LG Class UltraFine Display Ergo IPS Monitor 32UN880-B

So good for the price i got another two – A solid monitor that has great resolution. So good i recently purchased another two for my home!

Unique 32" home office monitor ready to work when you are! – Recently bought a LG 32UN880 monitor. Although specs are readiy available at LG and other places, here it is for your convenience: SPECS Screen size: 31.5" diagonally Screen type: IPS (In-plane switching), a type if LCD with W-LED backlight Resolution: Ultra HD UHD 4K 2016p 3840x2160 Aspect Ratio: 16:9 Viewing angle: 178deg Contrast: 1000:1 Brightness: 350 cd/m2 Response Time (GTG): 5ms Colour gamut: DCI-P3 95% HDR10 Built-in speakers: Yes, stereo 5w Arm: Yes Vesa mount interface: Yes Connections: 2x HDMI, 1x USB-C, 1x DisplayPort (v1.4), 2x USB, all 1.8m long Included: Power brick, 1x HDMI, 1x USB-C, 1x power code extension

SUMMARY If you want a monitor with the smallest base, this is it! If you want a monitor arm with multiple articulations allowing vertical, horizontal, foreward / backward, tilt / angle and rotate (to portrait mode), everything you could possibly want. This is it! Look no further. There is just nothing else in the market that comes with a proper monitor arm. I was setting up a home office and this is the closest to what I am used to in the office. The arm is so sturdy and versatile I couldn't pass it on.

At just over $1k, this is not a cheap monitor, especially when full HD 27" monitors can be had for just a couple of hundred dollars. LG's own 32" 4K monitor 32UN500 is only about $500. It has very similar specs as this 32UN880 and greater contrast and 90% DCI-P3. Therefore, personally, It is somewhat surprising to how much great reviews and recommendations this 32UN880 gets. Its more prestigious 27" 5K brother 27MD5KL UltraFine model is some $800 more expensive boasting a display that riffles the Apple retina display and sold at Apple store as an Apple accessory. I am guessing this is the reason why this monitor that also carries the UltraFine badge has the $1k price tag despite of lessor display quality.

It is not a fast monitor with refresh rate at 60Hz and response time (grey to grey aka GTG) of 5ms. Gaming monitor have refresh rate 2x-4x this speed and GTG of 1ms. Its black isn't very deep either. It is also not known to be a bright monitor at 350 cd/m2 but it is definitely bright enough for me. Some have claimed that it is not bright enough as HDR monitor. Must say I have been very spoilt as a long term MacBook pro user and so used to the beautiful Apple retina display.

GOOD I bought this monitor because I needed a work monitor that I can move forward, back, up down, push to the side and not take up valuable desk space. There is just nothing else in the market unless you buy a VESA supported monitor and a separate arm. The arm that comes with this monitor is so sturdy it is awesome. It is mounted on powered stand desk and there is no tremble at all even when I tap on the monitor.

As a 4K 31.5" monitor, its resolution is awesome and made working so much easier and lifted my productivity significantly and no strains on the eyes.

This monitor comes with all the cables you need. Just plug it in, click the screen on the arm plate and you are good to go. No tools required. You need about 4" depth to fit the c clamp and it does come with a plate so you can mount it on wall or using the desk grommet hole.

Close to frameless design and sturdy build are fantastic. Of course the display doesn't go edge to edge. There is at least a 6mm gap at the edges.

BAD 1. Unlike most monitors, this 32UN880 has one nipple button at the bottom centre of the monitor hidden underneath. This multi-selector button can be clicked and toggle forward and back, left and right. I feel it would be easier if it had several button like the others. Otherwise, have this button on the face given it is just one button anyway. If you just shift it left or right or forward, it works as a volume control. So you need to click it first for monitor configuration control. A tad un-intuitive in my opinion. 2. Power light (white colour) is underneath behind the button. It is totally useless. I much prefer a little green / yellow / white dot LED light on the face / corner making it more visible. How about lighting up the LG logo instead? It is hardly noticeable given its location. 3. This monitor is advertised as an ergo monitor with wide range of movements. I am not going to push the envelope turning it all the way around, left and right and risk breaking the connectors, expensive if it fails at the monitor end. While cables can be hidden in the centre column, they can't be tucked inside the arm so you do stress the connectors and risk breaking them if you don't give it some respect. I feel LG could have easily avoided this if cables are tied to the panel at another point. Some TV comes with that kind of strap. It is a shame since movement is what this monitor is known for. 4. Not sure if this is a problem of this monitor or Google TV. When plugged into Google TV, I have to change display setting each time, lest it complaints there is no input signals.

WORTHY MENTIONS Speakers are of course not a strong point of this monitor. It is nice to have them although I don't use them much anymore. As mentioned, a Google TV is hooked up to this monitor, along with a Logitech K600 TV keyboard. This set up transformed the monitor into a smart TV with remote control, hooking up to bluetooth speakers / sound system and keyboard for much better typing / control experience.

It has an anti-glare screen which is better for working although pictures and movies won't be as vivid as per glossy screen.

I did not buy this monitor for gaming and I prefer that it is versatile. For this reason, curved monitor which claims to give more immersive gaming experience is not for me. Lastly, while it comes with all the necessary cables, I did swap out the HDMI cable to a longer ultra thin one which has more flex so it doesn't break the connect on the laptop end if I need to move about with the laptop. Haven't found one for USB-C yet. Also, my Google TV does not use the USB port on the monitor but plugs into the Google supplied power brick to give it continuous power feed. Appreciate posting a comment if you can suggest a USB-C 4k thin flexible 2-3m cable. Thanks.

CONCLUSION Overall, I am very pleased with this monitor, its picture and quality. It is the first monitor I have purchased for ages and I didn't bother getting an arm and the monitor separately risking arm not being sturdy, sagging as a result, etc. Now that I have some experience with monitor arms, perhaps next time I will buy the arm separately thus giving more screen options to choose from. I am giving it 3 stars which may be at odds with other reviews out there but mainly a reflection on bang for the buck or what you can get for the money if you are willing to take a bit more effort, so long it is available.

Full spec at https://www.displayspecifications.com/en/model/b9b81f2c