In a previous review, we looked at an MSI 32-inch gaming monitor named MSI OPTIX G32C4. Due to its low PPI, which resulted in washed images, this monitor became a niche product. 

And for today’s post, we’ve got a casual high-resolution display from LG, the LG 32QK500-C, which is still popular today despite its age. 

So, in order to discover if it has the same problem as the MSI OPTIX G32C4, we decided to look at its features to see what advantages and disadvantages it had.

So, without further ado, let’s have a look at the LG 32QK500-C Review to see if it’s a worthwhile 32-inch display.

Design

This display resembles another large-screen monitor we evaluated, the LG 32UL750-W, which is one of the most affordable 32-inch monitors with HDR 600 support.

The LG 32QK500-C differs only in that it has a narrower bezel, making it fitter for the modern category. Still, none of them have the 3-sided bezels with the borderless look, which is most likely due to the monitor’s release date. 

This display sports LG’s three-color design, which is indeed a polarizing characteristic. It has a fully white back that extends all the way down to the bottom size of the bezels, matte black front bezels, and a gray pattern on the display’s stand.

By the way, this monitor’s stand is quite limited in terms of adjustments, allowing only forward and backward tilting, whereas the LG 32UL750-W offers a wider range of options.

This monitor features one of the narrowest bottom bezels among all the high-resolution monitors we’ve reviewed on Reatbyte. Furthermore, one of the best works of art of this display’s aesthetics is its overall slimmest, which measures only ‎28.5 x 8.1 x 16.7 inches.

Looking at the rear of the display, we can see that it supports VESA, which is a benefit if you plan on mounting it on the wall. It’s worth noting that the power button is on the bottom left of the display’s back, which is unusual to see in LG screens nowadays.

In general, this monitor’s aesthetics may be categorized by some as a dated one, but the one thing we can’t deny is its slimmest, being way better than most part of the 32-inch releases of the year.

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Connectors

As for its connectors, they decided to keep things solid, adding only the necessary: 1x Display port, 2x HDMI, 1x mDP in (mini display port), 1x Headphone-out.

Features

Panel type

LG used an IPS panel for the LG 32QK500-C, which provides better color accuracy and viewing angles than TN and VA displays. Due to its typical low contrast ratio, this panel is not the greatest choice if you prefer contrast over color accuracy.

The IPS panel on its own has almost everything necessary for a professional display, as it is capable of increasing color accuracy to professional levels.

Still, It’ll all come down to the number of supported colors and color gamut, which we’ll look into more in the Image overall quality section. 

So, in general, for casual and professional displays, the VA or the IPS are the most commons panel chosen by the manufacturers. And, you have the LG 32UL750-W if you need a VA 32-inch option.

Brightness

When manufacturers choose an IPS panel for a low-cost display like this one, you can anticipate it to have a low-to-mid-brightness ratio. 

You can tell that by looking at the brightness of this monitor, which is 300 nits, which is a low/mid value. The reason for this is that the IPS screen provides the user with minimum detectable changes between brightness nits. 

For the most part, 300 nits will suffice, allowing you to use your computer during the day to edit photographs or videos while adequately distinguishing colors. 

However, if you require a brighter display, monitors such as the LG 32GP850-B and the LG 32UL750-W will cost a bit more but will deliver you 400 nits.

Now, let’s check the gaming features of this display, hoping that they would be at least on average for modern casual monitors.

Refresh rate and Response time

So far, I’m blown away by how well they’ve managed to implement amazing features, especially in today’s world. 

Given that this monitor was released in 2019, we were expecting to see some outdated features. On the contrary, I’m quite sure 60Hz was a lot more prevalent back then than it is now for casual displays. 

Nonetheless, they used a 75hz refresh rate for this monitor, which is a significant bonus for casual-focused panels, which are becoming increasingly common nowadays. 

This number will provide you a good smoothness for your regular work, but it will not deliver as much of a difference from 60hz as 144hz would. 

They choose to use 5 ms as the overall response time for the LG 32QK500-C. For everyday work, this figure will make no difference at all, but it is a critical quantity for gaming screens. 

In general, they did an excellent job with the “gaming” aspects of this monitor, employing the essential to maintain stable prices.

Finally, let’s look at the overall image quality of this monitor to see if it’s actually a professional or just a casual-focused one.

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Image Overall Quality

Due to the high PPI, the LG 32QK500-C is a 32-inch monitor with a 1440p resolution, which is ideal for this screen size, delivering clear images with barely perceptible pixels on a screen (Pixel per inch). 

The overall Pixel pitch, which is just the center to center distance between a pixel and the next, is another important aspect for the image’s sharpness.

In general, the lower the pixel pitch, the sharper the image. LG also chose not to cut edges, opting for 0.2727 x 0.2727 mm, which is a fantastic dimension for this price range.

As a result of all of this, this monitor will provide one of the finest levels of image crispness among 32-inch monitors in this price range. 

This display, once again, does not fail us when it comes to color fidelity. This monitor already offers excellent color accuracy due to the IPS technology.

However, for a mid-range display like this one, they chose 1.07B of supported colors, which is a number commonly seen in high-end monitors. 

When paired with the NTSC color gamut of 72 percent, you’ll get brilliant and vibrant colors with great accuracy for professional use.

So, while we initially believed this monitor would be another casual 32-inch panel, it turned out to be one of the most affordable professional monitors available today.

Final thoughts

When to buy it

Fortunately, for the LG 32QK500-C, LG didn’t skimp and implemented superb professional features, keeping solid prices, being then a great choice if you need a professional monitor with accurate and crisp images. 

On the other hand, it may have dated aesthetics for some due to the year it was released. The LG 32UN550-W has a VA panel and will provide you similar prices to this one and modern aesthetics. Still, the LG 32QK500-C is one the best budget 32-inch monitors you can find in 2021.

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