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LG 32GK650F-B Monitor Review

Tested using Methodology v1.1
Review updated Apr 28, 2020 at 08:26 am
LG 32GK650F-B Picture
7.3
Mixed Usage
7.3
Office
8.1
Gaming
7.1
Multimedia
7.1
Media Creation
5.8
HDR Gaming

The LG 32GK650F-B is a great gaming monitor and delivers decent all-around performance. It has good dark room performance, as the VA panel produces deep, uniform blacks. It has an incredibly low input lag, good peak brightness, excellent gray uniformity, and decent reflection handling. This monitor also supports FreeSync variable refresh rate (VRR), even with a recent NVIDIA card, which helps reduce screen tearing. Unfortunately, it has disappointing viewing angles and although the response time is great, it's still slower than most 144Hz monitors, so motion might appear blurry, but there's a black frame insertion to help reduce motion blur.

Our Verdict

7.3 Mixed Usage

The LG 32GK650F-B is a decent display for most uses, but it's best suited for gaming. As is the case with most VA panel monitors, it looks great in a dark room and produces deep, uniform blacks, but the image degrades when viewed at an angle. It has a low input lag and a great response time, but some transitions are slow, so motion is still a bit blurry.

Pros
  • Deep, uniform blacks.
  • Excellent low input lag.
Cons
  • Disappointing viewing angles.
  • Motion blurry for a 144Hz monitor.
7.3 Office

The LG 32GK650F-B is a decent office monitor. The 32 inch 1440p screen delivers an excellent amount of screen real estate, and the stand has decent ergonomics, but with a limited swivel and tilt range. Unfortunately, this monitor has bad viewing angles, so it isn't great for sharing your screen with other people.

8.1 Gaming

The LG 32GK650F-B is a great monitor for gaming. It supports FreeSync VRR technology and has an incredibly low input lag, and the 1440p, 32 inch screen makes it easier to see more details in your favorite games. Overall, it has a fast response time, but some transitions are a bit slower and dark scenes especially have more noticeable blur. Luckily, there's a black frame insertion feature to improve the appearance of motion.

7.1 Multimedia

Decent monitor for multimedia. The large, high-resolution screen is great for watching movies. The VA panel delivers deep, uniform blacks, great for watching movies in the dark. In a brighter room, the LG 32GK650F-B has decent reflection handling and good peak brightness, but it might struggle in really bright rooms. Unfortunately, like most VA monitors, the image degrades at an angle, which isn't great for sharing the latest trends with your friends.

7.1 Media Creation

The LG 32GK650F-B is a decent monitor for media creation. The large, high-resolution screen is excellent, as you can see more of your work at once. It has decent ergonomics, but a limited swivel range. This monitor has a great SDR color gamut, but limited coverage of the wider Adobe RGB color space, so it isn't great for professional photo editing.

5.8 HDR Gaming
  • 7.3 Mixed Usage
  • 7.3 Office
  • 8.1 Gaming
  • 7.1 Multimedia
  • 7.1 Media Creation
  • 5.8 HDR Gaming
  1. Updated Feb 28, 2020: Converted to Test Bench 1.1.
  2. Updated Jul 19, 2019: Review published.
  3. Updated Jul 17, 2019: Our testers have started testing this product.
  4. Updated Jul 17, 2019: Early access published.
  5. Updated Jul 15, 2019: The product has arrived in our lab, and our testers will start evaluating it soon.
  6. Updated Jul 09, 2019: We've purchased the product and are waiting for it to arrive in our lab.

Differences Between Sizes And Variants

We tested the 32 inch 32GK650F-B, which is the only size available. It's also available with G-SYNC support instead of FreeSync; that model is known as the 32GK650G-B. There are other models in LG's UltraGear lineup, some of which are listed down below.

If someone comes across a different type of panel or if their UltraGear 32GK650F-B 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
32GK850F-B 32" 1440p 144Hz FreeSync
32GK850G-B 32" 1440p 144Hz G-SYNC
34GK950F-B 34" 3440x1440 144Hz FreeSync, HDR
34GK950G-B 34" 3440x1440 120Hz G-SYNC

The 32GK650F-B we reviewed was manufactured in March 2019.

