HP Omen 32q 165 Hz gaming monitor review: Incredible value, jumbo screen

A 32-inch IPS QHD gaming monitor with 165 Hz, Adaptive-Sync, HDR and wide gamut color.

HP Omen 32q
(Image: © Tom's Hardware)

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Our HDR benchmarking uses Portrait Displays’ Calman software. To learn about our HDR testing, see our breakdown of how we test PC monitors.

The Omen 32q supports HDR10 signals with a VESA DisplayHDR 400 certification. It switches modes automatically and delivers high image fidelity with no need for or possibility of, adjustment.

HDR Brightness and Contrast

My Omen 32q sample nearly hit 500 nits in HDR mode, which is a lot of light for a 32-inch screen. It’s well ahead of the VA panels in this test. If you like bright HDR, this monitor is the one. Thanks to a field dimming feature, it also has the best HDR black levels in the group. That results in an impressive 10,068.5:1 HDR contrast ratio, the best of the bunch. Any concerns about SDR contrast go out the window when HDR is this good. It translates to a sharp, bold and deep image with dark shadows and bright highlights. The other screens don’t improve over their SDR scores. Note that the AOC CQ32G2S is omitted here because it doesn’t support HDR.

Grayscale, EOTF and Color

The Omen 32q’s HDR grayscale and EOTF chart is reference quality. There are no visible grayscale errors and the EOTF tracks almost perfectly to its reference line. Shadows are a tad dark, but I saw no lack of detail. There was no clipping in any actual content. The tone-map transition is at 65%, which matches the measured white and black levels. This is truly impressive performance.

HDR color sticks to its hue targets and adds in a bit of over-saturation. This is typical of HDR monitors and when the points are linear, as they are here, detail rendering is not affected. You can see all the elements of the original content displayed in vivid tones. The Omen 32q’s HDR color is clearly richer than SDR. The Rec.2020 chart shows the same behavior, correct hues and linear over-saturation. Color runs out around 75% for green and 90% for red and blue. This is expected, given the measured gamut volume. The Omen 32q has superb HDR color.

Test Takeaway: Any concerns I had about contrast were quickly forgotten when I measured the Omen 32q’s HDR mode. It does a superb job with all HDR content, rendering terrific dynamic range and vibrant color that’s clearly more saturated than SDR. I’ve only seen premium Mini LED and full-array local dimming panels look better. HP has a coup here for just $400.

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Christian Eberle
Contributing Editor

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.

  • mwm2010
    I have an HP Omen 27Q, and I wasn't at all surprised to see that this monitor is basically the same as mine, but with gsync and 32 inches. Still super impressed though.
    Reply
  • idrisdroid
    why the hdr contrast is mesured this high?
    i have an issue with this, since you don't explain what was used to achieve this. i have an idée, it is dynamic back lighting, what it mean that you will never see dark image with high ligt in the image. and never a dark earia when the rest of the image is bright
    this is very important to ,notice
    Reply