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Manufacturer: LG

Release Date: 2/1/2016

Price: $339.99

Colors: White, Black

Display Type: LED

Resolution: 1080p

Refresh Rate: 60Hz

Size: 32″

Inputs: HDMI, VGA, AUX

Monitors aren’t something I buy very often; in fact, I’ve only ever bought one type, and that was the Dell S2740L, and that was 3 years ago. It was my first real monitor that didn’t come with a setup and was fantastic, but it was time to upgrade to something more modern and bigger. I’m not going to lie; I’m not very savvy with monitors or TVs. I don’t buy them often enough to do constant research or keep up with trends. I usually go into a store with a budget and research on my phone as needed. I started out by looking for other 27″ monitors that just looked super clear and crisp, had a minimal design, and maybe some fancy settings. I first looked at the Asus MX279H because it had a fantastic-looking screen and was LED. I want to move away from LCD, and it’s a fading technology. I then noticed larger screens that were around the same price, but then there were ultrawide displays that were over $500. There was a $400 29″ LG monitor with AMD Freesync, but the 21:1 ratio was a little off-putting as almost everything is made for 16:9.

That was my major dilemma: do I sacrifice dual monitors for an Ultrawide or just get another 27″ monitor? My next thought was that I just want a 1080p monitor, as most gaming above requires multiple GPUs, and I don’t have the money or setup for that. So here I was looking at 1080p monitors that were bigger than 27″. I never thought in a million years I would ever get a 32″ monitor, as that is the size of most entry-level flat screens. Three years ago, a 32″ monitor was close to $1,000. I was also switching to a new brand; I don’t own anything from LG. So, I settled on the 32MP58, and no, I didn’t know what IPS was at the time, but it’s for the most true-to-life color you can get. Comparing an LED monitor to an LCD is a huge difference, and the size is perfect for gaming.

So, I took my new monitor home, took down one of the 27″ Dells, and plopped it down. It takes up a lot of desk real estate, so be prepared to have a large desk or nothing else on it. I had to slide my other 27″ Dell all the way to the edge of the desk to make them both fit. I can now use the LG for gaming and video and the Dell for tasks like web browsing and file management.

The setup was easy enough, and I’m shocked this monitor is VGA or HDMI—both extremes. Either go fully digital or full analog. I don’t know why, in 2016, anything has VGA anymore, but it’s there. I was surprised to not see DVI-I or DVI-D at all, which I had my Dell monitors set up as. Either way, most new GPUs come with two HDMI ports and two DVI ports. After installing the curved stand (which is minimal and sleek), I plugged it in, and on it went.

The monitor detected the video right away and turned it right on. The OSD button is a four-way switch underneath the power light, which is awkward and weird. There are many settings, and most of these are universal across all of LG’s newest monitors. I chose the gaming preset, and for the most part, this monitor needs very little adjustment. I used Windows Color Calibration, and nothing needed adjusting. I then did a little research on some LG-exclusive settings, like SuperResolution. It sounds awesome on paper, but this is for anything that doesn’t render or display natively in 1080p and needs upscaling. This is great for older game consoles but not necessary for PC games, as it just makes everything overly sharp and ugly. There are so many settings on this monitor, such as adjusting every single color under the sun, not just RGB. There’s a great black stabilizer that keeps everything from getting too dark and washed out, which is a nice feature. I also found this to be an extremely bright monitor, and as the sun went down, I had to change it from the already bright 75 down to around 47. 100 brightness is just not ideal and not needed at all.

There are other features like response time for fast-moving objects (games in 60FPS or 60FPS movies) and some other features, but mostly not many need to be touched, and that’s how it should be. There’s no software involved with this monitor like there is for Dell, which is just fine as most people don’t like that kind of thing. So settings-wise and physical design-wise, there isn’t much to complain about. I wish this was an edge-to-edge display, but the bezel is embossed, which isn’t awful, but the back is bulky. There’s also a headphone jack in the back that allows audio to stream through and can be controlled via the monitor OSD, which is also awkward and bizarre. I also have to mention that this is a very wobbly monitor if your desk isn’t quite stable. I had to push my two monitors together to keep each one balanced. If you have a wobbly monitor issue, you need to buy a stand that has braces for each side.

Overall, the games and video looked amazing on this monitor. Some of the best picture quality I have seen on any monitor to date. With my older Dell and this side-by-side, I can see the difference, and even the size makes a huge difference. Should you go larger than 32″? Maybe 34″, but that might be pushing it. I won’t be purchasing another monitor anytime soon, probably not for a few years, but I am very happy with this purchase, and $300 is quite fair for what you get. With a sharp and crystal-clear display, beautiful colors, and great physical design, you can’t go wrong here.