The LG 32GN650-B is a good overall monitor from LG's UltraGear lineup and the upgraded successor to the LG 32GK650F-B. It has a 32 inch 1440p screen that provides plenty of space for multitasking or immersive gaming. Its low input lag makes gaming feel responsive, and it has fast response times, resulting in smooth motion. It also has features that gamers should appreciate, including a 165Hz refresh rate, variable refresh rate (VRR) support, and extras like on-screen display crosshairs. It uses a VA panel, so it has a great contrast ratio that produces deep blacks, which is ideal for gaming in the dark. The high contrast, however, comes at the expense of viewing angles, which make the image look washed out from the sides. It gets decently bright and handles reflections fairly well, so it's well-suited to moderately lit rooms. It also supports HDR, which is nice but doesn't get quite bright enough to deliver a satisfying HDR experience. Unfortunately, it has poor ergonomics, and there's quite a bit of wobble when at its highest elevation.
Our Verdict
The LG 32GN650-B is good for mixed usage. It's intended to be a gaming monitor, with a high refresh rate, fast response time, and low input lag, but it also performs well in other areas. Despite its disappointing ergonomics, its large screen size and 1440p resolution are great for productivity, watching media, and content creation. That said, it's not ideal for co-op gaming or sharing content with co-workers or friends since the poor viewing angles result in a washed-out image when viewed from the side. The HDR experience is also lacking as it doesn't have a wide color gamut and can't get bright enough to bring out highlights.
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165Hz max refresh rate.
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Quick response time.
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Large screen and high resolution.
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Poor viewing angles.
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Limited ergonomic adjustments.
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Lacks wide color gamut.
The LG UltraGear 32GN650-B is a decent office monitor. At 32 inches, it's a good size for multitasking, allowing you to open two windows side-by-side. Unfortunately, though, it has poor ergonomics, so it may be harder to set it at your ideal viewing position. Also, since it's a VA panel, it has disappointing viewing angles, making it less ideal for sharing content with a co-worker because the image looks washed out from the side.
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Large screen and high resolution.
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Great gray uniformity.
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Poor viewing angles.
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Limited ergonomic adjustments.
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Lacks wide color gamut.
The LG 32GN650 is a great monitor for gaming thanks to its 165Hz refresh rate and fast response time, which result in clear motion. It also has a remarkably low input lag, making gaming feel responsive, and its large screen size feels immersive. Unfortunately, its response time at 60Hz is significantly slower than at its max refresh rate. It's also less suited to bright rooms since it only has decent reflection handling and decent peak brightness.
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165Hz max refresh rate.
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Quick response time.
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Low input lag.
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Large screen and high resolution.
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Poor viewing angles.
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Limited ergonomic adjustments.
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Lacks wide color gamut.
The LG UltraGear 32GN650-B is good for multimedia. Its 32 inch 1440p screen provides plenty of space to immerse yourself in a movie or video. However, it has poor viewing angles, so it's not ideal for watching with a friend since the image looks washed out from the sides. On the upside, it has a great contrast ratio, resulting in deep blacks in the dark.
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Low input lag.
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Large screen and high resolution.
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Great gray uniformity.
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Poor viewing angles.
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Limited ergonomic adjustments.
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Lacks wide color gamut.
The LG UltraGear 32GN650 is a good monitor for media creation. It offers a lot of space for viewing and editing media thanks to its 32 inch screen. It has an excellent color gamut, with near-perfect coverage of the sRGB color space and good coverage of the Adobe RGB color space. That said, it has poor viewing angles, so the image loses accuracy from the side, and its ergonomic adjustment options are limited.
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Large screen and high resolution.
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Excellent SDR color gamut.
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Great gray uniformity.
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Poor viewing angles.
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Limited ergonomic adjustments.
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Lacks wide color gamut.
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Large screen and high resolution.
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Poor viewing angles.
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Limited ergonomic adjustments.
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Lacks wide color gamut.
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Not bright enough to make HDR content pop.
- 7.4 Mixed Usage
- 7.1 Office
- 8.0 Gaming
- 7.4 Media Consumption
- 7.5 Media Creation
- 6.6 HDR
- Updated Sep 02, 2022: Clarified the differences between this monitor and the recently-reviewed LG 32GN63T-B.
