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A Deep Dive Into LG 32MA68HY-P 32-Inch IPS Monitor
But which is the right one for you? That’s high quality in look and performance, as well as being affordable. And of course, suitable for any specific uses and needs that you might have. That takes some thought and searching. Even more so as there’s now such a big choice of budget-brand LCD monitors available. Conventional wisdom suggests that looks good and is affordable is not going to be of high quality.
LG tested this theory with the release of its LG 32MA68HY-P 32-Inch IPS Monitor in September 2017. For it offered a massive screen with a Full HD 1920 x 1080 display resolution, in a native 16:9 aspect ratio too, for a surprisingly low price. And from one of the manufacturers of the most known and reputable screen.
LG believes that you no longer have to spend a small fortune to fulfill your big screen dream. But is their huge 32” display really as high quality as they claim? Even though it comes at a low price, does it still offer good value for the money you spend on it? And with the assurance of being a product from a company which you’re not going to regret after buying?
We used and tested LG 32MA68HY-P 32-Inch IPS Monitor in our office, to find out for you, and give our review and final verdict below…
Who’s It For?
Maybe you’ve seen or heard the term ‘IPS’ and wondered what it refers to? LG 32MA68HY-P 32-Inch IPS Monitor uses In-Plane Switching (IPS) panel technology. What then is an IPS display? What are its advantages and why would you want one? And are those answers good enough reasons to make an IPS monitor in general, and LG 32MA68HY in particular, right for you?
IPS is the latest technology requirement for users who want the best image quality possible. Most displays on the market are Twisted Nematic (TN) panels. These displays have a thin film of transistors spread across the display. When electricity is applied to a specific portion of the screen, the crystals actually twist and rotate; a bit like if they were a door opening. This allows the light from the panel below to shine through, causing the pixel to light up.
Unfortunately, it’s difficult to control exactly how much light can get past the crystal, so the color reproduction is not as accurate as it could be. These pixels also are only invisible if you’re looking at them dead-straight on. If you’re viewing the monitor from an angle the colors can shift and become inaccurate. For this reason, TN monitors look strange when you view them from the side. Without knowing the reason for it, you might have noticed that happening before.
On the other hand, an IPS panel aligns the pixels in a grid that is flush to the actual panel. Electricity is applied to both ends. Instead of twisting a crystal, it’s opacity can be carefully controlled by applying a very specific current. This means that colors are significantly more accurate, and viewing angles are excellent. And that’s true of LG 32MA68HY-P.
Well, in theory at least. Because Full HD is definitely stretched to its limits at the 32” of this monitor. With a screen that big, it’s likely that you’ll be able to make out the pixels, at that resolution. Especially as with a monitor, you’re sitting much closer to it all of the time than you are with your TV. So, despite it being an IPS screen, boasting the best image quality possible, in truth don’t expect crystal clear quality from LG 32MA68HY-P
The display is fine for watching videos, casual gaming, web browsing, and general work purposes. But it’s not the monitor for you if you professionally edit photos or videos.
Note that we say, “casual gamers”. Many gamers shy away from IPS monitors. Sure, they have excellent color reproduction, but many of them have a slow response time; the time between hitting a button and seeing the result on the screen. That tends to be too slow for most competitive gamers. Depending on your level of gaming or needs, just bear that in mind if you’re interested in LG 32MA68HY-P. That said, it does have a standard 60 Hz refresh rate; perfectly fine for most gamers who won’t experience much noticeable screen tearing or notice much input lag.
It also has a surprisingly quick 5ms response time, so you won’t see much ghosting or blurring during gameplay either. Plus, its 1080p resolution means that you can get the max out of your (good) graphics card. All of these pros when combined with IPS make for an immersive, high-quality experience for most gamers.
LG 32MA68HY-P is also great for general professional and office settings. It gives you lots of screen space for checking your email, working on spreadsheets, or editing documents. Compatible with Screen Split 2.0, you can display all of your applications in four 4 separate windows at the same time with 14 different configurations. It’s definitely a monitor designed for multitasking. And for long stretches in front of it, Reader Mode alleviates eye strain and headaches by reducing the blue light levels.
