LG 27UD68-P Review
- Overall
Review of LG 27UD68-P
One of LG’s top gaming monitors, the LG 27UD68-P is constructed for productivity, entertainment, and some light gaming. With almost all the specifications being above average and having an elegant design even after being 27-inches, LG has won a lot of hearts with this monitor because of a combination of features that aren’t over the top and a design that is ergonomic. However, to erase a universal doubt first, the 27UD68 4K monitor is referred by two different SKU numbers. These are denominated as 27UD68-W and 27UD68-P. There is no functional difference between the two; the only difference that the P and W represent is the color of the model. The 27UD68-W is white, and the 27UD68-P is black. So we will be talking about the LG 27UD68 in this article, deep diving into the features and the design of it.
What’s in the box
The box comes with the full display, the power chord to it, the stand, an HDMI chord, a display board cable (both are 4k capable) and a manual.
LG 27UD68-P Specifications
- Panel Type: IPS
- Screen size: 27 inches
- Resolution: 3840 x 2160p
- Response time: 5 ms (gray to gray)
- Refresh rate: 60Hz
- Dimensions: 24.2 x 7.3 x 17.9 inches
- Brightness: 300nits
- Color Gamut: sRGB over 99%
- Color Support: 1.07 Billion Colors (10bit(8bit + A-FRC)
- Aspect ratio: 16:9
- I/O: DP 1.2a+ (with Adaptive-Sync), 2xHDMI 2.0
The Screen
The 27-inch Widescreen LED display features a stunning 3840 x 2160p resolution, and while we can say ‘enough said’ here, there is a lot more to it than just that. One of the qualities of this monitor is to display an evenly distributed color quality and sharpness all across the display even after being 4K at a very affordable price. The 27UD68 is a UHD (Ultra HD) monitor, and it does its job quite well. The color gamut is over 99% (sRGB) at a 16:9 aspect ratio and a 10-bit color depth. There are 8.3 million pixels on the screen, and the UHD is four times sharper and better than an HD monitor.
This means that this display can produce millions of colors all accurate right up to the minor details and the sharpness, and to be consistent with it using the 5ms gray to the gray response time that completely eliminates problems like tearing and stuttering. Gaming on this wide screen is made easy by the response time compensating with 1440p gaming and coupling it with the smooth 60Hz refresh rate. And now while this might look like less, the thing is it doesn’t affect the gaming performance of FPS games as long as you are not a hardcore gamer, which if you are, you might want to go for a different option as the LG 27UD68 serves a lot of purposes and is not a hardcore gaming machine. However, the gaming chops of this display are further enhanced by the inclusion of AMD FreeSync technology, which pretty much takes care of most things. The Freesync, in addition to having a frame synchronization to game at high frame rates without tearing, also has an LFC (low frame rate compensation) that allows gaming at low frame rates to be tearing and juddering free as well. So that’s another plus point here.
Watching movies and media on the 27UD68 is a ball. The ultra high definition lets you view the content as it deserves to be viewed – all in super high quality and the brightness of the display is pretty well-balanced. It does not affect the eyes causing eye fatigue and itching during long durations of time. The IPS panel of this display covers a lot of peripheral with wide viewing angles, and there is no bleeding on the edges of the 27UD68.
Add-ons
The LG houses many add-ons on top of the response time, and it’s UHD resolution, to achieve that perfect output quality and a hassle-free experience. Let’s quickly have a look at them and try to understand them independently.
Anti-glare coating
There is a type of optical coating on this display that works quite well with its contrast and brightness to reduce eye fatigue. This ‘anti-reflective’ coating on the panel improves panel efficiency by light absorption and by not reflecting ‘stray light’ onto the user’s eyes.
Split screen 2.0
The LG 27UD68 -P is a big display. And with such a display, comes the possibility of multitasking and this is a feature the provides just that. There are four types of Picture-in-Picture (PIP) modes available among its 14 Screen Split options. You can have 2 to 4 windows to be shown in 8 different screen ratios on the display without feeling cluttered. Enough said!
Game mode
This mode is a combination of Dynamic Action Sync feature that assures smooth, fluid gaming action by syncing frames, and the black stabilizer. The black stabilizer is a characteristic helps you keep an excellent visibility even in dark gaming scenes. For gamers, LG’s Black Stabilizer senses the dark scenes and helps make it brighter in a way that is subtle and efficient, so that you can find the enemies hiding and waiting to attack your player in the dark. Very useful for multiplayer and shooter games, and it complements the general purpose use too.
Design and connectivity
The design on the display is very simple to assemble and ergonomic in nature. The dimensions are 24.2 x 7.3 x 17.9 inches and the stand comes with the screen and is pretty basic, with no features added to it. Calling it the ‘archline design,’ the sleek design of LG 27UD68 is accentuated by the curved metal stand. The smooth curve of the base provides stability, assuring dependable performance with a touch of elegance. And this is what most monitors that offer UHD at 4K are missing – panache!
Finally, the DisplayPort 1.2 and the HDMI 2.0 (which is advanced than an ordinary HDMI) connectivity ports on the 27UD68 fit in just perfectly for some of the latest connectivity trends in 4K UHD gaming, and the Graphics cards that it works best with.
Bottom line
Pros
- Ultra High Definition and 4K gaming
- Excellent color production and gamut (1.07 Billion Colors, sRGB above 99%)
- Freesync support
- Sleek, no-frill design
- A variety of add-on features like Split screen and game mode
- Affordable price
Cons
- No inbuilt speakers
- High response time (5ms)
- Does not rotate vertical (See the LG 27UD68P-B for adjustable base)
Priced at around $500, the LG 27UD68 -P is an absolute steal for the price, and it has been given four stars on Amazon by reviewers, and we can see why. It offers a 4k gaming experience most monitors just can’t match.
tanvir talukdar says
Thanks for this information
Paolo Reva says
You are welcome, Tanvir!
