HP Omen Transcend 32 review: An almost perfect gaming monitor

The HP Omen Transcend 32 is a modern gaming monitor that delivers sharp image quality and buttery smooth performance—all in an elegant chassis that takes up little space. HP’s device is also built for creatives who need a reliable display to bring their works to life.

The sharp 4K resolution on the 32-inch OLED display allows you to see the most minute details in whatever game you’re playing. The fast 240Hz refresh rate—along with AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync compatibility—delivers a smooth experience in both narrative-driven and competitive games alike. The ultra-low 0.03ms response time also ensures no perceptible input lag.

If not for the tasty RGB lighting on its all-white back, the Omen Transcend 32 could almost be mistaken for a non-gaming monitor. Thanks to its elegant and minimalist design, this device won’t look out of place in your home office or gaming den. The relatively small footprint also means it doesn’t take up too much space on your desk.

Though you get an overall excellent image, HDR brightness is relatively dim, which is an issue I’ve had with other 32-inch OLED gaming monitors I’ve tested. While you can see everything clearly enough, don’t expect eye-scorching levels of brightness.

While the HP Omen Transcend 32 doesn’t have impressive HDR, its other qualities help make it one of the best gaming monitors out there. If you’re looking for a dependable gaming monitor that will work in most setups, consider this one.

Read my full review to learn more.

HP Omen Transcend 32 review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? The HP Omen Transcend 32 is a 4K gaming monitor featuring an OLED panel with a 240Hz refresh rate, 0.03ms response time and a minimalist design.
• Who is it for? For anyone looking for a monitor that’s great for gaming or creative projects.
• What does it cost? The HP Omen Transcend 32 costs $1,299 on HP’s website.
• What do we like? Its smooth performance, phenomenal OLED display, and gorgeous design.
• What don’t we like? HDR brightness isn’t all that bright.

HP Omen Transcend 32 review: Specs

HP Omen Transcend 32 review: The ups

The HP Omen Transcend 32 has it all, including a stunning 32-inch 4K OLED display, fast performance, elegant design and reliable compatibility with gaming consoles and PCs.

Graceful design

Like the HP Omen Transcend 14 laptop, the Omen Transcend 32 is a gaming device that doesn’t look the part. Sure, it sports RGB lighting on the back, but that’s the only thing suggesting it’s for gaming. Thanks to this design choice, the Transcend 32 keeps your focus on the games you’re playing—and ensures the monitor can easily fit into most work or gaming setups.

There’s a nice contrast between the monitor’s white chassis and black monitor stand. The latter’s flat square shape doesn’t take up much space, allowing you to situate your keyboard in a comfortable position. There’s a relatively large cooling vent along the monitor’s top, which HP says keeps the monitor cool and helps its longevity.

Port selection is one of this monitor’s strongest aspects. On the lower back, you’ll find two HDMI ports, a DisplayPort, three USB-A ports, a headphone jack and three USB-C ports. With so many ports, you can easily keep your gaming rig, gaming console, or even a laptop connected to this monitor all at once.

Other little touches include a retractable headphone rest on the monitor’s top left side and a loop on the monitor stand for cable management. All of these features make for a beautiful and functional monitor.

Gorgeous OLED display

The 32-inch 4K OLED display is a sight to behold. While there are bigger monitors, 32 inches hits the sweet spot of display size and overall image quality. Not only is it perfect for gaming, but it’s also built for creatives and makes for a reliable work monitor.

I lost myself in the worlds of Doom Eternal and Cyberpunk 2077 with the monitor’s native gaming display setting enabled. These games feature a variety of colorful landscapes, which come to life vividly thanks to the oversaturated color reproduction. Small details, such as the scales on a demon’s hide or the chrome on a car’s hood, look magnificent.

