LG Ultragear 48GQ900-B review: A huge 4K OLED monitor from the king of TVs

Price When Reviewed

1,499.99

Best Prices Today: LG Ultragear 48GQ900-B

PC players have flocked to LG’s 4K OLED televisions since their introduction, and for good cause. These massive, engaging, high-contrast shows provide a significantly better distinction ratio and superior HDR when in comparison with most desktop displays. The LG Ultragear 48GQ900-B particularly targets this viewers with options particular to the PC, like DisplayPort enter and a excessive refresh charge. It largely hits the mark.

Note: This evaluate is a part of our ongoing roundup of the best 4K monitors. Go there to study competing merchandise, what to search for in a 4K monitor, and shopping for suggestions.

LG Ultragear 48GQ900-B: The specs

The LG Ultragear 48GQ900-B is a 4K, 48-inch widescreen show. Its specs are typical of any premium 4K monitor, however that’s form of the purpose. It contains DisplayPort, which isn’t discovered on most televisions, and has a most refresh charge of 138Hz. 

• Display measurement: 48-inch widescreen
• Native decision: 3840×2160
• Panel kind: OLED
• Refresh charge: 138Hz
• HDR: Yes, HDR10
• Ports: 3x HDMI 2.1, 1x DisplayPort, 1x USB-B upstream, 2x USB-A, 1x 3.5mm audio out, 1x optical audio out
• Stand adjustment: None
• VESA mount: No
• Speakers: Yes
• Price: $1,499.99 MSRP ($1,199.99 typical).

But the true star is, in fact, the OLED panel, which hits an alluring MSRP of $1,499.99 (and it’s usually tons of much less when on sale). That’s costly, nevertheless it looks like a steal when in comparison with the $1,299.99 Alienware AW3423DW or the $3,499 Asus ProArt PG32DC.

LG Ultragear 48GQ900-B: Design

Are you a gamer? Then you have to like gamer issues, proper? That’s clearly the thought behind the LG Ultragear 48GQ900-B. The monitor has an aggressive look with fake vents, a hexagonal sample, and built-in LED lighting.

Matt Smith

It’s all a bit edgy for my tastes, but I’ll admit the built-in LED lighting will be helpful. It’s vibrant sufficient to supply luminance on a desk and can be utilized to exchange an LED gentle strip behind or beneath your desktop.

LEDs apart, the monitor’s appears are a moot level as soon as it’s arrange. The show measures lower than two inches thick at its thickest level and, due to its measurement, will normally be positioned in opposition to a wall. Most individuals won’t ever see the rear of the monitor besides when connecting or disconnecting units. 

A large silver stand holds the monitor aloft. Although massive, it’s not outsized relative to the show, which minimizes the monitor’s footprint (the LG C2 OLED tv, by comparability, has a a lot wider stand). The stand doesn’t regulate, not even for tilt, which is regular for displays of this measurement. A typical VESA monitor mount isn’t included however TV wall mounts are supported.

LG Ultragear 48GQ900-B: Features and menu

LG packs a ton of connectivity within the Ultragear 48GQ900-B. Video enter contains three HDMI 2.1 ports alongside one DisplayPort 1.4. This covers any situation I can think about. It’s potential to attach a PC (by means of DisplayPort), PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X without delay—and nonetheless have room for a 4K streaming stick or field.

Matt Smith

It additionally contains 3.5mm audio and optical audio out, offering two choices for passing by means of audio to a soundbar or speaker system. This is a function not all displays of this kind present, and it’s a really perfect association if you wish to use it in a PC-centric residence theater. I used the optical output with my soundbar and had zero points.  

There’s additionally a USB-B upstream port that connects to 2 USB-A ports. This makes the monitor a primary USB hub, which is beneficial when you use wired peripherals. The monitor lacks USB-C and doesn’t provide the expansive connectivity of a productivity-focused monitor just like the Dell Ultrasharp U3223QE.

A bundled distant management is offered for accessing the menu. It has a giant, fats dial and simply six buttons. It felt complicated to make use of at first however ultimately received me over. This is a monitor, not a tv, so a simplified structure is sensible.

