HP Omen 27i Review: A Display of Symmetric Beauty
Retail Price: $449.99
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I’ve had a variety of computer monitors over the last decade ranging from Ultrawide LG models to a gigantic 40-something inch AOC monster that everyone has to ask if that’s actually a television in disguise. The one type of monitor I have yet to have is something so premium that it makes my jaw drop. Even though my monitor purchases have been up to the $500 range in price, I haven’t owned something that really felt like it cost that much simply due to the build quality. When Apple released their new Pro Display XDR monitors, I had an itch to treat myself to something eye-catching in a luxurious way. Of course, even I couldn’t justify spending $5,000 on a monitor no matter how much I calculated recuperating the expense through work I’d do on the monitor. Instead, I decided to look for the most premium monitor I could find in the $500 segment and I came across the HP Omen 27i monitor. This gaming focused monitor is essentially filling my craving for a premium monitor.
A Fresh Redesign
Retailing at $450, the Omen 27i is a dedication to refinement of previous Omen monitors. I never thought any of the previous Omen monitors were ugly, but they never really attracted me with their crimson eye (or flower?) logo and brick walled design. When I caught wind of this new redesign from the ground up, I was instantly drawn to the elegant smooth symmetrical shape. When you look at it from behind, it’s literally a lit up slanted cube within a rectangle frame. It is gorgeous.
While the monitor is nowhere near as sturdy and solid built as the Apple monitor I was salivating over, it is a big step up in feel and appearance to the monitors I’m accustomed to simply due to the fact that it isn’t a glossy black plastic. I never really noticed it until I purchased the Omen, but every monitor I own has a glossy plastic body. With a matte black shell, the Omen automatically looks and feels like it punches way above the others in my inventory. The thing is this isn’t the most expensive monitor I’ve ever bought. It actually isn’t even the most expensive monitor I’ve purchased from Best Buy, yet it sure gives off an aura that it is.
For $450, we have a 2560 x 1440p IPS panel that is sharp, vibrant and a joy to look at visually. I’d even go as far as to say the color control on the Omen makes this one of my favorite color reproduction panels. While I haven’t needed to rely on a color accurate display for editing purposes these last couple of years, I sure wouldn’t have minded using this one when I was still working in that field. The blacks dig richly into the abyss of darkness and that makes this a competent gaming resource as well which is what we’ll talk about right now.
A Gaming Trifecta
The reason this Omen might be the perfect gaming monitor for most people is because not only is it a Quad-HD display, it has a 1 ms response time that can push up to 165 Hz refresh rate. Every modern gamer salivates seeing those numbers together on a panel. Factor that in with the fact that the Omen is a modest 27 inches and offers both NVIDIA G-SYNC and FreeSync compatible and it just covers basically all the bases. In this price point segment, I’m very satisfied in the combination between build quality and specs.
I’m also quite smitten with the stand the Omen comes on. It’s chamfered beautifully to honor a minimalistic design language that matches the overall symmetry of the entire product. The stand is effectively used as a monitor arm in a way where the display can be leveled by rising and sinking to whatever eye level you prefer. The top of that arm includes little wing extensions for you to lodge your headset when not in use. I also weave my keyboard and mouse cables through the crack in the middle of the stand as well as the power cord to the back. It keeps the setup organized albeit makes the clean look a little more of an eye sore. The base of the stand is also potentially a hindrance to some users depending on your desk size as it is extended in a diamond shape towards your body. This means it does take up more desk space than a lot of other basic monitor stands. I have mixed feelings about this as I do like the look of the base, but it does indeed take up a bit too much space on my tight workbench.
The slanted cube supplies the Omen with its gaming flare using a very basic RGB ambient lighting. In my setup with a red accent wall behind the monitor, I actually don’t reap the benefits of this as much as I would have liked. There’s also a small RGB light directly under the frame where the Omen text is. It shoots off a mood lighting color onto the base of the stand. It’s a nice aesthetic touch that once again I resonate with more than previous generation Omen designs.
You can plug this into your PC using either the DisplayPort or an HDMI slot. I have this paired with the CyberPower Gamer Supreme tower and while I play games at ultra settings for 1440p gameplay, I feel like I’m not utilizing this monitor to its fullest. What I mean by that is I rarely if ever touch 144 Hz as I definitely am an old man who gets a headache following the quick motion of many AAA games. I have no idea how the kids do it for hours on end nowadays on Fortnite and other FPS games, but it’s wasted on my eyes! Still, it’s nice to be able to brag about the specs of your monitor even if you don’t push it to its upper limits.
Final Thoughts
This monitor really does check off basically all the boxes I was looking for in not only a set piece, but a monitor with quality specs. The only things glaringly missing from the Omen 27i are onboard speakers and HDR functionality. In my case, I’m fine with the omittance of both as I have speaker sets I prefer to use anyway, as well as a television with HDR for X-Box and Playstation gaming. I think HP hit it out of the ballpark with this monitor and with the recurring price drops we often see off this monitor, this should be on the short list for many competitive gamers and folks seeking a luxurious piece.
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Alex
Caught in between the conundrum of his fascination with retro and the future, Alex has a very unique taste in technology. Never one to follow trends like his millennial peers yet constantly desiring to get ahead of the curve, he sees technology like he does his other love: comic books. Always looking for the best value or a hidden gem, his collector mindset reflects on some of his favorite gadgets: the Moto X (2015), HTC U11 and the Google Pixelbook. If there’s a good tech deal out there, Alex is on the hunt!