I tested the HP Series 7 Pro 727pm business monitor and it may not be cheap, but it's still an extraordinary 4K productivity panel

If you want to get things done with precision, slick ergonomics and outstanding connectivity, try the new HP Series 7 Pro 727pm for size. It's a 27-inch 4K monitor with fantastic connectivity, plus a few extra useful frills that help it rank among the best business monitors.

The main attraction is a 27-inch 4K LCD panel using LG's IPS Black technology for heightened contrast. To that HP has added a suite of features aimed at maximising utility. That starts with truly comprehensive connectivity, including both Thunderbolt 4 and DisplayPort in and out, monitor daisy chaining, a KVM switch, and full hub functionality with ethernet.

You also get a pop-out 5MP webcam with Windows Hello and AI head tracking capability. In productivity and connectivity terms, this monitor really has all your bases covered. However, it's slightly less impressive from a multimedia perspective.

HDR support is limited to DisplayHDR 400 and this monitor only runs at 60Hz. But those are expected limitations for this class of display, even if higher refresh rates of 120Hz and beyond are arguably becoming more mainstream and do have benefits beyond just gaming.

HP Series 7 Pro 727pm: Design & features

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• Slick, slim-bezel design
• Outstanding connectivity
• Above-average integrated webcam

The HP Series 7 Pro 727pm conforms to HP's latest premium productivity design language. So, it's clean, modern and minimalist. The slim and symmetrical bezels on all four sides of the display make for a contemporary looking and compact monitor. You won't need a huge amount of desktop space to accommodate this 27-inch monitor. It's also nicely engineered with a metal stand and base that offers a full range of adjustment and thus excellent ergonomics.

The plentiful range of ports on the rear are likewise especially easy to access, with all ports located on the chassis back panel with cables and connectors exiting straight out the back as opposed to directly downwards. That includes the power cable, which slots neatly into the rear with neat flush-fitting attachment.

You can also plug a standard kettle-style power cable into the rear, but the bundled connector with its flush attachment is a nice touch and speaks to the attention to detail to which HP has gone with this display. Speaking of those connections, there's quite the array of them on the rear. You'll find two Thunderbolt 4 ports, one input with 100W PD and one output with 15W PD, another USB-C in, USB-C out, DisplayPort in and out, HDMI, ethernet and two USB-A out.

That little collection means you have support for everything from single-cable laptop connectivity to sharing this monitor across two PCs or Macs via the integrated KVM switch, plus monitor daisy chaining that allows you to run a dual-display setup via just one cable. It really is a comprehensive setup.

To that you can add the integrated 5MP webcam. It pops out of the top bezel manually, which means it can be hidden away for totally reliable security and offers both Windows Hello support for quick and secure Windows logins and AI head tracking.

The latter works better than some competing cameras with similar functionality, tracking you accurately as you move around the camera frame. Admittedly, the tracking is a little slow and laggy, but it does offer you a little more freedom of movement than a conventional fully static webcam.

What's more, the image quality is a clear step above both most integrated monitor webcams and those typically found in laptops. In other words, you'll very likely benefit from the HP Series 7 Pro 727pm's webcam almost regardless of what laptop you're currently using.

HP Series 7 Pro 727pm: Performance

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• Crisp, precise 4K visuals
• IPS Black tech isn't that impressive
• Limited HDR support

In theory, the main visual attraction of the HP Series 7 Pro 727pm is its 27-inch panel. Partly that's because it offers a full 4K resolution of 3,840 by 2,160 pixels. Sure enough, that translates into excellent pixel density of 163DPI.

The result is really crisp, clean fonts and razer-sharp image detail. That applies to both Windows and MacOS, the latter being particularly good at making the most of this HP's pixel density when it comes to rendering really lovely looking fonts.

In practice, the other key element from an image quality perspective isn't quite so successful. HP has gone for LG's latest IPS Black panel tech. On paper, it offers all the usual benefits of IPS panel technology, including excellent colour accuracy, good viewing angles and fast response (in an LCD as opposed to OLED context) and adds increased contrast.

It's contrast where IPS is weakest versus VA panel technology, with most IPS panels coming in at 1,000 or 1,300 to one ratios. This IPS Black panel increases that to fully 2,000 to one. That's a big boost even if it's still well short of the 3,000 or 4,000 to one of most VA-equipped monitors, never mind the perfect per-pixel lighting and effectively infinite contrast of an OLED display.

Anyway, as we've found with all other IPS Black monitors, the subjective experience doesn't really match the on-paper advantages. For sure, this is a lovely 4K IPS monitor. It's vibrant, punchy and accurate. It just doesn't look obviously superior to other high-quality IPS monitors. As with all IPS panels, there's still a little light bleed and the contrast and black levels are subjectively very similar.

As for HDR performance, this monitor lacks local dimming and only offers HDR 400 certification, which is entry-level stuff. Ultimately, this isn't a true HDR monitor, but it can at least decode an HDR signal.

Elsewhere, the limitation to 60Hz is largely expected for this class of productivity rather than gaming monitor. But refresh is one area where this monitor ends up feeling a little dated in years to come. Once you've used a 120Hz-monitor as your daily driver, 60Hz panels like this do feel a tiny bit sluggish.

That said, the pixel response is zippy enough. HP has included four levels of pixel-accelerating overdrive in the OSD menu. The fastest setting really is pretty nippy and only suffers from a touch of overshoot. If you want to game on this monitor, you will actually get a pretty good experience, albeit it won't be a high-refresh experience.

HP Series 7 Pro 727pm: Final verdict

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The new HP Series 7 Pro 727pm isn't cheap, especially not for a "mere" 60Hz 27-inch monitor using LCD as opposed to OLED technology. However, the 4K resolution makes for super crisp and precise visuals and lots of working space.

Admittedly, the supposedly next-gen IPS Black panel doesn't move the game on much, in subjective terms, compared with existing IPS screen technology. ANd the HDR support on offer is limited. But in terms of the clear productivity remit, this is a lovely monitor to use daily thanks to its vibrant, accurate visuals and excellent image detail.

But arguably the star of the show here is connectivity. HP has covered off just about every eventuality, with Thunderbolt 4, 100W charging, daisy chaining, a KVM switch, USB-C hub support, ethernet, the works—you name it, this monitor has it when it comes to connectivity.

The pop-out 5MP webcam is likewise a very welcome inclusion. Along with Windows Hello support, it sports AI-enabled head tracking that works better than many similar systems. It also offers much better image quality than most integrated webcams, be they in other competing monitors or in laptops.

All told, the HP Series 7 Pro 727pm offers a very strong productivity proposition. It's not the cheapest 4K 60Hz IPS panel out there. But if you're going to make use of a decent subsection of its feature set, it's definitely worth the extra cash over a screen with more basic connectivity and no webcam. Just don't go buying it expecting that IPS Black panel tech to be revolutionary.

For high-resolution displays, we've rounded up all the best 5K and 8K monitors.