The LG 27GN950-B is a great 4k gaming monitor. It has a high 160Hz refresh rate, but you can only achieve that refresh rate over a DisplayPort connection and you need a high-end graphics card to take full advantage of this monitor. It lacks HDMI 2.1 support and can only achieve 4k @ 60Hz over an HDMI connection. It delivers impressive gaming performance thanks to its incredible response time that results in extremely clear motion, and it also has an incredibly low input lag. It has FreeSync variable refresh rate (VRR) support and G-SYNC compatibility to reduce screen tearing. It's fairly well-built, but it doesn't offer much in terms of ergonomics as you can't swivel it. Its IPS panel provides wide viewing angles, but sadly, that comes at the cost of a low contrast ratio. It also has disappointing reflection handling, but it gets bright enough to combat glare in most well-lit rooms.
Our Verdict
The LG 27GN950-B is a great monitor for most uses. It's impressive for gaming because it has an incredible response time, FreeSync support, G-SYNC compatibility, and low input lag. Its 4k resolution makes it a great choice for office use or content creators, but it has disappointing ergonomics. It has decent HDR performance, but its low contrast and terrible local dimming feature make it less ideal for dark-room viewing.
- High 4k resolution.
- FreeSync support and G-SYNC compatibility.
- Incredible response time.
- Wide viewing angles.
- Disappointing reflection handling.
- Low contrast ratio.
The LG 27GN950-B is great for office use. The 4k resolution delivers clear and crisp text, and the large screen allows you to open multiple windows at once. It has wide viewing angles, making it easier to share your screen with others. Sadly, it has disappointing ergonomics and may be difficult to place in an ideal viewing position.
- High 4k resolution.
- Gets bright enough to combat glare.
- Wide viewing angles.
- Limited ergonomics.
- Disappointing reflection handling.
The LG 27GN950-B is impressive for gaming. It has a high 160Hz refresh rate and VRR support to reduce screen tearing. It has an incredible response time and low input lag whether you're gaming at its max refresh rate or 60Hz. Sadly, it's not a good choice for dark-room gaming due to its low contrast ratio and terrible black uniformity.
- Extremely low input lag.
- FreeSync support and G-SYNC compatibility.
- Incredible response time.
- Low contrast ratio.
The LG 27GN950-B is good for multimedia use. The 4k resolution allows you to watch the latest videos online with crisp detail. You can share your screen with others thanks to its wide viewing angles, but it has disappointing ergonomics. It gets bright enough to combat glare in well-lit rooms, but it has disappointing reflection handling.
- High 4k resolution.
- Wide viewing angles.
- Limited ergonomics.
- Disappointing reflection handling.
The LG 27GN950-B is great for content creators. You can easily see crisp details of your photos or videos with its 4k resolution, and the large screen allows you to open multiple windows at once. It also has excellent coverage of the Adobe RGB color space used in photo editing. Sadly, it has disappointing ergonomics and you can't swivel the screen to share it with a client or coworker.
- High 4k resolution.
- Gets bright enough to combat glare.
- Wide viewing angles.
- Limited ergonomics.
- Disappointing reflection handling.
The LG 27GN950-B is okay for HDR. It has a low contrast ratio that makes blacks look gray, and its local dimming feature does a terrible job of improving the picture quality in dark scenes. While it displays a wide range of colors in HDR and has decent HDR brightness, it isn't enough to make those colors look vivid.
- Displays wide range of colors.
- Low contrast ratio.
- Not bright enough to make colors look vivid.
- Terrible local dimming.
- Blooming around bright objects.
Changelog
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Updated Aug 11, 2025:
We changed the Screen Finish from 'Semi-Gloss' to 'Matte' to better reflect how its coating interacts with light.
- Updated Nov 10, 2022: Added text to the macOS and Response Time boxes as part of Test Bench 1.2, and updated the text for accuracy throughout.
