.
One of the stand's best features is its base. It has an extremely low and flat profile, which is a significant practical advantage over the V-shaped or bulky stands common on many gaming monitors. This design frees up a considerable amount of desk space directly in front of the monitor, allowing users to place keyboards, controllers, or other peripherals without obstruction.
Despite these strengths, there is a potential ergonomic downside. Some users have noted that the stand, which may be a design reused from LG's larger 32-inch models, does not allow the 27-inch panel to be lowered as close to the desk surface as some competitors. For competitive gamers who prefer their monitor positioned very low to maintain an optimal sightline, this could be a minor but noticeable limitation.
Connectivity Suite
The 27GX700A offers a modern and sufficient array of ports. It includes two HDMI 2.1 ports, one DisplayPort 1.4 port, a USB 3.2 hub (one Type-B upstream to connect to the PC, and two Type-A downstream for peripherals), and a 3.5 mm headphone jack. The inclusion of a USB hub is a welcome convenience. One notable omission is the lack of built-in speakers, which may be a negative for users seeking an all-in-one solution, though most dedicated gamers and enthusiasts will be using superior external speakers or headsets.
The choice of DisplayPort 1.4 on a monitor equipped with such a cutting-edge panel has drawn criticism from the enthusiast community. A 2560x1440 resolution at a 280 Hz refresh rate with 10-bit color depth requires more bandwidth than DisplayPort 1.4 can natively provide. To achieve this, the monitor relies on Display Stream Compression (DSC), a visually lossless compression algorithm that reduces the data stream to fit within the limits of the connection. While DSC has proven to be effectively imperceptible in terms of image quality, its presence on a premium-priced product is seen by some as a compromise. Enthusiasts often prefer an uncompressed signal path, fearing potential bugs like slow alt-tabbing or black screens, and question why a next-generation monitor doesn't feature the next-generation DisplayPort 2.1 standard.
This decision, however, was almost certainly a pragmatic one driven by the realities of the current hardware market. Full-bandwidth DisplayPort 2.1 (UHBR20) controller chips for monitors are still expensive and not widely available. More importantly, there are currently no consumer-grade graphics cards from NVIDIA or AMD that support this full standard. By opting for the mature and widely supported DisplayPort 1.4 with DSC, LG has created a product that works with today's hardware while still delivering the panel's full performance. It represents a "good enough" bottleneck, where the manufacturer has prioritized the most impactful component—the panel—while making a sensible, if technically unexciting, compromise on the supporting I/O.
The 4th Gen "Tandem" WOLED Panel - A Deep Dive
The heart of the LG 27GX700A is its revolutionary panel. This section delves into its performance in SDR, HDR, and the implications of its surface coating, exploring how this new technology fares in real-world use.
SDR Image Quality and Desktop Experience
For any monitor that will be used for more than just gaming, strong SDR performance is crucial. The 27GX700A marks a significant step forward for OLEDs in this regard. One of the most important improvements is its full-screen SDR brightness. Measurements and specifications point to a typical full-screen brightness of around 335 nits. This is a substantial increase over previous generation WOLED panels, which often hovered around the 250-270 nit mark. In practical terms, this means the 27GX700A is far more comfortable to use for general desktop tasks, such as web browsing and productivity, in a moderately to brightly lit room. Users of similarly bright panels have described the experience as "insanely" bright, to the point of needing to lower the brightness setting for comfortable viewing. This addresses a major pain point of older OLEDs, which could appear dim for desktop use unless used in a darker environment. The monitor also benefits from a factory calibration, ensuring good color accuracy out of the box.
Text clarity, however, remains a point of contention for WOLED technology. Due to its RGWB sub-pixel layout, which adds a white sub-pixel to enhance brightness, WOLED panels can exhibit color fringing on the edges of text that is not present on standard RGB-stripe LCD panels. This can make text appear less sharp to discerning eyes. While some anecdotal reports claim the 4th Gen panel is "way better than the 3rd gen" in this regard, this optimism should be tempered. In-depth reviews of other recent WOLED panels with similar advanced layouts from respected outlets like Rtings and Monitors Unboxed have concluded that text clarity has not improved significantly. Therefore, while the 27GX700A is perfectly usable for general productivity, users who spend the majority of their day working with text—such as programmers or writers—may still find the text rendering on a high-quality IPS or a 4K resolution monitor to be superior.
HDR Performance - The 1500-Nit Question
HDR is where OLED technology truly shines, and the 27GX700A aims to push the boundaries of that performance. It is certified under the VESA DisplayHDR 500 True Black standard, a tier above the more common True Black 400. This certification guarantees a minimum peak luminance of 500 nits while maintaining the perfect, unmeasurable black levels ( nits) that give OLED its infinite contrast ratio.
