Alienware AW2725DF Review: A Blazing-Fast OLED Contender for Competitive Gamers

The Alienware AW2725DF throws down the gauntlet for competitive gamers seeking the ultimate edge. This 27-inch monitor boasts a cutting-edge QD-OLED panel, a mind-blowing 360Hz refresh rate, and lightning-fast response times. But is it all smooth sailing, or are there hidden reefs lurking beneath the surface? This review dives deep into the AW2725DF's strengths and weaknesses to help you decide if it's the perfect weapon for your digital arsenal.

Never has the gaming experience been so fluid and qualitative! At least that's the promise made by Alienware with its new AW2725DF gaming screen, a reference that uses a 27-inch QD-OLED panel, with QHD definition, with an impressive refresh rate of 360 Hz.

It's now been a little over a year since the first 27-inch OLED monitors hit the market. However, until now, these screens were limited (on this 27-inch format) to W-OLED panels supplied by LG Display with a refresh rate of 240 Hz. The market is evolving somewhat this year, the proof is with this AW2725DF which is none other than the first 27-inch screen to use a third generation QD-OLED panel from Samsung Display.

Alienware AW2725DF data sheet

Design: flawless!

Like most Alienware products, the AW2725DF looks great thanks to a particularly careful aesthetic and flawless construction. If we can criticize the Californian manufacturer for a design that mainly uses plastic, the various elements of the screen do not for a single second give the impression of a cheap product. With an introductory price of €889, we expect no less.

On the back, the Alienware logo and the “27” inscription light up and create a small luminous atmosphere in the dark. Note that this AlienFX lighting can be configured within the OSD. A fairing covers the location dedicated to the connectors. Good news, its attachment is simple and hassle-free, which is not always the case for this type of plastic elements on other screens.

The Alienware QD-OLED AW2725DF isn't the thinnest OLED display we've seen so far. The box which houses the electronics occupies a large surface area at the rear, so that the thinness of the OLED panel is not obvious at first glance. On the other hand, this box is carefully crafted, with a small curve and adds character to the aesthetics of this monitor. Of course, the frame of the screen is extremely thin, no more than a few millimeters, except on its lower part where the brand logo appears.

Connections

The Alienware AW2725DF is well equipped in terms of connections. There are two DisplayPort 1.4 inputs (with DSC), an HDMI 2.1 port, three USB-A ports, a USB-C with 15 W Power Delivery, and finally a USB-B port.

It should nevertheless be noted that HDMI 2.1 is labeled as such in the technical sheet provided by the manufacturer, but does not have the full bandwidth defined by the standard. Consequently, this limits usage to a refresh rate of 144 Hz at 1440p, which should nevertheless be sufficient for console players capped at 120 Hz on these gaming platforms. Finally, note that this screen does not have speakers.

Support

The screen arrives with a rather compact support and a stand which allows most ergonomic adjustments (tilt, rotation, portrait mode, height adjustment), also equipped with a very practical cable guide.

The VESA mount (100×100) is of course available for those who would like to mount this screen on a different support, such as an articulated arm.

A high-end OLED image, HDR performance still limited

Those who choose an OLED monitor generally do so for the image quality offered by this technology. Other factors come into play, particularly for gaming since the response times of OLED are much lower than those of LCD screens.

With its QD-OLED panel from Samsung Display, this Alienware monitor offers everything you would expect from a screen of this type: a contrast considered infinite by our probe, a great richness of colors, or even angles very wide vision without image degradation.

In its default picture mode, the Alienware AW2725DF is relatively well calibrated. The average temperature is a little warm, with a measurement at 6192 K where we would expect a value closer to 6500 K in order to benefit from a more neutral image. The gamma is measured with an average of 2.12 and follows the curve quite correctly, however the grays can appear darker than they really are. The Delta E, which identifies the accuracy of the colors displayed on the screen, is ideal with an average measurement of 1.39, the important thing being not to exceed the threshold of 3.

The weak point of OLED nevertheless remains brightness. This caps, in SDR, at 255 cd/m². A correct value of course, it must however be highlighted with the use which will be made of the monitor. The Alienware AW2725DF has a semi-gloss coating, it manages to reduce reflections without diluting them. Due to its SDR brightness and its anti-reflective treatment, it is clear that this screen cannot be used for office automation in a bright environment where windows and lighting would be poorly positioned. It is therefore important to be careful, before buying a TV screen, to know in advance where it will be positioned so as not to be disturbed by reflections.

