- Table of Contents
- Intro
- Design
- Picture Quality
- Motion
- Inputs
- Features
- Sizes and Variants
- Compared
- Conclusion
- Discussions
| Design | 7.5 |
| Picture Quality | 6.3 |
| Motion | 9.0 |
| Inputs | 9.1 |
- Deep, uniform blacks.
- Excellent low input lag.
- Bad viewing angles.
- Some transitions have a slow response time.
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Design
The LG 32GK650F-B has a good design, and looks very similar to the LG 32GK850G-B. It has decent ergonomics and the stand supports the monitor well, but there is a bit of wobble. Although the monitor is almost entirely made from plastic, there are no obvious points of concern. The display looks good, with thin bezels on 3 sides, but unlike the 32GK850G-B, there is no RGB bias lighting feature.
The stand is thin, but has a large footprint. It supports the monitor well, but doesn't completely eliminate wobble.
Update 08/09/2019: There was a mistake in our swivel range scoring. The ergonomics score has increased slightly.
The stand has decent ergonomics. It has an okay height adjustment and decent tilt range, but a very narrow swivel range. It can also rotate to a portrait orientation, which is great for a multi-monitor setup.
There is a clip on the back of the stand that can be used for cable management, and there is also a quick release to remove the stand in a pinch.
The borders around the monitor are thin on three sides, and aren't very distracting when gaming.
The display portion of the LG 32GK650F-B is very thin, and looks great VESA mounted. The stand itself is quite a bit thicker, though, and sticks out behind the monitor.
This monitor has 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
The LG 32GK650F delivers passable picture quality. The VA panel delivers deep, uniform blacks, so it looks great in a dark room. In brighter rooms, it gets bright enough to overcome most glare, but has only decent reflection handling. Like most VA monitors, though, the image degrades rapidly when viewed at an angle, which may also be an issue if you're too close to the monitor. It also isn't very good at displaying gradients, so there may be more noticeable banding in some content.
The LG 32GK650F-B doesn't support local dimming. The above video is for reference only.
Good peak brightness with SDR content, and there shouldn't be any issues using the monitor in a decently-lit room.
This monitor doesn't support HDR.
Like most VA monitors, the 32GK650F-B has bad viewing angles. Even slightly off-center, the image washes out, brightness fades, and colors lose accuracy rapidly.
Again, when looking at the display from above or below, the viewing angles are bad. Even slightly off-center, the image quickly washes out, the brightness decreases, and colors lose accuracy.
Excellent gray uniformity. Some vignetting is visible, but this shouldn't be very noticeable. In the center of the screen, there is very little dirty screen effect (DSE), which is great.
In near-dark scenes, the uniformity is significantly better and there are no noticeable issues.
Like the 32GK850G-B, this monitor has decent black uniformity. Some clouding is visible throughout the screen, but there is very little backlight bleed.
Out of the box, this monitor has good accuracy. Gamma is relatively flat, close to 2.2, but it doesn't follow the sRGB target curve. There are some noticeable color errors, but the average dE is low, and most people won't notice any issues.
After calibration, the 32GK650F has excellent accuracy. There are no noticeable issues with the white balance, and colors are much more accurate overall, but we were unable to correct the errors with 100% blue. Gamma follows the sRGB curve almost perfectly, and the color temperature is very close to the 6500K target.
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.
sRGB Picture Mode: Gamer 1 (calibrated)Adobe RGB Picture Mode: Gamer 1
The LG 32GK650F-B has a great SDR color gamut. It can display almost all of the sRGB color space, but has limited coverage of the wider Adobe RGB color space, which isn't ideal for professional photo editing.
sRGB Picture Mode: Gamer 1 Adobe RGB Picture Mode: Gamer 1
Excellent color volume. It's limited mainly by the color gamut of the display, but it also can't display dark colors very well.
The 32GK650F-B doesn't support HDR.
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.
Unfortunately, this monitor has some of the worst gradient handling we've seen so far, much worse than the 32GK850G-B. There is noticeable banding in areas of similar color.
There are some signs of very minor vertical color bleed, but this isn't noticeable with regular content and shouldn't cause any issues.
