The LG 32UL500-W is a good budget-friendly 4k monitor. It gives you plenty of screen space for multitasking, and it delivers incredibly sharp images and text. It's better suited for a dark to moderately-lit room, as it can produce deep blacks but doesn't get bright enough to overcome glare. The viewing angles are adequate and should be fine for sharing text documents; however, there's still some loss of image accuracy when viewing from the side, so it's not the best option if you need to share work that requires precise color reproduction. It has low input lag and variable refresh rate (VRR) support if you want to game on it, but the response time is a bit slow, which results in blurrier images in fast-moving scenes. Unfortunately, the ergonomics are terrible as it only allows for tilt adjustment, and even though it supports HDR, it doesn't get bright enough to make highlights pop.
Our Verdict
The LG 32UL500-W is a good monitor overall. It has a large screen and 4k resolution that make it a good option for work and media consumption. However, it's hard to place the screen the way you like because it has terrible ergonomics. Also, glare might be an issue because it doesn't get very bright. It has low input lag and VRR support for gaming, but the response time is a bit slow, so images look a bit blurry in fast-moving scenes. Unfortunately, it can't deliver a true HDR experience due to its low HDR peak brightness.
- Large screen and high resolution.
- Deep blacks.
- Incredible text clarity.
- Flicker-free.
- Allows for tilt adjustment only.
- Glare might be an issue.
- Doesn't get bright enough for true HDR.
- Images look slightly inaccurate from the side.
The LG 32UL500-W is good for office use. It provides you plenty of screen space for multitasking, and text looks incredibly sharp thanks to its high resolution. The viewing angles are adequate, good enough for sharing text documents, but it isn't ideal if you need to share work that requires perfect image accuracy. Unfortunately, even though it has good reflection handling, it doesn't get very bright, so glare can be an issue in well-lit rooms. Also, the ergonomics are terrible because it only allows for tilt adjustment.
- Large screen and high resolution.
- Incredible text clarity.
- Exceptional SDR color gamut.
- Flicker-free.
- Allows for tilt adjustment only.
- Glare might be an issue.
- Doesn't get bright enough for true HDR.
- Images look slightly inaccurate from the side.
The LG 32UL500-W is decent for gaming. It has a large screen and high resolution to deliver an immersive gaming experience, but it's better suited for slower-paced games because the response time is on the slow side. Input lag is very low, and it supports variable refresh rate technology to reduce screen tearing. It has a good contrast ratio to produce deep blacks, making it great for gaming in the dark. The viewing angles are adequate, good enough for co-op gaming, as long as you don't mind a slightly inaccurate image.
- Large screen and high resolution.
- Deep blacks.
- VRR support.
- Allows for tilt adjustment only.
- Doesn't get bright enough for true HDR.
- Response time might be too slow for fast-paced games.
The LG 32UL500-W is good for media consumption. It has a 32 inch screen and a 4k resolution to deliver an immersive viewing experience. It can produce deep blacks, making it a great choice for dark rooms. The viewing angles are quite good for a VA panel and should be fine for sharing content casually, but images still look slightly inaccurate when viewed from the side. Also, the stand doesn't allow for swivel adjustment, making it harder to place the screen to your optimal viewing position.
- Large screen and high resolution.
- Deep blacks.
- Exceptional SDR color gamut.
- Flicker-free.
- Allows for tilt adjustment only.
- Glare might be an issue.
- Doesn't get bright enough for true HDR.
- Images look slightly inaccurate from the side.
The LG 32UL500-W is good for content creation. It has an exceptional SDR color gamut with full sRGB coverage and outstanding Adobe RGB coverage. There's plenty of screen real estate to place multiple windows side-by-side, and the 4k resolution lets you see every tiny detail of your work. Although the viewing angles are adequate, there's still some loss of image accuracy when viewing off-center, so it's not the best option for sharing your work with coworkers and clients, especially if image accuracy is important. Lastly, it has terrible ergonomics, which makes it harder to place the screen for optimal viewing.
- Large screen and high resolution.
- Deep blacks.
- Exceptional SDR color gamut.
- Flicker-free.
- Allows for tilt adjustment only.
- Glare might be an issue.