Our HDR measurements once again show the limits of this screen in providing a light peak high enough to truly offer a flawless HDR experience. On an area that occupies 10% of the screen, the light peak peaks at 466 cd/m². This is slightly above what the DisplayHDR True Black 400 standard to which this screen meets, a standard designed for OLED screens since it provides for a minimum peak light of 400 cd/m² and a black level lower than 0.0005 cd/m².

Although this standard is a little light, the Alienware still offers good dynamics in HDR, thanks to its incredible black level, but also because it is able to push its light peak much higher on small areas. We thus measured it at 1,018 cd/m² on a window which occupies 2% of the screen, with the HDR Peak 1000 mode to be selected within the OSD. On the other hand, the ABL (Automatic Brightness Limiter) drastically limits the brightness as the surface increases, ending with a light peak of 260 cd/m² on a full-size window.

On the color side, the colorimetry is slightly less accurate in HDR, with an average Delta E of 3.07 and some nuances which exceed the threshold beyond which chromatic drifts can be visible to the human eye. Nothing serious however, because these are largely contained and the HDR calibration remains generally good. Unsurprisingly, the QD-OLED panel shows excellent abilities to reproduce colors over a wide palette. The Rec space. 2020 is thus 81% covered, while the DCI-P3 is almost entirely covered, at 99.3%.

Color volume is also another advantage of QD-OLED, namely that colors remain vibrant, even in highlights, which is not the case on W-OLED panels due to the additional white sub-pixel compared to a panel like that of the Alienware AW2725DF. However, although the effect is much less marked than with W-OLED panels (those supplied by LG Display), we notice a very slight drop in color volume in the highlights, when HDR is activated.

Let's finish by discussing an expected improvement compared to the first generation of QD-OLED panels that equipped Alienware monitors. Although retaining a triangular sub-pixel structure, the shape and size of these have been modified, so that text rendering is better than on a screen like the Alienware AW3423DWF. As a reminder, this first QD-OLED monitor showed its green subpixels, particularly visible on white text on a dark background. Text clarity and sharpness are much less of an issue here, although you can still see a very slight colored outline as you approach the screen.

An extremely qualitative gaming experience

On the gaming side, the Alienware AW2725DF takes it to a new level. On the one hand it benefits from the almost instantaneous response times that OLED technology has to offer, but above all it is the first QD-OLED screen to offer a refresh rate of 360 Hz. We tested several very responsive FPS to put our reflexes to the test with this screen, and it is clear that the fluidity felt is completely different from what we are used to on LCD screens generally capped at 144 Hz, or even 240 Hz.

OLED benefits a step ahead on this point, because at the same refresh rate with an LCD screen, the OLED gives a much more realistic impression of fluidity thanks to the ultra-short response times of its pixels. Note, however, that the 360 ​​Hz of this screen, with its QHD definition, may put your PC to the test on certain games!

However, in terms of performance, we cannot say that this screen has any other advantage than its refresh rate compared to other OLED references. It is therefore on the basis of this argument, as well as the differences in image quality between a QD-OLED panel and a W-OLED, that the choice will be made.

We were also able to test the proper functioning of VRR technologies, in particular with Nvidia's G-Sync. The display is well recognized as G-Sync compatible and is also AMD FreeSync Premium Pro certified. We did not encounter any issues with flickering or other phenomena during our testing phase.

Finally, there are quite a few options for gamers within the OSD. We think in particular of the dark stabilizer, which allows you to increase the gray levels in order to bring out details in dark areas, or even "Alien Vision" which allows you to modify the image on a central square, either to increase visibility and clarity during dark scenes, improve details, or even display a reticle.

Alienware AW2725DF pricing and availability

The Alienware AW2725DF has recently been available for €889. Although its price remains relatively high for a 27-inch monitor, it ranks consistently compared to the competition, particularly in comparison to QHD/27″ monitors equipped with W-OLED panels, for example from LG with the LG 27GR95QE -B launched at €1,099, or even at Corsair or Asus with the Corsair Xeneon 27QHD240 and Asus ROG Swift OLED PG27AQDM, both marketed at around €1,000.