Our lab tests corroborate what my eyes experienced. In the Game Native mode, the panel achieved 187.6% of the sRGB color gamut and 132.9% of the more demanding DCI-P3 color space, which is decidedly oversaturated. This is especially true in comparison to the LG UltraGear 32GS95UE-B’s comparable display mode. If you like super-vivid hues, the Omen Transcend 32 won’t disappoint.

HP's monitor features a total of 13 display modes, with half dedicated to game genres like FPS and RTS. Others, such as Adobe RGB, Professional sRGB, and other creative-focused display modes, make up the latter half. Each mode differs slightly from one another, depending on their function. Regardless, you might appreciate the slew of available display modes.

Smooth performance

Whether it’s a frenetic first-person shooter like Doom Eternal or a blistering fast racer like Dirt 5, games run wonderfully thanks to the Omen Transcend 32’s buttery smooth 240Hz refresh rate and fast 0.03ms response time. Compatibility with AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and Nvidia G-Sync also ensures smooth performance.

For testing, I connected the Omen Transcend 32 to the HP Omen 35L gaming PC. That mid-tower packs an AMD Ryzen 7 8700G CPU, an Nvidia RTX 4080 Super, 32GB of RAM and a 2TB SSD. This powerful gaming PC is a perfect fit for this monitor, and not just because it’s also an HP device.

Thanks to the monitor’s high refresh rate, I could enjoy playing Doom Eternal at over 130 frames per second without a single hint of screen tearing or choppiness. I also didn’t experience any perceptible input lag.

Clean UI

The HP Omen Transcend 32 has a clean and simple user interface that’s easy to navigate. It’s where you’ll find the aforementioned display modes and a slew of settings to adjust lighting, enable/disable AMD FreeSync, and more. There are many options to choose from, which can be somewhat overwhelming but not overly so.

The ODS (On Screen Display) joystick behind the monitor’s right-hand side is easy to reach and simple to use. It’s a bit more rigid than similar OSDs on other monitors but I like that it takes a little effort to move up and down or left and right.

Decent speaker quality

Many of the gaming monitors I’ve reviewed either lack speakers or have poor speaker quality. While I can’t say the HP Omen Transcend 32 has exceptional speakers, the overall sound isn’t bad if you don’t want to use a pair of the best headphones.

When playing games, I could clearly hear even the most subtle sounds. Bass isn’t the greatest, but lows aren’t completely absent, either. The speakers maintain consistently good sound even if you turn them up all the way.

Again, the Omen Transcend 32 won’t win any audio awards, but its speakers are pretty good for a gaming monitor.

HP Omen Transcend 32 review: The downs

The HP Omen Transcend 32 is a nearly perfect gaming monitor. Unfortunately, it has a flaw that plagues other OLED gaming monitors.

Dim HDR

While the Omen Transcend 32 delivers sharp images and vivid colors, it doesn’t get very bright in either SDR or HDR modes.

As you can see in the table above, the Omen Transcend 32 can’t quite hit 250 nits of brightness. In fact, out of all available display modes, the Game Native values listed above are the brightest. But as I said, this is a problem other OLED gaming monitors like the LG UltraGear 32 also have.

This monitor’s brightness is sufficient to let you clearly see everything happening on the screen. However, I would have liked the brightness to be a tad higher.

HP Omen Transcend 32 review: Verdict

The HP Omen Transcend 32 might not have features that set it apart from similar devices, but it’s got everything you’d want from a modern gaming monitor.

Even if its HDR brightness isn’t the best, it still delivers stunning picture quality that makes games look fantastic. The smooth gaming performance and refined design also make this one of my favorite gaming monitors yet.

If the Omen Transcend 32 is out of your price range and you can live without OLED, the $449 Asus TUF Gaming VG28UQL1A is a great 4K gaming monitor to consider. Want something bigger and more immersive? Then, the $689 45-inch LG UltraGear 45GR75DC ultrawide curved gaming monitor is right for you.

But if you liked what I had to say about the HP Omen Transcend 32, then I urge you to pick it up. Trust me, it’ll make your gaming experience all the more enjoyable.