We’ve spent a few months with OMEN by HP’s latest premium display, OMEN 34c Ultrawide Gaming Monitor. HP Omen 34c Ultrawide is a 34-inch 165Hz WQHD panel with integrated speakers. In our review, we loved the enhanced user experience, and excellent build quality. We also loved how the device was console-friendly, as offered a rounded experience on PS5 and Xbox Series X.
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The gaming performance also impressed us. A 4.4ms typical input lag, with a 1ms gaming mode, is objectively excellent. OMEN’s suite of gaming features only add to the gaming draw. However, at €499/$479/£469.00, HP Omen 34c Curved 165Hz WQHD Gaming Monitor had a high bar to clear.
Earning its Keep
HP Omen 34c Ultrawide gaming monitor enters a competitive market. The 21:9 ultrawide gaming monitor format has gained significant traction among PC gamers in recent years. HP Omen have gone all in on their premium 34c Ultrawide, with features and a user experience that has proven itself in our months with the unit.
HP Omen 34c Ultrawide’s best feature is its ease of use. The ability to adjust the monitor, be it raising or lowering or changing modes, is practically perfect.
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The menu layout and the depth of customisation is incredibly refined. And because of this refinement, HP Omen 34c Ultrawide gaming monitor is a joy to use, day in day out.
Solid Build
The display is mounted on a monopole stand that provides a solid and secure attachment. This stand enables users to effortlessly adjust the height of their display while ensuring it remains firmly in place otherwise.
HP Omen 34c Ultrawide Gaming Monitor includes a compact footpad that is sufficiently heavy to stabilise the large display and its sturdy monopole stand. The connection between the base and the stand is securely locked, ensuring no movement once it is positioned. The solid feel demonstrates the excellent engineering of the entire package.
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The display is lightweight yet feels sturdy. Manoeuvring the Omen 34c Ultrawide panel up and down the monopole stand produces no squeaks or groans. Additionally, there is minimal flex when adjusting the display up or down or tilting it forwards or backwards.
Omen 34c Ultrawide features a four-inch vertical travel, as well as 5 degrees forward and 25 degrees rearward tilt. While there is no horizontal travel, the heavy foot inspires the kind of confidence you need to twist it around and find the right spot.
Sleek Gaming Image
In recent years, gaming gear has shifted towards more minimalist and subdued visual designs, with high-end equipment spearheading this trend. HP Omen 34c Ultrawide Curved Gaming Monitor features a sleek matte black finish with subtle macro detailing for visual appeal.
The bottom bezel is broken only by a lone white ‘OMEN’ logo and a diamond-shaped LED indicator light that matches the brand. This highlights the curve of the matte black frontplate, and consequently, the display itself. The screen is framed by a minimal bezel, approximately 8mm on the top and sides, giving the impression that the display is leaping out of its frame.
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HP Omen 34c Ultrawide Curved gaming monitor is quite striking, even when displaying a browser or other mundane tasks. Its dark frame and enveloping shape ensure it remains visually appealing, even when the device is powered off.
Low Lag
The monitor boasts low input lag across all modes, and it also offers a handy list of five display settings ranked by expected input lag. Additionally, these five modes are very accessible.
You can forgo some visual details to achieve a minimal 4.4ms lag for fast-paced shooters or retro games, and then switch to your immersive single-player games with full image enhancements just by navigating the menu on the Omen 34c Ultrawide with a few clicks. However, even with all the bells and whistles enabled, the input lag is still very low.
Image Matters
HP Omen 34c Ultrawide primarily serves as a gaming monitor, yet it also excels in displaying other media. It boasts HDR certification, and although its 3,000:1 contrast ratio may not rival an OLED panel in bringing movies or TV epics to life, it does offer a notable depth to suitable content.
Likewise, while the 400cd/m2 brightness may not rival that of a high-quality TV, it is certainly sufficient for you and your friends to watch and enjoy movies and TV shows from the couch, even during the day.
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When blur is intentionally applied, such as in video games, the monitor handles motion effectively. However, for content that requires sharpness and detailed motion, the Omen 34c may sometimes fall short in clarity.
The loss of detail is most noticeable with high-quality sources like expertly-mastered Blu-ray movies and top-tier 4K action streaming content. During rapid pans or when objects move quickly, details can blur, sometimes to the point of almost smearing across the screen.
In our months with the device, we grew to appreciate the solid image quality across a variety of media. HP Omen 34c Ultrawide does gaming best, but we never felt short-changed when watching a film or some YouTube.
Premium Display Experience
Moving Picture Response Time, or MPRT, inserts black frames between drawn ones to reduce motion blur. It’s effective but comes at the expense of a darker picture.