The headline specification is, of course, the claimed 1500-nit peak brightness. It is crucial to understand that this figure is achievable only in very small portions of the screen, typically a 1.5% window size (APL, or Average Picture Level). In practice, this translates to incredibly intense and realistic specular highlights. In games and movies, this means that explosions, the sun in a clear sky, reflections off metal, or car headlights at night will "pop" off the screen with a brilliance that few other displays can match.
However, achieving this peak brightness may come with a trade-off. Historically, LG monitors often feature a "Peak Brightness High" mode that pushes the panel to its absolute limit, but sometimes does so at the expense of EOTF (Electro-Optical Transfer Function) tracking accuracy. The EOTF is essentially the gamma curve for HDR, and inaccurate tracking can lead to highlights that are blown out or shadow details that are crushed. A truly great HDR experience is not just about being bright, but about being bright and accurate, faithfully reproducing the image as the creator intended.
Just as important as the peak brightness is the panel's ability to maintain brightness across the entire screen. The improved efficiency of the 4th Gen panel helps to reduce the aggressiveness of the ABL (Auto Brightness Limiter), which prevents the entire image from dimming distractingly during bright, full-screen scenes—a common issue on older OLEDs. This results in a more consistent and stable HDR presentation, allowing the user to remain immersed in the experience.
The Matte vs. Glossy Debate
LG has equipped the 27GX700A with a matte, anti-glare (AG) screen coating. This is one of the most divisive design choices in the OLED enthusiast community.
The argument for the matte finish is one of practicality and versatility. The coating is highly effective at diffusing ambient light and mitigating reflections from windows or overhead lights. LG claims its new film and panel structure can block 99% of internal and external reflections. This makes the 27GX700A a far more viable option for users who cannot or do not wish to use their monitor in a perfectly dark, light-controlled room. For the majority of users with typical home or office setups, the matte screen is a significant benefit.
Conversely, a vocal segment of the community argues that a matte coating fundamentally compromises the "true" OLED experience. Their position is that the diffusion layer, while reducing glare, also raises the perceived black level in a lit room, turning what should be inky, perfect black into a dark gray. They contend that it can also slightly reduce image sharpness and make colors appear less vibrant. For these purists, the only way to experience the full depth and infinite contrast of OLED is with a glossy screen in a dark environment.
This choice reveals a clear strategic positioning by LG. The combination of a brighter WOLED panel and a matte screen is a direct appeal to the mainstream market, prioritizing everyday usability over niche, purist performance. This positions the 27GX700A and its 4th Gen WOLED technology as a "practical OLED," a direct counterpoint to the "purist's OLED" often embodied by glossy QD-OLED panels. While QD-OLED technology is often praised for its superior color volume and vibrancy, especially for elements like neon signs or lush landscapes, it is frequently paired with a glossy finish that excels in a dark room but struggles with reflections. The 4th Gen WOLED, by contrast, excels at producing brighter white and near-white highlights, like stars or streetlamps, and its matte coating makes it far more adaptable to real-world lighting conditions. LG is effectively conceding the "ultimate dark room" battleground to fight on the wider field of everyday versatility. The 27GX700A is the flagship of this pragmatic philosophy.
Gaming, Motion, and Real-World Experience
While panel technology is fascinating, a gaming monitor's worth is ultimately determined by how it performs in the heat of the moment. The 27GX700A combines its advanced panel with a suite of features aimed squarely at delivering a top-tier gaming experience.
Speed and Motion Clarity
For competitive gamers, the 27GX700A's specifications are near-perfect. The combination of a high 280 Hz refresh rate and the inherent 0.03ms pixel response time of OLED technology results in exceptionally clear and fluid motion. In fast-paced esports titles like Counter-Strike 2 or Valorant, this translates into a tangible competitive advantage. There is virtually zero ghosting, smearing, or overshoot, meaning that targets remain crisp and well-defined even during rapid camera movements. This level of motion clarity allows for easier tracking and more precise aiming.
This performance is further validated by its VESA ClearMR 13000 certification. ClearMR is an industry standard designed to provide a more meaningful metric for motion blur than the often-misleading GtG response time figure. A rating of 13000 places the 27GX700A in the highest performance tier currently available, confirming its elite status in motion handling.
