Hands on: HP's 27-inch Omni27 all-in-one
updated 03:50 am EST, Wed January 11, 2012
AIO aims to compete with iMac
HP brought its new 27-inch Omni27 all-in-one desktop system to CES, enabling Electronista to take a closer look at the system. An HP rep did not shy away from comparing the device to Apple's 27-inch iMac, before noting the $500 price gap, though the features are clearly different.
Apple's largest iMac and the Omni27 both feature 27-inch display panels with IPS technology for wide viewing angles. We noticed a bit of perceivable pixelation on the Omni27, compared to the iMac and Apple's 27-inch displays, as the former brings 1920x1080 resolution and the latter steps up to 2560x1440.
Aesthetically, the Omni27 offers an attractive aluminum base and edge-to-edge glass with a black bezel. The housing is also very thin, adding to the quality appearance, while users can tilt the panel as desired.
We liked the Omni27, though the difference in display resolution is not an insignificant detail. If the 2560x1440 27-inch iMac was placed next to the 1920x1080 Omni27, many potential buyers would find Apple's superior pixel density to be worth the extra cash. Apple also uses AMD Radeon discrete graphics components, rather than relying on integrated Intel graphics.
