LG has introduced a new 31.5-inch monitor aimed at the midrange market. Dubbed the 32UK550-B, it's an Ultra-HD display that supports HDR10, covers 95% of the DCI-P3 color space, and features AMD’s FreeSync dynamic refresh rate tech. The unit appears to be LG’s first HDR-capable large-screen LCD in a sub-$500 price band. For its initial announcement LG focused on Japan, but I have no doubt we'll eventually see for sale in other countries as well.

The 32UK550-B is based on a VA panel with a native 3840×2160 resolution. The panel can reproduce 1.07 billion colors over 95% of the DCI-P3 color space, or alternatively it can hit 100% of the sRGB color gamut. As an added bonus, the monitor comes factory-calibrated. The panel features a 300 nits typical brightness, a 3000:1 contrast ratio, a 4 ms GtG response time, a 60 Hz refresh rate, and your VA-standard 178°/178° horizontal/vertical viewing angles.

The monitor also supports HDR10, AMD’s FreeSync dynamic refresh rate technology with a 40 – 60 Hz range, and LG’s Super Resolution+ upscaling tech. It's also worth noting that the display features LF’s Black Stabilizer (increases brightness of dark scenes in games) and Dynamic Action Sync (bypasses internal processing to reduce input lag) modes for gaming, so it looks like LG is also aiming the monitor at casual gamers.

When it comes to input/output capabilities, the 32UK550-B is equipped with two HDMI 2.0a ports, as well as one DisplayPort 1.2 input. All of the display inputs support HDCP 2.2, which of course is required by most major services to watch Ultra-HD and/or HDR10 content. Meanwhile the monitor has two 5 W speakers and a headphone output for audio, however you won't find any USB ports.

Specifications of the LG 32UK550-B Display
  32UK550-B
Panel 31.5" VA
Native Resolution 3840 × 2160
Maximum Refresh Rate 60 Hz
Response Time 4 ms
Brightness 300 cd/m² (typical)
Contrast 3000:1
Viewing Angles 178°/178° horizontal/vertical
HDR HDR10
Dynamic Refresh Rate AMD FreeSync (at 40 ~ 60 Hz)
Pixel Pitch 0.1816 mm²
Pixel Density 140 ppi
Display Colors 1.07 billion
Color Gamut Support DCI-P3: 95%
sRGB: 100%
Stand Tilt (5~15°),
height (110 mm) adjustable
Inputs 1 × DisplayPort 1.2
2 × HDMI 2.0a
HDCP 2.2
USB Hub -
Audio 5 W × 2
audio out port
Launch Price ~$500 (not confirmed by LG)

Looking at LG's broader lineup, the company has offered sub-$500 31.5-inch 4K displays in its lineup for a while now. For example, the company has been selling its 32UD60-B monitor for around $500 since early 2018. Unlike the flagship 32UD99-W and 32UK950-W, LG’s inexpensive 31.5-inch Ultra-HD LCDs do not use IPS panels, but rely on the VA technology. In the meantime, the 32UK550-B is LG’s first reasonably priced large 4K monitor to support the HDR10 transport format. With that said, while the monitor can take an HDR signal, its 300 nits brightness is barely enough for a quality HDR experience. But at least the tech is supported on paper, right?

LG Japan will start sales of the 32UK550-B display on October 11 with an MSRP of ¥55,000 w/o tax ($485). Considering the fact that PC hardware is usually a bit more expensive in Japan, I'd expect the monitor to cost around $500 in other countries. In the meantime, LG offers its sans-HDR VA-based 32UD60-B for around $530 in the U.S.

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Sources: LG Japan, PC Watch

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  • ezridah - Tuesday, October 2, 2018 - link

    They do monitors. The amount they have reviewed isn't very impressive and they don't seem to be reviewing them as often as TVs, but it's better than nothing.
  • haukionkannel - Sunday, September 30, 2018 - link

    Well 600+ is minimum I think that you see the difference...
    1000+ ones Are really expensive... but 600” Are reasonable.
  • jabber - Saturday, September 29, 2018 - link

    I wonder how this would look hooked up to a FireTV box and a soundbar for TV use?
  • sing_electric - Wednesday, October 3, 2018 - link

    Probably a lot better than any 32" TV you could buy, but, on the other hand, it's double the cost of a lot of 32" 4K TVs....
  • Icehawk - Saturday, September 29, 2018 - link

    I have their older, non-HDR, panel and for the $400ish I paid it is a phenomenal deal IMO. Works great for games and is large enough I don’t squint like I do at my 27”” 2k at normal scaling. If only my boss would sign off on one at work...
  • SanX - Saturday, September 29, 2018 - link

    Thanks to TV tech evolution the times when monitor mafia charged $4000 for the monitor are gone and forgotten.

    It is not for PC monitors you all have to look but for the best TVs connected to PC with the minimum input lag below 20ms, game mode and 4:4:4 color at highest possible refresh rate (60Hz minimum). And yes, the 50" is absolute minimum size below which everything is just a 100% garbage.
  • milkod2001 - Tuesday, October 2, 2018 - link

    Monitor mafia? That's nothing. Ever heard of washing machine mafia? They tend to overcharge for products big time!
  • ados_cz - Monday, October 1, 2018 - link

    Bring on 40"+ 4k 100Hz, with curved screen and 'any'-sync and take my money.

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