Customer Ratings & Reviews

As a professional photographer and videographer by trade and a gamer at heart, resolution is the key feature that interests me in display technology. Whether I am gaming for fun, or editing a project for a client, I want to see the best possible image my monitor can display, so choosing a high resolution monitor is one of the most important decisions I can make. The LG UltraGear evo AI is a new breed of Mini LED display technology that uses AI to effectively upscale lower resolution devices to a much higher resolution. While some may scoff at the letters AI, utilizing an AI chip inside a monitor to upscale older devices is a technology that I can appreciate and that I have seen with my own eyes on this LG display. **** FEATURES **** The LG UltraGear GM9 has several specifications that make this a wonderful addition to any gaming or editing setup. For starters, a 27” 5K display, with a 218 PPI (pixel density), has a great amount of screen real estate and is extremely effective at producing sharp text. This is a huge deal for me, especially when editing, because all of the text in my applications control panels looks incredibly detailed and sharp, making longer sessions less fatiguing on the eyes. This is also important because using higher resolutions makes the text smaller, yet still very readable. That said, operating systems and programs are also getting smarter and allowing users to enlarge screen text only, while keeping the higher resolution intact if you choose. I recently set up a TV panel that also utilizes the new Mini LED technology and I was simply blown away by that, so it’s only fitting, and welcome, that we will start to see the same tech on computer monitors. These newer screens are capable of not only being much brighter, but also showcasing extreme blacks, whites, and extremely vibrant colors that are truly a sight to behold. With the GM9 boasting 9,216 LEDs and 14M pixels, the eye candy is certainly front and center. The AI upscaling feature is another feature that has me pretty excited. While I do prefer playing AAA game titles with my PS5 and Xbox, I was really excited to load Zelda on my Nintendo Switch OLED to see how the AI handles the upscaling and the results are pretty astonishing. The Switch has a native resolution of only 1280x720, which is about as low res as it gets these days. The fact that the GM9 takes that small image and upscales it (with AI) to full 5K resolution is really remarkable and it looks pretty amazing. This feature is something I have never seen on a gaming monitor before and the fact that it is hardware driven via an internal chip makes it extremely efficient and removes all of the burden from the device that is plugged in. This also translates to, whatever you plug into the monitor, the monitor will do the heavy lifting and perform any upscaling needed to display the best image possible. Really cool. Since this is hard to capture for sharing without having a complex capture card setup, I have included a photo taken with my full frame mirrorless camera, on a tripod, in low light, showing the fully upscaled version. Online photo upload compression may make this hard to see, but the upscaling is very apparent. Is upscaling from 1280x720 to 5K via AI perfect? Nothing is truly perfect, but the upscaled image, from the HUD text, to the environment, enemies, and yes, Link, all look WAY better to my eyes. The internal AI processor also monitors your input at all times providing real-time scene analysis to minimize blooming while also giving you the option to customize local dimming, effectively maximizing the performance for both daytime work and nighttime gaming use. With the current firmware, as of this review, I have experienced excellent performance for both video editing and intense gaming sessions. This monitor also boasts a dual refresh rate which effectively makes it two monitors in one? Taking advantage of ultra high definition 5K with a refresh rate of 165Hz for editing tasks, but having the option to flip to QHD at 330Hz quickly for fast paced gaming all in the same monitor makes the GM9 even more impressive than it already is. LG claims 1,250 nits (HDR1000 rated) for brightness. There are some strict guidelines to achieve this benchmark including peak brightness surpassing 1,000 nits, 10-bit color (perfect for photo-video editing), and the ability to display true blacks at the same moment the display is showing the brightest level of whites. This ultimately translates into more realism and contrast resulting in a far superior picture that truly looks glorious. Thankfully LG has included built-in speakers. While I can’t find much information regarding wattage, they do sound nice and can get the job done for normal everyday use. The speakers and 3.5mm headphone jack also use the internal AI processing power to deliver the best sound quality possible at all times. The monitor is extremely easy to adjust with the on-screen menu. Adjusting all aspects of the monitor settings, including the refresh rate, is quick and easy. There are several custom game modes built right into the OSD and all are a few button presses away. The monitor design looks very modern and feels very well built. The base is solid metal that has no problem supporting the screen in both portrait and landscape mode. With the standard 100x100mm VESA mount, users can easily snap into the included stand, or mount it on a dedicated monitor arm if preferred. The GM9 includes 2x HDMI ports, a display port, 2x USB-A 3.2 ports, and a USB-C port. The USB-C port allows users to connect their laptop and use the GM9 as a second display while also charging your computer at the same time minimizing desk cable clutter. Excellent! Just keep in mind that the USB-C cable supplied in the box is only a standard type C cable. You will need to have a dedicated Thunderbolt 4 or 5 USB-C cable to run high bandwidth devices, such as laptops and gaming systems. What?! LG should have included this cable in the box as well. Lastly, the power brick. It is massive, but needed to achieve the high level of brightness, run the AI and perform the internal processing. This doesn’t bother me in the slightest, but should be noted. I measured 8” L x 3.75” W x 1 ⅜” thick. **** UPDATES & FIRMWARE **** Upon receiving any new piece of tech, the first thing I check is to see that the firmware is up to date. Firmware is imperative to keep any device running at peak performance and to fix any bugs or issues that have been reported. Thankfully, my GM9 came loaded with the current firmware. There is a direct link to the firmware and instructions for installation on the LG website. The process is simple and only takes a couple of minutes to be sure you are running the current version. **** IN CONCLUSION **** The LG UltraGear GM9 is, for lack of a better term, raising the bar yet again for what can be expected from manufacturers in the near future. It is just as at home displaying any type of game with the dual refresh rate, as it is editing ultra high definition video. It has all of the features I currently need and none that I don't. The AI upscaling, HDR 1000 rating, pixel density, peak brightness, and vivid colors, offer a truly compelling visual experience.