Compared To Other Monitors

Comparison picture

Left: LG 32GK850G. Middle: LG 32GK650F. Right: Dell S3219D.

The LG 32GK650-B is a great budget gaming monitor but has a few flaws, such as relatively slow response time, so there are better monitors for the same price. See our recommendations for the best monitors, the best budget monitors, and the best monitors for coding.

LG 32GN650-B/32GN63T-B

The LG 32GN650-B/32GN63T-B and the LG 32GK650F-B are similar monitors, but the 32GN650-B has some extra features that make it a better choice. The biggest difference is its 165Hz refresh rate, compared to the 144Hz of the 32GK650F-B. The 32GN650-B has a faster response time and a lower input lag, offering slightly better gaming performance. The only downside is that the 32GN650-B doesn't swivel at all, resulting in a little worse ergonomics. All in all, though, the 32GN650-B is a solid step up at a similar price.

LG 32GK850G-B

The LG 32GK850G-B and the LG 32GK650F-B deliver very similar performance overall, but the 32GK650F supports FreeSync, whereas the 32GK850G-B supports G-SYNC. The 32GK850G-B has a much faster response time, but no black frame insertion feature. The 32GK850G-B has an RGB bias lighting feature on the back.

LG 27GL850-B/27GL83A-B

Although the LG 32GK650F-B and the LG 27GL850-B/27GL83A-B look almost identical, the 27GL850-B performs better overall. The 27GL850-B has an IPS panel with much better viewing angles, better reflection handling, and faster response time. It also supports HDR and has better gradient handling, but the 32GK650F-B has a higher contrast ratio due to its VA panel, and a black frame insertion feature. Text doesn't look as clear on the 32GK650F-B, as its bigger screen results in a lower pixel density.

ASUS TUF VG32VQ

The ASUS TUF VG32VQ is a bit better than the LG 32GK650F-B. The VG32VQ supports HDR and has much better gradient handling, with significantly less banding in areas of similar color. The LG, on the other hand, has better black uniformity, so it's a slightly better choice for users in a dark room.

BenQ EW3270U

The BenQ EW3270U is a bit better for mixed usage, but the LG 32GK650F-B is much better for gaming. The EW3270U supports HDR, although this doesn't add much, and it has much better gradient handling. The EW3270U also has a higher resolution screen. For gaming, though, the LG 32GK650F-B is much better. The LG has a much faster refresh rate, lower input lag, and an optional black frame insertion feature.

Dell S3219D

The LG 32GK650F-B is better than the Dell S3219D. The LG has better ergonomics but slightly worse viewing angles. The LG is also much better for gaming, with lower input lag, an optional black frame insertion feature, and a much faster refresh rate. On the other hand, the Dell S3219D is much better at displaying gradients.

Samsung CHG70

The Samsung CHG70 is much better than the LG 32GK650F-B for most uses and is a bit better for gaming. The CHG70 supports HDR, has much better gradient handling, and has better reflection handling. The CHG70 also has a faster response time, with less noticeable blur behind fast-moving objects.

LG 34GK950F-B

The LG 34GK950F-B and the LG 32GK650F-B use different panel technologies, each with their own advantages and disadvantages. The 34" model uses an IPS panel, with much wider viewing angles, and it has a wide format aspect ratio, which some people prefer. The 32" model has a VA panel, which looks better in a dark room.

Dell S3220DGF

The Dell S3220DGF is better than the LG 32GK650F-B. The Dell has a much better build quality, significantly better reflection handling and much better gradient performance. Also, the Dell has better gray uniformity and supports HDR, but the LG has better ergonomics, much better color accuracy, and has an optional black frame insertion feature to reduce the appearance of motion blur.

AOC CQ32G1

The LG 32GK650F-B is a bit better overall than the AOC CQ32G1. The LG has a much quicker response time, it has better ergonomics, and the uniformity is better too. However, the AOC has much better out-of-the-box color accuracy, it displays a wide color gamut, it gets brighter, and it also wider viewing angles.

