- Table of Contents
- Intro
- Our Verdict
- Test Results
- Differences
- Compared to others
- Discussions
The LG 27GL650F-B is a very good 1080p, 144Hz IPS monitor with great gaming performance. It has outstanding motion handling, with an excellent response time, flicker-free backlight, and a fast refresh rate. It delivers decent overall picture quality, with wide viewing angles, excellent gray uniformity, and great accuracy out of the box. Unfortunately, like most IPS monitors it doesn't look as good in a dark room, as it has a low contrast ratio and bad black uniformity. This monitor supports HDR, but this doesn't add much unfortunately, as it can't get very bright in HDR and can't display a wide color gamut.
Our Verdict
The LG 27GL650F-B is a good monitor for most uses. It's a great gaming monitor, with excellent motion handling and low input lag. It's a good office monitor as well, with great viewing angles, decent reflection handling, and passable ergonomics. Unfortunately, the low native resolution isn't ideal for multitasking, and it doesn't look as good in a dark room.
See our Mixed Usage recommendationsGood monitor for office use. It has wide viewing angles, acceptable ergonomics, great peak brightness, and decent reflection handling. The low native resolution might bother some people though, and it doesn't have a built-in USB hub.
See our Office recommendationsThe LG 27GL650F is a great monitor for gaming. It has an excellent response time, outstanding low input lag, and an excellent refresh rate. Unfortunately, the low native resolution isn't ideal for some games, and it doesn't look as good in a dark room, as it has a low contrast ratio and poor black uniformity.
See our Gaming recommendationsThis is a good monitor for multimedia. It has excellent low input lag, wide viewing angles, and excellent gray uniformity. Unfortunately, it isn't great for watching movies in a dark room though, and the low resolution isn't ideal for some uses.
See our Multimedia recommendationsThis is a good monitor for media creation. It has great viewing angles, a fast response time, acceptable ergonomics, and excellent low input lag. It has an excellent SDR color gamut, but the Adobe RGB coverage might be too low for professional photo editing.
See our Media Creation recommendationsThis is a decent monitor for HDR gaming, mainly due to its great gaming performance. It has outstanding low input lag and an excellent response time, and it supports FreeSync, for a nearly tear-free gaming experience. Unfortunately, HDR doesn't add much, as it can't display a wide color gamut, and can't get very bright in HDR.
See our HDR Gaming recommendations- 7.7 Mixed Usage
- 7.7 Office
- 8.1 Gaming
- 7.5 Multimedia
- 7.6 Media Creation
- 6.8 HDR Gaming
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Excellent response time
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Great peak brightness
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Great accuracy out of the box
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Low contrast ratio and bad black uniformity
- Update 2/17/2020: Converted to Test Bench 1.1.
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Test Results
The stand is nearly identical to the other UltraGear monitors. It supports the monitor well, but doesn't completely stop it from wobbling.
The stand has the same ergonomics as the higher-end 27GL850-B. It can rotate to a portrait orientation, but only on one side.
The borders are thin on three sides, but a little thicker on the bottom.
The 27GL650F-B has decent overall build quality, nearly identical to the other UltraGear monitors we've tested. It's mostly plastic, but there are no obvious issues.
Like all IPS monitors, the LG 27GL650F-B has a mediocre contrast ratio. This results in grayish blacks, which is especially noticeable in dark scenes in a dark room. The 27GL60F-B we tested has better contrast than the 27GL850-B, but this varies between individual units.
This monitor doesn't have a local dimming feature. The above video is provided for reference only.
The LG 27GL650F-B has great peak brightness, more than bright enough for any viewing conditions.
Decent HDR peak brightness with the 'Vivid' Picture Mode, but small highlights don't stand out as much as they should.
Like most IPS monitors, the image remains accurate when viewed from the side. This is great for co-op gaming or sharing your screen with a nearby colleague.
Like most IPS monitors, the image remains accurate when viewed from above or below. This is great if you plan on mounting the monitor above eye-level.
