The LG 48GQ900-B is a large 48-inch monitor with an OLED panel that delivers a similar viewing experience to LG's smaller OLED TVs, like the LG 42 C2 OLED, but with features more typically found on monitors. It has many of the same gaming features you'll find on both high-end TVs and premium gaming monitors, like HDMI 2.1 bandwidth and variable refresh rate (VRR) support. However, unlike LG's OLED TVs, it lacks a built-in smart interface but comes with a DisplayPort input and a built-in USB hub. Like the Gigabyte AORUS FO48U and the ASUS ROG Swift PG42UQ, it's designed for players who want to enjoy the incredible picture quality that OLED TVs provide but want something that more closely resembles a monitor than a TV.
Our Verdict
The LG 48GQ900-B is a great monitor for most uses. It delivers a superb gaming experience thanks to its nearly instantaneous response time and fast refresh rate, delivering smooth, clear motion with no noticeable motion blur. It's also an amazing monitor for watching videos or for content creators, especially in a dark room thanks to its near-infinite contrast ratio, delivering deep inky blacks with no blooming around bright objects. It also helps it deliver an amazing HDR experience, even though it can't get very bright. Finally, although it's an okay monitor for office use overall, it's a bit limited by its low peak brightness and just okay text clarity, so it's not a good choice for full-time office users, especially for text processing.
- Image is consistent at the sides when sitting up close.
- Large 48-inch screen.
- Superb reflection handling.
- Not bright enough to overcome glare.
- Brightness fluctuates with different scenes.
- RWBG layout results in just decent text clarity; can be improved with scaling.
The LG 48GQ900-B is an okay monitor for office use. The large screen is great for multitasking, as you can comfortably work with multiple windows open. It also has very wide viewing angles, ensuring the sides of the screen remain uniform when you're sitting up close. It has just okay text clarity, as the RWBG subpixel layout isn't supported by most Windows programs. Unfortunately, despite its superb reflection handling, it can't handle lots of natural light, as it has disappointing peak brightness.
- Image is consistent at the sides when sitting up close.
- Large 48-inch screen.
- Superb reflection handling.
- Not bright enough to overcome glare.
- Brightness fluctuates with different scenes.
- RWBG layout results in just decent text clarity; can be improved with scaling.
The LG 48GQ900-B delivers a superb gaming experience. Its nearly instantaneous response time and fast refresh rate results in crystal-clear motion, with almost no noticeable blur behind fast-moving objects. It also has very low input lag, so your actions are in-sync with the action on screen. It also has a good selection of gaming features, including HDMI 2.1 bandwidth for 4k @ 120Hz gaming from the Xbox Series S|X or the PS5, and it supports FreeSync and G-SYNC variable refresh rates to reduce screen tearing.
- Near-infinite contrast ratio for deep blacks and bright highlights.
- Very little motion blur or ghosting.
- HDMI 2.1 bandwidth for 4k @ 120Hz gaming from consoles.
- Low input lag for a responsive gaming experience.
- Brightness fluctuates with different scenes.
The LG 48GQ900-B is an amazing monitor for watching videos. It looks exceptionally good in a dark room thanks to its near-infinite contrast ratio and perfect black uniformity, resulting in deep inky blacks with no blooming around bright objects. The large screen and wide viewing angles are great for watching with a group of friends, as the image remains consistent when viewed from an angle. It also has a fantastic SDR color gamut and good accuracy out of the box, so your favorite shows look how they're supposed to look.
- Perfect black uniformity with no blooming around bright highlights.
- Near-infinite contrast ratio for deep blacks and bright highlights.
- Image is consistent at the sides when sitting up close.
- Large 48-inch screen.
- Superb reflection handling.
- Not bright enough to overcome glare.
- Brightness fluctuates with different scenes.
The LG 48GQ900-B is great for media creators. The large screen makes it easy to see more of your workflow at once, and it has a wide horizontal and vertical viewing angle, meaning you can share your screen with someone else, and they'll still see the same thing you see. It has a fantastic SDR color gamut and a remarkably wide color gamut in HDR, as well as superb gradient handling, so you don't have to worry about banding or loss of fine details. On the other hand, due to its large size, it has no ergonomic adjustments at all, so it's hard to place it in an ideal viewing position.
