Pros:
- G-Sync Compatible (Certified)
- Low Price
- Low Input Lag
- Responsive
Cons:
- Low Contrast Ratio
- Panel Uniformity Needs Improvement
The LG 27GL63T-B offers a long-anticipated 1080p IPS panel with a 144Hz refresh rate specifically tuned to have better color quality and responsiveness. This model is considerably cheaper than the LG 27GL650F, but the latter has more features such as HDR support. The LG 27GL63T is certainly more attractive due to its price point, but does it have disadvantages which make it the lesser choice?
LG 27GL63T-B Specifications
- Screen Size: 27 Inches
- Resolution: 1920 x 1080 Full HD
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Panel Technology: In-Plane Switching (IPS)
- Refresh Rate: 144Hz
- Response Time: 1ms
- Contrast Ratio:1000:1
- Brightness: 320cd/m² (400 cd/m2 Max)
- Built-in Speakers: No
- Stand: Height – Yes
- Stand: Tilt – Yes
- Stand: Swivel – No
- Stand: Pivot– Yes
- VESA Compatibility: Yes (100 x 100)
- Connectivity: DisplayPort 1.4 x1, HDMI 2.0 x 1, 3.5mm Headphone jack x 1
- Dimensions (W x H x D): 24.2” x 22.6” x 10.8”
- Weight: 14.1lbs
Design and Features
Most of the LG UltraGear monitors like the LG 27GL63T-B are aesthetically identical, but that doesn’t make them bland or boring. The modern-looking designs use a slim matte black chassis lined with red accents in discrete spots and parts. The display is bezel-free on three sides, giving the gamer a maximized view of the screen.
The housing for the LG 27GL63T-B as mentioned is quite thin compared to other gaming monitors if it doesn’t have the stand attached. However, it takes up almost eleven inches of depth when fully assembled, so make sure you have enough desk space.
Build quality is excellent for the LG 27GL63T-B thanks to excellent material engineering and the overall design. There are no cosmetic defects or flexing on the surfaces, indicating that proper quality control was applied from the factory. The stand has a slight wobble, but that’s a characteristic that spans almost all of the UltraGear monitors we’ve seen.
One of our favorite aspects from LG monitors such as the LG 27GL63T-B is the implementation of OSD controls. The device has a centrally-located OSD joystick just below the bottom bezel for easy and convenient access. But best of all, this variant also supports LG’s On Screen Control which lets you tinker with the settings directly via an app.
The LG 27GL63T-B is a budget model, but it still includes a fully-ergonomic stand that lets you tilt, pivot and adjust the height of the screen. The boomerang-shaped base takes up a considerable amount of space, but it also provides good stability for the upsized display. You can also opt for VESA mounts if preferred, but buying one adds more cost to the total of your upgrade.
Connectivity for the LG 27GL63T-B is even more limited compared to other models. The rear-facing I/O layout only includes DisplayPort 1.4 and HDMI 2.0, so you will be limited to a PC and a second host device like an Xbox One X and nothing more. Some USB connectors would be handy for peripherals, but we can’t argue since the price is already low.
The LG 27GL63T-B also doesn’t have built-in speakers, so your only audio option is to connect a headset to its 3.5mm jack. Again, that’s a fair omission for a budget-friendly model whose focus is on gaming performance. Built-ins, as we all know, are usually not ideal for gaming due to their limited frequency ranges.
Display and Performance
The LG 27GL63T-B sports a 27-inch IPS panel with a 1920 x 1080 resolution, 144Hz refresh rate, and boosted 1ms response time. The backlight is limited to a typical brightness of 320 cd/m2 and a max of 400 cd/m2. This model doesn’t fully support HDR or even VESA’s DisplayHDR standards, even if the spec sheet says it can.
The immediate complaint about larger 1080p monitors like the LG 27GL63T-B is the perception that they are blurry or pixelized. Its true that the 82 pixels per inch of the monitor seems a bit low, but we don’t think its a considerable issue. The screen still looks clean when viewed at a reasonable distance, and even if there is a bit of image softening, games still manage to look good.
The LG 27GL63T-B provides decent color performance, starting with 97% coverage of the sRGB gamut. Accuracy could use some improvements since color deviances reached an average of DeltaE 2.8, but that’s more than acceptable for gaming purposes. You can calibrate the monitor to get a sub-1.0 result, but the cost of a colorimeter isn’t worth it in this case.
The screen’s color temperature is slightly warmer than 6500K, but that’s an acceptable effect of sRGB screens. Gamma, on the other hand, is decent at 2.16, so the screen doesn’t look overly dim or too bright in some scenes. We recommend setting a brightness level that sits around 40% to balance the screen out.
The main weakness of the LG 27GL63T-B is its contrast ratio which struggled to reach 900:1. The screen can, at times, look grayish when displaying darker scenes from games like Modern Warfare. VAs can do better in this regard, but that panel type has issues and limitations of its own as well.
Panel uniformity for the LG 27GL63T-B is slightly affected by backlight leaks at the corners of the display. Clouding becomes noticeable if you display an all-black image, but colored scenes are unaffected. Of course, this aspect will vary between every unit, so getting one from a reputable seller with customer-friendly terms is wise.
The LG 27GL63T-B’s response time is excellent as far as gaming IPS panels go in the current market. The screen has very minimal blurring and ghosting, so you don’t need to pump up the overdrive setting. We recommend staying with the Fast level if you want to remove the already minor trailing, since using anything higher will induce overshoot.
The LG 27GL63T-B is a FreeSync gaming monitor, but its also Nvidia-certified to be G-Sync compatible. Both GPU brand users will be able to use VRR for buttery-smooth awesomeness without any issues such as stuttering or blackouts. Input lag sits at 5ms, so there is no need to worry about lag or de-synced instances.
Thoughts on the LG 27GL63T-B
The LG 27GL63T-B is an excellent option if you want a gaming monitor that has better angles and clarity than the usual TN or VA models in the market. The screen doesn’t have the specialized capabilities of LG’s Nano IPS tech, but the overall image quality is already sufficient for daily gaming. It also helps that the monitor supports both FreeSync and G-Sync, so buying it doesn’t mean you have to stick with one GPU brand during its lifespan.
The weakest point of the LG 27GL63T-B is its lower contrast ratio which is common in IPS displays. There’s also the limited connectivity layout, but that’s minor compared to a grayish-looking screen. However, we can still rate this model as an excellent buy, especially since it gets discounts regularly from our favorite retailers.
About the Author:
Paolo is a gaming veteran since the golden days of Doom and Warcraft and has been building gaming systems for family, friends, and colleagues since his junior high years. High-performance monitors are one of his fixations and he believes that it’s every citizen’s right to enjoy one. He has gone through several pieces of hardware in pursuit of every bit of performance gain, much to the dismay of his wallet. He now works with Monitornerds to scrutinize the latest gear to create reviews that accentuate the seldom explained aspects of a PC monitor.