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Test Results

perceptual testing image
Design
Design
Style
Size 32"
Curved No
Curve Radius Not Curved
Weight (without stand)
14.1 lbs (6.4 kg)
Weight (with stand)
17.9 lbs (8.1 kg)

The 32GK650F-B has a design similar to other LG monitors. It's mainly black with some red on the stand and the back. It looks like the 32GK850G, but the red circle on the back isn't illuminated.

Design
Stand
Width
18.9" (48.0 cm)
Depth
10.6" (26.9 cm)

The stand is thin, but has a large footprint. It supports the monitor well, but still wobbles a bit.

6.6
Design
Ergonomics
Height Adjustment
4.3" (10.9 cm)
Switch Portrait/Landscape Yes, Clockwise
Swivel Range -15Ā° to 15Ā°
Tilt Range -15Ā° to 5Ā°

The stand has decent ergonomics. It has an okay height adjustment and limiting swivel and tilt range. It can also rotate to portrait orientation, but only clockwise.

Design
Back
Wall Mount VESA 100x100

The red circle isn't illuminated like the 32GK850G. There's a clip on the back of the stand that can be used for cable management, and there's also a quick release to remove the stand in a pinch.

Design
Borders
Borders
0.4" (1.0 cm)

The borders around the 32GK650F-B are thin on three sides and aren't very distracting when gaming.

Design
Thickness
Thickness (with stand)
7.8" (19.8 cm)
Thickness (without stand)
2.2" (5.6 cm)

The display of the LG 32GK650F-B is very thin and looks great VESA-mounted. The stand itself is quite a bit thicker and sticks out behind the monitor.

7.0
Design
Build Quality

This monitor has a decent build quality. Like the 32GK850G, it's almost entirely made of plastic, and the stand is a bit wobbly, but there are no obvious areas of concern.

Picture Quality
7.9
Picture Quality
Contrast
Native Contrast
3,050 : 1
Contrast With Local Dimming
N/A

Like most VA monitors, the 32GK650F-B has a very good contrast ratio, so blacks look black in a dark room. It has a slightly better contrast than the 32GK850G.

0
Picture Quality
Local Dimming
Local Dimming
No
Backlight
Edge

The LG 32GK650F-B doesn't support local dimming. The above video is for reference only.

7.6
Picture Quality
SDR Peak Brightness
SDR Real Scene
312 cd/mĀ²
SDR Peak 2% Window
324 cd/mĀ²
SDR Peak 10% Window
324 cd/mĀ²
SDR Peak 25% Window
324 cd/mĀ²
SDR Peak 50% Window
324 cd/mĀ²
SDR Peak 100% Window
324 cd/mĀ²
SDR Sustained 2% Window
293 cd/mĀ²
SDR Sustained 10% Window
323 cd/mĀ²
SDR Sustained 25% Window
302 cd/mĀ²
SDR Sustained 50% Window
317 cd/mĀ²
SDR Sustained 100% Window
296 cd/mĀ²
SDR ABL
0.000

Good peak brightness with SDR content, although brightness varies with different content. There shouldn't be any issues using the 32GK650F-B in a decently-lit room.

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.

5.8
Picture Quality
Horizontal Viewing Angle
Color Washout From Left
25Ā°
Color Washout From Right
27Ā°
Color Shift From Left
63Ā°
Color Shift From Right
68Ā°
Brightness Loss From Left
27Ā°
Brightness Loss From Right
28Ā°
Black Level Raise From Left
18Ā°
Black Level Raise From Right
19Ā°
Gamma Shift From Left
14Ā°
Gamma Shift From Right
14Ā°

Disappointing horizontal viewing angles, which is expected from a VA panel. Since it has such a big screen, the edges of the screen might appear darker if you sit close to the monitor. It's also not ideal to share your screen with someone else.

5.3
Picture Quality
Vertical Viewing Angle
Color Washout From Below
26Ā°
Color Washout From Above
27Ā°
Color Shift From Below
39Ā°
Color Shift From Above
43Ā°
Brightness Loss From Below
27Ā°
Brightness Loss From Above
28Ā°
Black Level Raise From Below
12Ā°
Black Level Raise From Above
13Ā°
Gamma Shift From Below
13Ā°
Gamma Shift From Above
14Ā°

The 32GK650F-B has disappointing vertical viewing angles. You lose image accuracy if you mount it below or above eye level.

