Our Verdict
81%
Ideal for working from home, especially if you have limited desk space.
The LG 27QN880 is one of a new trend of business and productivity-focused monitors that have a compact desk-clamp stand rather than a desktop stand. The idea is that it offers more ergonomic adjustment than typical desktop stands, freeing up desk space in the process. The counterpoint is that you could just buy any other monitor and attach it to an aftermarket desk-clamp stand, but the 27QN880 has a few advantages.
First, there’s the fact that you don’t have to spend extra money on a good-quality third-party stand. These stands start at around £30, with the better-quality options usually going for £50-£100.
As such, if you know you’re never going to use a desktop stand, you’ll save some money. The second advantage is that you get a stand that matches the screen and is also easy to fit to it. The 27GN880 may have a plain, all-black finish but that’s no guarantee that a third-party stand would match it properly.
As for the quality of the stand, it looks very smart, and has a simple, strong and easily adjustable clamp mechanism for attaching to your desk – it will accommodate desk thicknesses from just a few millimetres to several inches. The gas-assisted height-adjust system is perfectly balanced too, while the rotation mechanism is all but effortless. Only the tilt and pivot movements are a little stiffer.
The rotation here comes via three joints, with the stand itself spinning 180 degrees, and two small arm joints allowing the display to spin fully 280 degrees around itself.
Those arms also allow the display to extend out or compress back in against the wall. You don’t quite get the flat-to-the-wall ability of the Samsung Space Monitor here, but the LG’s stand is more versatile.
The other big addition here is a USB Type-C connection for video and providing up to 60W of power to attached devices. You get a cable in the box too. DisplayPort and two HDMI ports are also on hand for standard PC connections, and there’s a 2-port USB 3 hub.
Meanwhile, the screen itself is a fairly standard 27in model with a 2,560 x 1,440 pixel resolution. It uses LG’s IPS LCD technology, giving it great viewing angles and colour reproduction. Indeed, image quality overall is as good as you’d hope for the business/creative market at which this screen is aimed.
Out of the box, colour balance (6,772K) and gamma (2.18) are close enough to ideal for most work. Truly colour critical work will require the screen to be calibrated but most users will get by without a colorimeter.
We measured contrast at 936:1, which is typical for an IPS panel, although a long way from giving any credence to the HDR claims LG makes about this display. Likewise, the up to 112 per cent sRGB colour space coverage isn’t properly HDR-ready. This display is recommended to run at 60Hz, but it can also run at 75Hz and includes FreeSync support (that works with G-Sync too). That gets you slightly smoother gaming performance if you want it, but gaming clearly isn’t this monitor’s focus.
LG 27QN880 pros and cons
Pros
- Versatile ergonomic stand
- Good overall image quality
- Useful USB Type-C connection
- Saves desk space
Cons
- Basic gaming performance
- Pointless HDR credentials
LG 27QN880 specs
- Screen size: 27in
- Resolution: 2,560 x 1,440
- Panel technology: IPS
- Maximum refresh rate: 75Hz
- Stated response time: 5ms
- Stated contrast 1,000:1
- Adaptive sync: FreeSync and G-Sync support
- Display inputs: 1 x DisplayPort 1.4, 2 x HDMI, USB Type-C
- Audio: 2 x 5W speakers, headphone out
- Stand adjustment: Height, pivot, rotation, tilt
- Extras: Desk-clamp stand, 100 x 100mm VESA mount, 2-port USB 3 hub
LG 27QN880 price
Price: Expect to pay $400 USD / £400 GBP
LG 27QN880 review conclusion
A versatile compact stand, a handy USB Type-C connection and excellent image quality make the LG 27QN880 a great general productivity display. Gaming performance is as limited as you’d expect, but if you want a decent monitor that will save you desk space, then the 27QN880 is a solid option.