LG 27MR400-B 27 Inch 100Hz IPS Monitor Review: The New Budget Champion for Work and Play?

In our years of testing tech, we’ve encountered a persistent challenge that many of you likely face: finding a single monitor that excels at both work and play without costing a fortune. The market often forces a choice. On one side, you have office-focused displays with crisp text and ergonomic designs but sluggish 60Hz refresh rates that make gaming feel choppy. On the other, you have ultra-fast gaming monitors with high price tags and features that are overkill for spreadsheets and emails. For years, I juggled two separate screens on my desk, a frustrating and inefficient setup. The dream was always a single, elegant solution—a monitor large enough for multitasking, with colours accurate enough for photo editing, and a refresh rate smooth enough for after-hours gaming. This search for the elusive “sweet spot” is what led us to the LG 27MR400-B 27 Inch 100Hz IPS Monitor, a display that promises to bridge that gap at a remarkably accessible price point.

What to Demand from Your Next Monitor Before You Buy

A monitor is more than just an item; it’s a key solution for interacting with your digital world. It’s the portal through which you work, create, communicate, and entertain yourself. A poor monitor can lead to tangible problems like eye strain, headaches, and decreased productivity. Conversely, a great monitor can transform your user experience, making text sharper, colours more vibrant, and motion incredibly smooth. The main benefit of a well-chosen display like this LG is its versatility, offering a significant upgrade over standard-issue office screens without demanding the premium investment of a high-end gaming model.

The ideal customer for this type of product is someone facing the exact dilemma we described: the home office worker, the student, the content creator, or the casual gamer. They need a monitor that can handle long hours of reading code or writing reports comfortably, but also deliver a fluid, immersive experience in games like Baldur’s Gate 3 or Fortnite. It might not be suitable for those who are hardcore esports professionals needing every millisecond of advantage from a 240Hz+ screen, or for professional cinematographers who require 4K resolution and near-perfect colour gamut coverage for their work. For them, a more specialized, and significantly more expensive, tool is required.

Before investing, consider these crucial points in detail:

• Dimensions & Space: A 27-inch screen is often considered the perfect size for desktop use, offering ample real estate for side-by-side windows without requiring excessive head movement. However, at a Full HD (1920×1080) resolution, pixel density can become noticeable if you sit very close. We recommend a viewing distance of at least two to three feet to ensure the image remains sharp and individual pixels aren’t distracting.
• Capacity/Performance: The three most important specs here are the panel type, refresh rate, and response time. The IPS (In-Plane Switching) panel ensures superior colour accuracy and wide viewing angles. The 100Hz refresh rate is a huge step up from the standard 60Hz, making everything from mouse movement to in-game action feel significantly smoother. A 5ms GtG (Grey-to-Grey) response time is more than adequate for most gaming scenarios, preventing significant ghosting or motion blur.
• Materials & Durability: The LG 27MR400-B features a modern, minimalist design with a matte black plastic chassis. While lightweight, the build feels solid enough for daily use. The included stand, however, is a point of compromise; we and other users found it can introduce a slight wobble, a common trade-off in budget-friendly monitors. For ultimate stability, utilizing the VESA mounting holes on the back is the best option.
• Ease of Use & Maintenance: Setup is a highlight, being almost entirely tool-free. The anti-glare screen coating is essential for reducing reflections in bright rooms and is easy to clean with a soft, microfiber cloth. LG’s OnScreen Control software is a useful utility that allows you to adjust all monitor settings directly from your desktop, which is far more intuitive than fumbling with physical buttons.

Keeping these factors in mind, the LG 27MR400-B 27 Inch 100Hz IPS Monitor stands out in several areas. You can explore its detailed specifications here.

While the LG 27MR400-B 27 Inch 100Hz IPS Monitor is an excellent choice in the Full HD category, it’s always wise to understand the full landscape. If you’re considering the next step up in resolution for professional creative work or high-fidelity gaming, we highly recommend checking out our complete, in-depth guide:

Unboxing the LG 27MR400-B: First Impressions and Core Features

Our unit arrived in a standard, no-frills cardboard box. Inside, the monitor and its components were securely nestled in styrofoam. The first thing we noticed was the assembly process, or rather, the lack of one. As one user aptly put it, it “literally just snaps into place.” The stand arm clicks into the back of the monitor, and the base attaches to the arm with a built-in thumbscrew. From sealed box to a fully assembled monitor on our desk took less than three minutes, with no tools required. This is a fantastic touch for those who are not technically inclined.

