Technologies
LG UltraGear OLED 27 Gaming Monitor Review: Part Beauty, Part Beast
HDR, OLED’s naturally high contrast and a 240Hz refresh rate can make games look beautiful, but this monitor’s brightness behavior may make other tasks beastly.
LG’s UltraGear gaming monitors are some of the most popular models you can buy, so the $1,000, 240Hz 27-inch UltraGear 27GR95QE-B OLED HDR model sounded like one of the most interesting monitors to launch at CES this year. And it’s certainly interesting. OLED screens have the highest contrast you can find in a display thanks to their true blacks, and their naturally wide color gamut makes them excellent for TV screens.
But because monitors are used for so many different types of tasks, OLED’s strengths can occasionally become weaknesses and some of the technology’s inherent weaknesses, like brightness, need to be finessed. LG succeeds at gaming, for the most part, but doesn’t entirely succeed at all the other things the monitor needs to do when you’re not playing. There are some things that competing technologies like Quantum Dot OLED, found in monitors such as the Alienware 34 QD-OLED models, handle a bit better.
The UltraGear OLED 27 has a curved 45-inch sibling, the $1,700 45GR95QE-B. It has similar specs to the 27-inch model, with some similar complaints, but its low resolution for its size (3,440×1,440 pixels) means it’s not great for a lot of general uses despite its productivity-friendly dimensions.
LG UltraGear OLED 27GR95QE-B
Like
- Well constructed with good physical layout
- A ton of features
Don’t Like
- Some people don’t like the antiglare screen
- Can only access all the settings with the remote control
- Brightness performance issues
Design and features
The monitor’s physical design hits most of my checklist items for a «yay!» Easy to access ports: check. Easily maneuverable cable management: check. Solid build quality: check. A stand that allows the screen to pivot, swivel and adjust the height: check. Its only illumination is stripes wrapping around the electronics section the screen is mounted on, which may be too subtle for some people, but I like it. Plus, it looks like a gaming monitor without looking like every other gaming monitor.
The vents around the electronics section can be lit up.
Lori Grunin/CNETBut I hate that you can only access the full set of menu options via the remote. There are a few (like inputs) that you can get to using the hard-to-manipulate single joystick on the monitor and a few more that you can get to using LG’s OnScreen Control software, but a lot of the nitty gritty stuff — gamma and white balance choices, for example — requires the remote. And being able to maintain a slim profile with the skinny OLED screen means it’s got a huge AC adapter brick.
LG UltraGear OLED 27GR95QE-B
| Price | $1,000 |
|---|---|
| Size (diagonal) | 26.5 in (67cm) |
| Panel and backlight | OLED |
| Flat or curved | Flat |
| Resolution, pixel density | 2,560×1,440 pixels, 111ppi |
| Aspect ratio | 16:9 |
| Maximum gamut | 98.5% P3 |
| Brightness (nits, peak/typical) | 1,000 (HDR)/200 (SDR) |
| HDR | HDR10 |
| Adaptive sync | FreeSync Premium and G-Sync Compatible |
| Max vertical refresh rate | 240Hz (DisplayPort and HDMI) |
| Gray/gray response time (milliseconds) | 0.03ms |
| Connections | 2x HDMI 2.1, 1x DisplayPort 1.4, 2x USB-A (plus USB 3.0 upstream) |
| Audio | 3.5mm, SPDIF out; DTS:X support |
| VESA mountable | Yes, 100×100 mm |
| Panel warranty | 2 years parts and labor |
| Release date | January 2023 |
It has an extensive feature set as well. That includes all the basics for gaming, plus a full-range slider for the Black Stabilizer (a necessity for OLED), LG’s Dynamic Action Sync mode, which reduces latency between the system and the screen, and HDMI 2.1 for use with variable refresh-rate supporting Xbox Series X and S, and PS5.
But it’s got a ton of color and image-adjustment options that you rarely see in a gaming monitor, like 18 steps of manual white balance. The LG Calibration Studio is a full-featured profiling tool, complete with recalibration reminders, a host of predefined target spaces (including CIE RGB, Apple RGB, monochrome and a fully user-definable one) and the ability to save two of the custom profiles as hardware presets.
The ports are not only easily accessible, but they sit on either side of the stand so you don’t have to try to tilt or rotate it to accommodate hand contortions in order to plug something in.