The menus are nicely labeled and provide the standard vary of adjustment. This contains 4 gamma plus and 7 shade temperature modes, although none promise to focus on a selected gamma curve or shade temperature. It has six-aix shade adjustment for saturation and hue. There’s gaming choices, too, reminiscent of a black stabilizer, built-in crosshair, and FPS counter. 

LG contains an sRGB mode that can be utilized to reel within the extensive shade gamut, if wanted. However, DCI-P3 and Rec.709 modes will not be accessible. 

The LG Ultragear 48GQ900-B has built-in audio system. They’re significantly better than what’s typical of a monitor and sound good basically use at middling quantity, however audio high quality takes a dive as quantity will increase. The mid-range turns into muddy and harsh. Explosions in an motion film, as an example, sound extra akin to static. It’s wonderful on a desktop, the place it’s extra probably for use at low quantity, however not fitted to residence theater. 

Finally, it’s price mentioning the LG Ultragear 48GQ900-B is a monitor, not a tv, which implies it doesn’t have a TV tuner. It doesn’t have a coaxial enter and received’t settle for a conventional antenna or cable sign (with out passing it by means of one other system, a minimum of).

LG Ultragear 48GQ900-B: SDR picture high quality

I’ll begin with a press release: Monitors will not be televisions, televisions will not be displays, and the traits that make a show excel in a single class could not make it higher for the opposite. With that stated, let’s dig in, as a result of there’s quite a bit to speak about.

Matt Smith

SDR brightness could be very low at a most of 143 nits. That, as is apparent from the graph, lands approach behind some other monitor that I’ve lately examined. It’s additionally fairly far behind the Alienware AW3423DW, which just like the Ultragear has an OLED panel (albeit a a lot totally different implementation). The Ultragear 48GQ900-B’s efficiency isn’t uncommon. Most OLED televisions will carry out equally when requested to show a vibrant, white picture throughout the whole show.

Is this an issue? It may very well be. Brightness felt excessive in my residence theater, however merely satisfactory on my desk, even when set to most brightness. A matte show coat helps diffuse gentle, however glare was a minor challenge on sunny days. The monitor is in the end finest in a room with home windows that may a minimum of partially block daylight and no harsh overhead lights. 

Matt Smith

Contrast, on the flip aspect, is significantly better than common, with an successfully infinite distinction ratio. This is because of the OLED panel’s capacity to show every pixel on or off individually. Pixels are virtually completely black, showing vague even in a pitch-black room. It’s a giant improve from the hazy, gray-ish look most displays present in darkish scenes.

The nice distinction ratio gives a superb sense of depth and dimensionality. At instances, when fed high-quality 4K content material, the Ultragear 48GQ900-B’s picture begins to look 3D dimensional. It’s a dramatic impact that received’t be discovered on any LCD monitor missing a Mini-LED backlight, and even these will not be fairly as efficient.

Matt Smith

Color gamut got here in robust, reaching throughout all of sRGB and 98 % of DCI-P3. There are just a few displays that may beat the LG Ultragear 48GQ900-B: the Asus ProArt PG32DC, a high-end skilled OLED monitor, is one instance. Still, a shade gamut this extensive is great for basic use and gives a vivid, alluring look.

The monitor additionally helps 10-bit shade, which helps lower down on the colour banding that will seem in shade gradients, such because the delicate hues of blue present in a skybox, or the mellow oranges and purples that encompass a setting solar. Banding, when it’s seen, pops up most frequently in grayscale—nevertheless it’s nonetheless somewhat delicate. I doubt most viewers would ever discover.

Matt Smith

Color accuracy, however…nicely, that is the place issues get sophisticated.

I’ve listed shade accuracy for default, sRGB, and software program calibrated settings. I don’t usually do that, as a result of I choose a monitor’s out-of-the-box expertise to be its most necessary trait, and the default by which most individuals will choose it. In this case, nonetheless, default shade accuracy was approach off. Color accuracy was significantly better with some effort to carry it in line, although nonetheless not nice. 

