Tested: Alienware stakes claim as 4K 240Hz QD-OLED ‘budget’ buy

Best Prices Today: Alienware AW2725Q

$899.99

I’ll be honest. The Alienware AW2725Q didn’t make a good first impression.

It uses Alienware’s new “AW30” design language that, though meant to feel more organic, doesn’t look premium. The monitor also lacks a USB-C port with DisplayPort and Power Delivery, something I consider essential for modern monitors.

However, the Alienware AW2725Q makes up for these problems with a simple advantage. It costs a lot less than its competitors.

Read on to learn more, then see our roundup of the best gaming monitors for comparison.

Alienware AW2725Q specs and features

The Alienware AW2725Q specifications, though excellent, don’t stand out. I’ve already reviewed several monitors this year, such as the Asus ROG Swift OLED PG27UCDM and MSI MPG 272URX QD-OLED, with the same 4K 240Hz QD-OLED panel. In fact, the AW2725Q has a disadvantage next to these alternatives: It doesn’t have a USB-C port with DisplayPort and sufficient USB Power Delivery to charge a connected laptop.

• Display size: 26.7-inch 16:9 widescreen
• Native resolution: 3840×2160
• Panel type: 10-bit QD-OLED
• Refresh rate: 240Hz
• Adaptive sync: Adaptive Sync, Nvidia G-Sync Compatible, AMD FreeSync Premium Pro
• HDR: HDR10, Dolby Vision
• Ports: 1x HDMI 2.1, 1x HDMI 2.1 with eARC/ARC for Dolby Atmos signal pass-through, 1x DisplayPort 1.4, 1x USB-B 5Gbps upstream, 3x USB-A 5Gbps downstream, 1x USB-C 5Gbps downstream with 15 watts of Power Delivery
• VESA mount: 100x100mm
• Audio: None
• Warranty: 3 years
• Price: $899.99 MSRP (U.S.)

But Alienware strikes back with the price. Most competitors list a price of $1099.99, but the AW2725Q is just $899.99. That’s $200, or roughly 20 percent, less expensive. It’s a big difference, and it works to Dell’s advantage. Despite its price, the AW2725Q is covered by a three-year warranty that includes OLED burn-in.

Oh, and the AW2725Q has one other practical advantage. It’s in stock. While several other companies have launched 27-inch 4K 240Hz QD-OLED monitors, availability is tight. I expect the AW2725Q will be among the easier 4K 240Hz QD-OLED monitors to buy, as Dell has a history of shipping monitors with new panels at larger volumes than most competitors.

Alienware AW2725Q design

Alienware monitors are known for their unique design. The AW2725Q is no exception, but takes the brand in a different direction with a design language called “AW30.” It exchanges the prior retro-futuristic look for a more organic, rounded design. Oh, and it’s a deep navy-blue color (Alienware calls it indigo), which is certainly different.

Yet I’m not sold on the new look. My biggest beef is the faux-metallic plastic on the rear of the AW2725Q. While the sheen of the plastic seems meant to look luxurious, to my eyes it comes off a bit cheap, especially next to competitors like the Samsung Odyssey OLED G8 series. Also, though the Alienware does technically have RGB-LED lighting accents, they’re only found on the Alienware logo on the back and the power button on the front. 

Matthew Smith / Foundry

The new design is functional, however. It has a compact stand that’s even flatter than the hexagon-style stand Alienware had used just prior, which means the stand keeps most of your desk space usable. The stand ergonomically adjusts for height, tilt, swivel, and pivot into portrait orientation, and the 100x100mm VESA mount can be used to attach the monitor to third-party stands and arms.

Alienware also blesses the AW2725Q with a sizable cable guide that keeps cables out of sight and has enough space to handle multiple video connections.

Alienware AW2725Q connectivity

The Alienware AW2725Q’s video connectivity includes two HDMI 2.1 ports and one DisplayPort 1.4. All ports can handle the monitor’s full resolution and refresh rate (up to 4K at 240Hz).

The AW2725Q’s USB-C connectivity is limited, as it lacks a USB-C port with DisplayPort and significant power delivery. Instead, the monitor’s USB connectivity is driven by a USB-B upstream port with just 5Gbps of data transfer capability. That connects to three USB-A ports and a single USB-C port with up to 15 watts of Power Delivery.