The Omen Gaming Suite allows for five levels, as well as ‘off’, to find the sweet spot for you and your room.
HP Omen 34c Ultrawide includes a variety of helpful overlays. You have a choice of eight high-contrast colours and can create your crosshair using five different elements. The HP Omen 34c’s Gaming Suite also offers Dynamic Color [sic.], which alters the reticle’s colour in real-time to enhance visibility.
The ability to resize the target reticle would be appreciated, as some elements appear overly large, while others seem too small. However, the variety of colours and customisable shapes still render the aiming assist overlay quite useful.
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An FPS counter can be positioned in any of the four corners of the screen, available in one of eight colours. Notably, there’s a timer that prompts you to stop playing Age of Empires II and return to reality. However it’s not possible to display both the timer and the FPS counter simultaneously.
The monitor includes eight built-in picture modes. Familiar presets such as warm, cool, cinema, and standard are available. Additionally, there’s a Native mode for the clearest image, along with an exclusive HP+ mode designed for the company’s gaming monitors.
The HP+ setting uses image processing to enhance details in darker regions and in the noisy patterns commonly found in natural or artificial textures. While results can vary, the templates offer a broad spectrum of fundamental image preferences, along with numerous detailed adjustments to refine according to personal taste.
User-Customisable User Interface
While there’s a whole array of features and dials within the Omen Gaming Suite to make the most of 34c Ultrawide, a great deal of care has clearly gone into the hardware menu and its button layout.
On the back of the device, near the right-hand side as you face the screen, there are six buttons. The power button is raised and separate to the rest of the buttons, making it easy to locate. Adjacent to it is a large, rounded menu button with four arrow-shaped directional buttons encircling it. After locating these buttons once, they’re hard to miss.
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Hitting any of the direction keys or the main button brings up a four-spoked menu. One to select input, one to select from the eight colour pre-sets, one brings up the audio volume, and one brings up the brightness.
This ensures that the most useful options are just two clicks away, streamlining the user experience significantly. You also have the flexibility to customize the quick menu options.
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Additionally, you can access a more comprehensive menu on the monitor, which contains the bulk of the Gaming Suite’s options and settings, allowing console gamers to customise the device to their liking.
And, this menu system has proven itself time and time again in long-term use. All of the most useful settings are always on hand.
Screen Sharing
The 1,500R curvature limits the optimal viewing angles to a more focused area in front of the display; however, the Omen 34c Ultrawide is still happy to share. Its brightness enables comfortable viewing from the couch, and its 3W speakers are capable of delivering decent audio in a small room.
The panel can easily be tilted forward and backward. Although it has limited forward tilt, just a few degrees, the 25-degree backward tilt is substantial. The four-inch vertical adjustment enhances its shareability, and is also simple to adjust. The exceptionally stable base provides the confidence to swivel it on your desk.
Omen 34c Ultrawide Gaming Monitor Specifications
| Panel: | 34 inch diagonal, WQHD (3,440 x 1,440 resolution) |
| Contrast Ratio: | Static – 3,000:1 Dynamic – 10,000,000:1 |
| Aspect Ratio: | 21:9 |
| Curvature: | 1,500R |
| Brightness: | Up to 400 cd/m2 |
| Response Time (Typical GTG): | Minimum 1ms |
| Input Lag: | Minimum 4.4ms |
| Colour Space: | DCI-P3 (90% coverage), 99% sRGB |
| Frequency – Vertical: | 24-165Hz |
| Inputs: | 1x DisplayPort 1.4 2x HDMI 2.0 |
| Audio: | Built-in Stereo 3W Speakers 1 x 3.5 mm Audio Jack (Audio Out) |
| Physical Adjustment: | Tilt: -5°/+25° Vertical Travel: 10cm/4in |
| Synchronisation Standards: | VESA Certified Adaptive Sync, AMD FreeSync Premium |
| Viewing Angles: | 178º horizontal, 178º vertical |
Gaming First, Usability Also First
HP Omen 34c Ultrawide is primarily a gaming monitor, but it can do a fine job with other media. The display’s three inputs allow it to function as the focal point of any media or gaming setup. Additionally, the integrated speakers make it ideal for enjoying content right from your desk, or from the couch.
The build quality of the unit provides a solid foundation and plenty of reassurance when moving or adjusting the display. Priced at €499/$479/£469.00, HP Omen 34c Ultrawide Curved Gaming Monitor proved itself over our months with the device with its solid all-round image performance, robust gaming features suite, and, above all, its customisation and user experience.