Lori Grunin/CNETThe calibration software can be a bit glitchy, but it’s generally well designed. I’m a big fan of being able to set all the options on a single screen, and it’s pretty straightforward to understand and use. There’s one big thing I miss, though, and that’s the choice of calibrating for a full screen (as with most calibration software) rather than just within a 10% window. In the case of the LG, it’s critically important.
Performance
Basically, in SDR the screen can hit around 200 nits for any screen coverage except full screen. At that point, it seems like it drops to a maximum of around 150 nits. That’s why it seems so dim for most general use — because most of us work on full white screens. The perception of dimness isn’t helped by the excellent antiglare treatment, and a more matte finish makes it seem like it’s lower contrast as well, despite OLED’s effectively infinite contrast. People have complained that they wish the screen was more like the typical glossy TV OLED, which tends to look brighter with more saturated colors, but, well, I loathe glossy screens for the same reasons. I’m used to swimming upstream in life.
But it also screws up calibration, because LG’s software (and presumably its factory) calibrates over an area that has different brightness characteristics than full screen, which screws up the gamma calculations. You may not have any problems with gamma oddities and a lot of profile definitions (like sRGB) are based around low peak brightness, partly because they were defined for a time when monitors tended to peak at 200 or 250 nits. However if you’re, say, doing illustrations on a paper white background, it can mess things up and certainly makes color unpredictable.
SDR Color measurements
| Preset | Gamut (% coverage) | White point | Gamma | Peak brightness | Accuracy (DE2K average/max) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gamer 1 (default) | 97% P3 | 7,950K | 2.2 | 205 | 5.3/18.4 |
| Gamer 1 (with manual white balance setting C1) | 97% P3 | 6,450K | 2.2 | 188 | 1.9/3.58 |
| Gamer 2 | n/a | 6,900K | 1.2 | 206 | n/a |
| FPS | n/a | 6,800K | 0.97 | 163 | n/a |
| RTS | n/a | 6,500K | 0.83 | 139 | n/a |
| sRGB | 96% sRGB | 6,150K | 1.6 | 110 | 4.06/8.17 |
| Vivid | 97% P3 | 8,600K | 0.93 | 139 | 14.6/27.13 |
| Custom calibration: Adobe RGB (75% window) | 90% Adobe RGB | 6,400K | 2.2 | 197 | 1.8/4.6 |
| Custom calibration: Adobe RGB (full screen) | 90 % Adobe RGB | 6,400K | 1.2 | 170 (at 95% gray), 144 (white) | 5.7/12.1 |
That’s illustrated by the two Adobe RGB calibrations in the chart: I calibrated the monitor using LG Studio, with its 10% window, then measured the results with fractional and full-screen targets in Calman 2023. You can always use a third-party calibration utility to massage it to work, but those profiles can’t be saved as a monitor preset.
The brightness variability also results in odd results for the gaming presets which are further complicated by the Black Stabilizer settings. (OLED can render pure black, which is a case traditional gamma calculations was never meant to handle, so the ability to boost the brightness in shadow areas is essential for visibility.)
The shape of the gamma curve doesn’t really matter much for gaming; appropriate — rather than accurate — shadow detail, contrast, brightness and color matter a lot more (though game designers might disagree). DAS isn’t a pixel refresh booster (OLED is plenty fast at 1ms or less) or motion blur compensation feature so it really doesn’t affect brightness the way those can. And the 240Hz screen refresh is rock solid.
HDR mode measurements
| Preset | White point | Full screen brightness (nits) | 10% window brightness (nits) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gamer 1 | 6,350K | 146 | 642 |
| Gamer 2 | 8,100K | 159 | 750 (peak 883 — 938 nits in 2% window) |
| FPS | 8,750K | 145 | 709 |
| RTS | 6,350K | 143 | 661 |
| Vivid | 10,000K | 142 | 663 |
HDR looks great, and unlike a lot of HDR monitors this one lets you adjust settings like brightness and the gaming presets have settings for HDR along with SDR. In HDR it hits the full rated 98.5% P3 gamut coverage.
LG rates the display at a peak brightness of 800-1,000 nits for a 3% window, which it certainly hit. But it requires several seconds to ramp up to peak and can’t sustain it for more than a few. In practice, you’re more likely to see a maximum of about 700-750 nits consistently, which still looks great given the monitor’s price. The full-screen brightness is still low, but you’re far less likely to encounter situations where it matters.
