HP's latest ultrawide gaming monitor is the safe option, but I hoped for a little better

Personally, I don't need an ultrawide monitor, but the category definitely has a plethora of fans that know exactly what they want. Ultrawide gaming monitors are a dime a dozen, and it's difficult for companies to stand out from the horde.

HP isn't breaking the mold with the OMEN 34c (G2), a second-generation offering that plays it just as safe as the first iteration — but it is another great option with above-average performance and solid image quality for the price.

I certainly have my share of criticisms, but none of them are enough to disqualify the OMEN 34c (G2) from earning a comfortable recommendation from me. It's a good gaming monitor, especially for those looking for a performant, ultrawide display that doesn't inflate the price tag with features they don't need.

A familiar design from HP OMEN

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HP has settled into a nice flow with its OMEN family, carving out a unique visual identity while it builds out a comprehensive ecosystem of products. The OMEN 34c (G2) would never think to resist that flow, so we get an extremely familiar design here.

This monitor is fairly good looking for its price range with its matte black plastic, tasteful "OMEN" logos, and HP's diamond flourish, and the display bezels are as thin as I'd expect around three edges. I still have an issue with this stand, though.

Don't get me wrong, the OMEN 34c (G2) is just as wonderfully easy to assemble as last year, requiring zero tools or complicated instructions (unless you want to use a VESA mount, which will require some extra work).

The stand itself only allows for height and tilt adjustment, though — if you want to pivot, you'll have to turn the entire monitor and stand, which I patently refuse to do. I at least have faith HP will change this design with a future generation of monitors, but it's still annoying now.

I also have to criticize the distinct lack of any USB ports for connecting your accessories. You get two HDMI 2.0 ports, a single DisplayPort 1.4 port, and that's it. Additional ports is a valuable feature for a lot of people (myself included), even if you don't go all the way with KVM support and device charging.

Finally, I'll briefly mention the dual 3W speakers, which are just as hollow, flat, and muddy as last year. These speakers are fine for notifications and casual video conferencing, I would not (and do not) want to use them for anything else.

Good gaming performance, solid image quality

On the display front, the OMEN 34c (G2) finally sees some notable upgrades. This is still a 34-inch, ultrawide VA panel (not IPS LCD or OLED) that runs at 1440p, but the performance and overall image quality have improved.

The upgraded 180Hz refresh rate is the perfect sweet spot between the 120Hz minimum and the 240Hz sweet spot of modern gaming monitors, although you're not likely to notice it over the last model's 165Hz refresh rate. Still, gaming on this monitor feels great.

HP also managed to massively bump up the color accuracy, hitting 100% of the sRGB color gamut and 88% of the DCI-P3 color gamut on the "Native" profile, as well as increasing the contrast ratios across brightness levels. At least with contrast, the OMEN 34c (G2)'s VA panel strikes a nice balance between more popular IPS LCD or OLED displays.

The one issue I have with this display is the viewing angles, which are less than perfect. There's a decent amount of hazing and color shift when viewing things off-axis; while the curve of the display does help to some extent, I still regularly noticed how content on both far ends appeared less vibrant and clear than directly in front of me.

That being said, it never stopped me from staying productive, enjoying videos, video conferencing, or gaming.

HP OMEN 34c (G2) review: My final thoughts

✅You should buy this if ...

• You know you want an ultrawide monitor.
• You value great gaming performance and that 180Hz refresh rate.
• You don't care about all the bells and whistles.

❌You should not buy this if ...

• You need your monitor to provide additional USB ports.
• You need the best possible image quality and brightness.

My colleague, Rebecca Spear, reviewed the original HP OMEN 34c. Looking back at that review, not a lot has changed going into this second generation. HP did make some worthwhile improvements, but the OMEN 34c (G2) is still, overall, another simply solid option in an ocean of other solid options.

Unless you have specific needs that aren't met by this monitor, like additional USB ports or KVM support, you'll likely be happy. It's easy to assemble, the display looks good across a variety of content, and performance for gaming is generally excellent.

There are no fatal flaws here; HP just made a good ultrawide gaming monitor without any fluff. If that's what you're looking for, the HP OMEN 34c (G2) can be yours for $529.99 at HP.com, and is also available at BestBuy.com.

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