HP Omen 25i Gaming Monitor Review: Fast but Fixed

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It kind of feels an peculiar branding that ‘Omen’ was once selected via HP for his or her gaming similar merchandise. Perhaps any individual senior on the corporate is a big horror film fan?

Regardless of the reason why, the present computer screen line-up features a product referred to as the Omen via HP 25, and this has now been outmoded with the brand new Omen 25i, a herbal successor. The former design used TN display generation, had a refresh charge of 144Hz and color 6 bits +FRC fashion, and the brand new Omen 25i can trump all the ones playing cards.

But has it sufficient to take at the likes of LG and Samsung in what has change into an more and more aggressive marketplace?

Design & Construct

We’ve lined a couple of game-orientated displays at Tech Guide, they usually continuously have include sexy illumination, atypical color schemes and elaborate stands.

Out of the field, I quickly realised that the Omen 25i has none of the ones issues. It’s a computer screen for the ones players that shun the intense LED lighting fixtures, love the embody of black and not modify the peak in their computer screen.

HP combines HDR and 165Hz refresh in the Omen 25i

Getting it out of the packaging is a type of eccentric workouts the place you connect the toughen arm to the display, then the foot to that after which use that construction to boost it out of the field.

The foot is an peculiar 16.5cm sq. plate circled at 45 levels to the display that connects to the arm the use of a thumbscrew from beneath, and the relationship to the display is an entirely proprietary joint that clicks in when the 2 are effectively pressured in combination.

Whilst I love the tool-free meeting, this toughen handiest gives a tilting movement of -5 to twenty levels and no different planes of translation. There is not any twisting, no upward thrust and fall, and indubitably no pivoting to distract potential players from their pastime. One certain word about it’s that the toughen arm has a hollow in the course of the stand to run cables.

The ‘diamond’ motif created via the circled squire foot is repeated at the again of the display with a block that initiatives to supply a reduction the place the ports are positioned.

At the decrease proper is the facility inlet, a DisplayPort 1.4 and HDMI 2.0 inputs, and at the left is a USB downlink, two USB Kind-A uplinks and a three.5mm audio jack for headphones. For the reason that you wish to have to run the USB downlink line to the display, that you just handiest then get one unmarried further USB 3.2 Gen 1 port from the hub is somewhat disappointing.

There aren’t any buil-in audio system, saving me from the auditory harm led to via affordable 2W or 3W drivers that many computer screen makers selected to incorporate. But be warned, whilst you plug this display into Home windows 10, it’s going to seem as an audio tool because of the thru headphone jack. And the pc with dutifully set this as default.

Inexplicably you’ll haven’t any sound, despite the fact that you’ve audio system or some other computer screen with them already attached.

But, the ones are the vast majority of criticisms lined. As a result of once we get to the panel, the Omen 25i is one thing a bit of particular and displays simply how just right IPS panels have got in the previous few years.

To know higher why this display is so awesome to many displays within the sub-$400 gaming display marketplace, it’s time to dig into the specs.

Specifications & Options

With TN generation heading to extinction, with only a few exceptions like HP’s Omen X 27, the marketplace is most commonly divided between VA and the IPS panel varieties. Standard common sense is that VA has higher reaction instances but loses out to IPS in color accuracy.

But, with some paintings, IPS panels may also be made faster, and that’s the manner that HP engineers have serious about the Omen 25i. The results of those endeavours is a refresh of lower than 1ms blended with a very good color gamut.

Taking a look lovely will draw in some players, but toughen for each AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync lets in the 25i to keep away from display tearing as much as 165Hz. The FreeSync implementation is the newest Top class Professional selection that helps HDR content material and alleviates framerate low issues with LFC (low framerate reimbursement).

For the ones questioning why HP didn’t opt for 240Hz, as may also be present in one of the vital competitor merchandise and the X 27, the solution is HDR. A snappy seek of competitor merchandise finds that you’ll be able to have one or the opposite, but now not each. HP went with DisplayHDR 400 certification as an alternative of supporting the reasonably few players with high-end video playing cards.

With two inputs in use, you’ll be able to see each resources immediately with Image-in-picture mode, must you wish to have to observe the soccer whilst taking part in a favorite name.

For people that love to tweak settings, the Omen 25i has a tight OSD menu device with more than a few fashions that prioritise reaction time, color accuracy and tool intake, and you’ll be able to permit/disable adaptive-sync and HDR as you would like.