What We Like About LG 32MA68HY-P 32-Inch IPS Monitor
LG 32MA68HY-P is one of the cheapest big-screen monitors that you can find in the market. Its design is attractive, reasonably lightweight and you can set it up easily.
With a similar design to many modern displays, the upper portion of the monitor is razor-thin. Towards its bottom, there is a compact enclosure that houses all of the primary electronics as well as the video ports. It comes with an appealing, if ergonomically limited, curved stand, but is also VESA compatible though. So, you have the option of it onto a wall or to get yourself a stand with more ergonomics.
On the back it has a wide variety of input options: 1x Displayport, 1x HDMI (HDMI cable included in the box), 1x VGA (VGA cable included in the box), and 2x USB 2.0. That’s great for its price when some higher-priced monitors don’t even have DisplayPort.
LG 32MA68HY-P also has a built-in USB hub. Just plug the USB cable into your desktop, and you’ll be able to plug devices right into the back of the monitor. This is especially useful if you have an inexpensive wireless mouse with your computer quite far away. With this monitor, you can just plug the receiver into the back and not worry about signal range and dropout issues.
It has a joystick type toggle button at the bottom which can be used to control on-screen display settings. And if you don’t want to use this, then you can download LG’s On-Screen Control software, allowing you to set your personal viewing preferences with keyboard and mouse. You just configure all of the screen settings from the OnScreen Control tab. This makes it easy and convenient to adjust your brightness, contrast, and even color levels.
Of course, its prime asset is that 32” IPS screen, which is plenty big enough to use as an alternative to television. It even has a gloss-style finish like many TVs. But remember to keep your expectations from its Full HD in check.
As for its IPS. We must admit that we were a little skeptical, as it’s rare to see an IPS monitor for such a low price. But for sure, LG didn’t cut any corners. The IPS panel produced clear and vibrant colors from every viewing angle. The colors are extremely vibrant and the contrast is razor-sharp, without showing any sign of blurring. It provides 68% coverage of CIE 1931 color space along with 250 nits maximum brightness level which is decent unless you’re a professional graphic designer.
The other great thing about this monitor is its screen split feature. With screen split 2.0, you can display four windows side by side in fourteen different configurations. This makes LG 32MA68HY-P a good office asset, but really, we think that its best performance, and so purpose, is with multi-media use. It really shines when you’re enjoying the full-color video.
What We Don’t Like About LG 32MA68HY-P 32-Inch IPS Monitor
In terms of design, we found LG 32MA68HY-P a bit plasticky, and the small bezels surrounding the screen against the grain of most modern frameless monitors. Also, the glossy finish to the screen, while adding to its over aesthetics, may pose a bit of an issue for those working at a desk where sunlight or bright room light shines directly with the screen; it produces a glare that might cause visibility issues.
LG 32MA68HY-P’s simple yet attractive curved stand lacks full adjustability. You only get 5 degrees of forwards and 10 degrees of backward tilt, with no height, rotate, or swivel options. Although it is VESA compatible, it has an unusual 200mm x 100mm rectangular hole pattern rather than the usual square VESA standard, making the mounting fixture that you’ll need harder to source and more expensive.
While its connectivity options are generally good, it does lack a DVI port. Admittedly, DVI isn’t as common as it once was, but if you’re using an old computer that still uses this port, you’ll need to have an adapter to make it compatible with the monitor’s HDMI port. Also, you should get yourself a set of headphones or speakers while you’re at it, as LG 32MA68HY-P doesn’t have any built-in speakers.
For LG to deliver an IPS and Full HD screen at this price is impressive, it is a bit of a double-edged sword. It’s so clear and precise that you’re aware of every little detail of the image quality, including any flaws. And of course,
LG 32MA68HY-P is not a monitor for playing games at full throttle. While response time is 5ms with a 60Hz refresh rate, it lacks any adaptive sync technology to combat input lag and stuttering.
