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Lenovo D27-30 Monitor Review

Tested using Methodology v1.1
Reviewed Dec 08, 2021 at 10:44 am
Latest change: Writing modified Oct 19, 2022 at 04:20 pm
Lenovo D27-30 Picture
6.9
Mixed Usage
6.9
Office
7.3
Gaming
6.8
Multimedia
6.7
Media Creation
5.6
HDR Gaming

The Lenovo D27-30 is an entry-level 27 inch monitor with a 1080p native resolution and a VA panel. As expected for a VA panel, it has impressive contrast and superb black uniformity, making it a great choice for a dark room. Sadly, visibility is an issue in brighter viewing environments, as it can't get bright enough to overcome glare, despite its good reflection handling. It has superb low input lag and FreeSync support for gamers, and the response time at 75Hz is good enough for most casual gamers. This monitor feels a bit out of place, as it has a somewhat dated design that doesn't feel very well-built, and its overall performance is very limited compared to most modern monitors. Even its inputs feel dated, as it lacks modern connectivity options like DisplayPort or a USB hub, but it has a VGA port for legacy devices.

Our Verdict

6.9 Mixed Usage

The Lenovo D27-30 monitor is okay for most uses. It's decent for gaming, with low input lag and a quick response time at the max refresh rate for gaming, and it supports FreeSync. It's okay for office use or media creation, with a decent amount of screen space for multitasking, but the low pixel density isn't great for text processing. Finally, it delivers an adequate movie-watching experience, especially thanks to its high contrast ratio and superb black uniformity, but it doesn't support HDR.

Pros
  • Impressive contrast.
  • Excellent gray uniformity.
  • Superb black uniformity.
  • Superb low input lag.
Cons
  • Terrible ergonomics.
  • Low peak brightness.
  • Image degrades at an angle.
6.9 Office

The Lenovo D27-30 is okay for office use. It offers a decent amount of screen space for multitasking, but the relatively low pixel density results in just okay text clarity. It has excellent gray uniformity, amazing gradient handling, and complete coverage of the sRGB color space, so it's great if your work requires accurate colors. Sadly, it has terrible ergonomics, so it's hard to place in an ideal viewing position, and it has narrow viewing angles.

Pros
  • Excellent gray uniformity.
  • Decent screen real estate.
  • Excellent SDR color gamut & volume.
Cons
  • Terrible ergonomics.
  • Low peak brightness.
  • Image degrades at an angle.
  • Poor accuracy out of the box.
7.3 Gaming

The Lenovo D27-30 monitor is decent for gaming. It has superb low input lag, resulting in a responsive gaming experience, and it supports FreeSync to reduce screen tearing. It has a good response time at the max refresh rate, but it's not ideal for gaming at 60Hz, as the response time is quite a bit slower. It has a decent amount of screen space, but the relatively low pixel density results in a softer, less-detailed image when gaming.

Pros
  • Superb low input lag.
  • Good response time at the max refresh rate.
  • FreeSync support.
Cons
  • Terrible ergonomics.
  • Slow response time at 60Hz.
6.8 Multimedia

The Lenovo D27-30 is adequate for watching videos in a dark room. It has impressive contrast and superb black uniformity, so blacks are deep and uniform, and it has excellent gray uniformity with very little dirty screen effect. It also has a decent amount of screen space. Unfortunately, it has narrow viewing angles and terrible ergonomics, so you can't easily share your screen, and it has low peak brightness, so it can't overcome glare in a bright room.

Pros
  • Impressive contrast.
  • Excellent gray uniformity.
  • Superb black uniformity.
  • Decent screen real estate.
Cons
  • Terrible ergonomics.
  • Low peak brightness.
  • Image degrades at an angle.
  • Doesn't support HDR.
6.7 Media Creation

The Lenovo D27-30 monitor is alright for media creators. It has excellent gray uniformity, an amazing SDR color gamut, and excellent gradient handling. It also has a decent amount of screen space to work with. Unfortunately, it has terrible ergonomics and narrow viewing angles, so you can't easily share your screen with a colleague or client, and it has poor accuracy out of the box. It also can't easily overcome glare, meaning visibility can be an issue in a bright room.

