The HP OMEN 27c is a 1440p gaming monitor part of HP's OMEN lineup. It's the first in the lineup to have a VA panel and a 240Hz refresh rate, as their models in the past with that high refresh rate had TN panels. The VA panel is supposed to deliver better dark room picture quality as it has a good native contrast ratio. However, its local dimming feature that automatically turns on in HDR performs terribly and causes blooming. In addition to the fast refresh rate, it has native FreeSync variable refresh rate (VRR) support with G-SYNC compatibility to reduce screen tearing. It has low input lag for a responsive gaming experience, and although it has a quick overall response time, there's black smearing with dark objects. Unfortunately, it's not ideal for office work because it has narrow viewing angles, and its stand offers limited ergonomic adjustments. Also, while the 1000R curved screen is good if you're sitting directly in front of it, it's not ideal for co-op gaming.
Our Verdict
The HP OMEN 27c is good for mixed usage. It's designed for gaming and offers great performance as it has a fast 240Hz refresh rate. It also has VRR support, a quick response time, and low input lag for a responsive gaming experience. Sadly, it's not the best for HDR gaming because its local dimming feature is terrible and causes blooming around bright objects. It's decent for office use and good for content creators because of its 1440p resolution and 27 inch screen, but it has narrow viewing angles, and the ergonomics are disappointing.
- 1440p resolution with good text clarity and sharp images.
- Good reflection handling.
- Fast 240Hz refresh rate and VRR support.
- Limited ergonomics.
- Black smearing with dark objects.
- Terrible local dimming feature in HDR.
The HP OMEN 27c is decent for office use. It has a large screen with a high 1440p resolution, making it easier to open windows side-by-side, and the text clarity is good. However, it has disappointing ergonomics as you can't swivel the stand, and the narrow viewing angles make it less-than-ideal for sharing your screen with others. Also, while it has good reflection handling and decent peak brightness, it doesn't perform well in really bright rooms.
- 1440p resolution with good text clarity and sharp images.
- Good reflection handling.
- Low input lag.
- Narrow viewing angles.
- Limited ergonomics.
- Not bright enough to fight intense glare.
The HP OMEN 27c is great for gaming. It has a high 240Hz refresh rate with FreeSync VRR support and G-SYNC compatibility to deliver a nearly tear-free gaming experience. It also has low input lag and a quick response time, but you'll notice black smearing with some fast-moving objects. It's a good choice for dark room gaming because it has a good native contrast ratio, but the black uniformity is disappointing. Sadly, it's bad for co-op gaming because of its narrow viewing angles and limited ergonomics.
- Low input lag.
- Fast 240Hz refresh rate and VRR support.
- Quick response time in most transitions.
- Good native contrast ratio in SDR.
- Black smearing with dark objects.
- Disappointing black uniformity.
The HP OMEN 27c is good for watching multimedia content. The 27 inch screen is big enough for an immersive viewing experience, but it has narrow viewing angles, and the aggressive curved screen makes it difficult to share the screen with someone else. It performs well in dark rooms because it has a high native contrast ratio, and even though its local dimming feature performs terribly, it only turns on in HDR and not with SDR content.
- 1440p resolution with good text clarity and sharp images.
- Good reflection handling.
- Good native contrast ratio in SDR.
- Narrow viewing angles.
- Limited ergonomics.
- Terrible local dimming feature in HDR.
The HP OMEN 27c is good for content creators. The screen is big enough to view a lot of your video timeline or have multiple windows opened, and it has good text clarity thanks to the 1440p resolution. While it has good out-of-the-box accuracy and an amazing SDR color gamut, photo editors will be disappointed to know it has limited coverage of the Adobe RGB color space. Also, it has narrow viewing angles and limited ergonomics, making it difficult to share the screen with a client.
- 1440p resolution with good text clarity and sharp images.
- Good reflection handling.
- Good native contrast ratio in SDR.
- Narrow viewing angles.
- Limited ergonomics.
- Terrible local dimming feature in HDR.
The HP OMEN 27c is decent for HDR gaming, mainly due to its great gaming performance. It has a few gaming features like a 240Hz refresh rate, VRR support, and low input lag. It has a great response time, but there's black smearing with fast-moving objects. Sadly, HDR content doesn't look good because HDR automatically enables the local dimming feature, which performs terribly, as it lowers the contrast and causes blooming. Also, it doesn't get bright enough to make highlights pop.
- Fast 240Hz refresh rate and VRR support.
