LG recently announced the global availability of its new UltraGear evo GM9 (27GM950B) gaming monitor featuring its new “Hyper Mini LED” backlight technology for its 27-inch 5K (5120 x 2880) panel. Essentially, the newly branded Mini LED tech packs more dimming zones than before, allowing it to minimize “halo effect” in seen in such panel types.
LG UltraGear evo GM9 (27GM950B)
The company says its Hyper Mini LED technology with 2,304 local dimming zones enables more precise brightness control compared to conventional Mini LED displays, while the gap between the backlight and panel is minimized to reduce light leakage and halo effect (blooming). Its peak brightness of 1,250 nits has allowed the monitor to be certified for VESA DisplayHDR 1000 certification; as a matter of fact, the panel’s low-blooming characteristics also earned itself a TÜV Rheinland certification as well.
The UltraGear evo GM9’s 5K panel supports dynamic frequency and resolution (DFR) modes, where users can switch between 5K (5120 x 2880) 165Hz and QHD (2560 x 1440) 330Hz, depending on gaming requirements. Both modes support a 1ms gray-to-gray response time, and the display is also compatible with NVIDIA G-SYNC and AMD FreeSync Premium for anti-tearing technologies. For connectivity, highlights include DisplayPort 2.1 UHBR20 support (8K 120Hz, 4K 240Hz) and USB-C with 90W Power Delivery for laptops.
Knowing that South Korean tech companies have the knack towards AI these days, the monitor naturally includes some AI-powered features, though one rather baffling example is built-in 5K AI Upscaling, which most likely will make desktop UI looks crap if you flip it on by accident. That aside, there’s AI Scene Optimization and AI Sound, respectively designed to improve image sharpness and audio balance during gaming and media consumption.
As of this writing, there’s no word on local availability just yet, although the global press release mentioned “starting from April”, so it is likely we’ll see this new model in the coming weeks (LG Malaysia hasn’t announced pricing at this time, either).
Pokdepinion: Looking like a modest technological jump, although QD-OLED is getting harder to beat these days.