A number of issues contribute to the Ultragear 48GQ900-B’s out-of-box woes. 

First, the default shade temperature got here in approach too excessive at 10200Okay, off a goal of 6500Okay. Second, gamma was off course with a gamma curve of two.4. This means the picture seems a lot cooler, extra blue, and darker than it ought to. 

It’s a usable picture, however the shade points are obvious and left me sad. It was dangerous sufficient that I examined the show with a second pc, which I don’t usually do. The outcomes continued.

A calibration largely resolves the issue. The Ultragear 48GQ900-B remained comparatively inaccurate, however shut sufficient for basic use. Given its different strengths, I might settle for this stage of error in trade for the monitor’s distinction ratio, HDR efficiency, and shade accuracy, which I’ll discuss extra about shortly. 

Sharpness may also be a difficulty, relying on how the monitor is used. This could appear stunning for a 4K monitor, however the 4K 48-inch panel works out to solely 91 pixels per inch. Pixel density is sort of similar to a 24-inch 1080p monitor.

Finally, the Ultragear 48GQ900-B has a RWBG pixel structure somewhat than the RGB structure widespread to most displays. This is an issue as a result of Windows is optimized for RGB. The monitor reveals noticeable fringing round textual content which might trigger it to look blocky or pixelated when it ought to seem clean. It’s a difficulty the monitor shares with the Alienware AW3423DW. Asus’ ProArt PA32DC, which is costlier, doesn’t have this challenge.

SDR efficiency is a mixture, then. The distinction ratio is great, and the colour gamut is extensive, however brightness and shade accuracy are notable points. The Ultragear 48GQ900-B’s issues could make it inconvenient to make use of and stop it from working nicely in skilled workflows. It’s a significantly better monitor for leisure than productiveness.

LG Ultragear 48GQ900-B: HDR picture high quality

The LG Ultragear 48GQ900-B’s HDR efficiency is necessary given its meant use. Though it is likely to be used on a desk, it may also be utilized in a house theater, through which case it’ll spend extra time in HDR mode than in SDR.

I measured a most full-screen HDR brightness of 221 nits. That’s low, falling nicely behind a typical IPS edge-lit monitor and approach, approach behind Mini-LED shows. It’s additionally behind the Alienware AW3423DW, which hit 325 nits, and the Asus ProArt PA32DC, which reached 540 nits.

Brightness can ramp as much as greater than 400 nits in a 10 % window (in different phrases, when solely 10 % of the show panel is lit). Other reviewers, reminiscent of IGN, have famous as much as 600 nits in a one-percent window, which isn’t a scenario I’m set as much as take a look at.

Whether this stage of brightness is sweet or dangerous has quite a bit to do with how, and the place, you employ the monitor. Brightness felt glorious when positioned in my darkly lit residence theater however remained much less spectacular in my workplace. 

But let’s be actual: Whatever the brightness, the Ultragear 48GQ900-B demolishes the efficiency of any monitor missing an OLED panel or Mini-LED backlight. Most displays don’t have any downside with brightness however are missing in distinction, to allow them to’t deal with the vary of luminance HDR gives. This monitor’s glorious distinction helps to repair that challenge, which leads to a richer, deeper picture. 

It additionally advantages from a well-behaved brightness limiter. This is a draw back of Alienware’s AW3423DW, which might undergo aggressive and apparent swings in brightness when transitioning between scenes of considerably totally different brightness, or when vibrant objects (like a Word doc) are resized. This comes into play with the Ultragear 48GQ900-B, however transitions are extra muted and fewer distracting. 

On a ultimate notice, the Ultragear 48GQ900-B solely helps HDR10 (which implies it doesn’t help Dolby Vision). I don’t see this as an issue as a result of Dolby Vision HDR isn’t often used on the PC. However, this is likely to be a priority when you plan to make use of the monitor in a house theater. Overall, the LG Ultragear 48GQ900-B’s HDR efficiency is nice. Personally, I want the brighter and extra steady presentation of a Mini-LED show, just like the Asus ROG Swift PG32UQX or Viewsonic XG321UG, however LG’s various is great. It’s a compelling HDR expertise that can have you ever keen to make use of HDR each time potential.