Thomas says
Hi, thanks for the test! I am using a rather old Asus N56V Laptop built in 2012. Its got a HDMI port. I guess its not HDMI 2 which came on the market in 2015. In your review you state that the LG monitor comes with a HDMI-2-port. Would this mean I could connect this fantastic monitor with my Asus Laptop but it would NOT show the full resolution (3840 x 2160p)? Thanks for your reply.
Paolo Reva says
Hi, Thomas! You should be able to use the 4K resolution, but you will be limited to 30Hz which is too jittery for regular use.
Jake Kiedaisch says
I have one question, Is this monitor HDCP 2.2 compliant because I am seeing people who are saying yes and no.
Paolo Reva says
Hi, Jake! Yesm the LG 27UD68-P is HDCP 2.2 compliant via HDMI.
Shamit Kalra says
Hi.
I want to a buy a large screen size (24-28 inch) monitor as an extension to my Macbook 2017 (which comes with 12” screen). I want to use the monitor of course for office work like mails, microsoft office, Adobe In design, occassionally Photoshop, and also sometimes to watch videos.
I am recommended to decide between LG27UD68-P or Dell S2817Q. I am confused which one to choose or look at some other options. People are saying these monitors are best to replicate similar dispalay quality of Macbook. Please suggest.
Thanks
Paolo Reva says
Hello, Shamit! You need a USB-C monitor, so you are better off with the LG 27UD88-W which is an upgraded version of this model. Cheers!
Martin says
Thanks for the review, a very complete one 😛
One question, this monitor works well at 1440p 60hz in games?
Paolo Reva says
Hello, Martin! Thank you for coming to Monitornerds. We would advise against using a 4K monitor for 1440p applications because the 4K screen might not be able to downscale properly. Some images or windows might appear pixelized or jagged due to the finer pixels this monitor has.
John Jacks says
Picked up this monitor about a month ago, i use it for ps4 pro, pc with a 1070 graphics card and an xbox elite, it looks lovely with ps4 pro and pc both running at 4k with no issues, less impressive is running a 1080p device on it, but thats to be expected considering monitors are not know for their scaling capabilities.
Great Monitor and something to fill the gap until HDR 4k become more afforable 🙂
Paolo Reva says
Thank you for sharing some insight, John Jacks!
Mark says
Looking for a monitor for my PS4 pro. Would this one by any good so many monitors out there. It’s hard to know which one is any good. I’ve got a budget of about £400. Any advice would be much appreciated. Thanks
Paolo Reva says
Hi there, Mark! Just about any 4K monitor out there would do great with your PS4 Pro, but remember, there are no true HDR PC monitors available as of the moment. You have to wait towards the end of the year for those to release. But if you want to get a standard 4K display now, the LG 27UD68-P is a great choice for gaming and any other use. You can purchase it through this link: http://geni.us/v5OB If you want a gamer-specific model which fits your price range, here is the Asus MG28UQ which has a TN panel, but is slightly faster than the LG: http://geni.us/EPT8nnG Goodluck and enjoy!
Mark says
Thanks for your help I think I will go for the LG. It’s seem to be about the best around for my budget
Paolo Reva says
You are most welcome, Mark!
chris says
What’s the point of having freesync if it can’t go over 60hz?
Paolo Reva says
Hey, Chris! Freesync and its counterpart are still useful even if your monitor can only go up to 60Hz since there will always be fluctuations in FPS. Even if tearing and stuttering can sometimes be more noticeable in high refresh rate/low fps situations, it still is possible to see it at 60Hz. You can expect to see these flaws in 4K gaming. You have to see it for yourself to believe, and you’ll be thankful you have it at 4K 60Hz. Trust us!
Nick Smith says
Just wanting to make this known that it was put “No adaptive sync support” as a con, yet this monitor supports AMD freesync which is an an adaptive sync. While it obviously does not support G-Sync, Freesync is adaptive sync for people who have an AMD graphics card or AMD integrated graphics. Most people have AMD graphics and especially now with intel using AMD graphics on their processors.
Freesync is part of the DisplayPort 1.2 standard which means that most monitors from decent brands that include Displayport 1.2 will make their scaler capable of running freesync. That being said Freesync is also possible over HDMI with the same limits that HDMI has though (nothing above 60hz).
With doing a review on a monitor that is pricey for most people and has many features to boast and that people want to see it is very important to make sure that all of the information is correct as people do read these reviews to make buying decisions based on these reviews. Myself for instance, I am looking at purchasing this monitor and have been looking around to see what the overclocking performance on it is and how good it runs even just at the 60hz Freesync on games, but had I not already known that Freesync is adaptive sync I may have stopped considering this screen as I do need adaptive sync for my games (I have an R9 Fury) So anyone with an AMD graphics card or AMD integrated graphics, if you are looking for adaptive sync this screen has the exact adaptive sync that your graphics support.
Paolo Reva says
Hi Nick, Thank you for pointing that error out. We have updated the article.
Baskaran Anandan says
I need help between LG 27UD68P VS DELL S2817Q which one is best suitable for my photo editing, video editing , and 4K Movies occasionally . My graphic card is Nvidia GeForce GTX 970. Do I need to upgrade my graphic card. I need your advise. Thank you very much
Paolo Reva says
Hi Baskaran, the LG 27UD68-P will outperform the Dell S2817Q for photo editing simply because of its IPS panel and the wider gamut. As for the GPU, you don’t have to upgrade it unless you are planning on gaming.