However, the AW2725Q’s lower pricing partially excuses this decision, as the monitor’s MSRP is $200 less than most 27-inch 4K 240Hz QD-OLED monitors. I prefer to see USB-C in all high-end monitors, but I must admit that ditching USB-C to lower the price helps the AW2725Q stand out from the crowd.

One port that’s absent is the 3.5mm audio-out jack. Most monitors have this connection to support audio pass-through, but the AW2725Q doesn’t. That means you’ll need to connect a headset directly to your desktop or laptop.

Instead of 3.5mm audio-out, the AW2725Q provides eARC on one of its two HDMI ports. HDMI eARC can be used for audio alongside some home theater sound systems and soundbars. Alienware also says the eARC port works with Dolby Atmos (though I didn’t have a compatible device on had to try it with).

Alienware AW2725Q menu and features

The Alienware AW2725Q has an LED-lit power button that glows when the monitor is on. It’s an attractive and stylish feature, but the glow is dim enough that I didn’t find it distracting.

Otherwise, the monitor’s features are accessed through a joystick centered behind the lower bezel. It’s responsive and Alienware’s menus are logically arranged, though I did find the font size a bit small. I’d encourage the company to use a larger, higher-contrast menu font to make the menu easier to see from a distance.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

You can entirely skip the on-screen menu, however, and instead use Alienware’s Command Center utility. It provides access to most monitor features. Many competitors (including Asus, MSI, Samsung, LG, and others) provide similar software, but Alienware’s utility is the most attractive of the lot.

Image quality options are a bit limited. The monitor has gamma adjustment, but only in Creator mode. There’s also extensive color adjustment for hue, gain, and saturation, but only in Custom Color mode. And there’s no color temperature adjustment to speak of, aside from Warm and Cool modes, neither of which support gamma and color adjustment.

The monitor also has a typical range of gaming-centric features including a timer, a frame rate counter, and a dark stabilizer which increases the brightness of dark scenes (so you can see foes).

More unusually, it has a “display alignment” feature, which produces a grid that can be used to precisely align the display area with another monitor. The monitor also supports Alien Vision, a customizable mode that can be used to adjust the image in a specific portion of the display (it can zoom, for instance, or enhance sharpness and contrast).

The AW2725Q doesn’t include speakers. That’s typical for a gaming monitor, as most assume owners will use their own headset or desktop speakers, but it’s something to keep in mind.

Alienware AW2725Q SDR image quality

The Alienware AW2725Q has a 27-inch 4K 240Hz QD-OLED panel from Samsung. This panel is found in a wide variety of competing monitors, such as the Asus ROG Swift OLED PG27UCDM and MSI MPG 272URX QD-OLED.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

First up is brightness and, well, there’s not much to comment on here. The AW2725Q was technically a hair brighter than its peers, but the gaps here are so narrow that they’re unnoticeable—especially among the monitors with QD-OLED panels (the LG has an LG WOLED panel).

The AW2725Q’s brightness is much more than adequate for use in a room with light control (like shades or blinds), and I often used the monitor at less than 40 percent of its maximum brightness. However, shoppers planning to use the monitor in a room without light control and sunlit windows, or in a brightly lit office, may want to steer clear of OLED and look at higher-brightness LCD displays.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

Contrast is an advantage for OLED monitors including the Alienware AW2725Q. It can reach a minimum luminance of zero nits which, in turn, hugely boosts contrast and creates a more realistic, lifelike image. The difference between OLED and LCD is obvious, with the latter looking washed-out and flat by comparison.

However, all modern OLED monitors achieve this level of performance. So, though excellent, contrast doesn’t give the AW2725Q an edge over its competition.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

The same is true of the monitor’s color gamut. The AW2725Q achieved 100 percent of sRGB, 98 percent of DCI-P3, and 92 percent of AdobeRGB. As the graph shows, these are fantastic figures and lead to a vibrant, highly saturated image that looks fantastic across a wide range of content. But other QD-OLED monitors achieve the same results.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

Color accuracy finally provides the AW2725Q a chance to separate itself from the crowd. The monitor achieves an average color error of less than one, which is excellent for any monitor. A color error this low is effectively indistinguishable, even for the most eagle-eyed viewers.

Like other QD-OLED monitors, though, the AW2725Q’s good color gamut and accuracy are slightly soured by its gamma and color temperature performance. The monitor achieved a default gamma curve of 2.3, off the target of 2.2. This indicates content will appear a bit darker than ideal, and I did find the effect noticeable. Color temperature came in at 6200K, a bit warmer than the target of 6500K, and I again found this noticeable. The monitor’s on-screen menus can adjust these settings, though.