Excellent gray uniformity on the 27GL650F-B, nearly identical to the 27GL850-B. The sides of the screen are slightly darker, but this shouldn't be noticeable with regular content.
The LG 27GL650F-B we tested has bad black uniformity. There is some noticeable backlight bleed from the corners, and there is significant clouding.
Out of the box, the LG 27GL650F-B has great accuracy. Most people won't notice any inaccuracies in colors or shades of gray. Gamma doesn't follow the sRGB target curve though, so some scenes to appear too bright, and some to appear far too dark.
After calibration, this monitor has outstanding accuracy. Gamma follows the target curve almost perfectly, and any remaining inaccuracies aren't noticeable.
You can download our ICC profile calibration here. This is provided for reference only and should not be used, as the calibration values vary per individual unit even for the same model due to manufacturing tolerances.
s.RGB Picture Mode: Gamer 1 (calibrated)Adobe RGB Picture Mode: Gamer 1
The LG 27GL650F-B has an excellent SDR color gamut. It has good coverage of the wider Adobe RGB color space, but it might not be enough for professional photo editing.
s.RGB Picture Mode: Gamer 1 Adobe RGB Picture Mode: Gamer 1
Excellent SDR color volume. It can't display dark saturated colors very well, and blues aren't as bright as other colors, but this is pretty common for LED displays.
DCI P3 Picture Mode: Gamer 1 Rec. 2020 Picture Mode: Gamer 1
Decent HDR color gamut, a bit worse than the 27GL850-B though. It can't display a wide color gamut, which is disappointing.
DCI P3 Picture Mode: Gamer 1 Rec. 2020 Picture Mode: Gamer 1
Mediocre HDR color volume. It's limited by the color gamut, and it can't display bright blues or dark colors very well.
There are no signs of temporary image retention.
Excellent gradient handling. Some banding is noticeable, especially in darker shades, but this shouldn't be very noticeable with most content.
There is some noticeable color bleed, but this shouldn't cause any issues with most content.
| Mode | Response Time Chart | Motion Blur Photo |
| Off | Chart | Photo |
| Normal | Chart | Photo |
| Fast | Chart | Photo |
| Faster | Chart | Photo |
The LG 27GL650F-B has an excellent response time, but it is significantly slower than the 27GL850-B on some transitions. This results in a bit more noticeable blur behind fast-moving objects.
Normally, we would recommend the 'Fast' overdrive setting, as there is some noticeable overshoot/undershoot with the 'Faster' setting. In this case though, the difference in response times between the two settings is so significant that we recommend the 'Faster' setting, despite the downsides to this mode.
Like the rest of LG's UltraGear lineup, the backlight is completely flicker-free, which is great. Unlike the 27GL850-B though, there's an optional black frame insertion feature. This feature is only available at 120 or 144Hz, and it causes a noticeable reduction in peak brightness, but there is slightly less blur behind fast-moving objects. This feature can be activated by enabling the 1ms Motion Blur Reduction setting from the 'Gaming' tab on the monitor's on-screen display. Note that this feature isn't available if FreeSync is enabled.
Update 02/27/2020: We've clarified the text below, as G-SYNC Compatible mode only works over DisplayPort.
The LG 27GL650F-B has an excellent refresh rate, and it supports AMD's FreeSync variable refresh rate technology. It's also certified by NVIDIA as G-SYNC compatible, so it'll work with NVIDIA's adaptive sync drivers, as long as you have a recent NVIDIA graphics card, but only over DisplayPort. This monitor received certification while we were testing it, so you might have to update your drivers for it to work. Certification for this monitor was added with NVIDIA Game Ready Driver version 436.30.
The LG 27GL650F-B has outstanding low input lag. It's a bit higher than the 27GL850-B, but it's not a noticeable difference.
The relatively low native resolution of this monitor might bother some people. If you want a sharper, more detailed image, the LG 27GL850-B is a better choice.