There’s even a menu strategy to assist with multi-monitor alignment, must you personal a brace or extra of this design.

Efficiency

The checking out of this show yielded some attention-grabbing effects that point out a convergence between the ones panels which might be intended for gaming and the ones with extra severe color correct makes use of.

That’s to not say that the Omen 25i is more likely to change into the weapon of selection for the ones running with color, but now not a few years in the past, a color gamut of this breadth would had been regarded as particular.

HP Omen 25i colours

My show research printed complete 100% protection of the sRGB gamut, 76% of AdobeRGB and a good 78% of P3 colors. The default gamma was once 2.3, just a little upper than ultimate, but the brightness and distinction functions are very appropriately quoted via HP.

A brightness of 382 cd/m2 and a distinction of one:1060 is sort of proper at the cash.

With IPS panels, I most often realize that they have a tendency to be brighter within the center because of the everyday backing factor scheme, and the Omen 25i shows this with the corners being anything else as much as 8% darker than the center at 100% brightness.

The one position this panel didn’t carry out brilliantly was once in admire of color uniformity, with it providing higher rendition within the backside proper, although now not via sufficient to be noticeable with out the use of a calibration metre.

General, tonal reaction and color uniformity would possibly had been higher, but for a gaming answer, it is a higher panel than I’ve any affordable proper to be expecting.

Value

The reputable MSRP of the Omen 25i is $299.99 in the United States, and it prices £249.99 in the United Kingdom.

You’ll purchase it from Amazon in the United Kingdom and Newegg or HP in america.

That places it in an overly an identical value level to the Asus VG258QR and BenQ MOBIUZ EX2510S, but it’s dearer than the 27in AOC Gaming C27G2U and MSI Optix MAG272.

The gamble HP took here’s that a majority of these displays can’t be offering HDR and people who do have HDR lack a 165Hz refresh. One panel that, just like the HP Omen 25i, has each those options is the Asus TUF Gaming VG27WQ1B, a greater price choice since it’s 27in and may be curved.

With a number of choices with a an identical characteristic set and larger than 25in show getting into the marketplace, the HP Omen 25i would possibly now not be capable to handle MSRP for lengthy so may change into higher price for cash quickly.

Verdict

What HP concept when it made a toughen stand that handiest tilts is a thriller for the reason that gaming marketplace has adjustability at its very core.

Then again, take away that misstep from the equation, and what you’ve were given is a brilliant and punchy panel that works neatly in video games and acceptably for different functions.

My handiest reservation is that until they’ve handiest were given a low specification graphics card, maximum players can be aiming for a 1440p answer and now not the 1080p introduced right here. And, that selection hints at the second one factor, value.

It’s conceivable to get a 27in 1440p computer screen with 165Hz refresh and HDR for close to the asking value of the Omen 25i. That value distinction generally is a downside, but many in a similar way priced choices aren’t HDR, despite the fact that some steadiness this via providing a 240Hz refresh charge.

Due to this fact, the HP Omen 25i is a quite area of interest choice. Its specification suggests a gamer who prides fluidity and color illustration over answer. Within the quite inverted international that we now reside, the place outdated video playing cards are price extra now than when at the beginning bought, there could be a spot for this product, despite the fact that it seems that to fly within the face of standard knowledge.

My view is that it must be just a little inexpensive, or the following wave of unbranded presentations will appear a long way too sexy if they provide a 27in panel, 165Hz refresh and HDR at lower than this value.

Specifications

HP Omen 25i: Specifications

  • Show Kind: Flat 24.5-inch Show
  • Solution: 1920×1080
  • Panel generation: 8-bit IPS Panel
  • Facet Ratio: 16:9
  • Reaction Time: 1ms (with overdrive)
  • Most Refresh: 165Hz
  • Variable Refresh: AMD FreeSync Top class Professional and NVIDIA G-Sync
  • Ports: 1x HDMI 2.0, 1x DisplayPort 1.4
  • Different Ports: 1x USB-B uplink, 2x USB 3.0 (USB 3.2 Gen 1), Audio Line-Out
  • Integrated Audio system: None
  • Brightness: 400 nits standard (450 nits height brightness with HDR on)
  • Static Distinction: 1,000:1
  • Dynamic Distinction: 12M:1
  • Weight: 5.3kg
  • Guaranty: 3 years



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