LG Ultragear 48GQ900-B: Motion readability

Motion efficiency is essential to the LG Ultragear 48GQ900-B’s attraction. It helps overclocking to a most refresh charge of 138Hz and is suitable with each Nvidia G-Sync and AMD FreeSync Premium.

Matt Smith

Motion readability is excellent at each 138Hz and 120Hz. Fine element is preserved when panning a digicam in a 3D recreation and small objects are simple to trace when shifting throughout the scene. Details like character fashions and well being bars stay seen when shifting the digicam throughout the map in League of Legends. Text displaying character names is barely typically legible, however that’s nonetheless a terrific consequence at these refresh charges. Such textual content normally isn’t legible on a monitor with a refresh charge beneath 240Hz.

Even 60Hz appears good which, given the Ultragear 48GQ900-B’s meant use, is an excellent trait. PC customers received’t have bother making full use of excessive refresh charges, however console video games usually render at simply 60fps (or decrease). The monitor appears good in these conditions, as it may protect some wonderful to medium particulars when panning a digicam or monitoring a quick object. 

I’ve simply two nits to choose. First, the 138Hz overclock is extra of a advertising and marketing ploy than an actual, helpful function, because the distinction between 138Hz and 120Hz isn’t noticeable. The monitor additionally lacks a backlight strobing function to additional enhance movement readability. 

Even so, the Ultragear 48GQ900-B’s total movement efficiency is exceptional. It ranks alongside the movement efficiency of Alienware’s AW3423DW and delivers a noticeable, enchancment over IPS and VA-panel displays with a 144Hz or 120Hz refresh charge.

LG Ultragear 48GQ900-B vs. LG C2 OLED

PC homeowners searching for a big OLED show may evaluate the LG Ultragear 48GQ900-B with the LG C2 OLED. They each carry a retail MSRP of $1,499.99, and each are presently on sale at a number of retailers for $1,199. They are comparable in measurement and appear to vow comparable efficiency. So, what’s the distinction?

The LG Ultragear 48GQ900-B, as talked about, is a monitor. It doesn’t have the TV tuner, sensible TV apps, and AI picture processor discovered within the LG C2 OLED. In trade, the 48GQ900-B beneficial properties DisplayPort, a USB hub, and a better most refresh charge of 138Hz. The lack of picture processor can be arguably a perk as a result of it reduces latency. LG’s C2 OLED presents a recreation mode which will get round this, however the Ultragear 48GQ900-B doesn’t want that. It’s at all times in recreation mode.

Because of those variations, the LG Ultragear 48GQ900-B is healthier for enjoying video games or viewing content material on a PC, whereas the LG C2 OLED is superior for streaming, 4K Blu-Ray films, and over-the-air TV. 

Both are nice for console gaming, although I’d say the LG C2 OLED has an edge due to its help for Dolby Vision HDR, which is offered on Xbox Series X and PlayStation 5.

Should you purchase the LG Ultragear 48GQ900-B?

The LG Ultragear 48GQ900-B’s efficiency is tough to summarize. It’s a show that has unimaginable strengths, reminiscent of its HDR efficiency and movement readability, and apparent weaknesses, like out-of-box shade issues and low SDR brightness. 

But I can say this: I prefer it. The monitor appears attractive when taking part in fashionable titles like Deathloop, in fact, nevertheless it’s additionally wonderful in older video games. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim, performed at 4K with high-resolution textures and Windows Auto HDR on, appears unbelievable. It’s painful to return to an IPS panel monitor after seeing this. 

Pricing is the ultimate, and necessary, issue. The Ultragear 48GQ900-B debuted at an MSRP of $1,499.99, nevertheless it’s now on sale at a number of retailers (and listed on LG’s web site) at $1,199.99. That’s no discount, nevertheless it’s inexpensive than quite a lot of smaller Mini-LED and OLED displays. The Ultragear 48GQ900-B is a stable, although not flawless, selection if you need an enormous display on your PC.