HP Omen X 35 Review

The HP Omen X 35 is a huge and imposing gaming monitor that matches its 35in diagonal with a vast price. In the US this screen will set you back $821, while in the UK you’ll have to pay £893. For that money you don’t just get the 35in screen – you get a curved design, Nvidia G-Sync and a huge resolution. Is it worth such an outlay, though? Read our HP Omen X 35 review to find out.

HP Omen X 35 Review – Design

The HP Omen X 35 certainly looks like an expensive gaming monitor thanks to stunning design. The base is a wide slab of square metal that immediately stands apart from the thin, angled bases that we’re used to seeing on rival machines – including the Acer Predator Z35P, which costs $755 or £750.

The HP’s solid, square base panel doesn’t just look different. It doesn’t take up as much space as the stands on other widescreen panels, which makes it easier to fit the HP onto a desk – and easier to fit other peripherals around its sheer size.

The HP Omen X 35 looks the part and build quality is excellent. The square base connects to a slim, angular stand that – once again – is slimmer and therefore more manageable than the chunky hardware that’s found on more conventional widescreen products.

The top of the stand has a headphone hook, and the stand has a cable-tidying loop. The screen has height adjustment – it moves smoothly up and down the metal stand – and can tilt forwards or backwards. The only adjustment option missing is left-to-right swivelling. That is included on the rival Acer Predator Z35P, which tempers that extra adjustment with a chunkier stand and base.

The HP doesn’t just have sleeker design than its key rival. It’s got slimmer bezels, too. It also has ambient lighting that replicates the colour profile on the screen – a feature which, according to HP, makes the panel easier to view in dark areas. The ambient light can also be programmed to display a static colour, or to be turned off entirely.

The Omen X 35 has exceptional build quality, with sturdy metal used throughout. It also doesn’t wobble on its stand as much as many of its rivals.

The downside of that, of course, is weight. The HP tips the scales at a hefty 12kg, which matches the Acer. And, aside from that figure, a 35in screen can be difficult to manoeuvre just because of its size – the HP, for instance, is 833mm wide and 412mm tall.

Around the back you’ll find single HDMI 1.4 and DisplayPort 1.2 inputs, which are all you need to connect this panel to any high-end gaming PC. The HP also has three USB 3.0 ports and a headphone jack.

That’s fine connectivity, but be aware that all of the ports face outwards, and are positioned directly between the stand and the screen. That makes them difficult to access, which will prove annoying if you regularly want to use those USB pass-through ports. We would have preferred some USB connectivity on the side of the panel.

That’s not the only minor design flaw. The HP doesn’t have a handle for easier carrying, and it doesn’t have speakers. They’re small issues, but they may swing a buying decision. They’re also both features that the Acer did include for a lesser price.

On the inside the Omen delivers Nvidia G-Sync that runs at a peak of 100Hz. That’s fine for a screen of this size, and it means that you’ll be able to synchronise the monitor’s refresh rate with the graphics card output at a peak framerate of 100fps. Crucially, you’ll need to make sure that you have a GTX 1080 or a GTX 1080 Ti graphics card, or the equivalent – as it’s no good having a monitor with a high G-Sync level but a PC that doesn’t have the graphical grunt to push that number of pixels.

And, while 100Hz G-Sync is good, the Acer offers that feature at a peak of 120Hz – so you’ll get marginally smoother gaming from the Predator Z35P.

The 35in panel has a 3,440 x 1,440 native resolution, which matches the Acer, and both screens use VA technology. That’s entirely normal for this size and price of screen, and the HP’s 4ms response time is just as good as the Acer.

The HP’s on-screen display is fine. The software is straightforward and responsive. The three shallow buttons on the right-hand side are snappy and easy to use.

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HP Omen X 35 Review – Performance

The HP Omen X 35 delivered good image quality – but never quite managed to deliver great results consistently.

Its brightness level of 279cd/m² is great, for instance, and better than the Acer’s 252cd/m² result. However, while the HP’s black level of 0.16cd/m² is decent, the Acer goes one better with a deeper figure of 0.12cd/m².

Those results combine to help the HP Omen X35 deliver a contrast ratio of 1,738:1. That’s a good result, and it ensures that the Omen will deliver excellent vibrancy at the middle of the range along with subtle and smart changes of shade at the top and bottom ends.

However, the Acer is a little better, with a result of 2,100:1. Position the monitors side-by-side and you can see the difference. While the HP is very good, the Acer has a little more punch and a little more depth across the entire colour gamut.

The HP’s average Delta E of 1.82 is good, just beating the Acer. Both screens slip under the magic average of 2, which means most humans won’t be able to notice colour deficiencies. The HP delivered a colour temperature level of 6,418K, which is closer to the 6,500K ideal than the Acer. That’s good, because it means the HP’s colours are a little more realistic and than the Acer’s tones.

The HP served up an sRGB coverage level of 98.7%, which is good – but a tiny bit behind the Acer. The HP’s uniformity, meanwhile, was only average. The backlight only varied by a reasonable 13% on the widescreen panel’s left-hand edge, but it dropped by 15% on the right-hand side. These are broadly the same figures as the Acer.

The HP has different modes for RTS, racing and FPS gaming, but we can’t recommend any of these options. They did make contrast slightly better, but they made colour accuracy worse. And, with contrast already very good, we don’t think that’s a trade-off worth making.

Our final test, input lag, saw the HP return an average speed of 14.2ms. That’s absolutely fine – anything below 20ms is easily good enough for gaming, and even good enough for high-end competitive play.

HP Omen X 35 Review – Conclusion

Our HP Omen X 35 review shows that this screen looks good, has great design and has a solid set of features, including Nvidia G-Sync and a huge curved screen with a high resolution.

Closer examination, though, reveals that this screen is more expensive than its big rival while not offering anything extra beyond its design and branding. While the HP’s screen quality is great, the Acer Predator Z35P is a little better, with higher contrast and a broader range of G-Sync frequencies. That screen includes speakers and more adjustability options for a lower price.

Our HP Omen X 35 review proves that this screen isn’t bad at all – in fact, it’s very good. But, sadly, the Acer Predator Z35P is a little better – and cheaper, too.

The HP Omen X 35 costs $821 in the US and £893 in the UK – and here’s its official site.  Discuss our HP Omen X 35 review on our Facebook and Twitter pages. And, if you need some more inspiration after reading the HP Omen X 35 review, check out our guide to our favourite laptops or go deep with our ultimate guide to 4K monitors – covering the technology, the terms and our top recommendations!  

The Good

 

• Consistently good image quality
• Smart and solid design that outstrips the Acer
• Solid connectivity and stand options
• Nvidia G-Sync included

The Bad

• Acer’s image quality is marginally better
• Acer is a little cheaper
• Acer has better G-Sync

The Specs

Panel Technology: VA
Native resolution: 3,440 x 1,440
Diagonal: 35in
Maximum refresh rate: 100Hz
Syncing: Nvidia G-Sync
Display inputs: HDMI, DisplayPort
Speakers: n/a
Ports: 3 x USB 3.0
Weight: 12kg