LG 27GX790A 480 Hz OLED review: Bright, colorful, and fast

27-inch OLED gaming monitor with 480 Hz, Adaptive-Sync, HDR10, and wide gamut color

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LG 27GX790A
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(Image: © Tom's Hardware)

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Uncalibrated – Maximum Backlight Level

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LG 27GX790A
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

To find the 27GX790A’s highest possible SDR brightness, I set Peak Brightness on High and measured a 25% window pattern. At 415 nits, you’ll see bright highlights against a true black background, which means it, like all OLEDs, has infinite dynamic range. If you turn Peak Brightness off, making it constant, it tops out at just over 250 nits.

After Calibration to 200 nits

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LG 27GX790A
(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

Calibration has no effect other than to reduce peak brightness to 200 nits. Refer to the table on the previous page to see what values I used with Peak Brightness set to High or Off. You can get 200 nits either way. Both static and intra-image contrast are the same unmeasurable value.

Test Takeaway: The 27GX790A is a bit brighter than most other comparable OLEDs and stands out by offering two levels of variable brightness. Other than that, it delivers the same contrast performance as any OLED, regardless of size or resolution.

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Christian Eberle
Christian Eberle
Contributing Editor

Christian Eberle is a Contributing Editor for Tom's Hardware US. He's a veteran reviewer of A/V equipment, specializing in monitors. Christian began his obsession with tech when he built his first PC in 1991, a 286 running DOS 3.0 at a blazing 12MHz. In 2006, he undertook training from the Imaging Science Foundation in video calibration and testing and thus started a passion for precise imaging that persists to this day. He is also a professional musician with a degree from the New England Conservatory as a classical bassoonist which he used to good effect as a performer with the West Point Army Band from 1987 to 2013. He enjoys watching movies and listening to high-end audio in his custom-built home theater and can be seen riding trails near his home on a race-ready ICE VTX recumbent trike. Christian enjoys the endless summer in Florida where he lives with his wife and Chihuahua and plays with orchestras around the state.