PROS
- Great value for money
- Perfect work screen. Easy to read text
- Comfortable viewing close or far
- Brighter and shows colors vividly
- Very satisfied with the colors, image quality, and brightness of this monitor
- Games look great
- It has good port options, and even a built-in hub if you choose to use it
- Increased workflow with the amount of side by side windows possible, and using it alongside another monitor for dual monitor setup
CONS
- 1920 x 1080 isn’t going to be good for gaming or photo editing
- With more than one monitor you notice inconsistency when trying to color match them
- Started to flash a very thin blue line across the bottom of the screen intermittently
- The power light is on and Windows recognizes the monitor is present, but there’s no picture
- LG quality control needs improving
What’s Included?
- LG 32MA68HY-P 32-Inch IPS Monitor
- Power cord
- User guide
- One-year limited warranty
Overview Of Features
LG 32MA68HY-P is a 32-inch screen (31.5″ measured diagonally) monitor with a refined arc line design. It provides 75% more viewable area compared to a 24” monitor. With Full HD clarity and true color reproduction from the 16:9 IPS panel which can be viewed off-angle. Its glossy screen is covered with an anti-glare film.
LG’s On-Screen Control software enables quick optimization of monitor settings. Screen Split 2.0 is a multi-tasking wizard, displaying as many as four different Windows at a time in 14 possible configurations for maximum productivity. Reader Mode lessens eye fatigue and allows more comfortable viewing during extended work sessions.
Display: 31.5″ LED with IPS Panel
Resolution: 1920×1080 (Full HD)
Pixel Pitch: 0.36375 x 0.36375 mm
Response Time: 5ms
Refresh Rate: 60Hz
Brightness(Max) : 250 cd/㎡
Contrast Ratio: Mega
Viewing Angle: 178°(H)/178°(V)
Stand: Tilt -5°- 10°
VESA Mount Support: Yes
Ports: 1x HDMI, 1x VGA, 1x DisplayPort, 2x USB 2.0
Features: LG’s On-Screen Control, Screen Split 2.0, Reader Mode
See Related Article: HP Pavilion 27xw 27” IPS LED Backlit Monitor Review
Review Summary
It’s a difficult task to find a 32” monitor for such a low price anywhere. As one of the cheapest 32″ IPS monitors currently available on the market to buy, we feared that LG had cut some corners with their 32MA68HY-P to make that possible. Encouragingly, after a week of using and testing in our office, we’re happy to report that we were proven wrong.
Instead, LG 32MA68HY-P is the perfect 32″ monitor for most people. It has a Full HD 1920×1080 resolution that’s enough for the average computer user. For such a low price, it is a steal!
However, while there is no doubt that LG 32MA68HY-P is a great monitor, it’s not suitable for everyone. If you’re an avid, top-class, or pro gamer, or a graphic designer who needs the very best quality image reproduction, then it’s not for you. So if you are someone that edits videos then you might need to look at something with a bigger resolution.
Who it is for? Our conclusion is that it’s for people who like to play casual games and want or need it for everyday household tasks, general office work, programming, or web browsing. The large screen makes it perfect for professional work environments where the emphasis is on office tasks, such as working on spreadsheets and editing documents.
If playing games or doing graphic design is your bread and butter, then you might have to look elsewhere. The monitor is on a 1080p display, so it’s fine for casual gaming and streaming movies. You’ll still get great quality on the IPS panel, so it will work fine if you’re not doing anything intense. But don’t expect razor-sharp images.
It comes with a great variety of input options and includes DisplayPort. And although its stand lacks ergonomics, it does have VESA support, so you can replace it with a more suitable one of your choosing, or wall-mount it.
Overall, LG 32MA68HY-P 32-Inch IPS Monitor is pretty simple and attractive in design, even if it doesn’t really stand out. You can’t expect a premium finish at this price point. But it’s not going to break down easily and will do the job pretty well for you. It has all the basic ingredients of a perfect computer monitor.
You won’t find a monitor as good as this for the low price. Yes, it is a Full HD display, and on a 32-inch display that may be questionable for some; the only thing that it’s missing is a 4k display. But for what it costs, you can’t really complain. You’re still getting so much for a low price. It’s an incredible value.
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