LG UltraGear 32GS95UE-B Monitor Review

LG UltraGear 32GS95UE-B Monitor Review



The LG UltraGear 32GS95UE-B monitor is a fully featured display option that aims to appeal to a wide swath of gamers. While LG already has some incredible gaming monitors, this model can tick many of the essential boxes helps increase its appeal, even as its $1,400 price point might be seen as a big barrier to entry. Even so, the LG UltraGear 32GS95UE-B does a lot to justify its price tag with some impressive features and functionality and a few tricks that are unique to the monitor.



Related
Get the LG UltraGear 34-Inch Curved Gaming Monitor for Over $180 Off!

Amazon is offering a nearly $200 discount on the LG UltraGear 34-inch curved gaming monitor, which supports both Nvidia G-Sync and AMD FreeSync.

LG UltraGear 32GS95UE-B Monitor Design

LG has designed the UltraGear 32GS95UE-B to be fairly unassuming, and I can appreciate that. It has a relatively thin bezel and a simple stand that doesn’t take up a lot of desktop real estate. The monitor’s stand also lays flat at its base, so you can put something on top of it. It’s never a deal breaker, but when a monitor’s base is angled or oddly designed, it feels like it invades your space more than others. The LG UltraGear 32GS95UE-B can blend right in with any setup.

There’s an ovular notch cut into the monitor’s stand so you can feed A/V cables and the power cable from the monitor’s ports down the back of your desk and out of sight. The ports are easy to access and adequately situated on the bottom of the monitor. The LG UltraGear 32GS95UE-B is also VESA mount compatible, but its base is capable of tilting and rotating, even switching from a horizontal to a vertical orientation.


lg ultragear monitor review

Although the design of the monitor is standard in most respects, it stands out with its PixelSound feature. Rather than speakers on the bezel or underneath the monitor, the sound on the LG UltraGear 32GS95UE-B comes from behind the pixels. As a result, the sound is a lot clearer and directed right at you while gaming. Most gamers prefer to use a good pair of gaming headphones while at their desk, but LG going above and beyond with its sound is much appreciated and a nice touch.


LG UltraGear 32GS95UE-B Monitor Visuals

Right off the bat, the LG UltraGear 32GS95UE-B is an appealing 32-inch 4K 240Hz monitor (and more). That alone puts it in rarified air and is a perfect fit for gamers. LG’s choice to go with a matte finish over a glossy one may raise eyebrows, but in my testing, I never found it to be distracting or a hindrance to the visual presentation. With that 240Hz refresh rate, the monitor is likely to be most attractive to PC gamers, but it doesn’t neglect console gamers either.

The Monitor is a perfect fit for both PC and Console gamers.

It comes equipped with 1 DisplayPort 1.4 port and 2 HDMI 2.1 ports, so it’s perfect for connecting a high-end gaming PC and two consoles like the PS5 or Xbox Series X. The DP 1.4 will allow the LG UltraGear 32GS95UE-B to give the full 4K 240Hz experience while PC gaming, whereas the HDMI 2.1 can go up to 4K 120Hz when console gaming.


Specs for the LG UltraGear 32GS95UE-B include:

Aspect Ratio – 16:9

Size – 32-inch

Refresh Rates – 480Hz (at 1080p), 240Hz (at 4K)

Response Time – .03ms GTG

Ports – DisplayPort 1.4 (1), HDMI 2.1 (2)

HDR – DisplayHDR™ TRUE BLACK 400

The presentation on the LG UltraGear 32GS95UE-B is crisp and clear, taking advantage of FreeSync Premium Pro or G-Sync to get the smoothest experience possible. As a WOLED panel, the LG UltraGear 32GS95UE-B looks a little brighter in a well-lit room, but its color reproduction and picture quality are excellent. There’s little about the LG UltraGear 32GS95UE-B that didn’t impress me while gaming, regardless of whether I was pushing it to the limits with Silent Hill 2 Remake and Black Myth Wukong or if I was letting the details of an impressive indie like Nine Sols shine through.


Right under the center of the monitor is a menu toggle that allows you to customize the visuals and the performance of the LG UltraGear 32GS95UE-B monitor. There’s a Game Mode option with a few different presets that favor various game genres, an option to hardcode a few reticules onto the screen, and a frame counter for those who like to make sure they are getting the most out of their games. It’s pretty standard stuff for a gaming monitor, and it’s easy to access and switch between.

LG UltraGear 32GS95UE-B won’t annoy its users with any lag or latency issues.


As an added bonus, the LG UltraGear 32GS95UE-B is extremely responsive, with a reported response time of .03 ms GtG. In my testing, I found the monitor to be lightning-fast and had no issue with latency or lag of any kind. Sometimes, a higher resolution monitor or an HDMI 2.1 panel can introduce a little more latency than the PC-focused ones, but that’s not the case here at all.

Dual Mode is the LG UltraGear’s Secret Weapon

Where the LG UltraGear 32GS95UE-B breaks from tradition and blew me away is with its Dual Mode feature. At the touch of a button, the 32-inch monitor can transition from a 4K 240Hz panel to a 1080p 480Hz panel. It’s here that the monitor casts a wider net in terms of appealing to even more gamers, enticing those who prefer to scale down their resolution in search of more frames.

lg ultragear monitor review


The argument could be made that the LG UltraGear 32GS95UE-B is basically two monitors in one, and for the time being that is true. Until a 4K 480Hz monitor enters the market at an affordable price, LG’s offering has something that few competitors do. So, while the choice of going WOLED instead of QD-OLED or the matte finish over glossy might be a dealbreakers for some, the Dual Mode is a huge selling point for the panel.

That being said, there is a drawback to the Dual Mode, namely the crispness of the visuals. Because you are dropping the resolution down to 1080p, the text doesn’t seem to look as sharp as it does in the 4K mode, and certain media looked a little blurry. It’s not something that your eyes can’t adjust to, but obviously, when compared between the two modes, one is going to “look” better than the other.


Final Impressions

The LG UltraGear 32GS95UE-B monitor carries a steep price tag, but those who have the funds will find an extremely impressive panel that meets a variety of needs. As just a 4K 240Hz monitor, it’s at the top of the class with incredible picture, response time, functionality, and some of the highest refresh rate support. But then Dual Mode makes it even more versatile, by offering the 480Hz refresh rate at the lower 1080p resolution. If the 4K 240Hz is all that you’re looking for, there are some cheaper models out there, but those PC gamers out there who want to mix a little high performance with high FPS will not be disappointed by the LG UltraGear 32GS95UE-B monitor.

The LG UltraGear 32GS95UE-B is available now at LG’s official site. Game Rant was provided a unit for this review.

Source link