Pros
  • Excellent gray uniformity.
  • Excellent gradient handling.
  • Decent screen real estate.
  • Excellent SDR color gamut & volume.
Cons
  • Terrible ergonomics.
  • Low peak brightness.
  • Image degrades at an angle.
  • Poor accuracy out of the box.
5.6 HDR Gaming
  • 6.9 Mixed Usage
  • 6.9 Office
  • 7.3 Gaming
  • 6.8 Multimedia
  • 6.7 Media Creation
  • 5.6 HDR Gaming
  1. Updated Oct 19, 2022: Added a comparison between this monitor and the LG 27MN60T-W regarding peak brightness.
  2. Updated Dec 08, 2021: Review published.
  3. Updated Dec 07, 2021: Early access published.
  4. Updated Nov 23, 2021: Our testers have started testing this product.
  5. Updated Nov 19, 2021: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
  6. Updated Nov 13, 2021: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.

Differences Between Sizes And Variants

We tested the Lenovo D27-30, which is only available in a 27 inch size. There's also an IPS variant of this monitor known as the Lenovo D27-20. Since it uses a different panel technology, our results aren't valid, as we expect it to perform differently.

If someone comes across a different panel type or their D27-30 doesn't correspond to our review, let us know, and we'll update the review. Note that some tests, like gray uniformity, may vary between units.

Our unit was manufactured in December 2020, and you can see the label here.

Compared To Other Monitors

The Lenovo D27-30 is a very basic 27 inch, 1080p monitor. It doesn't stand out in any way, but it's not terrible, either. If you're willing to spend a bit more, there are much better monitors available, like the ASUS VG279Q or the Acer Nitro VG271 Pbmiipx.

Also see our recommendations for the best monitors under $200, the best 1080p monitors, and the best gaming monitors.

Acer Nitro XV272U KVbmiiprzx

The Acer Nitro XV272U KVbmiiprzx is much better than the Lenovo D27-30. The Acer has a higher resolution screen, significantly better ergonomics, and better viewing angles. The Acer also has a much faster response time, making it a better choice for gaming. Finally, the Acer supports HDR, whereas the Lenovo only supports SDR.

Acer Nitro VG271 Pbmiipx

The Acer Nitro VG271 Pbmiipx is much better than the Lenovo D27-30 for most users. The Acer has much better viewing angles, supports HDR, and is much brighter. The Acer also has a faster refresh rate and a much faster response time, so motion looks much smoother overall. The only advantage of the Lenovo is if you're in a completely dark room, as it has much better black uniformity and better blacks than the Acer.

Gigabyte G27Q

The Gigabyte G27Q is much better than the Lenovo D27-30. The Gigabyte has a much faster refresh rate, a higher resolution screen, and better viewing angles. The Gigabyte also has much better ergonomics and a significantly faster response time. On the other hand, the Lenovo has better contrast, and it looks better in a completely dark room.

MSI Optix G272

The MSI Optix G272 is better than the Lenovo D27-30 for most users, and it's significantly better for gaming. The MSI has a faster refresh rate and a significantly faster response time, so motion looks better, with less blur behind fast-moving objects. The MSI also has better reflection handling and higher peak brightness, so it's better suited to overcome glare in a bright room. On the other hand, the Lenovo has better contrast and better black uniformity, so it looks better if you're in a completely black room.

LG 27MN60T-W

The Lenovo D27-30 and the LG 27MN60T-W are both 1080p monitors with a 27-inch screen size, but they have a few differences, mainly due to having different panels. The LG has a panel with wider viewing angles, meaning the image remains consistent from the sides. It's also much better to use in well-lit rooms as it gets brighter and has better reflection handling. On the other hand, the Lenovo is better for dark rooms because it has a higher contrast that displays deeper blacks.

