The AW2725Q marks the debut of Dell’s new AW30 design language for Alienware products. It’s been a while since I’ve seen one of the company’s devices in person, and I was worried about the monitor showing up on my desk. Fortunately, this is not the case with the AW2725Q; In fact, the design is one of the thinnest I’ve ever seen. Dell offers the AW2725Q in only one color: Interstellar Indigo. It’s a subtle shade that’s more interesting than the standard black you see on so many competitors. The screen also has minimal Alienware branding. The back of the display features the company’s iconic alien logo, while the front features the company’s insignia. The logo lights up. You can change the color of the LED or disable it via the on-screen display (OSD).
Like most Dell monitors, the AW2725Q offers plenty of ports. First of all, it has two HDMI 2.1 ports. One of these supports eARC, which allows you to connect the monitor to a soundbar and a PS5 or Xbox Series X/S. It also has three USB-A ports and a single USB-C port with 15W power supply. The AW2725Q has the same Samsung QD-OLED flat panel as the $1,200 ASUS PG27UCDM and the $1,100 MSI 272URX.
Dell removed some features to bring the monitor to $900. First, it lacks DisplayPort 2.1 output, meaning you’re limited to the old 1.4 standard. Therefore, the AW2725Q must rely on Display Stream Compression (DSC) to produce a 4K signal at 240 Hz. On paper and in practice, this is no reason to give up on the Alienware display. As the name suggests, DSC is a compression algorithm. Technically lossless, but “visually lossless” and if you don’t pay attention to pixels, it’s hard to distinguish between a DSC signal and an uncompressed signal over DisplayPort 2.1. In addition, you need one of the latest graphics processors from NVIDIA or AMD to use the new standard.
The AW2725Q’s other compromises are more notable. The MSI and ASUS models offer faster power delivery of 98W and 90W via the USB-C ports, making them better suited for fast charging a laptop. The ASUS monitor also comes with a KVM switch if you want to use one keyboard and mouse to control multiple computers. These are all nice features, but not features I’d pay $200 or $300 more for if I bought a new monitor, especially one that I intend to use primarily for gaming.
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While I’ve seen several OLED displays before, I was immediately impressed with the AW2725Q. As mentioned above, it features Samsung’s QD-OLED panel, and this particular model marks the first time the company has offered 4K resolution on a 27-inch panel. This may seem like an exaggeration and in some ways it is.
However, the AW2725Q’s 166 ppi pixel density offers a big advantage. This is the first OLED screen I’ve used that doesn’t compromise text clarity. On previous generations of OLED panels from Samsung and LG, I found the edges of the text to be very distracting, making them impractical for most productivity tasks. The AW2725Q has almost completely solved this problem, making it not only a great gaming monitor, but also a great display that will last a long time.
The AW2725Q provides 99% DCI-P3 coverage. After unpacking, my unit needed some calibration as the green LEDs slightly overshadowed everything else. After running the monitor through DisplayCal, the AW2725Q looked almost perfect. The colors were vibrant without being too dull. If you plan to use the AW2725Q for design work, Dell offers an option that allows you to limit the display in the OSD to sRGB. Speaking of the OSD, navigation is clear and simple, thanks to a joystick that’s big enough not to be bulky.
The AW2725Q has a glossy coating that emphasizes the panel’s ability to produce deep blacks and vivid colors. In a dimly lit room, the Alienware screen displays an almost three-dimensional image. When I looked at older games again, even those that were SDR dominated, I seemed to see artistic details that I hadn’t noticed before. The disadvantage of a glossy coating is of course that the reflections are much more pronounced. Also, one of the characteristics of QD-OLED panels is that their black pixels can appear gray in rooms with a lot of ambient light. I found it frustrating at first, but as I got better at using the curtains to control the light coming through the window, it was worth it. In that sense, the AW2725Q is just like any OLED display: it needs the right lighting to look its best.
Once the display was set up, the AW2725Q performed well for both immersive and competitive gaming, thanks in part to its 240Hz refresh rate. Since I have a 165Hz monitor, I didn’t think a higher refresh rate would make games noticeably smoother, but I was wrong. Although my NVIDIA RTX 3070 GPU couldn’t fully utilize the display in games like… Cyberpunk 2077 AND Sea space 2 For example, I noticed no smudging or fading. This is largely due to the pixel’s 0.03ms response time. One of the benefits of OLED displays, especially if you’re like me and use a less powerful GPU, is that you don’t have to worry about overclocking modes. I did notice some VRR flicker when G-SYNC was enabled, but it seemed less pronounced than on older OLED displays like the LG 27GR95QE.
Everything I’ve mentioned so far applies to SDR gaming, but the AW2725Q performs best when you enable HDR. This is a VESA True Black 400 certified screen. In dark and atmospheric games such as dead space AND Alan WalkerThe AW2725Q’s ability to produce true blacks and a virtually infinite contrast ratio is revolutionary. The screen greatly enhances the atmosphere that these games are trying to create, thanks to dark scenes that do not fade due to the brightness of IPS screens.
Unfortunately, I don’t have the equipment to measure the panel’s maximum brightness and uniformity. Reviews below Calls AND Monitor without packaging However, he rates the AW2725Q positively. They found that the display can reach a maximum brightness of 220 nits in SDR mode and maintains a maximum brightness of around 260 nits across the screen in HDR mode. If you’re going for an LCD screen, I don’t think the AW2725Q will disappoint you, even if it’s not as bright as other OLEDs on the market.
Protection against burns
A few weeks isn’t enough to stress the AW2725Q during break-ins, but from what I’ve seen so far, the panel should last for years with proper care. First, the monitor has a number of maintenance functions. One of them updates all the pixels on the panel so they don’t freeze. You can start the process manually from the OSD. The AW2725Q starts the process automatically even after you turn off the computer or enter sleep mode. The whole process takes about five minutes. There are also self-diagnosis tools for the panel and the fan on the back of the screen.
In the US, Dell offers a three-year warranty on the AW2725Q, including burn protection. Not all manufacturers do this with their OLED displays, so the fact that Dell does this is good and makes the AW2725Q a smarter buy in the long run.
Summary
When I review a product, I usually can’t wait to use the device I used before again. I try to be thoughtful about my shopping habits and only buy things that I know will serve me for years to come. The best thing I can say about the Alienware AW2725Q is that I can’t wait to return it. It was an incredible display that made one of my favorite activities even more fun. The fact that it costs 900 dollars is the icing on the cake.
Yes, it’s still more expensive than the average IPS gaming monitor, but it’s cheaper than the competition without sacrificing visual quality. If you’re looking for a 4K OLED, I’d only skip the AW2725Q if you have enough desk space for a 32-inch screen and that’s the size I prefer.
