HP are debuting a new look and feel for their OMEN gaming lineup and as part of it they’re launching the OMEN 27i, a full-featured 1440p gaming monitor. The new monitor aims to be “the best of all worlds”. Firstly, it has a 2560×1440 Nano IPS panel with 98% DCI-P3 colour (see below). Secondly, a 165Hz refresh rate and 1ms response time with overdrive should provide responsiveness. Thirdly, the monitor features AMD Freesync Premium and is also Nvidia G-Sync Compatible. Finally, and most importantly, there’s customisable RGB lighting.
The OMEN 27I is being pitched by HP as the perfect partner to one of their new OMEN 25L and 30L micro ATX sized gaming PCs.
The Panel – What Does DCI-P3 Mean?
When discussing how good the colour is on a monitor, specifications use a colour space. Different colour spaces cover different ranges of the colours that are typically visible, with some bigger and some smaller. For example AdobeRGB is a large colour space with deep greens, designed around printing photographs. Much more common is sRGB, a fairly limited colour space that is standard for computer monitors and the web.
DCI-P3 is a 25% wider colour space than sRGB, and comes from the world of digital cinema. Compared to standard sRGB, DCI-P3 covers more green and red and should make more vivid images.
HP are claiming 98% coverage of DCI-P3 with the OMEN 27I, which should mean good reproduction of content designed for DCI-P3. This is better than a monitor claiming 100% sRGB coverage. The nano IPS technology also grants this new display excellent viewing angles.
Responsiveness – G-Sync and Freesync on the HP OMEN 27I
The HP Omen 27I should be very responsive on paper. Despite the high 1440p resolution and IPS panel, HP have specced a solid 165Hz maximum refresh rate. According to AMD’s freesync qualifications the HP OMEN 27I carries FreeSync Premium certification with a range of 48Hz-165Hz via DisplayPort and 48Hz-144Hz via HDMI. The Freesync Premium bar is met by the high refresh rate and inclusion of Low Framerate Compensation (LFC). LFC allows frames to be repeated, preventing extra issues if the framerate dips. The monitor also carries Nvidia G-Sync Compatible certification, meaning the adaptive sync works with recent Nvidia GPUs.
One interesting spec of the OMEN 27I is the 1ms GtG response time, which HP claim with overdrive. Overdrive is the practice of targeting a bigger change in colour than is actually needed, to get where you need to be faster. If well-tuned, it can get faster response times. If poorly-tuned it can cause artifacts. It would be interesting to see how well this works in practice.
Meet the HP OMEN 27I – Full Specs
| Panel Size | 27” (68.6cm) |
|---|---|
| Resolution | 2560×1440 “Quad HD” (16:9) |
| Refresh Rate | 165Hz |
| Variable Refresh Rate | Yes, AMD Freesync Premium and Nvidia G-Sync Compatible |
| Response Time | 1ms GtG (with overdrive) |
| Panel Type | Nano IPS |
| Brightness | 350 nits |
| Viewing Angle | 178º/178º |
| Contrast (typical) | 1000:1 |
| Contrast (dynamic) | 10,000,000:1 |
| Backlight | LED |
| Colour Gamut | 98% DCI-P3 |
| Dynamic Range | SDR |
| Inputs | HDMI 2.0, DisplayPort 1.4 |
| Audio | 3.5mm headphone out |
| USB Hub | USB 3.0 (5Gbps gen1x1), 2 ports |
| Power | External power brick |
| RGB | Back, Downlight |
Pricing and Availability
The HP OMEN 27i Monitor is expected to be available in July, with prices starting at £549.99
I absolutely love my HP OMEN 27i gaming monitor! It’s the perfect size for my desk and the resolution is amazing. I would definitely recommend this monitor to anyone looking for a high-quality, affordable option.
I recently purchased the HP OMEN 27i Gaming Monitor after reading your review, and I’m extremely impressed with its performance. The monitor has a beautiful, crisp display with accurate colors and great contrast. The 27-inch screen size is perfect for gaming, and the 1440p resolution is sharp and clear. I especially appreciate the 165Hz refresh rate, which makes a noticeable difference in smoothness during fast-paced games.