LG 32UD99-W 32-Inch 4K UHD IPS Monitor with HDR 10 (2017)

A quick rundown on this monitor's specifications: 3840x2160p resolution, IPS panel, wide color gamut allowing for 95% coverage of the DCI-P3 color space and 550 nits of brightness for High Dynamic Range (HDR) performance. The monitor has an attractive design with a super thin bezel, a silver crescent stand, is fully adjustable both horizontally and vertically, has two HDMI 2.0a/HDCP 2.2 ports, 2 USB ports, one DisplayPort 1.2, and one USB C input. The USB C input is particularly impressive as it transmits a video signal while simultaneously offering a power stream to charge certain connected peripherals. One word of caution about this monitor though, it is NOT a native 10-bit panel, it’s 8-bit (+FRC) which allows the panel to theoretically reach 1.07 billion colors, as if it were a native 10-bit panel.I've had this monitor for three days and so far it completely blows my ASUS Designo MX279H, Samsung S27E591C, and BenQ GW2760HS monitors out of the water - I mean, it's not even close. Granted, those monitors are 1080p monitors, but still, the overall image quality is far and away better on the LG panel in nearly every respect. Image clarity, obviously, is excellent on the LG panel. The 4K panel - at 31.5 inches - has a pixel density of 139.87 ppi, offering stunningly sharp images, both when gaming and watching 4K movies. As far as I can tell, there is no pixel artifacting or any other other visual oddities to report.Beyond 4K, the panel provides accurate and vivid color reproduction. Pushing 99% sRGB and 95% DCI-P3, this panel produces colors nearly on par with that of OLED screens - only really trailing Samsung's QLED TVs - which can generate roughly 99% of the DCI-P3 color space. The fact that LG has been able to produce such vibrant color with an 8-bit + FRC panel is truly astounding. "Frame rate control" or "FRC" technology does an excellent job expanding the panel's color expression beyond 8-bit/16.7 million colors, effectively "tricking" the viewer into seeing 10-bit/1.07 billion color depth. Google 8-bit + FRC for a more detailed explanation of FRC technology.In terms of HDR, the UD99 performs quite well. Many will likely scratch their heads whe reading that statement. I get it. After all, the UD99 "only" generates 550 cd/m2 brightness, which, many people argue, simply isn’t enough to make HDR "pop." Well, to be blunt, they're wrong. I own a JS8500 Samsung LED SUHD TV and it "only" generates around 530 cd/m2 brightness, but I find it more than adequate for HDR purposes. Hell, even LG's 2016 OLED TV's topped out around 600 cd/m2, and you’d be hard pressed to find anyone disappointed with their HDR performance. Simply put, the LG UD99 produces a very bright, very rich - and for an IPS panel - decently contrasted image. I've done some research online, and based on the particular setting you choose on the UD99 (i.e first person shooter, photo mode, etc.) the monitor can range from a paltry 700:1 static contrast ratio, to a relatively impressive 1500:1 static ratio. I've watched a few 4K movies on the UD99, including Underworld: Blood Wars and Ghostbusters - both extremely dark movies - and came away reasonably impressed with the edge-lit IPS panel; blacks were dark, though I would hesitate to call them inky. Don’t expect OLED level performance…but that should really go without saying.Now on to perhaps the best aspect of the UD99: input lag. Lag, known as the time it takes for an input or signal to be displayed onscreen, has been measured at an astounding 4-6ms on this monitor. That is insanely fast. Quite honestly, I've yet to see any competing panel even come close to this measurement - not OLED, not VA, not even TN. There's a caveat though, the UD99's pixel response time, known as the amount of time it takes for a pixel to change color, is between 5.4-9ms (depending on the setting selected), which, while decent, is not great compared to some 1ms VA and TN panels. So while the UD99's input lag is extremely low, it's responsiveness is somewhat mitigated by an average, to at times, below average pixel response time - at least on paper. In reality, I've played the PS4 PRO on the UD99 for a number of hours and have found it to be very responsive. I've noticed little if any input lag, and absolutely zero smearing, streaking, or smudging during fast moving games like BF1 or Driveclub. This monitor is one of the most responsive monitors I have ever tested, making it