If you can get away with spending $1,000 on a monitor that you’ll love for gaming but probably not so much for work, then the 27-inch LG UltraGear OLED will probably tickle your eyeballs. But if it needs to multitask while it takes up space on your desk, you may need to put a little more thought into the purchase.
Testing
All measurements are performed using Portrait Display’s Calman 2023 software using a Calibrite ColorChecker Display Plus (formerly X-Rite i1Display Pro Plus) and a Murideo Six-G pattern generator for HDR testing where necessary, or the Client3 HDR patterns within Calman, where possible. How extensive our testing is depends on the capabilities of the monitor, the screen and backlight technology used, and the judgment of the reviewer. For a complete description of our testing procedures, see How CNET Tests Monitors.
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Technologies
Pope Francis’ Funeral: How to Stream Live or Watch the Replay
Here’s how to stream the pope’s funeral very early Saturday, and what you can expect to see during the service.
After a week of global mourning for Pope Francis, who died on Monday at age 88, the pope’s funeral will be celebrated on Saturday . Francis’ funeral will be held Saturday at 10 a.m. local time at St. Peter’s Square in Vatican City (which is very, very early if you’re tuning in from the US or Canada), and he will be laid to rest at the Papal Basilica of St. Mary Major in Rome.
The Vatican will be livestreaming the papal funeral and procession, though not the burial, on its YouTube channel as it happens. The funeral will also be televised live on CBS, NBC, ABC and Fox, as well as on streaming services like Disney Plus, Hulu, Peacock and Paramount Plus. Due to the time difference, it seems likely that many interested North American viewers will catch it when it’s replayed later on Saturday. Numerous networks will rebroadcast the service later that day.
If you choose to stay up, or get up early, here’s when the live broadcast of the pope’s funeral will air in your time zone in the continental US on April 26:
- ET: 4 a.m.
- CT: 3 a.m.
- MT: 2 a.m.
- PT: 1 a.m.
The papacy of Pope Francis was notable for the progressive reforms he brought to the Roman Catholic Church. He appointed more than half of the current College of Cardinals and attempted to foster more positive attitudes toward members of the LGBT community and migrants worldwide.
What to expect from the funeral
The funeral will follow many rituals, though not all traditional protocols will be followed. Most popes are buried in St. Peter’s Basilica or its grottoes, but the AP reports Francis chose the St. Mary Major Basilica to reflect his veneration of an icon of the Virgin Mary that is located there, the Salus Populi Romani (Salvation of the People of Rome).
His funeral will be less elaborate than those of other popes per his own wishes. Francis simplified papal funeral rites last year, permitting his burial outside the Vatican, and emphasizing his role as a bishop rather than as pope (the pope is also the Bishop of Rome).
Previous popes were buried in three coffins: one of cypress, one of lead and one of oak. Francis requested to be buried in a single wooden, zinc-lined coffin and not to be placed in an elevated bier as other popes were.
The coffin will be taken from St Peter’s Basilica and placed on a dais in St Peter’s Square, where Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re will lead the service. After the service, the coffin will return to St Peter’s Basilica before it is carried across the River Tiber and to the Papal Basilica of Saint Mary Major for burial. The ceremony is estimated to end around 2 p.m. local time, or four hours after it begins.
Pope Francis’ funeral Mass will be the first of nine Masses held daily at St. Peter’s until May 4. This is an ancient tradition of the Catholic Church that observes nine days of consecutive mourning. According to Vatican News, a different group of mourners will participate each day, though the Eucharistic celebrations are open to everyone.
Who will attend Pope Francis’ funeral?
Hundreds of people, including world leaders and royals, are expected to attend Pope Francis’ funeral.
US president Donald Trump confirmed on his Truth Social Platform that he and first lady Melania Trump will be at the funeral. This will be Trump’s first foreign trip in his second term. He is expected to have a seat in the third row, though the Vatican has yet to release an official seating chart. It is tradition for the first row of seats to go to Catholic royalty, and the second row to non-Catholic royals.
Prince William, who is attending on behalf of King Charles, will sit in the second row, which is reserved for non-Catholic royals. Former president Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden, devout Catholics, will also attend the funeral.