This monitor has decent reflection handling overall. Subjectively, it looks very similar to the 32GK850G, but slightly worse.
Motion
The LG 32GK650F has excellent motion handling. It has a great response time, but some transitions are extremely slow, which isn't great. There is an optional black frame insertion feature, which can help improve the appearance of motion. This monitor has an excellent 144Hz refresh rate, and it supports FreeSync even when connected to a recent NVIDIA graphics card.
| Mode | Response Time Chart | Motion Blur Photo |
| Off | Chart | Photo |
| Normal | Chart | Photo |
| Fast | Chart | Photo |
| Faster | Chart | Photo |
Overall, the 32GK650F-B has a fast response time, but some transitions are very long, including the 0-20% transition, which may cause noticeable ghosting in darker areas on screen. Like most monitors, the level of overdrive can be changed, and this model has 4 settings. We recommend the 'Fast' setting, as it delivers the best overall performance with little overshoot. The 'Faster' setting is slightly faster, but there is significant overshoot in many transitions.
By default, the 32GK650F-B is completely flicker-free. When displaying at 120Hz or 144Hz, though, there is an option to introduce flicker in order to improve the appearance of motion. This does result in a noticeably darker photo, though, as seen in the photo above.
This monitor has an excellent 144Hz refresh rate, but no factory overclock. It supports AMD's FreeSync variable refresh rate technology, even when connected to a recent NVIDIA graphics card. When connected via DisplayPort, the 32GK650F has an excellent VRR range, but unfortunately, it has a limited range over HDMI, and 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 is a G-SYNC variant of this model, known as the 32GK650G-B. We don't know if it performs the same.
Inputs
The LG 32GK650F has outstanding low input lag, and the 1440p, 32" monitor provides a great deal of screen real estate, which is perfect for multitasking as well as making it easier to see fine details in your favorite games. This monitor has a good selection of inputs, but lacks a USB hub.
The LG 32GK650F-B has outstanding low input lag, even when FreeSync or BFI are enabled. Console gaming at 60Hz also delivers very low input lag.
The 32", 1440p screen is great for multitasking, as it provides a great deal of screen real estate to work with.
There is a 3.5mm analog audio out port, with adjustable volume through the monitor's OSD. Unlike the 32GK850G-B, there is no built-in USB hub.
Features
The LG 32GK650F has very few additional features. It has no built-in speakers, doesn't support HDR, and has no RGB lighting feature. The OSD is well-organized, though, and easy to navigate with the joystick control.
This monitor has very few additional features. Like many gaming monitors, it has an option to add virtual crosshairs to any game. There is also a 'Black Stabilizer' feature, which increases the gamma in dark scenes to make it easier to spot other players hiding in the shadows. Unlike the 32GK850G-B, there is no RGB bias-lighting feature.
The physical controls of this monitor consist of a single joystick control located underneath the bottom bezel, in the center of the screen. They work well, and the OSD is easy to navigate.
Differences between Sizes and Variants
We tested the 32" 32GK650F, 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 32GK650F 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 we reviewed was manufactured in March 2019.
Compared to other Monitors
The LG 32GK650-B is a great budget gaming monitor, but has a few flaws, 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Conclusion
The LG 32GK650F is a decent display for most uses, but it's best suited for gaming. It looks great in a dark room and produces deep, uniform blacks, but the image degrades when viewed at an angle. It has low input lag and a great response time, but some transitions are slow, which is especially noticeable in dark scenes.
This is a decent office monitor. The 32", 1440p screen delivers an excellent amount of screen real estate, and the stand has decent ergonomics, but a limited swivel range. Unfortunately, this monitor has bad viewing angles, so it isn't great for sharing your screen with other people.
The LG 32GK650F is a great monitor for gaming. It has outstanding input lag, and the 1440p, 32" 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.
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, it has decent reflection handling, and good peak brightness. Unfortunately, like most VA monitors, the image degrades at an angle, which isn't great for sharing the latest trends with your friends.
This 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.
This monitor doesn't support HDR. For a good 1440p monitor that supports HDR, check out the Samsung CHG70.
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