HP's Omen X 27: A 240Hz QHD Monitor with FreeSync 2 HDR
by Anton Shilov on August 23, 2019 3:00 PM EST
Among the monitor announcements to come out this week, HP has introduced a new display aimed at hardcore gamers and esports professionals. With a 240 Hz max refresh rate, FreeSync 2 support, and HDR, the Omen X 27 is designed to be a jack of all trades for gaming monitors.
HP's new gaming monitor is based around a high-performance QHD TN panel, sporting a 240 Hz refresh rate, 300/400 nits brightness (SDR/HDR), and a 90% coverage of the DCI-P3 gamut. Seeing a TN panel show up in a (marginally) HDR-capable monitor like the Omen is a relatively recent advancement; for years, TN displays have lagged IPS monitors when it comes to the color space that could be represented. However, recently developed TN panels and new types of backlighting have significantly improved the ability of such LCDs to cover wide color gamuts, a core requirement for HDR support.
The Omen X 27 is also an AMD FreeSync 2-certified monitor, which means that it not only supports a variable refresh rate technology, but also features Low Framerate Compensation (LFC), HDR, and allows select games to tone map directly to the monitor's native dynamic range. In accordance with its HDR support, the monitor also features zoned backlighting, with 16 edge-lit zones across the monitor.
Being aimed at hardcore PC gamers and esports professionals, the HP Omen X 27 has only two display inputs: a DisplayPort 1.4 input and an HDMI 2.0 port. The monitor also features a headphone output, which is common for gaming monitors these days, but it does not have built-in speakers. In addition, the Omen X 27 has a dual-port USB 3.0 hub and an adjustable stand with a headset rest, and a red ambient light.
The combination of a variable refresh rate of up to 240 Hz, HDR, and wide color gamut support will naturally be the key selling point of the monitor. Unfortunately, since HP has not disclosed all the specs of the display, we do not know whether it actually supports the HDR10 transport format, which is important for many. That said, while the monitor is full of interesting features, the whole picture is something that remains to be seen.
| The HP Omen X 27 | |
| General Specifications | |
| Panel | 27-inch 8-bit TN |
| Native Resolution | 2560 × 1440 |
| Maximum Refresh Rate | 240 Hz |
| Response Time | 1 ms GtG with Overdrive 3 ms GtG |
| Brightness | SDR: 300 cd/m² HDR: 400 cd/m² |
| Contrast | 1000:1 |
| Backlighting | 16-zone bottom edge lit |
| Viewing Angles | 170°/160° horizontal/vertical |
| Curvature | none |
| Aspect Ratio | 16:9 |
| Color Gamut | 90% DCI-P3 sRGB |
| DisplayHDR Tier | N/A |
| Dynamic Refresh Rate Tech | AMD FreeSync 2 |
| Pixel Pitch | 0.2335 mm² |
| Pixel Density | 109 PPI |
| Inputs | 1 × DisplayPort 1.4 1 × HDMI 2.0 |
| Audio | Headphone output |
| USB Hub | 2 × USB 3.0 Type-A connectors 1 × USB 3.0 input |
| Adjustments | Height: 0-130 mm Tilt: -5 to +23 degrees |
| MSRP | $649 |
HP’s Omen X 27 will be available starting from September in the US at $649 and starting from November in the UK for $£579.99.
Related Reading:
- Acer Launches Predator XN253QX Monitor with 240 Hz & 0.4 ms G2G Response Time
- AOC’s Agon Monitors with 0.5ms Response Time & 240 Hz Refresh Now Available
- IO Data Launches GigaCrysta 24-inch 1080p Monitors at 240 Hz with HDR10 Support
- Acer Unveils KG1 Displays with Sub-1ms Response Time
- BenQ Announces ZOWIE XL2546 ‘eSports’ Display: 24'', FHD, 240 Hz, DyAc ULMB Tech
- Smooth As 240 Hz Butter: LG's 27GK750F-B, a 27-inch eSports Monitor with FreeSync, Launched for $550
Source: HP
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skavi - Friday, August 23, 2019 - link
is TN, like, good now?skavi - Friday, August 23, 2019 - link
like I've heard good things about that TN Gsync Dell monitor.The Chill Blueberry - Friday, August 23, 2019 - link
Still running my ROG Swift from 2011, 1440p 144hz. Sure it's TN and isn't perfect but damn it was a good investment considering that the monitor industry came to such a stall afterwards. I could say the same for my 4770k ':)The Chill Blueberry - Friday, August 23, 2019 - link
PG278Q from 2014**darkchazz - Friday, August 23, 2019 - link
Had one of those. It had the notorious color banding issue, not to mention it had an abysmal contrast-ratio of 520:1 measured with my Colormunki Display colorimeter.kn00tcn - Friday, August 23, 2019 - link
are you sure that was running rgb-full? arent most calibrated monitors resulting in low contrast?jabber - Saturday, August 24, 2019 - link
I have to say I've seen many 'calibrated' monitors and all I can say is those calibration sensors have a warped sense of what reality looks like."Is white really that orange?"
Oxford Guy - Wednesday, August 28, 2019 - link
I don't have a "munki" but I noticeably improved the accuracy of monitors with a Spyder and whatever the 3rd-party free calibration software is called. One of the nicest things is calibrating to paper instead of the blue-white that most monitors come with at stock.darkchazz - Sunday, August 25, 2019 - link
Yes it was on RGB Full.DanNeely - Friday, August 23, 2019 - link
It can be better than the awful displays from a decade ago.8-bit color, calibration, and better back light quality can help a lot. But the crazy vertical color/gamma shifting is intrinsic to TN; and is worse at larger screen sizes because the difference in the angle between your eye and the top/bottom of the screen is larger.
A second issue is that 1st gen 240hz displays had flatout awful color quality and contrast compared to even other bad TN displays. Multiple people on HardOCP who had them said they couldn't recommend anyone buy one without seeing it in person first. I haven't seen anything about if gen 2 240hz panels are any better or not.