- Updated Aug 30, 2022: Added that it comes with a mouse holder in the box.
- Updated Jul 06, 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 26, 2021: Review published.
- Updated Feb 22, 2021: Early access published.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the 32 inch LG 32GN650-B, which is the only size available for this model, though there are other similar models in LG's UltraGear lineup like the LG 32GK650F-B, which is the predecessor to this monitor. It's nearly identical to the LG 32GN600-B, but with a much better stand. There's also a Costco variant known as the LG 32GN63T-B, which is a similar monitor with a few differences in performance, like the response time and contrast. UltraGear monitors come in various sizes and panel configurations, like the LG 27GN850-B and the LG 34GN850-B.
If someone comes across a different type of panel or their LG 32GN650-B doesn't correspond to our review, let us know in the discussions and we'll update the review. Note that some tests, like gray uniformity, may vary between individual units.
The 32GN650-B we reviewed was manufactured in November 2020. You can see our unit's label here.
Compared To Other Monitors
The LG 32GN650-B is a great 32-inch gaming monitor with a reasonable price tag. It stands out due to its non-curved VA panel, which should appeal to gamers who prefer flat-screen monitors. That said, there are more versatile monitors out there, as well as gaming monitors with even faster response times.
For more options, see our recommendations for the best gaming monitors, the best 1440p gaming monitors, and the best 32-inch monitors.
The LG 32GP850-B and the LG 32GN650-B use different panel technologies, each with strengths and disadvantages, but the 32GP850-B is better for most people. The newer 32GP850 uses an IPS panel, and it has better viewing angles, better reflection handling, higher peak brightness, and a much better response time. The 32GN650 uses a VA panel, and it has better contrast, making it a better choice for a dark room.
The LG 32GN650-B and the LG 32GN600-B are nearly identical. The only significant difference between them is the stand. The 32GN650-B has a more advanced stand with much better ergonomics, so it's easier to adjust it to an ideal viewing position.
The LG 32GN63T-B is a similar monitor to the LG 32GN650-B, but it's only sold at Costco. The picture quality between each is nearly the same, but there are a few differences, as the 32GN63T-B has better contrast, but this could also come down to unit variance. However, the 32GN63T-B also has a slower response time, so motion looks better on the 32GN650-B.
The Dell S3222DGM is slightly better than the LG 32GN650-B. The Dell has a faster response time, especially when gaming at 60Hz, but the LG has a slightly better stand, as it can switch to a portrait orientation. The LG supports HDR, but can't display a true HDR experience, so this doesn't add much.
The Gigabyte M27Q and the LG 32GN650-B are very different. The Gigabyte has a 27 inch IPS screen with wider viewing angles, while the LG has a 32 inch VA panel that produces deeper blacks for a better dark room viewing experience. The Gigabyte performs better gaming-wise because it has a much faster response time to deliver a clearer image in fast-moving scenes. It also gets brighter and offers more features, like a USB hub with USB-C input, a Picture-in-Picture mode, and a KVM switch.
The LG 32GN650-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 ergonomics that are a little worse. All in all, though, the 32GN650-B is a solid step up at a similar price.
The LG 32GN650-B and the LG 32UL500-W perform similarly overall, but they're meant for different uses. The 32GN650-B is a gaming monitor with a high 165Hz refresh rate, 1440p resolution, and significantly higher response time for smooth gaming. The 32UL500-W, on the other hand, is a good all-purpose monitor with a 4k resolution that's great for productivity or media, but it's limited to a 60Hz panel. While the 32UL500-W supports VRR like the 32GN650-B, its slower response time and higher input lag make it less suited to fast-paced gaming.
The Dell S3220DGF and the LG 32GN650-B perform similarly overall, although the LG has a slight edge when it comes to gaming. They're both 32 inch VA panels with 1440p resolution and a 165Hz refresh rate. One of the biggest differences is that the Dell is curved, while the LG is not. Most importantly, the LG has a faster response time and even includes a Black Frame Insertion feature. If you do a lot of HDR gaming, the Dell may be a better option, though, since it gets a bit brighter and has a wide color gamut.