- Perfect black uniformity with no blooming around bright highlights.
- Near-infinite contrast ratio for deep blacks and bright highlights.
- Image is consistent at the sides when sitting up close.
- Large 48-inch screen.
- Superb reflection handling.
- Brightness fluctuates with different scenes.
- RWBG layout results in just decent text clarity; can be improved with scaling.
The LG 48GQ900-B delivers an amazing HDR experience. The OLED panel has a near-infinite contrast ratio without the need for a local dimming feature, so even though it has just okay peak brightness in HDR, bright highlights still stand out incredibly well with no distracting blooming in dark scenes. It has a remarkable HDR color gamut, so HDR movies and games look vivid and lifelike. Finally, it has superb gradient handling, ensuring there's very little banding in areas of similar color, like sky scenes.
- Perfect black uniformity with no blooming around bright highlights.
- Near-infinite contrast ratio for deep blacks and bright highlights.
- Remarkably wide color gamut.
- Just okay HDR peak brightness.
- Brightness fluctuates with different scenes.
Changelog
- Updated Mar 09, 2023: Added a mention of the newly-reviewed LG 27GR95QE-B in Resolution and Size because it's another OLED with a smaller screen.
- Updated Dec 13, 2022: Retested the Response Time using a different methodology so that it isn't affected by the ABL, and updated the test results.
- Updated Oct 27, 2022: Compared the HDR Brightness to the ASUS ROG Swift OLED PG42UQ.
- Updated Oct 12, 2022: Review published.
Check Price
Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the 48-inch LG 48GQ900-B monitor, which is part of LG's UltraGear gaming lineup. There are no other sizes or variants similar to this one.
| Model | Size | Panel Type | Resolution | Max Refresh Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 48GQ900-B | 48" | OLED | 3840 x 2160 | 138Hz |
Our unit was manufactured in May 2022; you can see the label here.
Popular Monitor Comparisons
The LG 48GQ900-B delivers fantastic picture quality thanks to its OLED panel, so it delivers better visuals than most gaming monitors. It's mainly designed to offer a true monitor experience for users who want to enjoy the excellent picture quality of the 48-inch LG C2 OLED and the Sony A90K OLED, but without the smart features. Sadly, it's also significantly more expensive than the competition, so unless you need DisplayPort inputs, you're better off getting one of the smaller OLED TVs.
See our picks for the best 4k monitors, the best multimedia monitors, and the best gaming monitors.
The LG C1 48 OLED and the LG 48GQ900-B perform nearly identically, but they have different inputs and different extra features. The C1 48 OLED is a TV that we've tested as a monitor, meaning it has features you'd typically find on a TV, including advanced image and motion processing options, a fully-featured smart interface, and a tuner. The 48GQ900-B, on the other hand, is designed to be used as a monitor, so it lacks a smart interface and advanced picture processing options. However, it has inputs more typically found on a monitor, including a DisplayPort input and a USB hub.
The LG C2 42 OLED and the LG 48GQ900-B offer nearly identical picture quality, but they have different inputs and different extra features. The C2 42 OLED is a TV we've tested as a monitor, so it has features you'd typically find on a TV, including extra image processing options, a fully-featured smart interface, and a tuner. The 48GQ900-B, on the other hand, is designed to be used as a monitor, so it lacks a smart interface and advanced picture processing options. However, it has inputs more typically found on a monitor, including a DisplayPort input and a USB hub.
The Gigabyte AORUS FO48U OLED and the LG 48GQ900-B offer nearly identical performance, but the Gigabyte is slightly better overall. The Gigabyte is a bit brighter in SDR, meaning it can handle a bit more glare in a bright room. The Gigabyte also has a few extra features, including USB-C connectivity, to make it easier to connect your MacBook or your Ultrabook.
The Sony 42 A90K OLED and the LG 48GQ900-B offer nearly identical picture quality, but they have different inputs and different extra features. The 42 A90K OLED is a TV we've tested as a monitor, so it has features you'd typically find on a TV, including extra image processing options, a fully-featured smart interface, and a tuner. The 48GQ900-B, on the other hand, is designed to be used as a monitor, so it lacks a smart interface and advanced picture processing options. However, it has inputs more typically found on a monitor, including a DisplayPort input and a USB hub.
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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