- Doesn't get bright enough for true HDR.
- Images look slightly inaccurate from the side.
- Large screen and high resolution.
- Allows for tilt adjustment only.
- Doesn't get bright enough for true HDR.
Changelog
- Updated Dec 08, 2023: Changed the Text Clarity score to 9.0 to better reflect other monitors that we've tested.
- Updated Sep 09, 2022: We added text for the new macOS Compatibility box added as part of the test bench 1.2 update process.
- Updated Sep 09, 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 Jan 19, 2021: Review published.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the 32 inch LG 32UL500-W, and it's the only size available. The LG 32UL750-W is very similar, but it has more features such as a USB-C port and height adjustment. It's also advertised to have higher peak brightness; however, we haven't tested it. There are many monitors in LG's 4k lineup with various configurations, some of which you can see in the table below.
| Model | Size | Panel Type | Stand | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 32UL500-W | 32" | VA | Tilt only | - |
| 27UL500-W | 27" | IPS | Tilt only | - |
| 27UL550-W | 27" | IPS | Tilt/Height/Pivot | - |
| 27UL600-W | 27" | IPS | Tilt only | DisplayHDR 400 |
| 27UL650-W | 27" | IPS | Tilt/Height/Pivot | DisplayHDR 400 |
| 32UL750-W | 32" | VA | Tilt/Height | DisplayHDR 600, USB-C with 60W PD |
| 27UL850-W | 27" | IPS | Tilt/Height/Pivot | DisplayHDR 400, USB-C with 60W PD |
| 32UL950-W | 32" | Nano IPS | Tilt/Height/Pivot | DisplayHDR 600, USB-C (Thunderbolt 3) |
If someone comes across a different type of panel or their LG 32UL500-W doesn't correspond to our review, let us know and we'll update the review. Note that some tests, such as gray uniformity, may vary between individual units.
Our unit was manufactured in November 2020; you can see the label here.
Popular Monitor Comparisons
The LG 32UL500-W is a good 4k monitor overall. It provides tons of screen space for work and delivers sharp images and text. However, it may struggle with glare because it doesn't get very bright, and it has terrible ergonomics. It performs similarly to the BenQ EW3270U but with a slower response time.
For more options, you can check out our recommendations for the best office monitors, the best 4k monitors, and the best 32-inch monitors.
The LG 32UL500-W is a more budget-friendly VA variant of the LG 32UL950-W. For productivity, the 32UL950-W is a better choice because it has wide viewing angles, and it allows for more ergonomic adjustments. It has more features like two USB-C ports, one of which supports Thunderbolt 3, and it has a Picture-in-Picture/Picture-by-Picture mode. It also gets brighter to combat glare, but it doesn't handle reflections as well as the 32UL500-W. The 32UL500-W is a better choice for dark rooms due to its high contrast ratio, and it has a better SDR and HDR color gamut.
The LG 32UL500-W and the Dell S3221QS are very similar as they're both 32 inch VA panel monitors with a 4k resolution and a 60Hz refresh rate. However, the Dell has a 1800R curved screen while the LG is flat. The Dell gets a bit brighter, making it a better choice for bright rooms, and it's a little bit better in terms of ergonomics because it allows for height adjustment. For content creators, the LG has better Adobe RGB and DCI P3 coverage. On the other hand, the Dell has more extra features, including two USB ports and a Picture-in-Picture/Picture-by-Picture mode.
The LG 32UL500-W and the BenQ EW3270U are very similar. The main differences are that the BenQ gets a little brighter, and it has a better response time, making it a better choice if you plan to game on it. The LG is better suited for content creation because it has a better color gamut, but color accuracy is quite bad out of the box, so it might need calibration.
The LG 32UL500-W and the LG 27UK650-W are both 4k monitors with a 60Hz panel, but the 32UL500-W has a 32-inch VA panel while the 27UK650-W has a 27-inch IPS panel. The 27UK650-W is better overall because it has wide viewing angles, better ergonomics, and gets much brighter to combat glare. It also has a better response time if you want to game. However, the 32UL500-W provides more screen real estate, and content creators might prefer its wider Adobe RGB and DCI P3 coverage.
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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