Buying a new gaming monitor isn’t easy, especially with such a wide range of options available on the market. Today, HP is introducing seven new models to complicate that decision further, though they come with a softener to make the decision easy: Price.
The new monitors fall under the X Series line (Which isn’t at all confusable with Microsoft’s Series X), with four 27-inch models, two 32-inch panels, and one 34-inch ultrawide model. The difference between these models is in the details, with some packing higher-quality IPS panels and/or higher resolutions, or they have a curve, as denoted by the c in their name.
Size
Panel type
Resolution
Refresh rate
Curve
Price
Availability
X27
27 inches
IPS
1920 x 1080
165Hz
N/A
$259
Now
X27q
27 inches
IPS
2560 x 1440
165Hz
N/A
$339
Now
X27c
27 inches
VA
1902 x 1080
165Hz
1500R
$259
October
X27qc
27 inches
VA
2560 x 1440
165Hz
1500R
$349
October
X32
32 inches
IPS
2560 x 1440
165Hz
No
$389
August
X32c
32 inches
VA
1920 x 1080
165Hz
1500R
$309
October
X34
34 inches
IPS
3440 x 1440
165Hz
1500R
$459
September
All things considered, this is quite a complete monitor lineup — they all feature 165Hz refresh rates, 1ms response times, along with FreeSync/G-Sync support, and there’s a choice for most gamers out there. Admittedly, the high-end is left out, but that doesn’t appear to be the target market with this release.
Of this lot, the flat IPS panels will serve those well that work in daylight and value color performance, whereas nighttime gamers who want more immersion might be more inclined to lean towards the curved VA panels for their deeper black levels and greater immersion.
The main catch with these displays is the HDR implementation, which is limited to DisplayHDR 400. This doesn’t really offer any significant HDR performance, though it does ensure the displays will be comfortably bright enough.
The first X Series monitors are available today starting at $259, with the remainder coming out between now and October 2021.