We have some updates from LG.Display about their panel development plans which is always interesting to see. This is LG.Display as a panel manufacturer, as opposed to LG the monitor/display manufacturer, but it gives an indication of where monitors are likely to go in the future by looking ahead at the panel production plans. LG.Display make a large portion of the IPS-type panels in the market which is always of interest. Please keep in mind that the production dates are not set in stone and may change, and there is then also a lag of several months before a panel is produced, then used in a display and launched to market. We will update our panel parts database with all the new information we have as well as best we can. Here are the highlights.

If you missed it, our last update for LG.Display was October 2020 and worth a read back.

When 360Hz just isn’t enough – 480Hz is planned!

Although there is very little information provided, LG.Display have plans to push refresh rates even higher than the current 360Hz options you can find on the market, like the Asus ROG Swift PG259QN for instance that we reviewed in Sept 2020. There are a few 24.5″ models on the market now using an AU Optronics 360Hz IPS-type panel and offering the highest refresh rates in this space currently available.

LG.Display list plans to develop 480Hz refresh rate panels in 2021 although they won’t go in to production until late 2022 sadly. They will be limited to 1080p (1920 x 1080 resolution) options for now and it looks like the first option will be 24.5″ in size. The only other specs listed at this time are sRGB colour gamut and HDR 400 support. They are currently listed for production in Q4 2022. More info of course when we get any.

LG.Display also talk about how they have been optimizing their overdrive control to hopefully reduce inverse ghosting and overshoot artifacts and deliver a true 1ms G2G response time and deliver a reverse-ghosting-free experience.

As a side note there are also early plans to push the refresh rate of Quad HD 2560 x 1440 resolution panel options above 240Hz at some point, probably not until 2022 and no details are listed yet.

An update on expected availability and specs of their 31.5″ IPS Panel with 4K, 144Hz Refresh Rate and HDR 1000

A new panel planned planned is the LM315WR4-SSA1 which will offer a 3840 x 2160 “4K” resolution combined with support for 144Hz refresh rate. It also has HDR 1000 support although edge lit as opposed to any FALD or Mini LED backlight. It also offers a 3-side borderless design and wide gamut covering 98% DCI-P3. In our last update this wasn’t expected to go in to production until Q4 2021, but is now listed as Q2 2022 unfortunately so it’s a long way off. The spec doesn’t seem that adventurous or cutting edge, so it’s unclear why there’s such a delay to production plans for this panel.

Mini LED Backlights for improved local dimming

LG.Display are also focusing on improving the HDR options they offer. There are a wide range of HDR 600 panels planned or in production, but of particular interest are plans to produce more Mini LED backlights. These are a step beyond current FALD backlights, offering smaller dimming zones and far more of them. We recently reviewed one of the first Mini LED backlight monitors to market, the Asus ROG Swift PG32UQX. Mini LED backlights help provide more finite control over the content on the screen, reduce blooming and halos, and creating an improved HDR experience.

LG.Display will aim to offer peak brightness of up to 1250 cd/m2 as well from these new panels we know from the last update in Oct 2020.

31.5″ with Mini LED but 60Hz only

The 31.5″ sized IPS panel that we discussed all the way back in a previous update in Dec 2019 is now in mass production. The LM315WR3 has a 4-side borderless design and offers a 3840 x 2160 resolution and has a Mini LED backlight with >2000 dimming zones. It will also offer a high 99.5% DCI-P3 colour gamut and HDR 1000 certification. We should note that this is a 60Hz only panel so will likely be aimed more at content creation, general usage and HDR multimedia as opposed to gamers.

27″ with Mini LED and 144Hz

Adding to the Mini LED options is a newly announced 27″ panel. The LM270WR8-SSE1 will offer a 4 side borderless design, 3840 x 2160 “4K” resolution, 144Hz refresh rate, 99.5% DCI-P3 colour gamut (92% Adobe RGB, 99% sRGB also) and a Mini LED backlight with 1560 zones capable of supporting the HDR 1000 standard. It has a typical SDR brightness of 500 cd/m2 but a peak brightness for HDR of 1250 cd/m2. Other expected specs include a 4ms G2G response time (listed as “without overdrive” interestingly), 1000:1 contrast ratio, 178/178 viewing angles, 8-bit+FRC colour depth.

This panel is not expected to go in to production until Q4 2022 though which again seems an awful long way off. This panel option will offer better support for gamers thanks to its high refresh rate.

A new curved 27″ IPS Panel with 1440p and 165Hz

Worthy of a short mention on the latest update is the forthcoming LM270WQC-SJA1 panel. This has a 2560 x 1440 resolution IPS panel combined with a 165Hz refresh rate. It has a 2900R curvature, sRGB colour gamut and a 3 side borderless design. This is expected to go in to production around October 2021.

“IPS Black”

One of the most exciting developments is the planned development of their so-called “IPS Black” technology. There’s not a massive amount of information provided at this stage but we do know that this is designed to improve black depth and rendering on IPS panels when viewed from a variety of angles, including from the side where current IPS panels show pale “IPS glow” and appear more washed out and pale.

So far only two panels are in plan based on this new IPS Black technology. They come in 27″ and 31.5″ sizes with a 3840 x 2160 “4K” resolution, DCI-P3 wide colour gamut and LBL technology (discussed below). Other specs are not yet listed. Both are planned for Jan 2022 production at the moment.

A push for improved Low Blue Light Panels

There is a big focus from LG.Display on improving the low blue light (LBL) capabilities of their panels, with many of their new and forthcoming panels listing this as a feature. They aim to combine this technology with the latest high colour gamut and brightest HDR displays as well, including the top end HDR 1000 certified panels. They will also support the TUV EyeSafe certification with these LBL features.

Improving Colour Gamut

At the moment LG.Display’s current generation of Nano IPS panels offer wide colour gamut with a typical 98% DCI-P3 coverage being common. This year (2021) they plan to push that to higher coverage of 100% DCI-P3 through new technologies, which will perhaps give rise to a new naming scheme for their IPS technology instead of “Nano”. Time will tell, but that often happens. Next year in 2022 they intend to push this even further aiming for a whopping 90%+ coverage of the Rec.2020 colour space.

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