HP OMEN Transcend 31.5" Black/White

The HP OMEN Transcend 32 delivers jaw-dropping 4K QD-OLED visuals with 240Hz speed and the best connectivity we've seen, but firmware bugs and an absurdly large power brick keep it from being perfect. If you can snag it on sale and ignore the OSD quirks, it's a phenomenal monitor.

The HP OMEN Transcend 32 is a 31.5-inch 4K QD-OLED gaming monitor that aims to be your all-in-one battle station. It's packing a blistering 240Hz refresh rate, a .03ms response time, and a connectivity suite that includes DP 2.1b and 140W USB-C power delivery. We've been testing it against our database, and on paper it's an absolute monster. But living with it reveals a few headaches that might make you pause.

The panel itself is stunning. QD-OLED brings the deep blacks and punchy HDR that makes games and movies pop, and the 4K resolution gives you that delicious pixel density for productivity. It's also a factory-calibrated color workhorse. However, the firmware and on-screen menu feel like an afterthought, and that external power brick is almost comical. Still, if you're chasing the best 4K high-refresh experience with future-proof ports, this monitor deserves a hard look.

This thing flies. The 4K resolution at 240Hz is buttery smooth, and the .03ms response time virtually eliminates motion blur. G-Sync compatibility keeps tearing and stutter at bay, and in our testing it sits at the very top of our performance charts. Color accuracy is stellar out of the box, covering 99% P3 for creative work. HDR content looks gorgeous with inky blacks and bright highlights, though the panel peaks around 400 nits, so it won't sear your eyeballs in a sunlit room. The only real knock: SDR brightness tops out at 250 nits, which is fine for dim gaming dens but might feel a bit dim for brightly lit offices.

Pricing is all over the map. We've seen it listed from $675 for a refurb unit to an eye-watering $30,577 from a scalper (seriously, don't pay that). Realistically, you can find it new around $1,000 to $1,200, which is in line with other premium 32-inch 4K OLEDs. If you snag one of those lower refurb deals, it's a steal. But at full MSRP, you're paying for that best-in-class connectivity and HP's DreamColor heritage, and you'll have to decide if the occasional firmware frustration is worth it.

Stack it up against the 27-inch QD-OLEDs like the ASUS ROG Strix XG27AQDMG or MSI MAG 272UP, and the HP immediately pulls ahead with its larger 32-inch 4K panel. Those 1440p rivals are no slouches, but if you have a beefy GPU, the extra sharpness here transforms open-world games. The Alienware AW3423DWF is a curved ultrawide alternative with similar QD-OLED pop but a lower 165Hz refresh and no 4K. The LG 27GX790A-B is a 1440p 480Hz speed demon, so if esports is your only game, maybe skip the HP. But for mixed use—gaming, content creation, work—the HP's connectivity (especially DP 2.1b for next-gen GPUs) and 140W USB-C make it a more versatile centerpiece than any of those.

Skip this if you want a hassle-free experience out of the box. The firmware bugs and unintuitive OSD will annoy you, and the giant power brick is an eyesore if you have a clean desk. If color accuracy isn't critical and you'd rather have a wider field of view, a curved ultrawide like the Alienware AW3423DWF might be a better fit. And if you're just here for 1080p esports, save your cash.

This is the monitor for gamers who also need to get real work done. The 4K QD-OLED panel is glorious, and the 240Hz refresh keeps games buttery smooth. Its port selection is unmatched, and if you've got a modern laptop, one cable will charge it and run the display. You'll just have to live with a goofy power brick and hope HP fixes the firmware soon. If you can tolerate that, it's a top-tier display.