HP Omen 27i Review: Brilliant Color, Instant Response

A colorful 27-incher at 165 Hz

HP Omen 27i
(Image: © HP)

Why you can trust Tom's Hardware Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. Find out more about how we test.

Viewing Angles

HP Omen 27i

(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

The Omen 27i delivers viewing angles comparable to any IPS monitor. To the sides, there is a slight blue shift along with a 30% reduction in brightness. From the top, the image gets a bit red and light drops by around 50%. In either case, detail remains visible in all areas of the image. 

Screen Uniformity 

To learn how we measure screen uniformity, please click here. 

HP Omen 27i

(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

Quality control is certainly evident in our Omen 27i sample. With only a 5.91% deviation, screen uniformity is visually perfect. HP has avoided any bleed or glow that sometimes crops up with IPS panels. This monitor won’t show any hotspots or artifacts at any brightness level. Color aberrations were nonexistent. 

Pixel Response & Input Lag 

Please click here to read up on our pixel response and input lag testing procedures. 

As you can see, high refresh rates are not created equal. Though the differences are small, more Hertz isn’t a guarantee of success. The Omen 27i makes the most of its 165Hz and manages to pip the 200Hz GM27-CF in the lag test while matching its panel response score. HP’s overdrive is one of the best we’ve seen, and it almost completely eliminates motion blur with no ghosting artifacts. A 21ms lag score will only be beaten by a handful of 240Hz monitors. 

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.