What just happened? Long gone are the days when curved QHD monitors with super-high refresh rates cost the same as---or more than---your PC. HP's just-announced Omen 27c, for example, offers all those benefits and a slew of other features for $529.99.
The Omen 27c boasts a 27-inch VA panel with a 1000R curvature and 240Hz refresh rate---that's the same combination found in Samsung's 49-inch Odyssey Neo G9, one of the highest-scoring monitors we've ever reviewed.
The Omen 27c comes with a QHD (2560 x 1440) resolution, still considered by gamers to be the sweet spot between 1080p and demanding 4K. It also features a 1ms GTG response time (with overdrive).
Other specs include VESA DisplayHDR 400 certification with a standard brightness of 400 nits that can hit a peak of 450 nits with HDR enabled. You also get 99% coverage of the DCI-P3 color gamut, 92% DCI-P3 coverage, 8-bit color depth, a 3000:1 static contrast ratio, and AMD Freesync Premium Pro compatibility.
Port-wise, the Omen 27c comes with DisplayPort 1.4 (for reaching 240Hz@1440p), HDMI 2.0, USB type-C, and two USB-A 3.2 (Gen 2). There's a five-way joystick on the rear controlling the OSD, and HP is advertising the 3-sided "micro-edge" thin-bezel design as ideal for multi-monitor setups like the one at the top of the page.
The Omen 27c supports the company's Omen Gaming Hub. The software can be used to sync the monitor's RGB lighting with other accessories, including Philips Hue products. It also allows access to Shadow Vision for brightening darker game scenes without making them appear washed out, and offers dynamic crosshairs that change color based on the environment.
The Omen 27c is available now from HP for $529.99.