- Quick response time in most transitions.
- Good native contrast ratio in SDR.
- Black smearing with dark objects.
- Disappointing black uniformity.
- Terrible local dimming feature in HDR.
- Not bright enough to make highlights pop.
Changelog
- Updated Feb 09, 2023: Added that the Contrast Ratio of the Samsung Odyssey G6 S32BG65 is better.
- Updated Jan 17, 2022: Review published.
- Updated Jan 11, 2022: Early access published.
- Updated Dec 08, 2021: Our testers have started testing this product.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the 27 inch HP OMEN 27c, which is the only size available for this monitor. It's part of HP's OMEN lineup, which has a few other monitors. You can see the differences between them below, and our results are only valid for the 27c.
| Model | Panel | Refresh Rate | Variable Refresh Rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OMEN 27 | TN | 144Hz | G-SYNC | |
| OMEN 27i | IPS | 165Hz | FreeSync | |
| OMEN X 27 | TN | 240Hz | FreeSync | |
| OMEN 27c | VA | 240Hz | FreeSync | Curved |
If someone comes across a different type of panel or if their HP 27c doesn't correspond to our review, let us know, and we'll update the review. Note that some tests, like gray uniformity, may vary between individual units.
You can see the label for our unit here.
Popular Monitor Comparisons
The HP OMEN 27c is a great gaming monitor if you want something with a high refresh rate and high resolution. It's one of the few on the market with a 1440p resolution, 240Hz refresh rate, and VA panel, but it's not as good as its main competitor, the Samsung Odyssey G7 C32G75T. It has noticeable black smearing, limited ergonomics, and its HDR support doesn't add much. Although it's cheaper than the Samsung, you're getting what you pay for, and you'll have to make a few compromises if you're set on getting a high refresh rate monitor with a VA panel. Otherwise, there are other IPS monitors, like the Dell Alienware AW2721D.
Also see our recommendations for the best 240Hz monitors, the best 1440p monitors, and the best 27 inch gaming monitors.
The HP OMEN X 27 and the HP OMEN 27c are part of the same product lineup, and they have many of the same features, like a 240Hz refresh rate, but there are a few differences. They have different panel types, as the X 27 has a TN panel with much better motion handling, while the VA panel on the 27c has better contrast. The X 27 is also better for use in bright rooms because it has better reflection handling, and it gets brighter. While they're each a 27-inch monitor, the 27c has a curved screen while the X 27 is flat, but other than that, there aren't many big differences.
The HP OMEN 27i and the HP OMEN 27c are both great gaming monitors with a few differences between them. They use different panels, as the IPS panel on the 27i provides wider viewing angles, and the VA panel on the 27c has better contrast. Even though the 27c has a higher 240Hz refresh rate, motion looks smoother on the 27i because there's less black smearing. The 27c supports HDR and has a local dimming feature, both of which the 27i doesn't have, but it doesn't add much as the local dimming on the 27c is terrible. They're built almost the same way, but the 27c has a curved screen while the 27i is flat.
The Dell S3222DGM and the HP OMEN 27c are both great 1440p gaming monitors. The HP has a higher 240Hz refresh rate than the 165Hz on the Dell, and even though the Dell has a quicker overall response time, there's more black smearing. They both have VA panels with a high native contrast ratio, and the HP has a local dimming feature, which the Dell doesn't have, but it performs terribly and worsens the contrast. The HP also supports HDR, which the Dell doesn't, but once again, it doesn't add much as it doesn't get bright enough to make highlights pop.
The Dell Alienware AW2721D and the HP OMEN 27c are both great gaming monitors. They each have a 1440p resolution and a 240Hz refresh rate, but the Dell has native G-SYNC support while the HP has native FreeSync support. They also have different panel types; the Dell has an IPS panel with better viewing angles, and the HP's VA panel has a higher contrast. The Dell offers better picture quality, as it gets brighter, displays a wider range of colors, and has much better motion handling. It also has much better ergonomics. On the other hand, the HP has much better reflection handling, so intense glare isn't as distracting.
We buy and test more than 30 monitors each year, all of which we purchase ourselves, without cherry-picked units or samples. We put a lot into each unbiased, straight-to-the-point review, and there's a whole process from purchasing to publishing, involving multiple teams and people. We do more than just use the monitor for a week; we use specialized, custom tools to measure various aspects and deliver objective, data-driven results. We also consider multiple factors before making any recommendations, including the monitor's cost, its performance compared to the competition, and whether it's easy to find.
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