Got this monitor to test out how it compares to my main monitor as one of my recently failed. Visually it's decent looking monitor. It's mounted on an arm since I lack the desk space. I don't use the Lighting on the rear cause I find it distracting. I do prefer the more subdued less gamer aesthetics of monitors though. It's quite heavy as well. Compared to my other two displays, this feels like it weighs twice as much. There's definitely some heft to it. Games and such do look terrific on it, however, it being an IPS panel, there is plenty of blooming. My primary panel from another manufacturer is also a MINI-LED backlit panel and with the Local Dimming at it's highest setting, the display is pitch black and it's VA panel. It's contrast is 4000:1 compared to the 1000:1 on the LG. It's also got a peak of 1450-1500 Nits, so it's a pretty close comparison to brightness which is only 1200-1250 on the LG. Even with Local Dimming on it's highest on the LG, it does not feel as bright. Turning the setting down to Low, I was then getting a brighter view. Color is pretty good out of the box. I did download the Calibration tool but since I don't have the expensive equipment to do so, I can only deal with what I have. I really do wish that there were more displays that were glossy. The Matte Anti-Reflective coating on monitors these days rob you of so much quality. Despite being half the brightness of my primary, the Glossy monitor I also use pop's so much more than either of the MINI-LED panels and it is also an IPS, but only peaks around 700 Nits in HDR. The AI features seem to be a forget about it feature. My current PC build limits me running the display at 4k. Despite having a GPU (AMD 7900 XTX) that offers HDMI 2.1, DisplayPort 2.1 ports and DP over Type-C (TB4), if I try to run the display at 5k165, I have to reduce the refresh rates or resolution of my other 2 4k Panels. Obviously this is not something to blame on LG, but a limitation of my computer sadly (next year's cards will likely fix this). Trying to see what the difference is with the AI features on and off when upscaling from 4k is pretty minimal and more or less invisible. I imagine it would work better for the Dual Mode of 1440p@330hz where it's actually having to work to render such a lower resolution image. I did try testing it with lower resolutions on the monitor, but to be honest, if you're running it at non-native resolution, try as you might, it will never be sharp and always be blurred. With the AI on, I couldn't even discern a difference in Text Clarity as it looks identical on all 3 of my displays. The OSD is fairly intuitive and easy enough to control. I very much appreciate there is a Desktop app you can download from LG that allows you to control almost, if not all the monitor settings without have to touch the OSD. It is a most welcome feature and one I really wish every other manufacturer would adopt. Either that or give us a remote. Overall, it's nice looking monitor, it does get plenty bright for gaming, especially in HDR. Colors do pop, though if you've got the equipment to manually calibrate it, it's worth the time. Out of the box though, it should suffice for everyone. They do include your standard suite of cables, Type-C, HDMI and DP. The power brick is quite large as well, nearly twice the size of my main display. I can only hope that when the next generation of GPU's come out next year, there will be better support for multiple higher resolution displays. I feel like I'm really missing out being able to use the display at 5k like it's intended purpose.

The monitor has a great selection of inputs and the USB-C with alt display port was key reason to try out this monitor with my M5 base MB Pro. Overall, clarity and screen image sharpness and clarity was great. However, it doesn't handle HDR very well, it's okay but compared to my MB Pro screen it's not even a close comparison. It just doesn't have the dynamic range between the HDR highlights and rest of the image.