However, for a monitor so clearly targeting the esports demographic, there is one notable omission: the lack of a Black Frame Insertion (BFI) feature. BFI works by inserting a black frame between each regular frame of content, which can further enhance motion clarity to a level that mimics CRT displays. While it comes at the cost of screen brightness and can introduce flicker, it is a feature highly valued by some esports purists. Its absence on the 27GX700A is a missed opportunity and a potential drawback for a small but dedicated subset of its target audience.
Adaptive-Sync Performance
To ensure a smooth gaming experience across a wide range of frame rates, the 27GX700A is certified for both AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and is officially NVIDIA G-Sync Compatible. This dual certification guarantees that the monitor's refresh rate will synchronize with the output of the graphics card, eliminating screen tearing and stuttering without the input lag associated with traditional V-Sync. This is a crucial feature for any modern gaming monitor and ensures a seamless experience regardless of which brand of GPU is powering the system.
Immersive Gaming Experience
Beyond the competitive arena, the 27GX700A excels at providing a stunningly immersive experience in visually rich, single-player titles. Here, the core strengths of its 4th Gen WOLED panel come to the forefront. The infinite contrast ratio means that dark scenes in games like Alan Wake 2 or cave exploration in Baldur's Gate 3 are rendered with perfect, inky blacks, free from the backlight bleed or "IPS glow" that plagues LCD monitors. This is complemented by the panel's wide color gamut, which covers 99.5% of the DCI-P3 color space, delivering rich, vibrant, and lifelike colors.
When HDR is enabled, the experience is elevated further. The 1500-nit peak brightness brings an incredible level of dynamism to the image. The glint of sunlight off a sword, the searing heat of a dragon's fire, or the bright lights of a futuristic city are rendered with an intensity that dramatically enhances immersion. This combination of perfect blacks, vibrant colors, and powerful highlights is the quintessential "OLED effect," and it makes cinematic games look absolutely spectacular. To supplement the core experience, LG includes its standard suite of gaming features, such as a Black Stabilizer to brighten dark areas, an on-screen Crosshair for improved aiming, and an FPS Counter.
A Note on Fan Noise
One potential concern with LG's OLED monitors has been the inclusion of an internal fan for cooling. The electronics required to drive a high-performance OLED panel generate significant heat, and active cooling is often necessary. However, these small fans can sometimes produce a high-pitched whine or buzzing sound that can be distracting in a quiet room.
While detailed reports on the 27GX700A's specific fan are not yet widely available, user experiences with other recent LG OLED monitors, such as the 27GX790A, offer some insight. Opinions are often split: many users state that they have never heard the fan at all, especially if their PC is not silent or if they use headphones. However, users with very quiet PCs who are sensitive to noise have reported being able to hear the fan, describing it as a noticeable presence in an otherwise silent environment. Given this history, it is reasonable to assume that the 27GX700A likely contains a similar cooling solution. Potential buyers who prioritize a completely silent setup and are particularly sensitive to fan noise should be aware of this possibility, as it has been a recurring characteristic of LG's UltraGear OLED designs.
The Competitive Landscape and Value Proposition
No monitor exists in isolation. The LG 27GX700A enters a fiercely competitive market, and its high price tag forces a critical examination of its value relative to its rivals.
The Elephant in the Room: LG 27GX700A vs. Gigabyte MO27Q28G
The most direct and damning comparison for the 27GX700A is with the Gigabyte MO27Q28G. This is not a typical comparison between two different products; it is a comparison between two different packages built around the exact same 27-inch, 1440p, 280 Hz, 4th Gen WOLED panel sourced from LG Display.
Assuming both Gigabyte and LG have implemented competent factory tuning and processing, the core visual performance of these two monitors should be virtually identical. They will share the same brightness, color gamut, response time, and motion clarity. The decision between them, therefore, comes down to the ancillary features and, most importantly, the price.
Here, the value proposition for the LG 27GX700A collapses. At a US launch price of around $850, it is approximately 70% more expensive than the Gigabyte MO27Q28G, which is expected to launch for around $500. To justify this enormous premium, the LG model would need to offer a substantially superior experience in other areas. While it does feature an excellent, highly ergonomic stand and a polished On-Screen Display (OSD), the Gigabyte model is also feature-rich. In fact, the Gigabyte monitor includes features that the LG model lacks, such as built-in speakers and a KVM switch for controlling multiple PCs with one set of peripherals. Unless LG offers a significantly better warranty or some other unseen killer feature, there is almost no logical reason for an informed consumer to pay a $350 premium for the same core experience. For the vast majority of buyers, the Gigabyte MO27Q28G is poised to be the far more sensible choice.