Once powered on, the thin bezels on three sides immediately give it a modern and premium look, making it an excellent candidate for a dual-monitor setup. The screen itself is a matte, anti-glare panel that does a commendable job of diffusing ambient light. The overall aesthetic is understated and professional in matte black, allowing it to blend into any office or gaming environment without screaming for attention. It feels lightweight, but not flimsy, striking a good balance for its price category.

Under the Microscope: A Detailed Performance Breakdown

A monitor’s true worth is revealed not on the spec sheet, but through hours of rigorous real-world use. We put the LG 27MR400-B 27 Inch 100Hz IPS Monitor through its paces for over a week, using it as our primary display for everything from coding and writing to streaming 1080p content and playing a variety of games. This comprehensive testing allowed us to dig deep into its performance, uncovering its genuine strengths and its necessary compromises.

Picture Quality and Color Performance: The IPS Advantage

The heart of this monitor is its 27-inch IPS panel, and it truly shines. Right out of the box, we were impressed with the colour vibrancy and viewing angles. Unlike older TN panels that suffer from significant colour shift when viewed from an angle, the image on the LG 27MR400-B remains consistent and rich, which is perfect for sharing content with a colleague or kicking back to watch a movie. The colours are lively without being oversaturated, striking a pleasing balance for general use.

We did note, as one user also found, a slightly warm or “orange tint” on the default ‘Custom’ picture mode. This is not uncommon and was easily rectified. Using LG’s OnScreen Control software and the monitor’s joystick-controlled menu, we switched to the ‘Vivid’ preset and made minor adjustments to the colour temperature, quickly achieving a more neutral and accurate white point. The level of customisation is impressive for a budget model, offering control over gamma, colour temperature, and individual RGB channels. Features like ‘Reader Mode’, which significantly reduces blue light, were a godsend during long writing sessions, making text appear like it was on a printed page and noticeably reducing eye fatigue. One user review praised it as being “easy on the eyes,” and we wholeheartedly agree. The 350-nit brightness is more than sufficient for indoor use, and the anti-glare coating effectively combats reflections from windows or overhead lighting.

Fluid Motion: Gaming and Entertainment at 100Hz

The headline feature here is the 100Hz refresh rate, and it makes a world of difference. The jump from a standard 60Hz display is immediately apparent. Simply moving the cursor across the desktop feels more responsive and fluid. Web pages scroll with a smoothness that makes 60Hz feel stuttery by comparison. This enhanced fluidity translates directly to a better gaming experience. In fast-paced titles, the extra 40 frames displayed per second provide more visual information, making aiming smoother and motion clearer.

We tested it with AMD FreeSync enabled on our rig, and the technology worked flawlessly. Screen tearing, the ugly horizontal line artifact that occurs when the monitor’s refresh rate is out of sync with the GPU’s frame output, was completely eliminated. The result is a clean, stable, and much more immersive picture. While the 5ms GtG response time isn’t on par with the 1ms times of premium esports displays, we found it to be perfectly capable for all but the most elite competitive players. We experienced no distracting ghosting or smearing in our testing. Features like ‘Black Stabilizer’, which brightens dark areas of the screen to reveal hidden enemies, and ‘Dynamic Action Sync’ for reduced input lag, are genuinely useful gaming enhancements that add real value. For anyone looking to elevate their casual gaming and multimedia viewing, the LG 27MR400-B offers a fantastic experience for its price point.

Design, Ergonomics, and Connectivity: The Compromises of a Budget Monitor

To deliver such strong panel performance at this price, LG had to make cuts elsewhere, and these are most evident in the physical design and connectivity. The design itself is sleek, with the three-sided slim bezel being a modern touch that we appreciate. However, the stand is the monitor’s ergonomic weak point. While incredibly easy to attach, it offers only a limited range of tilt adjustment. There is no height, swivel, or pivot functionality. We also confirmed the “slight wobble” mentioned in user feedback; while not severe, vigorous typing can cause the screen to gently rock. For those who require precise positioning, this is a significant limitation.

Thankfully, LG included 75x75mm VESA mounting holes. This allows you to bypass the stand entirely and use a third-party monitor arm, unlocking full ergonomic freedom. We do advise heeding the warning from one user who found the M4 screw threads a bit small for their heavy-duty racing simulator rig, suggesting that for high-stress applications, careful mount selection is key.