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Test Results

perceptual testing image
Design
Design
Style
Size 27"
Curved No
Curve Radius Not Curved
Weight (without stand)
8.2 lbs (3.7 kg)
Weight (with stand)
9.7 lbs (4.4 kg)

The Lenovo D27-30 monitor has a fairly dated design, with a relatively thick bottom bezel and a cheap plastic stand. It doesn't seem very well-made, and it has terrible ergonomics.

Design
Stand
Width
9.3" (23.5 cm)
Depth
9.3" (23.5 cm)

The stand feels very cheap, but it doesn't take up much space. It's entirely plastic, and the screen still wobbles a bit.

1.8
Design
Ergonomics
Height Adjustment
0.0" (0.0 cm)
Switch Portrait/Landscape No
Swivel Range No swivel
Tilt Range -22.5Ā° to 5Ā°

Sadly, the Lenovo D27-30 has terrible ergonomics, so it's very difficult to place it in an ideal viewing position unless you VESA mount it.

Design
Back
Wall Mount VESA 100x100

The back of the monitor is very plain, with a simple Lenovo logo. There's a clip on the bottom of the stand for basic cable management.

Design
Borders
Borders
0.3" (0.8 cm)

The borders of the screen are thin on three sides, but the bottom bezel is quite a bit more noticeable.

Design
Thickness
Thickness (with stand)
5.9" (15.0 cm)
Thickness (without stand)
1.8" (4.6 cm)

This monitor is surprisingly thin, especially when VESA-mounted.

7.0
Design
Build Quality

The Lenovo D27-30 monitor has just decent build quality. It's entirely plastic and feels pretty cheap in places. The bottom bezel has quite a bit of flex, and the back is made of basic plastic. The stand feels cheap, and the monitor wobbles a bit.

Picture Quality
8.4
Picture Quality
Contrast
Native Contrast
4,048 : 1
Contrast With Local Dimming
N/A

The Lenovo D27-30 monitor has an impressive contrast ratio, resulting in deep blacks in a dark room. These results are a bit higher than the advertised 3000:1 typical contrast ratio of this monitor, but contrast can vary between individual units.

0
Picture Quality
Local Dimming
Local Dimming
No
Backlight
Edge

The Lenovo D27-30 doesn't have a local dimming feature. We still film the video so you can see how the backlight performs versus other monitors.

5.2
Picture Quality
SDR Peak Brightness
SDR Real Scene
152 cd/mĀ²
SDR Peak 2% Window
174 cd/mĀ²
SDR Peak 10% Window
174 cd/mĀ²
SDR Peak 25% Window
174 cd/mĀ²
SDR Peak 50% Window
174 cd/mĀ²
SDR Peak 100% Window
173 cd/mĀ²
SDR Sustained 2% Window
174 cd/mĀ²
SDR Sustained 10% Window
174 cd/mĀ²
SDR Sustained 25% Window
174 cd/mĀ²
SDR Sustained 50% Window
173 cd/mĀ²
SDR Sustained 100% Window
173 cd/mĀ²
SDR ABL
0.000

The Lenovo D27-30 monitor has poor peak brightness in SDR. It's not bright enough to overcome glare in a bright room, but it's okay for moderately-lit environments. On the plus side, there's no difference in brightness between scenes. If you want something that gets much brighter, check out the LG 27MN60T-W.

We tested the peak brightness after calibration in the 'Standard (Custom)' Picture Mode with Brightness at its max. As these results are much lower than the 250 cd/mĀ² peak brightness advertised by Lenovo, we also checked the brightness in an uncalibrated mode, but there was very little difference.