PROS: * Onboard speakers * 5K resolution looks amazing (text clarity is improved after the firmware update) * no blooming * Dual mode (1440p at 330Hz) * AI upscaling (I could only notice the big improvement on a few older games, but I was impressed) SO-SO: * Firmware updates have improved the product so far, especially the text clarity (I wish it had been launched with no issues) * Although I didn’t hook it up to a Mac, I’ve seen reports of issues with that (yet, I’m sure a firmware update will help with that if it hasn’t already) * Matte screen (I do not like matte screens, but this one in particular looks better than most I’ve had in the past) CONS: * Some inverse blooming on low dimming setting * Price ($1200 is a tad high considering it's not an OLED screen) Over the years, I’ve had a lot of great experiences with LG monitors and TVs. It seems as if they have it figured out with regard to quality screens, whether OLED, LCD, or LED. In this case, the GM9 comes with a Hyper Mini-LED screen that can output up to 5K. The picture quality is glorious. It’s very bright, vibrant, and smooth as can be. Coming from an OLED screen, I always hesitate to try to use an LED monitor because I’m a sucker for true blacks. LEDs are closing in on OLEDs, and the difference in blacks is narrowing each year. It’s not quite true blacks, but it’s getting there. I do believe the introductory price of $1200 is steep compared to many OLED gaming monitors. In fact, my upstairs monitor was close to the same price, and it’s a QD-OLED that has one of the best picture qualities I’ve ever seen on a screen. On the other hand, this is one of the newest LED tech, so I understand it will be more expensive than a typical LED monitor. The question is, is the price difference worth it? I don’t think so. I am still an OLED believer. LEDs have traditionally been better for text than OLEDs, but unfortunately, when I unboxed it and began using it on day one, the text clarity left a lot to be desired. I changed around the settings to the best of my ability, but it was still not great. LG issued a firmware update that resolved the issue, and I’m glad they were quick with it, as that would have been a huge negative for reviewers. It’s always wise to update any firmware when getting new tech, especially in 2026. Another aspect that I wasn’t happy to see is the use of a matte screen. LEDs are so bright that they often need a matte finish to cut down on glare from lights behind you. I’ve always just turned my lights off when dealing with glare, because I’d rather do that than see the matte finish on the screen. If you sit close to your monitor, as I do, you’ll notice it. But, like I’ve always done before, I got used to it fairly quickly, and the clarity and brightness of the screen help with that too. You wouldn’t think that the difference between 4K and 5K was big, but for me, it is. I love the 5K clarity. The hyper mini-LED technology is spectacular. It is a weight off my back regarding the fear of burn-in. I’ve never experienced burn-in with my OLED screens; however, the thought is always there, and it can be annoying to have the screen pixel cleaner run for 5-8 minutes when all I want to do is check something quickly. Fortunately, I found no blooming when setting things up to my liking. I did, however, encounter inverse blooming on the low dimming setting. I was looking for it, so compared to a blooming issue, I’d say it wasn’t a big deal. Both the high and medium local dimming settings eliminate blooming entirely. The real star of the show, besides the picture quality, is the dual mode. 1440p @ 330Hz is outstanding for gaming. I’m not a competitive gamer by any means, but even I was impressed with the smoothness and response time while playing Escape from Tarkov. To me, it doesn’t diminish the clarity of the graphics in 330Hz mode.

The LG UltraGear evo AI GM9 (I'll just call it the 27GM950B) is a fantastic monitor and probably one of the best IPS monitors you can buy short of OLED. Out of the box, the 27GM950B is sleek and minimalistic. I like LG's design language and this one is no different. Setup is easy plug and play. The native true 5K resolution is sharp and crisp. It can support up to a 165 Hz refresh rate at 5K or 330 Hz at 1440p. To be honest, I have nowhere near powerful a graphic card to max and test this but it's there if you can. Motion looks good with just some mild blurring at times. The AI upscaling was actually fairly impressive especially for console gaming. I was able to plug in my Nintendo Switch and there were some notable improvements in sharpness. Response time was good. With the mini-LED panel, there is still some blooming but still fairly good compared to a standard LED panel. There is the local dimming option which significantly improves the contrast ratio. Unfortunately, the entire screen gets pretty dim when you crank up the local dimming, so if you want to take advantage of its full brightness, you have to turn off local dimming. If you do, it does get fairly bright which is an advantage over OLED. I do think it's a bit annoying to mess with the local dimming based on what you do. Color accuracy was good. For non-gaming tasks, office tasks are obviously no issues with crisp text. Streaming content was very enjoyable. If you edit videos as well, this monitor also should be able to handle that. All in all, I think the 27GM950B is an excellent monitor. I was skeptical about the utility of a 5K monitor and whether you could even notice the difference, but it is definitely noticeable and very enjoyable to use. Images are sharp and vivid. I think if you are looking to splurge on a non-OLED monitor, then this should be on your list.