Sharpness is excellent. The monitor’s pixel density works out to 166 pixels per inch. That’s much higher than a 27-inch 1440p monitor, which packs about 109 ppi. The improved pixel density provides a tack-sharp image that looks fantastic in 4K games and movies.

Overall, the AW2725Q’s SDR image quality is both class-leading and typical for the category. The image quality of modern OLED monitors varies little between models, and the AW2725Q doesn’t buck that trend. The monitor’s SDR image quality is basically identical to other 4K QD-OLED monitors. In this case, though, that slightly works to the AW2725Q’s favor, because it’s less expensive than some of the alternatives.

Alienware AW2725Q HDR image quality

The Alienware AW2725Q is VESA DisplayHDR True Black certified. It supports HDR10 signals, which is typical, and Dolby Vision, which isn’t. The AW2725Q’s overall HDR performance is solid, though in line with competitors.

Matthew Smith / Foundry

As the graph shows, the AW2725Q basically tied the MSI MPG 272URX QD-OLED in peak brightness and achieved rather similar results across the board. A peak brightness of 935 nits is very good for an OLED monitor and much better than older models, which often landed in the range of 400 to 700 nits. However, while the monitor’s peak HDR brightness is excellent, brightness falls off quickly when larger portions of the display are lit.

Improved brightness isn’t just about brilliance in dark scenes. It also helps reveal more detail in bright objects. Those which otherwise might look uniformly bright instead show detail.

This becomes obvious in Interstellar’s “Gargantua” scene. The disk of gas swirling around the black hole looks rather uniform in SDR, and on less capable HDR displays, but shows swirling and bubbling clouds when viewed on the AW2725Q.

Though it’s not perfect, the AW2725Q is a good choice for HDR and performs better than most monitors, including OLED competitors. Keep in mind, though, that competitors with the exact same 4K 240Hz QD-OLED panel (such as the MSI MPG 272URX QD-OLED and Asus ROG Swift OLED PG27UCDM) offer similar HDR.

Alienware AW2725Q motion performance

The Alienware AW2725Q’s 27-inch QD-OLED panel supports a maximum refresh rate of up to 240Hz. That’s the same as other new 4K QD-OLED monitors, but it remains an excellent refresh rate for modern games.

Like other QD-OLED monitors, the AW2725Q delivers extraordinarily low pixel response times of just 0.03 milliseconds. This means pixels change state almost instantly, significantly reducing motion blur compared to traditional LCD panels which can’t match this performance.

The combination of a 240Hz refresh rate with these exceptional response times results in outstanding motion clarity. During gameplay, fast-moving objects remain clearly visible, scrolling text maintains readability, and small interface elements (such as hitpoint bars in DOTA 2) stay legible even in motion.

That’s not to say it’s the best motion clarity available. Some OLED models now reach up to 480Hz, and the improvement is noticeable. These monitors stick to 1440p resolution, however. While highly competitive gamers will want every Hz possible, most gamers will find 4K at 240Hz more useful than 1440p at 480Hz.

Adaptive sync is supported as well with official support for both AMD FreeSync Premium Pro and Nvidia G-Sync. Nearly all modern monitors that support Adaptive Sync will also work with AMD FreeSync and Nvidia G-Sync, even if support isn’t listed. Even so, I like that Alienware makes this support official instead of leaving it up to users to find out.

Should you buy the Alienware AW2725Q?

Alienware’s AW2725Q is another excellent 4K 240Hz QD-OLED monitor. It provides fantastic image quality in SDR, good HDR, and attractive design with an ergonomic stand and numerous image quality adjustments.

But Alienware did something clever: It slashed the price. The AW2725Q released at an MSRP of $899.99, while most competitors released at $1099.99. Alienware cuts a few corners to make this possible: most notably, the monitor lacks USB-C with DisplayPort, which is disappointing. Even so, it’s hard to argue with the monitor’s bang-for-the-buck.

I’ve never thought of Alienware as a value brand but, in this case, it clearly undercuts the competition. Whether it’s right for you comes down to whether you need the USB-C port. If you do, the MSI MPG 272URX is the better choice. But if not, you can save some money with the AW2725Q.