0
Picture Quality
HDR Peak Brightness
HDR Real Scene
N/A
HDR Peak 2% Window
N/A
HDR Peak 10% Window
N/A
HDR Peak 25% Window
N/A
HDR Peak 50% Window
N/A
HDR Peak 100% Window
N/A
HDR Sustained 2% Window
N/A
HDR Sustained 10% Window
N/A
HDR Sustained 25% Window
N/A
HDR Sustained 50% Window
N/A
HDR Sustained 100% Window
N/A
HDR ABL
N/A

This monitor doesn't support HDR.

6.4
Picture Quality
Horizontal Viewing Angle
Color Washout From Left
33Ā°
Color Washout From Right
34Ā°
Color Shift From Left
69Ā°
Color Shift From Right
70Ā°
Brightness Loss From Left
32Ā°
Brightness Loss From Right
32Ā°
Black Level Raise From Left
24Ā°
Black Level Raise From Right
24Ā°
Gamma Shift From Left
19Ā°
Gamma Shift From Right
20Ā°

As expected for a VA panel, the Lenovo D27-30 monitor has a mediocre horizontal viewing angle. Colors remain accurate even at a wide angle, which is great, but gamma shifts and black levels rise at a moderate angle, causing the image to appear washed out. We don't expect this to be noticeable if you're sitting directly in front of this monitor, but it's not ideal if you have to share your screen with someone else.

6.0
Picture Quality
Vertical Viewing Angle
Color Washout From Below
29Ā°
Color Washout From Above
32Ā°
Color Shift From Below
70Ā°
Color Shift From Above
70Ā°
Brightness Loss From Below
28Ā°
Brightness Loss From Above
31Ā°
Black Level Raise From Below
13Ā°
Black Level Raise From Above
14Ā°
Gamma Shift From Below
14Ā°
Gamma Shift From Above
22Ā°

This monitor has a mediocre vertical viewing angle. The image washes out at a minor angle as gamma shifts, and the black levels rise very quickly as you move off-center.

8.6
Picture Quality
Gray Uniformity
50% Std. Dev.
3.809%
50% DSE
0.100%
5% Std. Dev.
0.452%
5% DSE
0.055%

The Lenovo D27-30 monitor has excellent gray uniformity. The sides of the screen are a bit darker than the center, but there's very little dirty screen effect. Near-dark scenes look fantastic, with no noticeable issues. Gray uniformity can vary between individual units, but it's rarely an issue with modern monitors.

9.1
Picture Quality
Black Uniformity
Native Std. Dev.
0.623%
Std. Dev. w/ L.D.
N/A

The Lenovo D27-30 monitor has superb black uniformity. The screen is a bit cloudy, but it's not noticeable with regular usage. There's almost no backlight bleed on our unit and no blooming around the test cross. Note that black uniformity can vary between individual units.

5.1
Picture Quality
Pre Calibration
Picture Mode
Standard (sRGB)
Luminance
187 cd/mĀ²
Luminance Settings
100
Contrast Setting
N/A
RGB Controls
Default
Gamma Setting
No Gamma Setting
Color Temperature
7,520 K
White Balance dE
5.47
Color dE
4.36
Gamma
2.08

Unfortunately, the Lenovo D27-30 we bought has poor accuracy out of the box, but this can vary between individual units. The white balance is terrible, as almost all shades of gray are noticeably off. Most colors are off as well, and the color temperature is very cool, giving everything a bluish tint. Gamma doesn't follow the sRGB target curve at all, and most scenes are too bright.

9.6
Picture Quality
Post Calibration
Picture Mode
Standard (custom)
Luminance
100 cd/mĀ²
Luminance Settings
40
Contrast Setting
70
RGB Controls
100-87-85
Gamma Setting
No Gamma Setting
Color Temperature
6,481 K
White Balance dE
0.56
Color dE
0.52
Gamma
2.19

After calibration, this monitor has fantastic accuracy. The white balance and color accuracy is significantly improved, and no noticeable inaccuracies remain. Gamma is extremely close to the target sRGB curve, and the color temperature is almost spot on our calibration target.

You can download our ICC profile calibration here. This is provided for reference only and shouldn't be used, as the calibration values vary per individual unit even for the same model due to manufacturing tolerances.