- Updated Nov 10, 2022: Updated to Test Bench 1.2, resulting in changes to the results and scores with the Response Time and Input Lag. Added tests for Console Compatibility and macOS compatibility and made minor changes to other tests, which you can see in our Changelog.
- Updated Feb 09, 2022: The local dimming video was mistakenly filmed in HDR. It has been reshot in SDR.
Check Price
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We reviewed the 27 inch LG 27GN950-B, which is the only size available for this model. There are other models in LG's UltraGear lineup, some of which are listed below.
If someone comes across a different type of panel or if their 27GN950-B doesn't correspond to our review, let us know and we'll update the review. Note that some tests, such as the gray uniformity, may vary between individual units.
| Model | Size | Panel Type | Resolution | Refresh Rate | Native VRR | Notes |
| LG 27GL650F-B | 27" | IPS | 1080p | 144Hz | FreeSync, NVIDIA Certified | |
| LG 27GN750-B | 27" | IPS | 1080p | 240Hz | FreeSync, NVIDIA Certified | |
| LG 27GL850-B | 27" | IPS | 1440p | 144Hz | FreeSync, NVIDIA Certified | |
| LG 27GN850-B | 27" | IPS | 1440p | 144Hz | FreeSync, NVIDIA Certified | |
| LG 27GN950-B | 27" | IPS | 4k | 160Hz | FreeSync, NVIDIA Certified | |
| LG 32GK850F-B | 32" | VA | 1440p | 144Hz | FreeSync | |
| LG 32GK850G-B | 32" | VA | 1440p | 165Hz | G-SYNC | |
| LG 34GN850-B | 34" | IPS | 3440x1440 | 160Hz | FreeSync, NVIDIA Certified | |
| LG 34GK950F-B | 34" | IPS | 3440x1440 | 144Hz | FreeSync |
The unit we reviewed was manufactured in August 2020, and you can see the label here.
Popular Monitor Comparisons
The LG 27GN950-B is a great 4k gaming monitor with a high native refresh rate. It's one of the few 4k monitors we've tested that has such a high refresh rate, and it costs less than some of its competitors, such as the Acer Predator XB273K. However, you need a high-end graphics card to take full advantage of it, and it may be worth it to get a cheaper, 1440p monitor instead.
Also see our recommendations for the best gaming monitors, the best 4k monitors, and the best monitors for PS5/PS5 Pro.
The LG 27GN950-B is better than the LG 27GL850-B/27GL83A-B. The 27GN950-B has a higher 4k resolution, it gets brighter, has a bit quicker response time, and has better color accuracy. However, the 27GL850-B has much better reflection handling.
The LG 27GP950-B is slightly better than the LG 27GN950-B. The 27GP950-B has two HDMI 2.1 ports, so it's a better choice for PS5 or Xbox Series X gamers. The 27GP950-B is also a lot brighter in real scenes in HDR, and it has a much better HDR color gamut, with significantly better DCI P3 coverage.
The LG 27GN950-B is better overall than the LG 27GN750-B. The 27GN950-B is a 4k monitor with a slightly quicker response time, a wide color gamut for HDR content, and it gets brighter. On the other hand, the 27GN750-B is a 1080p monitor with a much higher 240Hz refresh rate, slightly lower input lag, and it has better reflection handling.
The Dell S2721DGF is slightly better than the LG 27GN950-B for gaming. The Dell has much better ergonomics, significantly better reflection handling, a lower input lag, and a slightly quicker response time at its max refresh rate. However, the LG has a higher 4k resolution, better out-of-the-box color accuracy, a quicker response time, and a lower input lag at 60Hz.
We buy and test more than 30 monitors each year, all of which we purchase ourselves, without cherry-picked units or samples. We put a lot into each unbiased, straight-to-the-point review, and there's a whole process from purchasing to publishing, involving multiple teams and people. We do more than just use the monitor for a week; we use specialized, custom tools to measure various aspects and deliver objective, data-driven results. We also consider multiple factors before making any recommendations, including the monitor's cost, its performance compared to the competition, and whether it's easy to find.
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