an excellent choice for console gaming. It's also great for PC gaming, though PC enthusiasts should keep in mind this monitor maxes out at 60hz.Simply put, if you're looking to maximize your PS4 Pro or the upcoming Xbox One X, buy the UD99 with confidence. HDR games like Uncharted 4 look absolutely stunning on the UD99, it's truly something to behold. Add in the extremely low input lag, and you have a console gaming powerhouse. What’s more, the monitor comes with a number of convenient presets, 16 of them to be exact, including "first person shooter", "REC-709", "sRGB", and "HDR effect" just to name a few. Also useful, the monitor automatically detects HDR sources and allows you to choose from a separate list of "HDR presets", like "HDR game", "HDR standard", "HDR vivid", or "HDR cinema."The UD99 is a great monitor, if I could, I'd give it 4.5 stars, but such is not an option, so it's getting 4 stars. Why you might ask? Simply put: IPS glow and blooming. This is not necessarily LG's fault, but rather an inherent flaw with IPS and edge-lit LED panels. In the case of the UD99, the LED runs along the bottom of the screen. During dark scenes in Resident Evil 7 for example, I could see light blooms from the bottom of the panel. At times, it can be a bit distracting, but on the whole, it's not a deal breaker (see pictures). Under normal operation, the blooming is generally not visible. Only during the darkest of scenes does it occasionally rear its ugly head. Again though, this is not OLED technology here, so no one should be expecting perfect blacks. One does wonder if LG could have implemented a full-array backlighting (FALD) system to minimize blooming and maximize contrast. I'm sure such a decision would have driven the price of the UD99 upward though, pushing it out of its admittedly sweet $1000 price point.The UD99 also has what I would deem to be an average amount of "IPS glow." Again, not necessarily LG's fault, but more or less a deficiency with in plane switching technology. As I stated with the blooming, the IPS glow is only visible during particularly dark scenes, and even then, it's not a deal breaker. Just be aware, it's there and you will notice it on occasion.On a side note, the panel is also a bit slow to change input sources. When I change from my PC on HDMI 2 to my Pro on HDMI 1, sometimes it takes the UD99 a few seconds to "catch up" and display the image. It's not too long, maybe on the order of 7-8 seconds, but still, it can be a bit disconcerting the first time it happens. After a while, it can also get a bit annoying. Maybe this is something LG can fix with a future firmware update?In the end, the LG UD99 is a great piece of technology. It is the DEFINITIVE monitor for console gaming. It corners the largely barren 32" 4K monitor market, all while providing HDR, wide color gamut, and incredibly low input-lag. If you want a monitor for your PRO, look no further than the UD99. Likewise, if you want a monitor for surfing the web and working on photos in Adobe, look no further than the UD99. However, if you want a monitor for watching 4K movies, I'd recommend you look elsewhere. Make no mistake, the UD99 produces some remarkably sharp 4K imagery and movies can look truly breathtaking, but its edge-lit, IPS panel does not lend itself well to home theater. If you plan on watching movies a majority of the time, look for a VA monitor from Samsung. Better yet, just get an LG OLED B7. With all that said, I wholeheartedly endorse the UD99 as a console gaming monitor as it has most of the bells and whistles anyone could ask for, and at $1000, it's actually a very good value.UPDATE 9/5/17: After roughly one week of use, the external power brick on this monitor has died, rendering the monitor useless. I know its the power brick because I tried plugging in the power brick/cord from my Samsung monitor and the LG UD99 works. Kind of ridiculous that I have to deal with this after 7 days. Will contact LG and let everyone know how it goes.UPDATE 9/6/17: Got home from work today and the LG external power supply miraculously worked. This is strange as it would not work the previous night - at all, no matter what I did. I will monitor the situation closely and report any findings over the coming days.UPDATE 9/12/17: A/C adapter dead. Contacted LG for new one - they said I'd have it in 7-10 business days.UPDATE 9/19/17: New A/C adapter arrived from LG - works flawlessly. Thanks LG! My customer service experience was great.