8.9
Picture Quality
SDR Color Gamut
sRGB xy
99.0%
Adobe RGB xy
77.7%
sRGB Picture Mode
Standard (custom)
Adobe RGB Picture Mode
Standard (custom)

The Lenovo D27-30 has an excellent SDR color gamut. It can display the entire sRGB color space used by the majority of current desktop apps, games, and web content. Sadly, it can't display colors much wider than the sRGB primaries in the Adobe RGB color space, disappointing for professional content creators.

9.1
Picture Quality
SDR Color Volume
sRGB In ICtCp
98.5%
Adobe RGB In ICtCp
83.3%
sRGB Picture Mode
Standard (custom)
Adobe RGB Picture Mode
Standard (custom)

The Lenovo D27-30 has fantastic SDR color volume. It can display most colors in the sRGB color space at a wide range of brightness levels. Despite the high contrast ratio, it can't display dark, saturated colors very well.

0
Picture Quality
HDR Color Gamut
Wide Color Gamut
N/A
DCI P3 xy
N/A
Rec. 2020 xy
N/A
DCI P3 Picture Mode
No HDR
Rec. 2020 Picture Mode
No HDR

This monitor can't display HDR color gamuts.

0
Picture Quality
HDR Color Volume
DCI-P3 In ICtCp
N/A
Rec. 2020 In ICtCp
N/A
DCI P3 Picture Mode
No HDR
Rec. 2020 Picture Mode
No HDR

This monitor can't display HDR color gamuts.

9.6
Picture Quality
Image Retention
IR After 0 Min Recovery
0.14%
IR After 2 Min Recovery
0.00%
IR After 4 Min Recovery
0.00%
IR After 6 Min Recovery
0.00%
IR After 8 Min Recovery
0.00%
IR After 10 Min Recovery
0.00%

There are some signs of temporary image retention on our unit, but it disappears almost immediately. This can vary between individual units, but it's rarely noticeable with regular content.

8.5
Picture Quality
Gradient
Color Depth
8 Bit

The Lenovo D27-30 monitor has excellent gradient handling. There's noticeable 8-bit banding in every color, especially in darker shades, but this is expected, as it can't accept or display a 10-bit signal.

10
Picture Quality
Color Bleed
Pixel Row Error
0.000%
Pixel Column Error
0.001%

There are no signs of color bleed on our unit. This can vary between individual units, but it's rarely noticeable with real content, even on displays that perform poorly on this test.

7.5
Picture Quality
Reflections
Screen Finish
Matte
Total Reflections
5.5%
Indirect Reflections
3.5%
Calculated Direct Reflections
2.0%

The Lenovo D27-30 monitor has good reflection handling. However, due to its relatively low brightness, glare is still an issue in bright rooms.

6.5
Picture Quality
Text Clarity
Pixel Type
VA
Sub-Pixel Layout
RGB

Sadly, the Lenovo D27-30 has just alright text clarity. Even after running the Windows ClearType wizard (top photo), there are some noticeable issues with text, especially along diagonal or curved lines.

Motion
7.8
Motion
Response Time @ Max Refresh Rate
Best Overdrive Setting
Off
Rise / Fall Time
7.6 ms
Total Response Time
15.6 ms
Overshoot Error
1.1%
Dark Rise / Fall Time
7.9 ms
Dark Total Response Time
19.6 ms
Dark Overshoot Error
1.7%

Over Drive SettingResponse Time ChartResponse Time TablesMotion Blur Photo
OffChartTablePhoto
NormalChartTablePhoto
ExtremeChartTablePhoto

The Lenovo D27-30 has a good response time at the max refresh rate of 75Hz. There's more noticeable blur in fast-moving objects than most high-end gaming monitors, but it's not too bad for casual gamers. Like most monitors, you can adjust the level of overdrive, but we recommend the 'Off' setting. The 'Normal' setting isn't bad, though, as it's quite a bit clearer, but there's more noticeable overshoot in some transitions. The 'Extreme' setting has way too much overshoot, so we don't recommend it.

