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Alienware AW2725Q 4K 240 Hz OLED gaming monitor review: Serious value and high performance

27-inch 4K QD-OLED gaming monitor with 240 Hz, Adaptive-Sync, HDR10, Dolby Vision, and wide gamut color

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Alienware AW2725Q
(Image: © Tom's Hardware)

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It’s hard to say that OLED gaming monitors have evolved because they were pretty incredible to start with. I will concede that Alienware’s first effort, the AW5520QF, is underpowered by today’s standards with its 120 Hz refresh rate and relatively dim panel. However, its latest efforts have been nothing short of stellar. Over the past few years, every Alienware OLED, and every OLED for that matter, has delivered stellar gameplay, gorgeous imagery, and been a pleasure to review.

Alienware AW2725Q

(Image credit: Dell)

The AW2725Q represents a new sub-category of 27-inch 4K panels. With a 166 ppi pixel density, the image achieves a new level of clarity and sharpness. While users might gravitate towards 32-inch screens, this monitor is so good that you won’t notice its smaller size. The AW2725Q and Asus PG27UCDM are hard to ignore in favor of larger displays.

The AW2725Q is very color accurate out of the box and only faltered in its default gamma measurement, which was too light. I fixed that by switching to Custom Color mode and performing a quick grayscale calibration. There are also several other picture options available, including a usable sRGB mode.

(Image credit: Tom's Hardware)

HDR was the real star, though, with excellent color and luminance tracking that made for a stunning image. Blacks were truly black with rich shadow detail and bright highlights. The AW2725Q is one of the best HDR screens I’ve reviewed, and it’s one of the very few that support Dolby Vision.

Gaming was addictive, just like nearly every OLED out there. It tested at the top of the field with just 18ms total input lag and the expected perfect motion resolution. The only thing I wished for was a headphone output jack. With the exclusion of internal speakers, your only options are USB headphones, or an external sound system hooked to the HDMI ARC port.

Nitpicks aside, the Alienware AW2725Q is one of the best OLED gaming monitors I’ve reviewed. It’s priced in the premium range but not as high as some others. If you have $830 to spend on a precision gaming monitor, it’s worth your consideration.

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Christian Eberle
Christian Eberle
Contributing Editor

Christian Eberle is a Contributing Editor for Tom's Hardware US. He's a veteran reviewer of A/V equipment, specializing in monitors. Christian began his obsession with tech when he built his first PC in 1991, a 286 running DOS 3.0 at a blazing 12MHz. In 2006, he undertook training from the Imaging Science Foundation in video calibration and testing and thus started a passion for precise imaging that persists to this day. He is also a professional musician with a degree from the New England Conservatory as a classical bassoonist which he used to good effect as a performer with the West Point Army Band from 1987 to 2013. He enjoys watching movies and listening to high-end audio in his custom-built home theater and can be seen riding trails near his home on a race-ready ICE VTX recumbent trike. Christian enjoys the endless summer in Florida where he lives with his wife and Chihuahua and plays with orchestras around the state.

2 Comments Comment from the forums
  • MoxNix
    Way too expensive for what's a relatively slow refresh rate these days. The Alienware 27 inch 360 Hz 1440p monitor is a far better value.
    Reply
  • mihen
    For Oled, refresh isn't a question of if the panel can do it. It's a question if the cable can do it. It's a 2160p verse 1440p difference.
    Reply