Best USB-C 4K HDR Monitor for 2018 MacBook Pros? (LG27UK850)
Video transcript below:
Hey guys, Dan here from CLE Tech and today were going to talk about the LG 27UK850 4K HDR USB C Monitor with HDR 10 and while that sounds like a mouthful and very complicated, the truth is, its not. This is one of LG’s latest offerings in the more affordable 4K HDR monitor lineups and I had a chance to test one out for a bit and I wanted to give you my thoughts.
Before we fire this monitor up, lets go over the design of the monitor. Like a lot of LG’s monitors and products in general, the design is simple and functional. You’ll notice that the panel is near edge to edge with the bulk of the bezels being on the bottom chin where your LG logo is located along with some buttons underneath. The monitor is held up by this ergonomic stand which actually has a name and that is the ArcLine stand. The smooth curve of the base definitely lends its hand to more stability which not only makes it look cool but you know this monitor isnt going to topple over if somebody runs into your desk.
Its also height adjustable, like most monitor stands these days as well as the ability to tilt the monitor forward and back AND for you developers or web designers out there, you can rotate the monitor 90 degrees for more vertical screen real estate.
On the bottom of the monitor you do have 2 5W MAXX Audio speakers and for what its worth, they sound pretty good for built in monitor speakers but I would still recommend adding some external speakers for a better audio experience. Theres also a button located right in the bottom center of the monitor and this will act as your main navigation button, helping you select and navigate through various menu settings and different inputs.
Speaking of inputs, on the back you have 2 HDMI ports with HDR 10 support, 1 Display Port, 1 USB C capable of 60W power delivery, which would be enough to say charge your MacBook or Surface Book with the use of only 1 cable, a 3.5mm port and 2 USB type A ports.
I am definitely a fan of the two toned white and black look and also, as another miscellaneous note, the cable management hooks on the monitor stand is a nice added bonus, especially for someone like me, who seemingly allows tends to neglect his cable management.
So when testing out the 27UK850, the first thing that I notices is just how sharp and crisp this 27” 4K IPS display can get. Colors seemed to be pretty accurate as well, which is good because LG is boasting a 99% sRGB spectrum coverage, which essentially means for someone like me who edits videos for a living, color accuracy is important.
Now in terms of the added HDR effect, I didnt really notice that much of a difference. According to LG’s website, you can actually turn this effect on to help transform non HDR content into HDR, but it didnt really do much for me. Thats not to say that the non HDR content looked bad. In fact, this monitor out of the box has looked great but I dont think a setting like this will make it noticeably better. Because of HDR 10 and the color accuracy, youre going to notice the vivid colors and overall brightness compared to most monitors or even your laptops dedicated screen.
Now, my other favorite feature of course, is the ability to use one single USB C cable to both charge my laptop and of course use the display. This works with both my 2018 MacBook Pro and the SurfaceBook 2 that I have here.
Bottom line, for $699, there aren’t many monitors out there that are as bright, vivid, and color accurate as the LG 27UK850. Now like I mentioned earlier, I obviously edit videos for a living and that was my main test case for this monitor but it is possible to game on this monitor with a few features that LG added like AMD FreeSync, which can hopefully had a more seamless and fluid experience with hi res fast paced games. This should help eliminate any screen tearing or stuttering for those serious gamers, LG also offers custom game modes and settings like Black Stabilizer and Dynamic Action Sync.
If youre looking for a great 4K HDR monitor in this price range, this would be the one to go with. Especially for you video editors out there using a MacBook Pro with USB C support and want a great plug and play solution when working at your office.
Let me know what you think of this monitor and if you plan to pick one up in the comments down below and be sure to subscribe to the channel so you dont miss more videos like this one in the future. As always, thanks for watching and I will see you in the next one.