The Dell S3221QS and the LG 32GN650-B are both good 32 inch monitors, although each is better suited to different uses. As a gaming monitor, the LG has a 165Hz panel, a much faster response time, and a lower input lag. The Dell, on the other hand, is limited to a 60Hz refresh rate. That said, the Dell has a 4k resolution that ensures a crisp image despite the larger size, so it's well-suited to multitasking and anything that requires a lot of screen real estate. The Dell also gets brighter and has better reflection handling, so it's more suited to well-lit rooms.
The LG 32GN650-B and the LG 27GN850-B are both good monitors overall, although they use different panel types with different advantages. The 32GN650-B is much better for dark room gaming thanks to its high-contrast VA panel, but the IPS panel on the 27GN850-B has wider viewing angles that are better for co-op gaming. That said, the 27GN850-B has some advantages that might make it a better option if you don't need a larger screen. Both are 1440p monitors, but the smaller size of the 27GN850-B means it has a greater pixel density, resulting in a crisper image. It also has significantly faster response times for clear motion. On the other hand, the 27GN850-B has a lower refresh rate of 144Hz compared to the 165Hz on the 32GN650-B.
The Dell S2721DGF and the LG 32GN650-B are both gaming monitors, but they use different panel types with different advantages and disadvantages, and they are differently sized. The Dell is a 27 inch IPS monitor, so it has much wider viewing angles, resulting in an image that stays accurate when viewed from the side. However, it has a much lower contrast ratio than the VA panel on the LG, meaning that blacks appear grayish in the dark. The LG is better suited to dark room gaming. Its larger screen size also means it has a lower pixel density than the Dell, so the image isn't quite as sharp. The Dell also has a faster response time for clear motion, and it gets brighter, making it more suited to well-lit rooms.
The LG 32GN650-B is much better than the Lenovo D27-30 for most users. The LG has much better viewing angles, supports HDR, and is much brighter. The LG also has a faster refresh rate and a significantly faster response time, resulting in much clearer motion at any refresh rate. On the other hand, if you're often in a completely dark room, the Lenovo might be a better choice regardless, as it has much better contrast and better black uniformity.
Test Results
The LG 32GN650-B has a flat, 32 inch panel. It has a fairly clean and simple design with a V-shaped stand and red accents to fit in with LG's gamer-oriented UltraGear lineup. It looks nearly identical to the LG 32GN600-B, but with a much better stand.
The LG UltraGear 32GN650-B feels adequately built. It's made of decent quality plastics, though the plastic piece on the stand used for cable management feels somewhat flimsy. It's similar to other UltraGear monitors, but there's a lot of wobble in the monitor at its highest elevation, where even moving the joystick causes it to shake a lot.
The ergonomics are sub-par. While it allows for a decent amount of height adjustment, it doesn't swivel at all, and its tilt range is somewhat limited. On the upside, it can rotate into portrait mode, but only in one direction. The back of the monitor is simple, with a red circle similar to other UltraGear monitors. There's a cavity in the back of the stand for cable management.
The stand isn't as thin as on the LG 32GK650F-B. It supports the monitor fairly well, except when it's at its highest elevation, where it wobbles quite a bit.
The LG 32GN650-B has a joystick below the LG branding, used to control the on-screen display.
- DisplayPort cable
- Power cable
- Mouse holder
- User manuals
The LG 34GN650-B has a great contrast ratio. Blacks look deep and inky, especially in a dark room.
This monitor doesn't support local dimming. The above video is provided for reference only.
Decent peak brightness in SDR, although it's lower than the advertised 350 nits. It should be fine in moderately lit rooms, but it may struggle to overcome glare in very bright rooms. That said, the brightness stays consistent across different content.
We measured the monitor's SDR brightness after calibration, using the 'Gamer 1' Picture Mode with Brightness set to 'Max'.
The brightness in HDR is not bad. As with SDR, it remains consistent across different content, but it's not quite bright enough to make highlights pop.
We measured the HDR brightness using the 'Gamer 2' Picture Mode, HDR enabled, and Brightness set to 'Max'.
Like other VA panels, the LG 32GN650-B has disappointing horizontal viewing angles. The image looks washed out from the side, so it's not ideal for sharing content with a friend or co-worker.
The vertical viewing angles are also poor, so it's best to mount it at eye level, as the image loses accuracy otherwise.
