LG DualUp Monitor Ergo 28MQ780 – a stand-up monitor (review)

The LG DualUp Monitor Ergo 28MQ780 is a 27.6”, 2560 x 2880, 16:18, Portrait style monitor that provides the stacked vertical space equivalent of two 21.5” 16:9 monitors.

It is not that the 28MQ780 monitor per se is innovative (it has pretty good specs), but the clever stacked design and the stand make it unique. A dual vertical screen has lots of productivity applications.

And it has lots of connectivity options, too including HDMI, DP, USB-C alt DP and 90W upstream power to connect most notebooks or tablets.

Australian Review: LG DualUp Monitor Ergo 28MQ780

WebsiteProduct Page and Ergo Range  
Price$1299
FromLG Online or most quality CE retailers
Warranty1-year ACL
LGLG (formerly Lucky-Goldstar from 1983 to 1995) is a South Korean multinational conglomerate. It makes electronics, chemicals, and telecommunications products.
MoreCybershack LG News and reviews

We use Fail (below expectations), Pass (meets expectations) and Exceed (surpasses expectations or is the class leader) against many of the items below. We occasionally give a Pass ‘+’ rating to show it is good but does not quite make it to Exceed.

You can click on most images for an enlargement.

First impression – like a picture frame with a complex stand – Interesting

The 16:18 portrait (or 18:16 landscape) monitor is (W/H/D) 481.5 x 549.5 x 44.9 mm x 4.3kg with a VESA 100×100 mount. It has pretty narrow top and side bezels and a 20mm chin.

The stand is complex and adds 4.7kg. It is for desk clamp mounting only and has quite a wide 70mm clamp to suit most thicker desks. Repeat – it is not a desktop stand. That takes the finished unit to (W/H/D) 481.5 x 843.2 x 461.3 mm. LG thoughtfully has a torque adjustment to prevent monitor sag in the future.

Caveat: You need a desk that suits this mount and cannot use thinner glass topped desks.

Screen: 27.6” 2880 x 2560, 8-bit, 60Hz, nano-IPS – Exceed

LG’s website states 10-bit, 1.07 billion colours nano IPS (Quantum Dot), so it should be good for colour-calibrated critical work. Windows reports it can play HDR content downscaled to the panel’s capabilities.

Claimed brightness is 300 nits (auto control – tested 305), contrast is 1000:1 (tested 1010:1) and 98% DCI-P3 colour gamut -– pretty standard for a decent monitor. It claims to support up to HDR10, but this needs significantly more brightness and contrast, so it downmixes that to the panel’s native capability – and that looks pretty good too.

Tests show the claims are accurate, and Delta E is 1.8 (<4 is excellent), reflecting factory calibration. It also shows 100% sRGB and 88% Adobe RGB.

On-Screen control for Windows and macOS – Pass

The App is more about split screen layouts and picture modes. These include Cinema, FPS, RTS, and Vivid. Interestingly DCI-P3, sRGB and some other settings are greyed out as it is a generic app for many LG monitors.

There is also an on-screen menu accessed via a joystick button.

Ports – Pass+

  • 2 x HDMI 2.0 IN (can connect to all inputs and auto/switch between them)
  • Display Port 1.4
  • USB-C Alt DP 90W upstream power
  • USB-B in hub supporting 2 x USB-A 3.0 5V/.9A/4.5W downstream ports
  • 3.5mm 4-pole headphone/mic

It has a built-in KVM (cabled keyboard, video and mouse) switch to manage the various inputs, show picture-in-picture, etc.

Sound: 2 x 7W down-firing – Pass+

It can get quite loud at 85dB with reasonably low distortion. The sound signature

Deep Bass: 20-40HzNo
Middle Bass: 40-100HzNo
High Bass: 100 to 200HzIt kicks in at 100Hz and slowly builds to 200Hz
Low-mid: 200-400HzEssentially flat
Mid: 400-1000HzFlat
High-mid: 1-2kHzFlat
Low-treble: 2-4kHzFlat
Treble:4-6kHzVery slow decline to avoid harshness
High Treble: 6-10kHzFlat
Dog Whistle: 10-20kHzSecond dip to avoid harshness, then solid to 20kHz

It sounds infinitely better than most laptops. Technically it is Bright Vocal (bass recessed, mid/treble boosted) – for vocal tracks and string instruments, but it has just enough high-bass to satisfy,

If you have an EQ on your PC, you can play with sound to get it just the way you want. You can read more How to tell if you have good music (sound signature is the key – guide.

Power: Little thirsty – Pass

The brick supplies 19.5V/10.8/216.6W which has 90W upstream USB-C power. In typical use (HDMI in), it draws about 40W and is in full mode with upstream USB-C power, about 190W maximum.

CyberShack’s view – LG DualUp Monitor Ergo 28MQ780 is interesting but specialised

I use two Samsung 32”, 4K, 16:9, 10-bit/1.07 billion colour, 60Hz, VA monitors with 250 nits, 2500:1 contrast, and 100% sRGB (as I work in the web colour space). These are 1500R curved to help fit into a smaller desk and create a more immersive experience. For me, maximum real estate and 4K resolution are necessary for my work. Before that, I had two Samsung 27, 1080p, 16:9 monitors with similar specs. I also use a Surface Laptop Studio as a third screen for email. So, for me, real estate is critical.

This monitor is 16:18, which gives you 2 x 21.5” 16:9 monitor stacked equivalent space. It took about a week for me to get used to it; frankly, it is not for me. Maybe two side by side would work!

But the stacked concept is excellent if you need two screens and have a small workspace. We could not fault the monitor in tests, so it gets our buy recommendation.

LG DualUp Monitor Ergo 28MQ780

$1299
8.8

Features

9.0/10

Value

8.0/10

Performance

9.0/10

Ease of Use

9.0/10

Design

9.0/10

Pros

  • Very flexible stand
  • Decent brightness and contrast for office use
  • Crisp text
  • More for work than play, especially video playback

Cons

  • It takes some getting used to – but no neck strain issues!
  • Not really for gaming despite 5ms G-T-G
  • Older computers may not support the 16:18 format
  • 16:9 video is in letterbox format
  • Off-angle viewing gives colour fade