8.6
Picture Quality
Gray Uniformity
50% Std. Dev.
3.406%
50% DSE
0.096%
5% Std. Dev.
0.964%
5% DSE
0.050%

Excellent gray uniformity. The left and right edges of the screen are a bit darker and there's only minor dirty screen effect in the center, which is great for viewing large areas of uniform color, such as browsing the web. There are no uniformity issues in near-dark scenes.

6.9
Picture Quality
Black Uniformity
Native Std. Dev.
1.381%
Std. Dev. w/ L.D.
N/A

Like the 32GK850G, this monitor has decent black uniformity. There's some clouding throughout, which is visible when watching dark scenes in a dark room.

7.6
Picture Quality
Pre Calibration
Picture Mode
Gamer 1
Luminance
344 cd/mĀ²
Luminance Settings
100
Contrast Setting
70
RGB Controls
Custom (50-50-50)
Gamma Setting
Mode 2
Color Temperature
6,280 K
White Balance dE
2.98
Color dE
2.88
Gamma
2.20

Good out-of-box color accuracy, much better than the 32GK850G. Most colors are only slightly inaccurate and the color temperature is a bit warmer than the target, so some colors have a reddish tint to them. Overall, the gamma follows the target well, but dark scenes are darker than they should be and bright scenes are brighter.

9.3
Picture Quality
Post Calibration
Picture Mode
Gamer 1
Luminance
99 cd/mĀ²
Luminance Settings
15
Contrast Setting
69
RGB Controls
46-51-49
Gamma Setting
Mode 2
Color Temperature
6,447 K
White Balance dE
0.83
Color dE
1.29
Gamma
2.18

After calibration, the 32GK650F-B has excellent accuracy. There are no noticeable issues and the color temperature is very close to the 6500K target. However, really bright scenes are a bit over-brightened.

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.

8.4
Picture Quality
SDR Color Gamut
sRGB xy
93.5%
Adobe RGB xy
74.9%
sRGB Picture Mode
Gamer 1
Adobe RGB Picture Mode
Gamer 1

Impressive SDR color gamut. It has excellent coverage of the sRGB color space used in most content and okay coverage of the Adobe RGB color space used in photo editing.

8.8
Picture Quality
SDR Color Volume
sRGB In ICtCp
95.1%
Adobe RGB In ICtCp
80.7%
sRGB Picture Mode
Gamer 1
Adobe RGB Picture Mode
Gamer 1

Excellent color volume. The 32GK650F-B can display deep, saturated colors due to its good contrast ratio, but can't display bright blues, which is normal for an LED monitor.

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 doesn't support HDR.

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 doesn't support HDR.

9.9
Picture Quality
Image Retention
IR After 0 Min Recovery
0.04%
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 immediately after displaying our high-contrast static test image for 10 minutes. The retained image dissipates quickly, though, and we don't expect this to cause any issues for most people.

7.4
Picture Quality
Gradient
Color Depth
8 Bit

Unfortunately, the 32GK650F-B has worse gradient handling than most monitors. There's noticeable banding in areas of similar color.

8.4
Picture Quality
Color Bleed
Pixel Row Error
0.001%
Pixel Column Error
0.335%

There are some signs of very minor vertical color bleed, but this isn't noticeable with regular content and shouldn't cause any issues.

7.1
Picture Quality
Reflections
Screen Finish
Matte
Total Reflections
5.8%
Indirect Reflections
3.0%
Calculated Direct Reflections
2.8%

The 32GK850F-B has decent reflection handling overall, but struggles more in really bright rooms.

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

The text clarity is decent. It can be improved by using ClearType (top photo), which makes the diagonal or curved lines on the letters R, N, G, and S clearer.

