OMEN X 35-Inch Curved Display by HP Review: Hands-On

There is an arms race going on for the “best-in-class” gaming hardware, and HP is going full force at it. The OMEN X 35-inch Curved Display is the latest addition of HP’s gaming product line OMEN X, a nice and powerful complement to its OMEN X gaming desktop PC unveiled this summer.

Packed with high-end features, the HP OMEN X 35-inch Curved Display delivers 3ms response time with 100HZ refresh rate and is equipped with the NVIDIA G-SYNC technology. The LCD panel offers a quite good contrast ratio of 2,500:1, that enables deeper black levels.

The 35-inch UWQHD 21:9 curved display should be available on HP.com and a few retailers in March 2017 with a starting price of $1299.99. Read our full hands-on article after the jump for more details.

"OMEN X 35: HP GOING FULL FORCE"

Display (Excellent)

First of all, you’ll be impressed by the huge 35-inch curved form factor that delivers UWQHD 21:9 resolution, which offers 34% more screen resolution than a 16:9 QHD display, according to HP.

The 2,500:1 static contrast ratio delivers deeper black levels that results in a higher image quality, and thus, a more immersive experience.

I can vouch for the impressive image quality for the gaming experience as I saw it live during our briefing with HP. The huge and curved form factor both play a big role in the immersive sensation. You can get a glimpse of that in our video.

Design (Very Good)

The OMEN X 35-inch Curved Display is designed with gamers in mind, which today, means deep black chassis with sharp edges and multi-colored lighting. I am not a big fan of that style; however, I can see that it is great for the gaming experience. And in that category, the design is quite good.

When it comes to large displays, I prefer the ultra-thin stainless steel look, that you have in the HP EliteDisplay S340c Curved unveiled earlier in December 2016. Sure, that one features a lower QHD resolution and a smaller 34-inch size.

For a gaming monitor, the sub 7 mm edges (left right, top) delivers a sleek design, and I understand that it is all you could hope for such a massive and powerful chassis. The 1,800R curvature is calculated to “lessens eye strain by bringing the left and right edges inward while offering a wider field of view”, according to the manufacturer.

HP developed this device with the user’s comfort in mind, so the stands has an adjustable height with 130 mm of travel, which “outlast the competition” at the time of publishing. The  ambient lighting feature diffuses the display brightness in dark rooms (see min 4 in video). For gamers who plays long hours, ambient lighting alleviates harsh lighting contrast on the eyes, and prevents eye fatigue.

Last but not least, the stand behind the display include a built-in headphone hook where gamers can store their gaming headset.

Gaming Performance (Excellent)

Like any good gaming display, the new OMEN X series display features the NVIDIA G-SYNC technology. The display boasts a high refresh rate of 100HZ and a fast response time of 3ms. NVIDIA G-SYNC is a technology that enables higher framerates without getting the usual “tears” visible on the image.

Today, powerful GPUs render images in games faster than the display refreshes itself, even with high refresh rates, causing a disconnect between the refresh rate and the FPS of the game, visible as “tears” in the image. Basically, NVIDIA G-SYNC manages to synchronize the game’s Frame Per Second (FPS) with the display’s frequency, in order to deliver a smooth visual experience.

According to HP spokesperson Pete Ellis, who showed me a demo in the video above, the additional 34% real estate is great (compared to a 16:9 display), for example, “if you play a racing game you will be able to see where the curve ends in the distance much better than with a 16:9 ratio”. The high contrast ratio allows gamers “to see bright areas but also more details in the shadows” said Pete Ellis during the demo.

Installation and Connectivity (Very Good)

According to HP, the installation is very easy, thanks to DisplayPort, HDMI connectivity, 3 integrated USB Type 3.0 ports and the included adapter plate and cables for HDMI, USB and DisplayPort. All the connectors are placed at the back of the screen (see min 5:40)

Conclusion

We are seeing more and more curved gaming displays popping here and there, with large form factors delivering more performance, in nicer and sleeker packages. HP is coming to CES 2017 with its massive and powerful version of the curved-imaging experience for gaming, and we cannot wait to see what the leading players in that category will come-up with at the show! For OMEN X owners, this is THE device you want to acquire, since the design and the performance match your computer. The colored ambient lighting

Eliane Fiolet
Categories: Computers, Gaming, Reviews
Tags: CES, CES 2017, Gaming Monitors, HP, monitors