LG’s Next UltraGear Gaming Displays Include a True 5K Monitor

Let’s talk about the UltraGear GM9 (27GM950B) first. This 27-inch monitor’s standard 5K resolution (presumably 5,120 x 2,880) should mean more densely-packed pixels and sharper text, like the LG 5K UltraFine of old. If you’ve ever seen a 5K retina iMac display, which used LG-made panels, that’s kind of what this is, but maybe better. The company says the new display has 2,304 local dimming zones and high 1,250-nit peak brightness, which should mean near-OLED contrast and great HDR performance. It ought to be great for regular office work or content consumption, and may even compete with IGN’s favorite gaming monitors, thanks to a 165Hz refresh rate when at 5K resolution and up to 330Hz refresh rate at QHD resolution.

Next up is the new 39-inch GX9 (39GX950B), effectively an upgraded version of the existing WQHD 39-inch GX9. The difference is that the new model gets a higher resolution, at 5K2K (LG doesn’t list the pixel count but in the past, that has meant 5120 x 2160). It also has a deeper 1500R curve compared to the GX9’s 800R. At a wide FHD resolution, it can reach a 330Hz refresh rate, while at 5K2K it can get up to 165Hz.

Then there’s the egregiously wide UltraGear Evo 52-inch G9 (52G930B). Like the GX9, it’s got a 5K2K resolution, but, unlike that display, it won’t feature built-in AI upscaling, is limited to a 240Hz refresh rate, and has a shallower 1000R curve, and has neither an OLED or miniLED panel, at least as far as LG has revealed. The company writes that the G9 “features the vertical viewing height of a standard 42-inch 16:9 display, stretching horizontally for an expansive 12:9 panoramic view.”

I’m guessing that last bit is a goof, since 5K2K resolution would be closer to 21:9. 12:9 is the same as 4:3, and based on both LG’s image above and common sense, I seriously doubt this thing has the aspect ratio of the old Sanyo CRT TV I used to play my GameCube on. (Then again, I’d love the absurdity of plopping a curved, 52-inch-wide 4:3 display on my desk.) We’ve reached out to LG for clarification on this, and we’ll update as soon as we hear back. But for now, it looks like it’s actually a 21:9 display.

LG didn’t go beyond the headlining specs, so things like port count, VESA mountability, or whether these displays have built-in speakers remain a mystery. The company also didn’t reveal prices or release dates.

Wes is a freelance writer (Freelance Wes, they call him) who has covered technology, gaming, and entertainment steadily since 2020 at Gizmodo, Tom’s Hardware, Hardcore Gamer, and most recently, The Verge. Inside of him there are two wolves: one that thinks it wouldn’t be so bad to start collecting game consoles again, and the other who also thinks this, but more strongly.