Conclave: What happens next to choose the new pope
After Pope Francis’ funeral, the cardinals of the Roman Catholic Church will vote on his successor in an assembly of cardinals known as a conclave.
There are many matters for the cardinals to settle before the conclave begins, but once it does, it can take days or even weeks to conclude. Two-thirds of the cardinals’ votes are required to elect the next pope. The conclave occurs behind closed doors and the vote tally is never made public.
Read more: Where to Watch Conclave, the Vatican Thriller About Electing a New Pope
Look for the white smoke
The ballots are burned after each round, and chemicals are added to the flames to produce black smoke if there’s no majority. When a new pope has been selected, the chemicals will be added to the flames so they produce white smoke. Crowds gather in St. Peter’s Square to watch for the results.
If you’re fascinated by the process, you can watch a dramatized version of the events in 2024 film Conclave.
In the movie, Ralph Fiennes stars as Cardinal Thomas Lawrence, who spearheads the election of the next pope while investigating rumors about potential candidates. The film is based on the 2016 novel by Robert Harris and is completely fictional — though it does represent some of the events of how actual papal conclaves take place. In March, the film won the Academy Award for best adapted screenplay.
You can stream Conclave on Amazon Prime Video, or rent it for $6 on Apple TV, Fandango at Home, YouTube or Google Play Movies.
Technologies
Today’s NYT Connections Hints, Answers and Help for April 26, #685
Hints and answers for Connections for April 26, #685.
Looking for the most recent Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands puzzles.
Today’s Connections puzzle features a lot of short words, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. That purple category requires a lot of thinking — probably most people will solve it only by solving the other three and having four words left over. Read on for clues and today’s Connections answers.
The Times now has a Connections Bot, like the one for Wordle. Go there after you play to receive a numeric score and to have the program analyze your answers. Players who are registered with the Times Games section can now nerd out by following their progress, including number of puzzles completed, win rate, number of times they nabbed a perfect score and their win streak.
Read more: Hints, Tips and Strategies to Help You Win at NYT Connections Every Time
Hints for today’s Connections groups
Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.
Yellow group hint: Rainbow.
Green group hint: San Fernando ____.
Blue group hint: Think Robert.
Purple group hint: Mixed-up hue words.
Answers for today’s Connections groups
Yellow group: Tint.
Green group: Valley.
Blue group: Bobs.
Purple group: Color anagrams.
Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words
What are today’s Connections answers?
The yellow words in today’s Connections
The theme is tint. The four answers are color, hue, shade and tone.
The green words in today’s Connections
The theme is valley. The four answers are dale, dell, glen and hollow.
The blue words in today’s Connections
The theme is Bobs. The four answers are Dole, Hope, Marley and Ross.
The purple words in today’s Connections
The theme is color anagrams. The four answers are Dre (red), Gary (gray), genre (green) and lube (blue).
Technologies
Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for April 26, #215
Hints and answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, No. 215, for Saturday, April 26.
Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.
Connections: Sports Edition is tough today. The purple category theme threw me because of one phrase I didn’t know. And let’s hope you’re familiar with college coach surnames. Read on for hints and the answers.
Connections: Sports Edition is out of beta now, making its debut on Super Bowl Sunday, Feb. 9. That’s a sign that the game has earned enough loyal players that The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by the Times, will continue to publish it. It doesn’t show up in the NYT Games app but now appears in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can continue to play it free online.
Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta
Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups
Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.
Yellow group hint: Try to achieve.
Green group hint: Move through it.
Blue group hint: Sideline bosses.
Purple group hint: Like a carton.
Answers for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups
Yellow group: What one strives for.
Green group: Room to run.
Blue group: College football coaches.
Purple group: Box ____.
Read more: Wordle Cheat Sheet: Here Are the Most Popular Letters Used in English Words
What are today’s Connections: Sports Edition answers?
The yellow words in today’s Connections
The theme is what one strives for. The four answers are aim, goal, objective and target.
The green words in today’s Connections
The theme is room to run. The four answers are gap, hole, opening and space.
The blue words in today’s Connections
The theme is college football coaches. The four answers are Day, Lanning, Smart and Stoops.
The purple words in today’s Connections
The theme is box ____. The four answers are lacrosse, office, score and seat.
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