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.

Go to page:

Conclusion

The ultimate test of a gaming monitor is whether or not it pulls you into the action and lets you play comfortably and competitively for long hours. Do you need HDR for this? Not necessarily. Extended color certainly helps. But video processing is probably the most important element. A display that makes the most of its fast refresh rate while delivering low input lag and quick panel response is key. Specs alone don’t always tell the tale.

The HP Omen 27i certainly has impressive specs. That includes 165 Hz without overclock, FreeSync, G-Sync Compatibility and a superb overdrive. Image quality is also superb. Contrast tests didn’t show great results, but HP has included an excellent dynamic contrast feature that has no downside. Using it takes the 27i past many premium IPS screens when judging image depth.

The star, though, is color. Not only is there lots of it (over 93% DCI coverage), but it’s accurate right out of the box. With a few tweaks (see our recommended settings on page 1), we saw an image equal to many expensive professional displays. The 27i’s color gamut error score of 1.10dE puts it in an exclusive club inhabited by screens like the mini-LED Asus ProArt PA32UCX and Acer’s ConceptD CP7271K.

With color for days and premium game performance, the Omen 27i is easily worth its selling price. It’s bright and sharp, and we could play games or watch movies on it for hours. Plus, it excels at workday tasks. The 27i can handle just about anything. If you’re in the market for a premium IPS screen, it’s well worth considering.

Current page: Conclusion

Prev Page Viewing Angles, Uniformity, Response and Lag

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.

Latest