HP Omen 27-inch 280Hz QHD Monitor Review: Bringing Vibrant Worlds to Life
Horror gamers need not apply
Specs:
+ IPS Panel
+ 280Hz
+ 2560 x 1440
+ Nvidia G-Sync
+ Integrated Speakers
+ 2 x HDMI 2.0, 2 x USB-A 3.2, 1 x DPI 1.4, 1 x USB-B,
On the surface, HP Omen’s 27-inch QHD gaming monitor wants to be a quality-driven display that delivers in ways hardcore gamers will appreciate. Out of the box, its panel is serviceable, offering a crisp resolution and tear-free action that goes a long way to bring even the dullest game worlds to life. However, when you start to focus on the finer details, it’s evident that some games may suffer.
While it succeeds in displaying a decent range of colors and vibrancy options and offers a suite of gamer-focused features, the Omen fails quite significantly in other critical areas, particularly for someone who frequents horror environments like Silent Hill and the USGH Ishimura.
A Fine Display Made for Gaming
The HP Omen 27-inch QHD is a sizable upgrade from the 25-inch I’ve been working on, something that took a bit of getting used to. The larger panel provides more room for productivity, allowing me to snap windows effectively without text being squished or shrunken down to unreadable sizes. The bevel-free design lends to a clean aesthetic, seemingly opening up more of the panel for use.
While I could tout it as a decent office monitor, this 27-inch display was made for gamers. Its size ensures you won’t be squinting to see enemies in the distance, but you’ll still need that second monitor for an efficient streamer setup. It does come with some nice RGB backlighting options, true to modern gaming accessory form. I didn’t use it much, but for on-camera personalities and those who love a soft RGB glow, it’s a neat, though far from game-changing, feature.
The HP Omen 27-inch offers a host of inputs, and here, users are spoiled for choice. Two HDMI 2.0 ports, two USB-A 3.2 ports, a USB-B port, and a DisplayPort 1.4 input ensure everything has a place. The lack of a USB-C port may bother some, but it’s hardly the biggest issue with the monitor’s components. That honor goes to the speakers. I typically appreciate when a monitor comes with dual speakers, as not everyone has an external audio source. However, here, HP takes its biggest misstep, which I’ll touch on shortly.
Smooth, Vibrant Gaming With Quirks
Omen is HP’s in-house gaming brand, and the 27-inch does play to that with an IPS panel that’s clear, colorful, and ready to take on some of the industry’s most detailed worlds. We’re living through a phase where virtually every AAA title is some visual powerhorse with incredibly fine details that aren’t meant to be overlooked. Thankfully, the Omen is good enough to truly appreciate those visuals, so long as there’s plenty of light. Unfortunately, contrast and HDR are not the monitor’s strong suits, and you’ll find that the blacks simply never get truly black.
Overall, the Omen handles color accuracy well out of the box. I have no notable complaints when I’m staring at the vast Italian landscapes of Mafia: The Old Country. The rolling hills are a striking green, dotted with splendid villas and villages that pop despite their naturally muted colors. Even battling across Haven’s Hollow and making sense of the oft-chaotic visuals of Fortnite show off the monitor’s visual strengths.
God forbid I want to explore a dimly lit haunted house in Phasmophobia, though. Every marginally black corner glows, appearing more slate than black. The poor (or, rather, nonexistent outside of HDR) local dimming and aggressive backlighting actually made playing a game like Dead Space uncomfortable. You’ll be too distracted by the bleedthrough to even notice the necromorph coming down on Isaac.
VRR and FreeSync Save the Day
If HP’s 27-inch entry excels in anything, it’s a lag-free gaming experience. The monitor’s strongest suit is its 280Hz refresh rate, which keeps action-heavy games from tearing or stuttering. Games like Battlefield 6 and Helldivers 2 moved smoothly, even as the screen filled with particles and the chaos of war. Helldivers 2 ran particularly well and at a steadily higher rate, regardless of how many terminids descended upon me.
NVIDIA G-SYNC is in play here. It’s become such a standard in gaming monitors (alongside AMD’s FreeSync), further supporting a tear and lag-free experience, and its presence is welcomed here to complement the clarity and broad range of colors.
Booting up a game like Marvel’s Spider-Man seemed like the intended use of the HP Omen. The 27-inch QHD is at its best when there’s frantic action and very few dark spots. Spidey’s suit popped, and Manhattan came to life with only the intended motion blur.
Hollow, Lifeless Audio
I’ve reviewed quite a few monitors over the past few years, and out of those with internal speakers, the HP Omen may offer the most disappointing audio experience. No matter how many settings I tinkered with, both on the monitor and my PC, the sound was flat and failed to capture any level of depth or bass.
Epic moments in Helldivers 2, when the music swells and bombing runs shake the ground, aren’t as impactful. Even something as simple as watching a YouTube video can be problematic. Will I hear the dialogue, or will the slightest background noise drown out the monitor’s futile speakers?
While built-ins are rarely a few clicks above subpar, the Omen’s feel like an afterthought. I don’t use headphones often, and, for the first time in a long time, I’m considering upgrading to external speakers to mitigate the rather disatisfying audio.
Do You Need It?
If you have your own audio setup, then I feel better about recommending HP’s Omen 27-inch. The QHD display is pretty, but it’s that 280Hz refresh rate that steals the show. At $499, it’s definitely pricey, especially when you consider some of its shortcomings. Sure, you can find a workaround for the audio quality, but nothing can really be done about the black levels and backlight bleed. If you frequent horror games or anything where you spend a significant amount of time traversing at night, this monitor may not be for you.
If you can snag the Omen 27-inch QHD for within the $300 to $350 range, it may be a better buy. Otherwise, you’re pretty much just paying for the HP Omen brand name.