The HP OMEN 27i is a great gaming monitor. It has an outstanding response time, resulting in clear motion when gaming, as well as low input lag for a responsive gaming experience. Although it natively supports AMD's FreeSync variable refresh rate technology, it's also certified for NVIDIA's G-SYNC-compatible technology. It's well-built, with a solid metal stand that supports it well, easy-to-access inputs, and RGB bias lighting. The 27" 1440p screen is great for multitasking and for gaming, and the IPS panel delivers wide viewing angles and an outstanding SDR color gamut. Unfortunately, the stand has disappointing ergonomics, and like all IPS monitors, it has a low contrast ratio, so blacks look gray in a dark room. It's also not very accurate out of the box, so media creators might prefer to look elsewhere.
Our Verdict
The HP OMEN 27i is a good monitor for most uses but is best suited for gaming. The high peak brightness and good reflection handling make it a good choice for the office. It has an outstanding response time and low input lag, and it supports FreeSync, great for gaming. On the other hand, the low contrast ratio and disappointing accuracy out-of-the-box make it only a decent choice for multimedia or content creators.
- Image remains accurate at an angle.
- Excellent build quality.
- Outstanding response time.
- Low contrast ratio.
The HP OMEN 27i is a good monitor for office use. The 27" 1440p screen is great for multitasking. It has good peak brightness and good reflection handling, so glare won't be an issue. The image remains accurate when viewed at an angle, so you can easily share your screen with someone else. Unfortunately, the stand has a limited range of motion, so it might be difficult to place it in an ideal viewing position.
- Image remains accurate at an angle.
- Excellent build quality.
- Outstanding response time.
- Low contrast ratio.
- Disappointing accuracy out of the box.
The HP OMEN 27i is a great gaming monitor. It has an outstanding response time, so there's very little blur behind fast-moving objects. It also has excellent low input lag for a responsive gaming experience and supports FreeSync variable refresh rate technology. On the other hand, this monitor isn't a great choice for late-night gaming, as it has a low contrast ratio and poor black uniformity.
- Image remains accurate at an angle.
- Excellent build quality.
- Outstanding response time.
- Low contrast ratio.
The HP OMEN 27i is a decent monitor for multimedia. It has wide viewing angles, good peak brightness, and good reflection handling, so it's great for watching videos with friends, even in a bright room. On the other hand, it has low contrast and poor black uniformity, so it's not a great choice for watching videos in a dark room and has disappointing accuracy out of the box.
- Image remains accurate at an angle.
- Excellent build quality.
- Outstanding response time.
- Low contrast ratio.
- Disappointing accuracy out of the box.
- Doesn't support HDR.
The HP OMEN 27i is a decent monitor for media creation. The large, high-resolution screen makes seeing more of your work at once easier, and the wide viewing angles are great for sharing the screen with clients. It has excellent gray uniformity and outstanding gradient handling, with almost no noticeable banding. Unfortunately, it has disappointing accuracy out of the box, which may be an issue for some content creators.
- Image remains accurate at an angle.
- Excellent build quality.
- Outstanding response time.
- Low contrast ratio.
- Disappointing accuracy out of the box.
The HP OMEN 27i doesn't support HDR.
Changelog
- Updated Sep 13, 2023: Added that the newly-reviewed HP OMEN 27qs has a higher 240Hz Refresh Rate.
- Updated Feb 20, 2023: Added text in the macOS Compatibility and Console Compatibility boxes and clarified text throughout as part of Test Bench 1.2.
- Updated Feb 17, 2023: Updated to Test Bench 1.2, resulting in changes to the results and scores with the Response Time and Input Lag. Added tests for Console Compatibility and macOS compatibility and made minor changes to other tests, which you can see in our Changelog.
- Updated Sep 16, 2020: Review published.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the 27" OMEN 27i, the only size available. We've also tested a few other HP OMEN monitors.
If someone comes across a different type of panel or their HP OMEN 27i doesn't correspond to our review, let us know, and we'll update the review. Note that some tests, like the gray uniformity, may vary between individual units.
| Model | Size | Refresh Rate | Resolution |
|---|---|---|---|
| OMEN 27i | 27" | 165Hz | QHD(2560x1440) |
| OMEN 27 | 27" | 144Hz | QHD(2560x1440) |
| OMEN X 27 | 27" | 240Hz | QHD(2560x1440) |
The model we tested was manufactured in June 2020.
Popular Monitor Comparisons
The HP OMEN 27i is a great gaming monitor with a fast refresh rate. There are quite a few similar displays on the market, including the ASUS TUF VG27AQ and the ASUS ROG Swift PG279QZ, but most of them are more expensive.
See our recommendations for the best gaming monitors, the best 27" monitors, and the best 144Hz monitors.
The LG 27GL850-B/27GL83A-B and the HP OMEN 27i perform very similarly, but the LG is slightly better overall. The LG supports HDR, although this doesn't add much. The LG has a slightly faster response time, but there's also more overshoot in our recommend 'Fast' overdrive setting. The LG is also more accurate out of the box. On the other hand, the HP is better-built, with excellent build quality.
The HP OMEN 27i is better than the HP OMEN 27 for most users. The 27i has better viewing angles, better reflection handling, and better uniformity. Some gamers may prefer the older OMEN 27 though, as it has a faster response time, and it supports NVIDIA G-SYNC variable refresh rate technology.
The HP OMEN 27i and the Dell S2721DGF are very similar. They're both 27 inch IPS monitors with a 1440p resolution and 165Hz refresh rate. The Dell has better response times to deliver clearer motion with less blur trail behind fast-moving objects. It also has significantly better ergonomics because it can swivel and rotate to portrait mode, and it supports HDR.
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.
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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