The LG 27GL650F-B has very few additional features. It can add virtual crosshairs to any game, and there is a 'Black Stabilizer' feature that adjusts the gamma in dark scenes to make it easier to spot things in the shadows.
Differences Between Sizes and Variants
We tested the 27" 27GL650F-B, which is the only size available. There are other models in LG's UltraGear lineup, some of which are listed in the table below.
If someone comes across a different type of panel or if their 27GL650 doesn't correspond to our review, let us know and we will update the review. Note that some tests such as the gray uniformity may vary between individual units.
| Model | Size | Resolution | Refresh Rate | Notes |
| 32GK650F-B | 32" | 1440p | 144Hz | FreeSync |
| 32GK650G-B | 32" | 1440p | 144Hz | G-SYNC |
| 27GK750F-B | 27" | 1080p | 240Hz | FreeSync |
| 27GL650F | 27" | 1080p | 144Hz | FreeSync, NVIDIA certified |
| 27GL850-B | 27" | 1440p | 144Hz | FreeSync, NVIDIA certified |
| 32GK850F-B | 32" | 1440p | 144Hz | FreeSync |
| 32GK850G-B | 32" | 1440p | 144Hz | G-SYNC |
| 34GK950F-B | 34" | 3440x1440 | 144Hz | FreeSync |
| 34GK950G-B | 34" | 3440x1440 | 120Hz | G-SYNC |
The 27GL650F-B we reviewed was manufactured in June 2019.
Compared to other monitors
The LG 27GL650F is a great budget gaming monitor. See also our reviews for the best gaming monitors, the best gaming monitors under $200, and the best gaming monitor sizes.
The ASUS VG279Q is slightly better than the LG 27GL650F-B. The ASUS has much better ergonomics, with a 180° swivel range and a wider tilt range, so it's easier to place it in an ideal viewing position. Unlike the 27GL650F-B, the ASUS VG279Q doesn't support HDR, but this doesn't add much to the LG anyway.
The LG 27GL850-B is slightly better than the 27GL650F-B. The 27GL850-B has a faster response time, resulting in clearer motion with less blur. The 27GL850 also has a better native resolution, so you can see more fine details in your favorite games, and it has an optional USB hub.
The LG 27GL650F-B is a bit better than the Acer Nitro VG271. Although they deliver similar performance overall, the LG has much better ergonomics, and it's officially certfied by NVIDIA as G-SYNC compatible, so FreeSync works automatically when connected to a recent NVIDIA graphics card.
The LG 27GL650F-B is much better than the Dell S2719DGF for most uses, but the Dell is a bit better for gaming. The LG supports HDR, has better viewing angles, and an optional black frame insertion feature. The Dell has better ergonomics and a faster response time, and a higher native resolution.
The LG 27GL650F-B is much better than the ASUS TUF VG27VQ. Although both have 27 inch 1080p screens, the LG has much better viewing angles for when you need to share your screen, it can get brighter, and it supports HDR content. However, gamers might prefer the higher refresh rate on the ASUS, and it has a better contrast ratio too, but the response time is much better on the LG, resulting in clearer motion handling.
The LG 27GL650F-B is much better than the MSI Optix G27C4. Although the 27GL650F-B doesn't have as high a refresh rate as the G27C4, its IPS panel has much better viewing angles, significantly better peak brightness, and better color accuracy. The 27GL650F-B also supports HDR and has better ergonomics, but its contrast ratio is much worse than the G27C4, and it has a slightly higher input lag.
The LG 27GL650F-B is a bit better than the Acer VG271UP. The LG has better ergonomics, and the unit we tested has better black uniformity. The Acer VG271UP has a higher native resolution though, so you can see more details in your favorite games.
The Pixio PX7 Prime is slightly better than the LG 27GL650F-B. The Pixio has a faster refresh rate and a higher resolution display, as well as slightly better ergonomics. The LG has an optional black frame insertion feature, resulting in slightly clearer motion if you don't mind flicker.