Simply put, this monitor is an absolute beast, the unit I received was manufactured in July and has the least amount of back-light bleed I've observed on an IPS monitor, and I've used hundreds. I've worked in the graphics industry for years. I had this paired with the Samsung CF791, the difference between this and the Samsung were unbelievable, near comical. I bought this monitor mostly to play games, PS4 Pro, Xbox One X and PC and I wanted something with HDR capability. I was going to buy the Dell UP2718Q, though just couldn't get past it being a 27-inch monitor, vice a 32-inch, IMO, to get the best from a 4K source you are better off with a 32-inch display, or larger. I prefer no bigger than a 32-inch for maximum PPI and it's enough size for text clarity without the need to scale. I play all my games, PS4 HDR and non HDR with brightness turned down to 35, contrast at 65, much more realistic picture and not overly bloomed, due to the excessive brightness. I can't imagine needing a 1000nits, I'm sure it has it's utility in the big scheme and would ultimately be more superior, though this panel has been bright enough (more so) with every game I've played on it. One nice feature your HDR settings, stop and stay with that profile immediately as you close an HDR app, really nice to have your regular settings and HDR independent of each other.I've played at least 30 games or so a few minutes here and there to get a good understanding of how well 32UD99 performs during gameplay. Some of the PS4 Pro HDR games I've tested, NBA 2K17, Infamous Second Son and First Light, Ghost Recon, Knack II demo, Final Fantasy XV, Horizon Zero Dawn, Mass Effect, Last of Us, and then several non-HDR games as well. All of them performed great, no noticeable input lag except for Ghost Recon, which appears to have the poorest HDR implementation. I played one PC HDR game, Halo Wars 2, looked fantastic, surreal to a degree. No issues with brightness or clarity on any game I've played. This monitor is also very fast with gray to gray transitions, even though it's stated as 4ms, it performs nearly as good or better than TNs with advertised 1-2ms.I also own the non-HDR version, LG 32UD59-B, if you don't need HDR, this is LG's 4K VA panel, this monitor is magnitudes better than the Samsung CF791 and UH850, they're just not even in the same league. I wanted so bad to keep the CF791, aesthetically, when turned off, it looked great with the 1500r etc., though once you turned it on in comparison to the 59-B, things were immediately put in perspective.Pros:- Construction quality, attention to detail, LG put their their hearts into this thing, it's their flagship and it shows, it's near monolithic.- HDR capability is much better than I expected, I was concerned given it was an IPS display, less than 1000 nits and without at least 384 dimming zones, typically what you would look for an HDR display. Hence the reason I was considering the Dell, even though it was IPS based as well, I can safely say, those worries were cast aside immediately when I played the PS4 on this, just wow...I was taken back.- AG on this screen is simply the best and clearest I've observed outside of my favorite (glossy displays), this is the next best thing, no glare, absolutely crystal clear.- The calibration sheet I received showed less than 1% deviation, the most accurate calibration I've observed via factory settings. It essentially was a flat line across the sheet, the Samsung CF791 looked like a staircase.- Placement of the inputs, EVERY MONITOR EVER should feature horizontal placement, vice the vertical IMO.- Color purity, screen uniformity, simplicity and an array of image options. Immediately recognized HDR on my PC for when playing Halo Wars 2, no need to change or alter anything.- Speakers for a monitor are really good for music and news, not going to replace my Z-5500's, though more than adequate, very clear and precise audio.- Input lag for HDR gaming is much better than any TV out that I know of.Cons:- Would have been better to have dimming zones and 1000+nits, though hard to complain, the image quality is pristine. Gaming is amazing, just so immersive. I have the Sony 900e and the Vizio P50-C1 and I strongly prefer gaming on this vice my two TVs. 32-inch has always been my favorite size gaming screen, and this is simply the best to ever come out in that regard. I got lucky I guess, mine is flawless, heard some have had BLB, for me, not an issue at all.- Price, to me, monitors have skyrocketed in cost lately, basically corporate greed. Yes, some technologies have emerged, though compared to TVs, monitors are incredibly overpriced. LG is no where near the offender compared to some other manufacturers, though still overpriced.

If you are looking to get this monitor, there is one thing you might want to take into consideration.

I do not know it the product works, since customer support is HORRIBLE.They are cluelessAlso every time you turn it on, a notice appears about using their cables.

Excellent

Got it. Love the monitor and everything about it, except the light bleed at the edges of the monitor. It is TERRIBLE.

Almost, or even mostly, does count when we're talking about a monitor at this price point. Overall, the majority of the display display looks solid.

The quality of the picture is great, and the color looks great but it has some issues with light bleed on the edges around the panel frame and I can see it.

The whole screen will switch to black and all USB signal will be lost for 1-2 seconds at random times. No information/help from technical support.

Coming from 2 ASUS Pro Art's these monitors are awesome, extremely bright, dark blacks, no tuning needed, straight out of box and they worked awesome. Worth every penny.

Hands down the best Monitor i've ever owned and i've owned some great monitors. Its just awesome, and means i will buy LG monitors going forward until they disappoint.

Tried 2 of these and both had image ghosting/burn-in. Going to try to 2018 27" model next