The HP X27q is a budget 1440p gaming monitor released in 2021. It has a fast refresh rate and native support for FreeSync variable refresh rate to reduce screen tearing. It's surprisingly well-equipped for a budget monitor, with a versatile backlight strobing feature, HDR support, and a decent stand. Unfortunately, it has very limited connectivity, with no USB support, and it's limited to HDMI 2.0 bandwidth, so it can't take full advantage of the Xbox Series X or PS5 consoles.
Our Verdict
The HP X27q is a good monitor overall. It delivers a very good gaming experience thanks to its fast refresh rate, great motion handling, and low input lag. Its 27-inch, 1440p screen is good for office users or media creators, as you can comfortably work with multiple windows open and see more of your work at once. It's also decent for watching videos, but not in a dark room, as it has low contrast, a bad local dimming feature, and poor black uniformity. These issues also make it a mediocre choice for HDR, as even though it has decent peak brightness in HDR, bright highlights don't stand out from the rest of the scene.
- Impressive peak brightness in SDR.
- Good reflection handling.
- Good text clarity.
- Image doesn't degrade when viewed from the sides.
- Limited selection of inputs.
- Image degrades when viewed from above.
The HP X27q is a good monitor for office users. The 27-inch, 1440p screen is great for multitasking, as you can comfortably work with multiple windows open. Visibility isn't an issue in bright rooms thanks to its high peak brightness in SDR and good reflection handling. The image remains consistent when viewed from the sides, which is great for sharing your screen with someone sitting next to you, but it degrades quickly when viewed from above. Sadly, it has limited connectivity, with no USB-C ports or built-in USB hub, so you'll need an adapter if you plan on using it with an Ultrabook or MacBook that only supports USB-C.
- Impressive peak brightness in SDR.
- Good reflection handling.
- Good text clarity.
- Image doesn't degrade when viewed from the sides.
- Limited selection of inputs.
- Image degrades when viewed from above.
The HP X27q delivers a very good gaming experience. It has a great response time at the max refresh rate, with just a bit of blur around fast-moving objects. It also has fantastic low input lag, ensuring a responsive gaming experience, and it supports both FreeSync and G-SYNC variable refresh rate technology. It doesn't perform as well at lower refresh rates, though, as there's much more blur around fast-moving objects. It also can't take full advantage of the PS5 or Xbox Series X, as it can't downscale a 4k image.
- Motion looks clear at the max refresh rate.
- Responsive gaming experience with very little input lag.
- Fast refresh rate.
- Blacks look gray in a dark room.
- Can't take full advantage of the PS5 or Xbox Series X.
The HP X27q is a decent monitor for media consumption. It has good visibility in a bright room thanks to its high peak brightness and good reflection handling. It also has an impressive horizontal viewing angle, so you can share your screen with other people, and everyone will see the same thing. Sadly. it doesn't look as good in dark rooms, as it has a very low contrast ratio and a bad local dimming feature, so blacks look gray and there's significant blooming in dark scenes.
- Impressive peak brightness in SDR.
- Superb colors in SDR.
- Good reflection handling.
- Fantastic gradient handling.
- Image doesn't degrade when viewed from the sides.
- Blacks look gray in a dark room.
- Poor black uniformity.
- Image degrades when viewed from above.
The HP X27q is a good monitor for media creators. The 27-inch, 1440p screen is great for creators as you can see more of your workflow or timeline at once, and it delivers good text clarity and a sharp image overall. It has great color accuracy out of the box, but there's no sRGB clamp to limit colors to the sRGB color space, so colors are a bit oversaturated. It has satisfactory ergonomics, so you can easily adjust it to an ideal viewing position.
- Superb colors in SDR.
- Fantastic gradient handling.
- Good text clarity.
- Image doesn't degrade when viewed from the sides.
- Blacks look gray in a dark room.
- Limited selection of inputs.
- Poor black uniformity.
- Image degrades when viewed from above.
The HP X27q delivers a mediocre HDR experience. Colors look vivid and lifelike thanks to its wide color gamut and great HDR color volume, and it has fantastic gradient handling, with almost no noticeable banding in areas of similar color. It has decent peak brightness in HDR, but due to its low contrast ratio and a bad local dimming feature, bright highlights don't stand out the way they should.
- Fantastic gradient handling.
- Decent peak brightness in HDR.
- Edge-lit local dimming system isn't very effective.
- Blacks look gray in a dark room.
- Poor black uniformity.
Changelog
- Updated Apr 05, 2024: Added that the MSI G274QPF-QD has USB connectivity.
- Updated Mar 28, 2024: Added that the Samsung Odyssey G5/G55C S27CG55 has better Contrast.
- Updated Oct 25, 2023: Changed the Pulse Width Control test result in Backlight Strobing to 'Yes' from 'Limited' to be consistent with our monitor reviews.
- Updated Oct 23, 2023: Added that the HP OMEN 27q has an sRGB mode with better Color Accuracy before calibration.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
We tested the 27 inch HP X27q 2V7U3AA monitor, which is the only size available. There's a curved variant known as the HP X27qc, but it uses a different type of panel and performs differently. This monitor exists with two different panels, which behave slightly differently. Our unit uses an LGD LM270WQA panel, but there are reports of units with a BOE panel instead, which performs slightly worse.
| Model | Size | Resolution | Refresh Rate | Panel Type | Curved |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| X27q | 27" | 1440p | 165Hz | IPS | No |
| X27qc | 27" | 1440p | 165Hz | VA | Yes |
If you come across an HP X27q with a different panel type, or if it doesn't correspond to our review, let us know in the discussions, and we'll update our review.
Our unit was manufactured in May 2021, and you can see the label here.
Popular Monitor Comparisons
The HP X27q is a very good budget 1440p gaming monitor, but there are much better options available at a similar price point, including the Gigabyte M27Q and the Dell S2721DGF.
Also, make sure to check out our recommendations for the best budget monitors, the best gaming monitors, and the best 1440p monitors.
The HP OMEN 27q is a newer monitor than the HP X27q, and they have many similarities, including their 1440p resolution and 165Hz refresh rate. There are some differences, as the 27q has an sRGB picture mode, which the X27q doesn't have, allowing better accuracy before calibration. The 27q also displays a wider range of HDR colors, but both monitors have limited HDR performance anyway. In terms of gaming, the 27q has better motion handling at high refresh rates, but there aren't many differences besides that.
The Gigabyte M32Q is a significantly better gaming monitor than the HP X27q. The Gigabyte has much better motion handling thanks to its significantly faster response time, especially at low refresh rates. The Gigabyte also has better compatibility with the Xbox Series X and PS5 consoles, as it can display a downscaled 4k image.
The Gigabyte M27Q (rev. 1.0) is a much better gaming monitor than the HP X27q. The Gigabyte has a faster response time, especially at lower refresh rates, resulting in much clearer motion with less blur around fast-moving objects. The Gigabyte also has better compatibility with the Xbox Series X and PS5 consoles, as it can display a downscaled 4k image.
The HP X27q is a bit better than the Dell S2722DGM. The HP has much better ergonomics, so it's easier to place it in an ideal viewing position. The HP also supports a wider range of features, including HDR, and it has much better gradient handling, so you'll see less banding in areas of similar color.
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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