Alienware announced new gaming monitors at CES earlier this year, with the Alienware 27 4K QD-OLED gaming monitor taking centre stage.
The new Alienware 27 4K QD-OLED (AW2725Q) is not just about the 4K resolution on a 27-inch monitor. It also delivers a 240Hz refresh rate, impressive colour accuracy, and an infinite contrast ratio—all this on a vibrant and responsive OLED panel.
I’ve been using it for the last week and have been incredibly impressed. Read on to learn why I cannot return to an IPD LCD gaming (or any other type) monitor (although my CFO and bank account may determine that).
The AW2725Q’s design is different. That’s probably the best I can say about it because it will definitely be polarising. Alienware has named the new design AW30 and claims it is inspired by “Extraterrestrial phenomena,” but I’m not convinced.
It’s a flat panel with a strange bubble on the back, which includes the requisite RGB alien head. The bubble is the feature, as the stand also is bubble-like, so I assume this must be what extra-terrestrial phenomena are? This bubble is on the rear of the monitor so it makes no difference at all to how I use the monitor, nor does it affect my enjoyment of its OLED goodness.
It is simply a design choice (which undoubtedly holds much of the monitor’s electronics), but I don’t think it would make me buy or not buy a monitor.
The bezels on the display are relatively small —not the smallest we have seen on an OLED panel, but small enough. I’m not sure why you need minimal bezels on a monitor; it’s not like you need to minimise the size so you can fit it in your pocket.
The 27-inch Samsung OLED panel included in the AW2725Q delivers an astonishing 166PPI and looks stunning. It can refresh at up to 240Hz and has a colour accuracy of DCI-P3 of 99%—not something you really need for gaming, but it is ideal for other purposes, such as creative work.
The brightness is 250 nits full-screen, which is bright enough for an OLED gaming monitor. I actually preferred the monitor set at around 75% brightness, but you can easily make it brighter than that.
The stand includes a tunnel to hide the cables as they travel from the back of your monitor to the PC, making for a neater desktop.
As you would expect from a gaming monitor there is the usual support for NVIDIA G-Sync and AMD FreeSync. Alienware also include support for altering the RGB etc of the monitor in the form of their Alienware Command Center. There isn’t a heap to do in there but it does offer some customisation where it is available.
The OSD is fairly uninspiring, to be honest. It’s just a boring black box with the usual suspects for changing brightness/contrast, applying various Alienvision choices, which are various overlays that can apparently aid you in certain games but feel a little bit like cheating (e.g., the crosshair in the centre of the monitor), altering AlienFX lighting, changing PIP and PBP, and some colour settings.
All the usual features associated with OSD are present; I just think Alienware could have given more thought to its design.
The connectivity options are similar to my thoughts on the OSD. Nothing fancy, but all the usual and standard connectivity options. There are two HDMI 2.1 ports and a DisplayPort 1.4 port, but no USB-C or Thunderbolt port—far from unusual in a gaming display, so no one should be shocked by that.
A USB hub delivers three USB-A ports and a USB-C downstream port. I’m neither disappointed nor excited by this. It would have been nice for Alienware to go all out on this monitor, which sports such a great panel.
We have been seeing a lot of OLED gaming monitors lately, and with the quality of OLED panels, it is easy to see why. They can deliver high refresh rates, unmatched colour accuracy, and incredibly impressive response times.
The Alienware AW2725Q monitor is all of this and more. The included 4K resolution is incredibly impressive. Thanks to its amazing contrast ratios, it is extremely handy for seeing into dark regions of a game, such as shadows.
While the monitor is impressive, the high PPI is kind of a waste when gaming. Often, you may need to lower the resolution anyway to get the full experience but if you compare this to a larger 4K display, especially a curved one, the immersive experience pales in comparison.
Personally, I prefer a larger display and a curved one at that because the resultant experience is not just more immersive but is better for all other tasks too (a 45-inch 4K curved OLED gaming monitor would be great thanks – I know it’s coming). If you only have a small desk though, then the 27-inch is ideal.
When gaming with it, the monitor did not miss a beat, and all games were smooth, with vivid colours and deep blacks. However, I tried the AlienVision while gaming and wasn’t impressed with it. I found it more difficult to focus on the periphery of the display, but some may find the crosshairs useful—this is the only one I found remotely useful. Maybe I am just not advanced enough with my gaming.
The OLED goodness just cannot be understated, though. If you are in the market for a new gaming monitor, I’d say check out all the new ones. A decent OLED gaming monitor is a sight to behold—assuming it fits in your budget. The vivid colours are impressive and make any game look awesome.
After using this OLED monitor, going back to my 38-in curved LCD display is disappointing (in some ways) – make this 4K monitor in a 38 to 45-inch monitor Alienware and you can have all my moneys.
The Alienware 27 4K QD-OLED (AW2725Q) is a great gaming monitor. Its OLED display is a sight to behold, with deep blacks and vibrant colours. Add in a fast refresh rate and quick response time, and you have a near-perfect monitor.
The fact that it lacks speakers, which is not a massive deal as gaming is always better through headphones, and is flat and a bit small, keep it from being a must-buy. Instead, it is a “buy if you have limited space but still want a great OLED gaming monitor.”
The Alienware 27 4K QD-OLED (AW2725Q) is available now at Dell online for $1,199AU.
Scott is our resident open technology expert. If you can mod it, or want to use it your way, Scott has probably done it. From Laptops to phones, headphones and game consoles, he’s played with it and wants to see the next generation.
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