The LG 32GN650-B has great gray uniformity, although this can vary between units. The edges of the screen look a bit darker, but there's not much dirty screen effect throughout. In dark scenes, the uniformity is even better.
The LG UltraGear 32GN650-B has decent black uniformity, but this can also vary between units. There's a bit of clouding, especially near the left and right sides of the screen, and some blooming around the test cross, but it's not too bad overall.
The LG32GN650-B has very good out-of-the-box color accuracy. There are slight inaccuracies in most colors, and the color temperature is a bit warmer than the target, resulting in a slightly reddish tint. Gamma doesn't really follow the target too closely, so darker scenes are darker than they should be and brighter scenes are a bit brighter than they should be.
After calibration, the accuracy is fantastic. Almost all inaccuracies are corrected, and any remaining inaccuracies shouldn't be noticeable. The color temperature is almost spot-on, and the gamma follows the curve almost perfectly, although really bright scenes are still a bit over-brightened.
The SDR color gamut is excellent. The monitor has near-perfect coverage of the commonly-used sRGB color space and good coverage of the Adobe RGB color space used in professional media creation.
The color volume is superb. Like most LED monitors, it has a bit of trouble displaying bright blues. Overall, though, it can display dark, saturated colors well thanks to its high contrast ratio.
The LG 32GN650-B has an okay HDR color gamut, but it's not considered a wide color gamut. Its coverage of the DCI P3 color space is good, but its coverage of the wider Rec. 2020 color space is much more limited.
The color volume for HDR content is mediocre, mostly due to the monitor's limited HDR color gamut. It struggles a bit with both really dark and bright colors.
The LG 32GN650-B has decent reflection handling. The matte finish diffuses light pretty well, but it's best to avoid placing it directly in front of bright lights.
Text clarity is okay. With ClearType enabled (top photo), diagonal and curved lines, as in the R, the N, or the G, look a little bit clearer.
The LG 32GN650-B has fantastic gradient handling. There's some very slight banding in darker shades of green, red, and gray, but it's hardly noticeable.
The LG 32GN650-B has a maximum refresh rate of 165Hz, but you can only achieve that over DisplayPort, as it maxes out at 144Hz over HDMI.
It supports FreeSync variable refresh rate and is compatible with G-SYNC, but G-SYNC only works over DisplayPort.
| 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 |
The LG 32GN650-B has a great response time at its max 165Hz refresh rate. That said, it's not nearly as fast as many similar gaming monitors. The best overdrive setting is 'Faster' because it results in a quicker response time, but there's some overshoot, so you may notice some motion artifacts. Overall, though, fast-moving content looks smooth. If you're looking for a better gaming monitor, the Dell S3222DGM is a better choice.
| 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 |
The response time at 60Hz is decent. It's noticeably slower than at the max refresh rate, but there's much less overshoot. The recommended overdrive setting at 60Hz is 'Normal'. If you're looking for a better gaming monitor, the Dell S3222DGM is a much better choice.
The LG 32GN650-B has an optional backlight strobing feature, commonly known as BFI, to help reduce motion blur, but it has a narrow frequency range and can't be used with VRR enabled. You can see the motion blur photo with BFI enabled at 120Hz here.
The LG 32GN650-B has a flicker-free backlight, which helps reduce eye strain.
The LG 32GN650-B has a remarkably low input lag, and it stays low even with VRR enabled.
The LG 32GN650-B has a great 1440p resolution and comes with a large 32 inch screen.
Unfortunately, the LG 32GN650-B is limited on inputs and doesn't have any USB ports.
Unfortunately, there are some issues with using this monitor with recent MacBooks. The variable refresh rate feature flickers both in-game and on the desktop when the framerate drops below 60fps. HDR doesn't work at all with MacBooks, either. Windows go back to their original position when the computer wakes from sleep, but not when you close the lid.
The LG 32GN650-B has some extra features, including HDR10 support. It also includes:
- Crosshair: Add a virtual crosshair for FPS games.
- On-Screen Display lock: Locks the on-screen display settings.
- Black Stabilizer: Increases the gamma in dark scenes to make details more visible.
- Dynamic Contrast Ratio: Adjusts the brightness of the screen automatically.
- Reader Mode: Reduces blue light emission to reduce eye strain.