6.6
Motion
Response Time @ 60Hz
Best Overdrive Setting
Off
Rise / Fall Time
7.5 ms
Total Response Time
21.8 ms
Overshoot Error
5%
Dark Rise / Fall Time
7.5 ms
Dark Total Response Time
25.1 ms
Dark Overshoot Error
12.1%

Over Drive SettingResponse Time ChartResponse Time TablesMotion Blur Photo
OffChartTablePhoto
NormalChartTablePhoto
ExtremeChartTablePhoto

The response time at 60Hz is just alright. The rise/fall time is about the same as the max refresh rate, but there's significantly more overshoot in most transitions, resulting in more inverse ghosting and a much slower total response time. Again, we recommend the 'Off' Over Drive setting, as there's way too much overshoot in any other mode.

10
Motion
Image Flicker
Flicker-Free Yes
PWM Dimming Frequency
0 Hz

The backlight is completely flicker-free at all brightness levels, which is great.

0
Motion
Black Frame Insertion (BFI)
Black Frame Insertion (BFI)
No BFI
BFI Maximum Frequency
N/A
BFI Minimum Frequency
N/A

Unfortunately, this monitor doesn't have an optional backlight strobing feature, commonly known as black frame insertion, to improve the appearance of motion.

7.7
Motion
Refresh Rate
Variable Refresh Rate
FreeSync
Native
75 Hz
Max Refresh Rate
75 Hz
Variable Refresh Rate
Yes
FreeSync
Yes
G-SYNC
No
VRR Maximum
75 Hz
VRR Minimum
48 Hz
VRR Supported Connectors HDMI

The Lenovo D27-30 monitor has a fairly low refresh rate, which might disappoint some gamers. G-SYNC is unsupported, as this monitor doesn't have any DisplayPort connections. FreeSync is only supported over HDMI.

Inputs
9.0
Inputs
Input Lag
Native Resolution
8.5 ms
Native Resolution @ 60Hz
10.4 ms
Variable Refresh Rate
7.7 ms
Variable Refresh Rate @ 60Hz
9.3 ms
10 Bit HDR
N/A
Black Frame Insertion (BFI)
N/A

The Lenovo D27-30 monitor has superb low input lag, ensuring a responsive gaming or desktop experience. Enabling the variable refresh rate feature reduces the input lag, which is great.

7.1
Inputs
Resolution And Size
Native Resolution 1920 x 1080
Aspect Ratio 16:9
Megapixels 2.1 MP
Pixel Density
82 PPI
Screen Diagonal 27.0"
Screen Area 310 inĀ²

This monitor has a decent amount of screen space to work with, but the pixel density is a bit low, so it doesn't look particularly sharp.

Inputs
Inputs
Inputs
Total Inputs
DisplayPort No
Mini DisplayPort No
HDMI 1 (HDMI 1.4)
DVI No
VGA 1
DisplayPort Out No
USB No
USB C No
Analog Audio Out 3.5mm 1
Microphone In 3.5mm No
Digital Optical Audio Out No
Analog Audio Out RCA No
Power Supply Internal

Oddly, this monitor only has a single HDMI input and a VGA connector, so it's best suited for older computers that lack more advanced output ports like DisplayPort or USB-C.

Features
Features
Additional Features
RGB Illumination
No
Speakers
No
HDR10 No
Multiple Input Display
No

This is a very basic monitor with no notable additional features. It's advertised to be compatible with Lenovo's ThinkCentre M Series Tiny PCs, allowing you to mount a thin client directly to the back of the monitor.

Features
On-Screen Display (OSD)
Features
Controls

The controls aren't as intuitive as five-way joysticks found on most higher-end monitors.

Features
In The Box

  • Power cable
  • HDMI cable
  • Allen key/screw driver
  • Documentation