Motion
8.0
Motion
Response Time @ Max Refresh Rate
Best Overdrive Setting
Faster
Rise / Fall Time
5.2 ms
Total Response Time
13.6 ms
Overshoot Error
8.7%
Dark Rise / Fall Time
9.9 ms
Dark Total Response Time
19.9 ms
Dark Overshoot Error
0.0%

Overdrive Setting Response Time Chart Response Time Tables Motion Blur Photo
Off Chart Table Photo
Normal Chart Table Photo
Fast Chart Table Photo
Faster Chart Table Photo

Great response time at its max refresh rate, but not as good as some other 144Hz monitors. The best Overdrive setting is 'Faster' as motion looks the most clear. There's overshoot in some transitions, and if that bothers you, the 'Fast' setting has a lot less overshoot, but motion is a bit more blurry. The LG 27GL850-B/27GL83A-B is a 144Hz monitor with much better response time.

7.3
Motion
Response Time @ 60Hz
Best Overdrive Setting
Normal
Rise / Fall Time
7.2 ms
Total Response Time
18.2 ms
Overshoot Error
3.8%
Dark Rise / Fall Time
10.1 ms
Dark Total Response Time
20.1 ms
Dark Overshoot Error
1.4%

Overdrive Setting Response Time Chart Response Time Tables Motion Blur Photo
Off Chart Table Photo
Normal Chart Table Photo
Fast Chart Table Photo
Faster Chart Table Photo

Acceptable response time at 60Hz. Unlike at its max refresh rate, the recommended Overdrive setting is 'Normal', so you might need to change your setting while gaming. There's still a bit of motion blur, but there's significantly less overshoot than on the 'Fast' and 'Faster' settings.

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

The 32GK650F-B is flicker-free.

6.0
Motion
Black Frame Insertion (BFI)
Black Frame Insertion (BFI)
Yes
BFI Maximum Frequency
144 Hz
BFI Minimum Frequency
120 Hz

There's an optional black frame insertion feature to help improve the appearance of motion. As seen in the photo above, it dims the screen, which is normal and could cause some duplication.

9.0
Motion
Refresh Rate
Variable Refresh Rate
FreeSync
Native
144 Hz
Max Refresh Rate
144 Hz
Variable Refresh Rate
Yes
FreeSync
Yes
G-SYNC
Compatible (Tested)
VRR Maximum
144 Hz
VRR Minimum
< 20 Hz
VRR Supported Connectors DisplayPort, HDMI

This monitor has an excellent 144Hz refresh rate, but unlike the 32GK850G, it can't be overclocked. It supports AMD's FreeSync VRR technology, even when connected to a recent NVIDIA graphics card. Unfortunately, the 32GK850F-B has a limited range over HDMI as FreeSync only works up to 100Hz.

There are two VRR modes: 'Basic' and 'Extended'. The 'Basic' mode has a limited range, and only works between 120 and 144Hz.

There's a G-SYNC variant of this model, known as the 32GK650G-B. We don't know if it performs the same.

Inputs
9.4
Inputs
Input Lag
Native Resolution
4.9 ms
Native Resolution @ 60Hz
9.7 ms
Variable Refresh Rate
4.3 ms
Variable Refresh Rate @ 60Hz
11.0 ms
10 Bit HDR
N/A
Black Frame Insertion (BFI)
7.7 ms

The 32GK650F-B has an incredibly low input lag and it's even lower with VRR enabled, which is rare for a monitor. The input lag at 60Hz is also low, which could please console gamers.

8.3
Inputs
Resolution And Size
Native Resolution 2560 x 1440
Aspect Ratio 16:9
Megapixels 3.7 MP
Pixel Density
93 PPI
Screen Diagonal 31.6"
Screen Area 428 inĀ²

The 32 inch, 1440p screen is great for multitasking, as it provides a great deal of screen real estate to work with.

Inputs
Inputs
Inputs
Total Inputs
DisplayPort 1 (DP 1.2)
Mini DisplayPort No
HDMI 2 (HDMI 2.0)
DVI No
VGA No
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 External Brick

The analog audio out port has adjustable volume through the monitor's menu.

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

The 32GK650F-B has very few additional features. Like many gaming monitors, it has an option to add virtual crosshairs to any game. There's also a 'Black Stabilizer' feature, which increases the gamma in dark scenes to make it easier to spot other players hiding in the shadows.

Features
On-Screen Display (OSD)
Features
Controls

Like other LG monitors, there's a joystick underneath the monitor to control the on-screen display.

Features
In The Box

  • User Guide
  • Power cable
  • DisplayPort cable