HP OMEN BG1M4AA 24.5" Black 2026

The HP OMEN 25 is a 24.5-inch 1080p gaming monitor with a blistering 360Hz refresh rate and a bright IPS panel, aimed squarely at competitive esports players. It packs a surprisingly good ergonomic stand and even a Thunderbolt port, which is rare at this price. User reviews are thin on the ground, so we're mostly going on specs, but the specs are strong for the $320 to $420 range. If you need maximum frame rates and don't care about resolution, this is a great pick. If you want a more versatile display, look at 1440p alternatives.

Let's talk numbers. The 360Hz refresh rate paired with a 1ms GTG response time (with overdrive) puts this monitor in the top tier for motion clarity. In our database, its performance metrics sit in the 93rd percentile, which is basically the point where diminishing returns kick in hard for anyone who isn't a serious competitive player. You're getting frame intervals of about 2.8 milliseconds, and combined with G-Sync compatibility and FreeSync Premium support, screen tearing becomes a non-issue whether you're running an NVIDIA or AMD GPU. This is the kind of smoothness where you'll notice the difference going from 144Hz, but going from 240Hz to 360Hz is more subtle, mostly showing up in fast flick shots and tracking scenarios.

The IPS panel is a smart choice here. Older 360Hz monitors often used TN panels that looked rough at off-angles and had terrible color reproduction. This OMEN 25 hits 400 nits brightness, which is bright enough to fight off glare in a well-lit room, and the 99.5% sRGB coverage means games look vibrant without being oversaturated. The 1000:1 contrast ratio is standard IPS fare, so don't expect deep blacks in a dark room, but for a monitor aimed at fast-paced shooters where you're usually cranking brightness to spot enemies, it's perfectly adequate. Input lag should be negligible based on the specs, though we haven't had hands-on time to measure it ourselves yet.

The competitive landscape for this monitor is crowded, and HP is walking into a room full of heavy hitters. The ASUS ROG Strix XG27AQDPG is probably the most direct philosophical competitor, offering similar refresh rates but at 1440p on a larger 27-inch screen. You lose a bit of that pixel density advantage for spotting distant enemies, but you gain a much sharper image for everything else. The MSI MAG 271QPX QD-OLED E2 is in a different league entirely, with OLED contrast and response times that make any IPS panel look sluggish, but you'll pay significantly more and deal with burn-in anxiety.

The LG UltraGear 27GX790A-B and Samsung Odyssey G60SD are also worth mentioning. Both offer 1440p at high refresh rates with better HDR performance than the HP's DisplayHDR 400 certification can manage. The Samsung in particular has a VA panel with much better contrast, though viewing angles suffer. Where the HP OMEN 25 carves out its niche is in that specific 24.5-inch 1080p 360Hz form factor. It's a size and resolution combo that competitive players often prefer because it keeps the entire screen in your field of view without needing to scan your eyes too much. If that's your priority, the HP is one of the better options in this price bracket, especially with that stand and Thunderbolt port.

Pricing on this monitor is a bit of a moving target. We're seeing it range from $320 to $420 across vendors, which puts it in a competitive bracket for 360Hz IPS panels. At the lower end of that range, around $320, this is a solid deal. You're getting a fully adjustable stand, Thunderbolt connectivity, and a bright, color-accurate panel that doesn't cut corners on the things competitive players actually need. At $400 or above, things get trickier. You start brushing up against 1440p 240Hz options or even entry-level OLED panels if you catch a sale, and those offer a more transformative visual experience for not much more money.

Compared to something like the ASUS ROG Strix XG27AQDPG or the MSI MAG 271QPX QD-OLED E2, the HP's value proposition hinges entirely on whether you absolutely need 360Hz at 1080p specifically. If you're a professional or aspiring esports player who wants maximum frame rates and doesn't care about resolution, this is a purpose-built tool at a fair price. For everyone else, the extra $100 to $150 for a 1440p high-refresh monitor might be the smarter long-term play.

HP's OMEN 25 is a monitor that knows exactly what it wants to be, and it doesn't apologize for it. This is a 24.5-inch, 1080p speed demon built for competitive gamers who care about frame rates and response times more than pixel count or cinematic immersion. If you're grinding ranked matches in Valorant, CS2, or Apex Legends, the 360Hz refresh rate here is the kind of spec that makes a real difference in how fluid your tracking feels. It's not trying to be a 4K content creation beast or a massive ultrawide, and that focus is honestly refreshing.

What makes this particular model interesting is how it balances raw speed with some quality-of-life features you don't always get on esports-first panels. The IPS screen pushes 400 nits of brightness and covers 99.5% of the sRGB color space, so it's not the usual washed-out TN panel from the old days of high-refresh gaming. You're getting VESA DisplayHDR 400 certification, which is entry-level HDR at best, but it means the backlight has some punch. The stand is also a standout, offering full height, tilt, swivel, and pivot adjustments, which puts it ahead of many competitors that cheap out on ergonomics.

But here's the elephant in the room: user sentiment for this monitor is weirdly low in our database, landing in the bottom 5% of all products we track. That's not because people hate it, it's because there's barely any feedback out there. With only 15 reviews across all retailers and a Q&A section full of unanswered questions, we're mostly flying on specs and our own testing instincts. The few reviews that exist are glowing, but the sample size is tiny. So we're going to tell you what this monitor is on paper, what it should be capable of, and where you might want to pause before clicking buy.

If you're primarily a single-player gamer who values atmosphere and visual fidelity over raw frame rates, this monitor isn't for you. The 1080p resolution and modest HDR performance won't do justice to games like Cyberpunk 2077, Red Dead Redemption 2, or Alan Wake 2. You'd be much happier with a 1440p high-refresh IPS panel or even an OLED if your budget stretches that far. Something like the MSI MAG 271QPX QD-OLED E2 or a good 1440p 240Hz IPS monitor would give you a more immersive experience without sacrificing too much responsiveness.

Content creators and productivity users should also look elsewhere. While the color accuracy is decent for an esports monitor, the 1080p resolution on a 24.5-inch screen is limiting for video editing, photo work, or even just having multiple windows open. A 27-inch 4K monitor or a 1440p ultrawide would serve you much better for those tasks. The OMEN 25 is a specialist's tool, and if your work or play doesn't revolve around split-second reactions in competitive shooters, you're paying for speed you'll never use.

If you're a competitive FPS player who lives in games like Valorant, CS2, Overwatch 2, or Rainbow Six Siege, and you're still on a 144Hz or even 240Hz monitor, the OMEN 25 is a meaningful upgrade. The 360Hz refresh rate combined with the responsive IPS panel and full ergonomic stand make it a focused tool that does its job well. The Thunderbolt port is a nice bonus if you're also connecting a laptop for a dual-purpose setup, and the color accuracy means it won't embarrass itself if you need to do some light photo editing or content work on the side.

For anyone who plays a mix of competitive and single-player games, or who values visual fidelity alongside frame rates, this monitor is harder to recommend. 1080p on a 24.5-inch screen is a noticeable step down in sharpness compared to 1440p, and the HDR experience is barely worth enabling. You'd be better served by a 1440p 240Hz monitor or saving up for one of the newer 1440p 360Hz options that are starting to come down in price. The OMEN 25 is a specialist's tool, and it's excellent at what it does, but it's not a great all-rounder.