The most significant compromise, in our opinion, is the connectivity. The LG 27MR400-B 27 Inch 100Hz IPS Monitor is equipped with just one HDMI 1.4 port and one legacy VGA (D-Sub) port. In 2024, the lack of a DisplayPort or USB-C input is a notable omission. This means you can only connect one modern device (like a PC, PS5, or Xbox Series X/S) at a time via HDMI. Connecting a second modern device would require an adapter, and you would be unable to use features like FreeSync over VGA. This is a critical factor for potential buyers to consider based on their specific setup and needs.

What Other Users Are Saying

Across the board, the user consensus aligns closely with our findings: the LG 27MR400-B 27 Inch 100Hz IPS Monitor offers exceptional value for money, provided you can accept its compromises. Many users echo our praise for the picture quality. One reviewer, who bought it to replace an older ASUS monitor, called it the “Best monitor i have even used,” specifically highlighting that “The Colours are vibrant, Picture is sharp and easy on the eyes.” The simplicity of the setup is another common point of praise, with one person noting it was “Super easy to assemble.”

On the negative side, the feedback clusters around two main areas. The first is the physical build, with several users mentioning the wobbly stand and the limited, unregulated tilt adjustment. The second, and more concerning, theme is quality control during shipping. A number of reviews report receiving units that were either damaged in transit with cracked screens, arrived in battered packaging, or in some cases, appeared to be refurbished despite being sold as new. While this speaks more to the fulfillment process than the product itself, it’s a significant risk factor for potential buyers to be aware of.

How Does the LG 27MR400-B Stack Up? A Look at the Competition

No product exists in a vacuum. To give you the clearest picture, we’ve compared the LG 27MR400-B to three distinct alternatives, each catering to a different user need.

1. Dell P2425H 24″ 100Hz Full HD IPS Monitor

The Dell P2425H is the productivity-focused alternative. While it shares the same 100Hz refresh rate and Full HD resolution, it comes in a smaller 24-inch form factor. Its key advantage is a vastly superior stand with full height, tilt, swivel, and pivot adjustments. Furthermore, its connectivity is in another league, offering USB-C, DisplayPort, HDMI, VGA, and a built-in 4-port USB hub. If your primary use is office work and you need to connect multiple devices and peripherals with maximum ergonomic flexibility, the Dell is the superior choice, sacrificing screen size for functionality.

2. ARZOPA Z1FC 16.1″ 144Hz Portable Gaming Monitor

This ARZOPA monitor represents a completely different category: portable gaming. With a compact 16.1-inch screen but a faster 144Hz refresh rate, it’s designed for those who need a high-performance second screen on the go. It’s an ideal companion for a gaming laptop, a Nintendo Switch, or even a Steam Deck. The ARZOPA is for the user who values mobility and a higher refresh rate above all else. It’s not a desktop replacement like the LG, but rather a specialized tool for gaming away from home.

3. Dopesplay 15.6” 1080P Portable Monitor

Similar to the ARZOPA, the Dopesplay is a portable monitor, but it’s aimed squarely at productivity rather than gaming. Its 15.6-inch screen and standard 60Hz refresh rate make it the perfect lightweight external display for a work laptop. If your goal is simply to extend your desktop space for multitasking with documents, spreadsheets, and web browsers while traveling or working from a coffee shop, the Dopesplay is a more practical and often more affordable choice than a gaming-oriented portable screen. It competes with the LG not on performance, but on use case—portability versus a fixed desktop setup.

Final Verdict: Is the LG 27MR400-B 27 Inch 100Hz IPS Monitor Right for You?

After extensive testing, we can confidently say that the LG 27MR400-B 27 Inch 100Hz IPS Monitor successfully carves out its niche as a value champion. It delivers on its core promise: providing a large, colourful IPS display with a smooth 100Hz refresh rate that significantly enhances both productivity and casual gaming. It punches well above its weight in terms of visual performance, offering a user experience that feels more premium than its price tag would suggest.

This monitor is the ideal choice for students, home office workers, and budget-conscious gamers who are looking for a single display to do it all. It is a massive and worthwhile upgrade from any standard 60Hz monitor. However, its excellence is enabled by clear compromises in ergonomics and connectivity. If you need a fully adjustable stand or plan to connect more than one modern device, you should be prepared to invest in a monitor arm or look at more expensive alternatives. But if you can live with those limitations, you are getting an absolutely brilliant screen for your money.

If you’ve decided the LG 27MR400-B 27 Inch 100Hz IPS Monitor is the right fit, you can check its current price and purchase it here.