Broader Market Context: WOLED vs. QD-OLED Competitors
Beyond its direct doppelgänger, the 27GX700A also competes with a range of 27-inch QHD OLED monitors based on Samsung's QD-OLED technology, such as popular models from Alienware. This brings the broader technological rivalry between WOLED and QD-OLED into focus.
As discussed, the choice between these two technologies is one of priorities and use cases. The LG 27GX700A, with its 4th Gen WOLED panel, offers a key advantage in full-screen and white-element brightness, and its matte screen makes it a superior choice for use in rooms with ambient light. It is the more versatile, "practical" option for users with mixed-use scenarios or imperfect lighting conditions.
QD-OLED panels, on the other hand, generally offer superior color volume, resulting in more saturated and vibrant colors, particularly in the red and green spectrums. They are typically paired with a glossy screen finish, which, in a dark room, provides a perception of deeper blacks and a more "pure," impactful image. The choice is not about which technology is definitively "better," but rather which set of trade-offs aligns best with the individual user's environment and preferences. A gamer in a dedicated, light-controlled "bat cave" might prefer the color pop of a glossy QD-OLED, while a user in a living room or home office with a nearby window would be better served by the brightness and reflection-handling of the matte WOLED 27GX700A.
Final Verdict - A Technological Triumph, A Commercial Conundrum
The LG UltraGear 27GX700A is a monitor that is far easier to admire for its technological prowess than it is to recommend as a purchase. It successfully ushers in a new generation of OLED performance, delivering on the promise of a brighter, more versatile, and more robust display that addresses many of the historical shortcomings of the technology. Its motion clarity is world-class, its HDR is impactful, and its SDR performance makes it a viable option for everyday desktop use in a way that older OLEDs were not. It is, in a vacuum, a fantastic piece of hardware.
However, it does not exist in a vacuum. Its launch is overshadowed by a pricing strategy that can only be described as a commercial conundrum. By demanding a significant premium for a panel that it is simultaneously selling to competitors for far less, LG Electronics has placed the 27GX700A in an untenable market position.
Pros:
Pioneering 4th Gen WOLED Panel: Delivers excellent full-screen and peak brightness for an OLED, making it highly versatile.
Exceptional Motion Clarity: The combination of a 280 Hz refresh rate and a 0.03ms response time provides a supremely fluid and clear gaming experience, ideal for competitive play.
Impactful HDR Performance: With 1500-nit peak highlights and VESA DisplayHDR 500 True Black certification, it offers a stunning and dynamic HDR presentation.
Excellent Ergonomics: The stand provides a full range of adjustments and features a practical, space-saving base design.
Effective Reflection Handling: The matte anti-glare coating makes the monitor well-suited for use in rooms with ambient light.
Cons:
Extremely Poor Value Proposition: The high launch price is completely uncompetitive when compared to rivals using the identical panel.
Direct Competition: The Gigabyte MO27Q28G offers the same core performance for significantly less money, making it the default choice for most buyers.
Divisive Matte Coating: While practical, the matte finish is a subjective negative for OLED purists who strongly prefer a glossy screen for maximum perceived contrast.
Lack of BFI: The absence of a Black Frame Insertion mode is a notable omission for a monitor targeting the high-end esports market.
Dated Connectivity Standard: The reliance on DisplayPort 1.4 with DSC, while functionally sound, feels like a compromise on a premium, next-generation product.
Persistent Text Clarity Concerns: While potentially improved, the RGWB sub-pixel layout may still present a sharpness disadvantage for users with heavy productivity workloads.
Recommendation
The final recommendation is starkly clear. The LG UltraGear 27GX700A is a monitor that should be purchased by an exceedingly small niche of consumers: die-hard LG brand loyalists, or early adopters who must have the "official" first-party product and for whom price is no object.
For almost everyone else, the answer is to wait or look elsewhere. The most logical course of action for anyone seeking the performance of this groundbreaking 4th Gen WOLED panel is to purchase the Gigabyte MO27Q28G or another forthcoming partner model. These monitors promise to deliver a functionally identical experience for a fraction of the cost. For gamers who prioritize the absolute best color vibrancy and play in a controlled, dark environment, existing and upcoming QD-OLED alternatives from brands like Alienware remain exceptionally compelling choices.
Ultimately, the LG 27GX700A serves as a brilliant, if expensive, proof of concept. It successfully demonstrates the bright future of WOLED technology, proving that OLEDs can be both dazzlingly bright and practical for everyday use. But in doing so, it inadvertently shines its brightest light on the much better value offered by the very competitors it helped create.
0 Comments