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Brightness and Contrast

To read about our monitor tests in-depth, please check out Display Testing Explained: How We Test PC Monitors. We cover brightness and contrast testing on page two.

Uncalibrated – Maximum Backlight Level

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HP Omen 27qs G2 — (Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

Like most monitors, the Omen 27qs G2 offers more brightness than most people would need for an indoor space with an SDR peak over 414 nits. Go much over 200 nits and you’ll find your eyes tiring quickly. The black level is fairly low, and contrast is high at 1,214:1, but the two Gigabytes offer a little more dynamic range. This is a small but visible difference. The AOCs sit on top of this contest with their VA panels.

After Calibration to 200 nits

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Contrast is barely affected by calibration dropping to 1,167:1, a negligible change. The Omen 27qs G2 is solidly over the 1,000:1 IPS average but its competition from Gigabyte is just a tad lower in the black level department. For ultimate contrast from an LCD, VA is still the go-to tech.

The Omen 27qs G2 is super consistent in the ANSI test with a one-point increase in value to 1,168.6:1. This is excellent performance. The panel’s grid polarizer is obviously a high-quality component.

Test Takeaway: The Omen 27qs G2 has better-than-average IPS contrast and black levels, but two panels from Gigabyte are a little better. This is mitigated, however, by HP’s superior video processing and color accuracy.

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Christian Eberle is a Contributing Editor for Tom's Hardware US. He's a veteran reviewer of A/V equipment, specializing in monitors. Christian began his obsession with tech when he built his first PC in 1991, a 286 running DOS 3.0 at a blazing 12MHz. In 2006, he undertook training from the Imaging Science Foundation in video calibration and testing and thus started a passion for precise imaging that persists to this day. He is also a professional musician with a degree from the New England Conservatory as a classical bassoonist which he used to good effect as a performer with the West Point Army Band from 1987 to 2013. He enjoys watching movies and listening to high-end audio in his custom-built home theater and can be seen riding trails near his home on a race-ready ICE VTX recumbent trike. Christian enjoys the endless summer in Florida where he lives with his wife and Chihuahua and plays with orchestras around the state.